Having been there and spoken to many of them in the field, I can categorically say that the guys with their hands grasped around the trigger guards, their focus fixed through nightvision goggles and their feet sore from all that walking, wholeheartedly agree with their commanding officer – though they express their enthusiasm for the equipment slightly differently. I met a warrant officer I’ve known for years, during an admin break at Line Creek Junction, Townsville’s impressive urban-operations village and, after ‘long-time-no-see’ banter, I asked this shooting-guru mate if the new EF-88 was as good as the brochures and hype say it is. Instantly, his eyes lit up. Not only was this a topic he was enthused about, but this was a weapon he was more than willing to fawn over. “Man, this is bloody brilliant – check this out…” and proceeded to talk me through, almost breathlessly, all the features he knew I’d appreciate – the scope with its ‘proper’ range markings and its selectable 1x and 4x zoom (“unlike that stupid doughnut idea we used to have to work around” – highlighting how much things have changed in the short 15 years I’ve been out) – the foregrip with built-in bipod – the bolt-release catch next to the magazine (which
he thought was brilliant) – the Picatinny rails with so much room for accessories. As we spoke, we were standing close to where a CO’s orders group had just finished, so my warrant officer friend took the opportunity to highlight several weapons that were accessorised different to his – scopes set further forward for customised eye relief, laser aiming devices in different placements, laser range finders, torches, night-vision scopes and thermal-imaging scopes. Some rifles were also painted in various patterns while some remained the standard matt black. The variety and customisation seemed endless. Then, just in case I wasn’t taking his word for how good the gear was, my warrant officer friend enlisted support from a nearby captain. Equipment? Eyes light up! “For me the best bit of kit is the night-vision goggles,” he enthused. “These things are bloody awesome. “We even have depth perception with these new ones – so much so, I’d have no hesitation sprinting from here to there in the dark and vaulting that fence on the way. “In moonlight with these things it’s like operating at noon on a sunny day – you can see everything – even in the shadows.
Some soldiers told CONTACT they were more accurate at night, thanks to the laser aiming device.
Photo digitally altered to remove distracting background and add the laser beam, which is usually only visible in dust , smoke or mist.
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