WAIT, I THOUGHT THAT HAVING MORE GUNS ON THE SCENE OF A MASS SHOOTING WOULD JUST LEAD TO MORE VIOLENCE? Northeastern University Cops To Get Tactical Rifles. The story calls them both “high powered” and “tactical,” though tactical rifles are usually in a low-powered caliber like .223, while a “high powered” rifle is usually in something like .300 Win Mag or at least .308. There’s some overlap — the AR-15 in .458 SOCOM is both high-powered and tactical — but I’d be surprised if the NEU police are getting those.