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Volume 12 Issue 136 Moden ftlrbal Shotgus
Raides u.d f,::r,ed Merchanunen of World War II
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tlodern
Since the introd,uction of accurate long-range firearmsto the
battlefield, the sniper, or sharpshooter as he used to he called,
has had aninlluence uponthe conduct of war out of aII
proportion to the nurnbers involved in his deadly trade, In
that time his weapon has evolved enormously.
The modern sniping rifle is a ren-rarkable piece ol equiprnent that
:mbodies all the frner pornts of the gun desigrners, gun maker's and
-:nmunition specialist's skills Although it is very often based on an
:xisting design it rs usually manufactured to high degrees of precision to
::sure that its user, the sniper, secures the all important first round hit
:. he largct every im.
Snrping rifles fall into two general categories T'he irrst has already
::en mentronedt the conversion of the existing weapon, usuaily a stan
:ard service rifle These very often do not look all that drfferent liom the
:l:grnals and can often be handled and used in much the same manner
,le second cateqory is very diiferent for its members are the specrally
;esrgned rrfles that often appear not to be nfles at all but some form of
:lace age' weaponry, There are several exarnples ol the latter in this
-. uCy and they will be easrly discerned, They seem to be (and often are)
:,arvels of the gun maker's art, but they are rarely weapons that the
..:--cer wrll want to use on the battlefleld. A11 sniper's nfles require
The Yugoslav M76 semi-automatic rifle, seen here fitted with a passive
op-tjcal night sight, has obvious design similarities to the Soviei Dragunov
SI/D. /t uses a ll-round magazine and is in sewice with the yugosliv armed
forces.
special care and handling, but some olthe more recent examples show
every mark of being laboratory test tools rather than practical weapons
Most of tire current crop of sniper's rifles are inctuded in this study.
They include stalwarrs such as the Soviet SVD and Britlsh L42Al magni-
ficient tools for the job such as the US Marines M4OA1 and the superla,
tive Mauser SP 66. No doubt less readily acceptable to the sntper in the
front line are designs such as the Walther WA2000 and the decidedly
odd-lookrng Iver Johnson rrfles. But one thing all these rifles have rn
common is that they are extremely accurate, and in the hands of the right
man they are lethal
The Israelis have eschewed the radical design approach which has produced
such over-complex and unreliable weapons as the Walther WA 200b in favour
of the studied development of their existing service rifle into the Galil sniper.
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 AUSTR A
7.62-mm SSG 69
With this Austrian rifle the deslgnation
SSC 69 stands for Scharfschut-
zenqewehr 69 (sharp-shooter rifle
1969 berng the year of the weaPon's
acceptance for servrce by the Austrian
army, It is manufactured by the Steyr-
Daimler-Puch AG concern at Steyr
and was, rn 1969, the latest in a lonq irne
of rrfles produced by the concern,
The 7.62-mm (0,3-in) SSG 69 has
some unusual desiqn features one of
s'
s
[ freretta Sniper
:i'/hen the market for htgth-prectston
snlper's rtfles expanded ln the 1970s
..rrtually every maior small-arms
nanufactuter in Europe and else-
',.;here started to desrgn weapons they
-rought would meet tnternational re-
Jurrements Some of these designs
have fared better than others on the
market but one that does aPPear to
lave been overlooked bY manY rs the
Beretta Sniper 7.62-mm (0.3 Ln) snipinqt
rifle. Thrs desrqn appears to have been
Jlven no numertcal destgnation and lt
has only recently aPPeared on the
scene, two factors that would normally
:ndicate that the rrfle is only just out of
:he development stage, But there are
reports that Lt ls already ln use wlth
srme ltalian paramihtary poiice units
them being the use of a lvliLnnlicher
bolt actron with a iorm of rear locking
instead of the far more common Maus-
69),
er forwardluq iocking. The bolt action
is nowuncommon although it has been
used on other recent Steyr rifles, and is
so arranged tha the enttre acrion ts
very stronq and the chamber ls well
The Steyr SSG 69 rifle is the standard
Austrian army sniper's rifle, and is
used by mountain troops as if ls
possible for a single sniPer to
virtually seal a mountain Pass
against advancing trooPs for long
periods. Tlre,SSG 69 ts robust enough
to survive in such conditions and
retainits accuracy.
for rnternal securtty dutles
Compared wrth many of the latest
'space aQIe' snlper rifle destqns, the
Beretta offenng Ls almost completely
orthodox but well up to the usual higth
standards of Beretta destqn and flntsh.
The Sniper uses a manual rotary bolt
action allied to the usual healry barrel,
and one of its most promtnent features
is the iarqe and unusually-shaped hole
carved into the high-quality wooden
stock that forms a prominent pistol grlp
for the triqger
Despite the overall conventtonal de-
sign there are one or two advanced
features on the Snrper, The wooden
forestock conceals a forward-pointing
counterweight under the free-floating
barrel that acts as a damper to reduce
wrthin the receiver for added rtgndtty.
A safety catch locks both the bolt and
finng prn when enqaqied. The barrel ts
cold-forged usrng a machine hammer-
lng process rn which the barrel rtfling
.s hammereo tnlo the bore using a
mandrel, Another odd feature is the
use ol lhe Miinnhche" rolary magazine.
a design feature that dates back to well
before World War I Thts rotary maqa-
zrne holds flve rounds, but a more
orthodox l0 rouno box magaz'ne can
be fitted
The rifle stock is made of a synthetic
material and rs adjustable in lenqth to
suit the flrer, The flrer can also adjust
the double-pull trigger pressure It is
also possible to make various adjust-
ments to the standard Kahles ZF69
telescopic sight which has a mag-
niflcation of x6. Other forms of siqht
(includrng niqht srghts) can be used on
the SSG 69, the receiver havinq an
overhead longitudrnal rib that can
accommodate a wide ranqe of vision
devrces, 'lron' sights are provided ior
emergency use only
The SSG 69 rs very accurate, Trials
have shown that rt is possible to fire
l0-round groups no larger than
400 mm (15.75 in) at 800 m (875 yards),
whrch rs the maximum graduated
range of the ZF69 sietht at shorter
the barrel vibrations produced on
flrrngr.At the front end ofthe forestock
is a locatron pornt for securinq a light
adlLrstable bipod to assist aimrng. The
undersrde oi Lhe ioreslock conrains a
slot for an adjustable forward hand
stop for the firer, and this forestop can
also be used as the arachm^nl polnl
for a flring sling if one is required The
butt and cheek pads are adjustable
and the muzzle has a flash hrder.
Unlike many of rts modern counter-
parts the Beretta Smper ts lully pro-
vided wrth a set of all-adjustable preci
sion match sights, even though these
would not normally be used for the
sniping role Over the 'ecp,ver is a
standard NATO optical or night sight
mounting attachment to accommodate
r:' ;:-: -:: r-- - -:-:. ;s gel mdcn llqhlel
S:-:: :-: -:-l:dlcilon of the SSG 69
qtc /- -:-- - : .:i
, -o mOre adV-
anced smper r--i: r::cCels, but the SSG
69 remarns rn servlce wlth the Au-
s rrans iorhe srmple reason lhat' isan
excellent military snrper's rtfle and far
inore practical than some ol the more
modern technical mawels now avail-
able. A target shooting version of the
SSG 69 with a heavier barrel and
match sights has been produced
Specification
SSG 69
Calibre: 7 62 mm (O 3 in)
Lengths: overali 1140 mm (44.9 in)
barrel650 mm (25 6 in)
Weight: empty, wrthsight4.6 kg
(10 14 rb)
Muzzle velocity: 860 m (2,82 L ft) per
second
Magazine capacity: 5-round rotary or
10-round box
The Steyr SSG 69 rifle uses a Kahles
ZF69 telescopic sight graduated up
to 800 m (875 yards) - this example is
not fitted with the usuaf ircn' sights.
Tlre SSG 69 uses an unusual five-
round rotary magazine, but can also
be fitted with a Ij-round box
magazine.
vrrtually any military sightrng system,
The normal telescoprc sight is the
wrdely-used Zeiss Divari Z with a zoom
capability from x 1,5 to x6, but other
lypes can be ftled.
Specification
Beretta Sniper
Caiibre:7 62 mm (0 3 in)
lengrths:overall 1165 mm (45 87 in);
barrel 586 mm (23 in)
Weights: empty 5 55 kq (12.23 1b);
complete 7,2 kq (15,87 lb)
Muzzle velocity: about 865 m (2,838 ft)
per second
Magazine capacity: 5 rounds
 FRANCE
FR-FI and FR-F2
When the French army requrred a
snrper's rrfle to replace the varied
selection of weapons which rt had used
stnce World War II it decided that the
eastest design course to follow was to
modify its existing service rifle the 7.5-
mm (0,295-in) modele 1936 Thrs rifle
had the dubious distinction of berng
one ol the very last bolt-action rifles to
be accepted as a standard service
weapon by any of the major European
powers but it was not regarded as a
very good design, even at the time,
and was used mainly because of its
French origins, Using this weapon as a
startrng pornt the resultant sntper's
rifle, the mle FR-FI emerged as not
particularly brilliant,
The number of mooificatrons rn-
volved in convertinq the moddle 1936
into the FR-Fl meant that very little of
the origrnal remained; it was;ust about
discernible that the moddle 1936 had
been used as the origin but that was
all. The main change was the introduc-
tion of a bipod, the addrtion of a prstol
qrrip for the tngger, a longrer barrel
with a long flash hrder, and a telesco
pic sight The butt was provrded wtth a
>K iiin" z.Gz-mmL zAL
The Lee-Enfleld rrfle has had a long
career wrth the British army reachrng
back to the lB90s, and throuqhout that
trme the basic Lee-Enfleld manual bolt
mechanism has remained lrttle
changed. It rs still in service wrth the
army to this day rn the form of the Rifle
7.62-mm L42AI These weapons are
',rsed only for sniping, and are conver-
sions of 0.303-in (7.7-mm) No 4 Mk 1(T)
cr Mk 1*(T) rrfles, as used during
\A/orld War ll the crnverslons rn-
'roLveo now oarrels, a new nagaz'-e
some changes to the trigger mechan-
ism and flxed sights and alterations to
ihe forestock, The World War II No. 32
Mk 3 telescoprc siqht (renamed the
LlAl) and its mounting over the re-
ceiver have been retained, and the
result has for lonq been a good, rugr
qed and serviceable sniprngr riile,
used not only by the army but also by
the Royal Marrnes
In modern terms the L42Al is very
much -he Drocrucl ol a prev o-s ge-l-
eratron, but it can still qdve excellent
f,rst-shot results at ranqes over BO0 m
Below: The L42A I rifle is a 7.62-mm
(0.30-in) conversion of an earlier
0.303-in (7.70-mm) Lee-Enfield rifle,
and it has served the British Army
well over the years. I t was used by
the Army and the Royal Marines
during the F alklands war, usually in
the form shown here with the
weapon covered in camouflage
scrim netting.
In this photograph the French sniper
is using the telescopic sight of his
FR-F I as an obsewation aid, resting
the barrel on a tree branch. He would
never fire the weapon from such a
stance, for accuracy would be
minimal.
cheek rest ar^d lne boll act-or con-
siderably altered.
Even with all these alterations the
mle FR-FI was not an immedlate inter-
national success For a start, the rrfle
frred the old French 7 S-mm standard
cartndge dl o time when other natrons
were changing to the new 7 62-mm
(0 3-in) NATC round This change to
the new cartridqe was so pronounced
that eventually the French had to con-
vert to it as well and later-production
mle FR Fls were chambered for 7.62-
mm ammunition; many of the older 7 5-
mm rifles are still rn use, however. The
modele 1936 bolt action was also re
tained, albeit rn a much altered form
This actron was regarded as an awk-
ward one to use and even in its re-
vised form was irttle rmproved The
bipod was also rather flimsy and dif-
(875 yards) although thrs depends
very much on the skill of the firer and
the type of ammunrtron used Normally
the ammunrtion is selected from spe-
cial 'Green Spot hiqh-accuracy
ammunitron produced at the Royal
Ordnance facility at Radway Green,
The rifle itself rs also the subject of a
great deal of care calibration and
attention When not 1n use it is stowed
(and transported) in a specral wooden
chest that contains not oniy the rrfle but
the optical sight cleanrngr grear, flrrngt
sirnEr and perhaps a few spares such as
extra magazines: the L42Al retains the
lO-round magazine ofthe 0 303 rn ver-
sion but with a revised outline to
flcuit to adjust. AIso the weapon was
consrdered by many to be too healry.
The mle FR-FI has now been re-
placed by the mle FR-F2, Basically this
is much the same as the earher
weapon, but the long barrel is now
encased in a thick black nylonrte
sleeve to reduce the heat haze from
the barrel that miqht interfere with the
performance of some nrght sights The
bipod has also been altered and relo-
cated so that rt is now secured directly
to the barrel, The forestock has been
changed from all-wood to all-metal,
covered rn a plastic coating The m1e
accommodate the new rrmless
ammunition. The often overlooked
weapon record books are also kept in
the chest,
The L42Al is not the onlv 7.62-mm
Lee-Enfleld rifle stlll around. A special
match-shootrng version known as the
L39Al rs s-il1 retarned Ior competruve
use, and there are two other models,
the Envoy and the Enforcer The for-
mer may be reqarded as a crvilian
match version of the L39Al while the
Enforcer is a custom-built variant of the
L42A1 with a heavier barrel and re-
vised butt outline produced speci-
fically for police use. The L39Al and
Envoy are not normally fltted with
.
Specification
FR-F'I
Calibre: 7.5 mm (0 295 in) c: - ii :::
(0 3 in)
Lengths:overall 1l39 mmi:=: :-
barrei552 mm(21.73 in)
Weight: emply 5.42 kq ( I . :: .< :
Muzzle velocity: 852 m (2 - :'- - ;: :
second
Magazine capacity: I 0 r o --:.'^- .
Specification
L42AI
Calibre: 7 62 mm (0.3 in)
Lenqths: overall 1 lB I ru:- ii: :
barrel699 mm (27.5 in)
weisht: 4 43 ks (9.76 Ib)
Muzzlevelocity: B3Bm(2 -:- -'- :=-
second
Magazinecapacity: 1C r- ::.:-.
Changes to the oldNo.4Lee-
Enfieldrifle for the 7.62-mm (03a-n-
sniping role involved a new heal-;
barrel, a new I 1-round box
magazine, and cutting back the
forestock over the baftel- A cheek
restwas added to the butt and the
rifle was virtually rebuilt. Chaages
were alsomade to the trigger. a:.:
=
scopemountwas added.
RmMmB
ffimwflne
ffixruapffitrs
Forniai:yyears, ffi e arm ies of the urarld
ftarepud fftcrrfajfft in firepawer, trcitk the
nofa.hJe e.xeeptlon of Britain. Ta the
Erifisi:, rmarksmansft ;i: ft as .rernalned
paranround, and f,he e;"" af,f of ffte srulre"a"
ftas surrrrec' - nfitnkere rnore than in the
.i?oSraJflfarlnes"
Elements of 3 Commando Brigade Royal
I4arines are landing 1n the Falklands although
-ire advance rnto the hrnterland rs progressing
-noothLy, the beach head is crowd-ed wrth
::en and materral Suddenly a soldier 1s jeiked
:i his fe-^t by a bullet smacking into his helmet.
.: more shots are flred at the British forces
, -.r.ng that aliernocn and ihe soldier ls more
.- .,ken and bruised than rnrounded. All avail-
.r: e intelltgence sho"rrs clearly that there are
Argeniines r'vlthin l0 miles of the beach
,:.:d But rhe possibility exisis thal some
: ere a sniper rs still lvithrn k111ing range. Wlth
. ., J,C.{/rtdr!/;bu!"-,1 t h" 5u11a|.,r1,!,..t.; ;
"7,
i trJairi undefetJeci'. Ta that end, a nLssf€r]l of
.'-: a llire trrtn o ufJagr e i.s essen liai - peri. i aps ::r ore
rla:i su;;rem e accuracy vrith al n/e;.po-n. The airn
j r. break ilF .re e:agnizahly hum.en oltiJjnes:rr-i i:n
-,:; i:!e rojn* of irare ;Tes,h.
: : *
::'.t : nce in pr:.sjiJ$n, m uc.h o f a srLi F e:t' :: .i r-; b i s
.r: " ;
i ii i'rJt f i*J': [4/,.h e,r s ucce.gs o r { a i l u t r; t: { nt n s : :: tt
. is Ltil}tl l&e re-rujis of e -s ingle :ihct. tlten a
.,,-j,..'1,(
.;:r .rr"r,,lessioraJrsryr is J"hc"besl Euayante-^ ai
. - ::'.: Li: i.hci'lgftf ,iliacr, aridprov,laes the abiirl'1 t'r
..,: r:r,ilirldge lJ'r e right fftoffient ta fi:(s.

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'l.J{:r': l--. +

:
 Modern Sniping Rifles

Royal Marine snipers are currently equipped with The classic marksman's position is demonstrated mando operations. When the British arn:-. :=-
a modifiedversion of the venerableLee-Enfield, in the open field. While being a natural good shot is discovered the value oi sniping rt ioo<:: ---
the L42A 1 chambered to fire the 7.62-mm NATO less important than one might think-good Lympstone to train instruciors, and so cird :-=
round. While perhaps not as accurate as the latest shooting can be taught - the sniper must be able to
high-tech wizardry, the basic destgn ftas sfood up US Marine Corps.
hit a man-sized tatget at ranges up to 800 m, and a
to battlefield conditions for decades. head-sized target at 400 m. The course at Lympslonc remains one --- .:.:
most exactinq in the world, I:ess than ha,' :-:
such a threat hangrng over them, people flnd of World War III, Brltarn found herself frghttng a candrdates pass out as a sniper/first c:ss
themselves moving more cautiously, staying succession of small wars in Malaya, Oman, althougrh the Marines point out that, even:-.': *
under cover that little bit longer than before, Cyprus, Kenya, and Adenr limited conflicts fail to pass the course, you wlll be a j:e:.:l
and the beach-head slowly begins to clog up. It which General Kitson dubbed 'Low Intensity soldier for the experience and an ideal c::-::
takes nearly elght hours for life to return to Operations', They were all infantry wars in as a sniper's 'number two': the obseriter ::-j
normal. In fact the shot turned out to have been whrch all the o1d skrlls of the PBI (Poor Bloody bodyguard tasked with protecting the s:--;::
fired by a fleeing Argentine, and only in the Infantry) were needed, Snipers were especial- from immediate threats, leaving him iree .: ;=
general direction of the beach-head rather ly needed, and were eventually supplied, The on with his main job. Before looking a. :,=
ihan at any speciflc target; it was a fluke hlt, but US Army learned the same lesson during the course and discovering why it is so exac::-;: -
:he rncident demonstrates the importance of tortuous struggle in South Vietnam and alter is important to understand what makes a s::-:::
ihe sniper. If the Argentines had depioyed this unlortunate hiatus, sniper traininQr began and whal he is expected to do,
snipers in this case, the landrngs would not anew, But while most armies had abandoned In a conventional war, the sniper dcn:-:a,::
have gone so smoothly, and the irony would specialist training, the Royal Marines had re- the ground between opposing troops ---.
have been that it was the Royal Marines who solutely maintained their course in the belief targets are other snipers, forward pa:l--s
kept sniper training alive after 1945 A double that sniping is oiparticular importance in com- officers and NCOs, signaliers, runners a--j
rony rs that any Argentine sniper might well
have been trained in happrer trmes by the US
Marines who 'borrowed' their sniper trarning
course lrom the Royal Marines' own course at
lhe Commando Traininq Centre (CTC) at
Lympstone in Devon,
CivilWarorigins
The chref attributes of a sniper are fleldcraft,
long-range accuracy, patience, and a lively
intelligence, The value of sniprng has long
been appreclated; in the Enghsh Civil War
some officers brought the gamekeepers from
their estates and employed them for accurate
long-range fire specifically aimed at enemy
olf,cers and standard bearers, By the time of
the American Civil War optical assistance in
the shape of telescopic srghts had appeared,
and the lives of offlcers, and specialists like
gn-lnners, became markedly more dangerous.
General Sedgewick's last words were: "Don't
worry men, they couldn't hit an elephant at thrs
dist. . . ,'
Snipers were used to great effect tn both
world wars, but sniper training in the British
British army (and, indeed, throuqhout NATO)
was discontinued in the post-war years, Pian-
ners envisaged a massive armoured Soviet
advance being met by a massive NATO
armoured counter-attack, The battlefield
would belong to tanks, armoured personnel
carriers and, quite possrbly, nuclear weapons.
Individual rnlantry skt1ls paled into insigni- Much of the skill of a sniper lies in an ability to The art of concealment is f ar n.ore :i.ar..:.:::-:,r :
utilize cover effectively. By picking his hide convenient bush to htde behind. A sntper has :o ne
ficance against the prospect of bigger and bet- carefully, a sniper can merge into the background able fo see hrs target, so exce.ssjve cover in front.
ter hardware; all planning was devoted to a and from 50 m will be hard to see while he is although hiding the sniper, will also obscure the
possible major conflict rn which there seemed getting into position, let alone when he ftas self/ed potential tatget from view.
io be little scope for the lone snlper, But lnstead down.

2745
Royal Marine Snipers
-,veapons crew: in other words, anyone en-
gaged on a special task whose loss would
-aiise drsruption and confusion. A snrper is
expected to lay down harassing flre at range-s
uqio 1000-m. But a sniper is more than a well-
:rarned killing machrne; he is also requrred to
observe all enemy activtty and report back
Trained to remain concealed lor days, some-
irmes weeks, this task is as important as the
more obvious sniping missions. When friendly
forces are retreating, a sntper can slow down
the enemy advance quite considerably not by
infhctrng massive casualties but by ehminating
the men necessary to control the advancing
units, Few armies are blessed with soldiers
suff,ciently trarned and motivated to take over
when their leaders are picked off. lndeed, with
modern forces tending io disperse over wider
areas, the value of the sniper has increased
considerably as most military untts are entrrely
dependent bn a small cadre of officers and
communications specialists, Knock them out,
and the unit can no longer function effeciively
Snipers are obvtously best suited to lhe typq
of teirain in which therr abrlity to kill and
observe at long ranges can best be utillzed
(temperate, arctic and desert), At ihe same
trme, because their fi.eldcraft rs of such a htgh
27A6
order, snipers also prove effective in iungle/
dense vegetation condltions, particuiarly when
employed againsl an enemy strongpoin'
Northern Ireland has proved just how useful
snrpers are in an internal security situation
Mott rnternal security situaitons require mrni-
mum force to be used, and a sniper can brlng
discriminatrng flre to bear in urban areas,
Usually working tn two-man ieams, the snipers
are inserted into their OP,fttde during what
passes for an ordinary patrol, usually at night. In
this sort of srtuation they will also use a wide
range of sophisticated surveillance devices,
Thrs is not only because a trained sniper is also
a superb intelligence-gatherert rf a terrorlst is
shot, you must be able to show that you had
grood reason for shooting htm (or her), and a
photograph ofthe dead ierrorist carrying a gun
tends to convince all but the most fanatical or
naive critic, The problem in Northern Ireland is
that if a terrorist rs shot whrle carrying a gun, his
'minders' will rush in to try to get the gun away
so that the security forces can once again be
accused of krlhng an unarmed (and therefore
innocent) man, Hence the need for good, accu-
rate photography,
While most OPs are rooms (snrpers may
have to stay there for days or weeks on end),
By selecting the background to his hide as well as
the foreground, the trained sniper can merge into
the lands cape. F r om I 0 m, he is only visible to the
camera because hehas taken off his camouflaged
headgear.
the sole object of the exerclse rs to obtain a ktll,
and a sniper does not expect to be in position
for too 1ong, so any and every possible type of
hide rs used, In the past this has included the
crawl space between floors, with a single brtck
then removed from the outsrde wa1l. Imagine
the skill, dedication and patience necessary to
he prone, cramped into a 46-cm (18 tn) space
for hour upon hour, and then to have the abtlity
to loose off a single shot and so take out a
terrorist. This rises the question of what is it that
makes a sniper. What kind of man is a sniper,
and what are the rnherent military skills he
should possess?
A sniper's skills
A sniper does not need to be a natural shot,
for shooting can be learnt. But a sniper does
have to be a natural soldier: he really is an
infantryman par excellence, And, in the words
of one of the l:ympstone instructors, 'A snrper
should have qulte a lot of the poacher in his
make-up,'
A sniper does noi need vast military experi-
ence: the Royal Marines regard snipino as .
skill ol'ordinary' marines, Officers and NCOs
take exactly the same course, and are judgec
equally harshly The sniper tends to be slightl-';
more indivrdualistic than his fellows, but his
seif-discrpline and ablllty to carry out the mos:
exacting order is that much greater, The snipel
tends to enjoy pitting hrs wits agalnst the
enemy: but the moment he feels too superior
he is dead. Sniping requires a high degree c:
dedication and the good sniper flnally de
velops an almost sixth sense about his job. L
there is one quality snipers share before therr
training it is a natural awareness ol and the
abillty to be at one wtth, their surroundlngs; it is
probably for this reason that most snipers, ever-
those who operate well rn an urban envlron-
ment, have been brought up in the country, .F-
sniper has to have an innate patience and to be
mature enough to discover that during his trarn
ing he must learn how to cope wrth his own
strengths and weaknessest one can lead tc
overconfidence, the other to loss'ol morale
The sniper is not a 'gung ho' cowboy: he is a
solLd professronal with a great deal of common
sense. Fina1ly, the sniper has to have that one
attribute possessed by all good soldiersl a
sense of humour,
Lympstone course
The course at Lympstone trains Royai
Mannes, some army personnel and the occa-
sional policeman. The course teaches shoot-
ing, camouflage and concealment, stalktng,
observation, distance judgrng and map read
rng, On average, oniy 45 per cent of all candr-
dates pass, although obviously any police
trainee is less concerned with the purely milit-
ary aspects of the training, e,g, air photo-
graphrc interpretation, map reading and 'stay
behind techniques',
Since the Royal Marines regard sniping as a
natural extension of basic infantry skills each
developed to a spectahst standard, they ex-
pect that all candidates should be above aver-
age and (more importantly) be capabie of
adding to these skilis, On the first day the
candidate is introduced io his weaponsl the
 Modern Sniping Rifles

Britains New Sniping Rifle

After many years in service, the Lee-Enfield is to be replaced
as the British Army's standard sniping rifle by a purpose-
designed weapon manufactured by Accuracy International.
Unlike its predecessors, the new weapon is not a conversion of
a tried and trusted battle rifle but is more akin to the special
targetweapons used in the Olympic Games.
ln rts No. 4 N/k 1 (T) andL42Al forms, the Lee-Enfield No. 4 rifle has given British
army snipers sterling service over the years, but these two weapons were
origihally straightforward conversions of standard rif les with few innovations for
the"snipbr rolei. The L42A1 is still a good weapon, but time has marched on and
technological advances now meanlhat something better can be provided. For
some timie the British army was prevented f rom getting replacement weapons
for budgetary reasons, but'during 1 984 that chang-ed and the army could specify
to all concerned what it really wanted.
It was interesting to note that of the three weapons f inally selected for final
trals none are of the super-accuracy'space-age' type. All three were conven-
tional designs, brought up to date by the use of modern materials and design
niceties; tdey were ihe Parker-Hale Model 85, a design f rom lnterarms, and the
Accuracy lnternational Model PM. Allthree were subjected to extensive trials by
the staff of the Small Arms School Corps at Warminster in Wiltshire and
although there was apparently little to choose between the three, in the end the
Accuracy lnternational Model PM was selected. ln this the evaluation team was
probably influenced to some extent by experience gained from use of the Model
PM bv the SAS, which had already obtained a few of the type.
Olympicdesigner
The Accuracy lnternational Model PM was designed by Malcolm Cooper, an
Olympic gold medallist in rifle shooting and based at Portsmouth in Hampshire.
The Model PM appears to be an entirely orthoCox design but in this case the
appearances are deceptive. The Model PM is in effect little more than a heavy
stainless steel 7.62-mm (0.3 in) barrel secured to a bolted aluminium chassis.
The entire weapon consists of a bipod, stock, action and butt all enclosed in
plastic f urniture provided for little reason other than to hold everything together
and give it an acceptable appearance: for instance, although the forestock
appears to enclose the barrel it does not touch the free-floating barrel at any
point.
The Model PM uses a Tasco teescopic sight and has a forward-locking This version oI the Accuracy International rifle is known as the 'Counter
manual bolt action designed so that on withdrawal the bolt does not touch the Terrorist' model, and is fitted with a spiralmuzzle device thatwill not be fii.tec
f irer's face. The light alloy bipod can be allled with a retractable monopod
'spike' to theBritishArmyversion. TheArmymodel, known as the'lnfantry'. will ha','e
under the butt thal can be used to act as a holdi ng platform for prolonged periods a lj-round box magazine and'iron' sights plus extras such as slingsrires.
of use: i.e. the f irer can aim the rifle at a selected area with the weight taken on
the bipod and spike. An integral box magazine holds five rounds and the trigger
assembly can be removed entirely for adjustment (tt can even be lnterchanged Terrorist weapon lalready in army use) and the f irst of 'l ,212 lnfant^, -' 3,. ,,. ::
between rifles). delrvered during early 1986. The latter has a 6x42 scope and r::c^ ::--:
Few details of the Model PM have yet been released. The entire rif le weighs effective at ranges up to 900 m (984 yards). Smail-cal bre and :-:,-:-::
about 6 kg (13.23 lb) and there are at least four versions. One ls the Counter vaflants will also be available.

L42Al rlfle (basically a Lee-Enfleld recham-
bered for 7,62-mm/0,3-in ammunition, plus
telescopic srghts), a pair of binoculars, the
Scout Regiment telescope and a pair ofgarden
secateurs, Contrary to popular opinion, snlpers
are not encouraqed to have their own personal
rrfles, if only because a man who places too
much larth in a particular rifle loses effective-
ness ri it becomes lost or damaged: he w jll have
lorgotten that the rifle itself possesses no skills,
only the man that uses it, The candldate learns
how to aim oif for wind and moving targets; how
to use his 'scope sight properly, but also how to
use ihe'iron' sights properly. Telescopic sights
can get damaged and that is a poor excuse for
failure. The binoculars are standard army
issue, useful for searching a wide area quickly,
The Scout Regiment telescope gles x 20 mag-
nrfication, allowing detailed searching at long
distance, but requires very skilful handltng. In
order to pass the candidate must identify a
minimum of eight oul of 12 mihtary objects that
are within 300 m (330 yards), These objects are
placed so as to be rnvisrble to the naked eye,
and all but invisrble using binoculars, There
are 40 minutes only to locate and identify the
objects,
A simrlariy high standard is required in al1
other subjects, In order to qualtfy the sniper
has five minutes to conceal himself 150 to 250 m
( I 65 to 275 yards) away from an observer usrng
binoculars. The observer must be unable to
see the sniper even when a thtrd man actually
touches the smper's head, At the same time, the
sniper must be able to see the observer and
must have his srghts correctly set for range and
wrnds.
The sniper also has to be able to stalk a
drstance between 800 and 1000 m (880 and
i, 100 yards) to within 150-250 m ( 165-275 yards)
of an observer, working from maps and air
photographs. Agarn he must remain unde-
tected, and as beiore his sights must be cor-
rectly set at all times. But one ol the hardest
tests ls judqdng distances, Here, eight objects
are placed at ranQres up to 1000 m (1, I0O yards)
away: the sniper has to estimate to within 15 per
cent of their true ranges, getting a minimum of
flve out ofeight correct, using oniy his rifle sight
and binoculars, The problem is that all objects
appear smaller or larger dependrng on the
time of day, the quality oilight avarlable, the air
temperature and even the observer's own state
of health (not a test to do with a hangover),
 ffi tarter-Hale Model 82
il
::
ffi'*"@-a
,€**'
P
'A
E
,:e
WESI GERMANY
Mauser SP 66 and sP 86
Mauser-Werke at Oberndorf in
Germany can lay claim to a lonQr
,-,-est
desiqn and produc-
-i drstinguished for rts manual bolt-
-::i backqround
=::cn rrlles that are now known under
re blanket name of Mauser, The com-
:--vs forward-locking bolt action is
s:J'.,.ndely used by designers who re-
;-:e maximum lockinqwith accuacy,
a *: ihe masters of its use are now un-
i:ubtedly the Mauser-Werke, The
::npany has even introduced its own
;ar.ations to the action, one of them
.:-:r9r the relocation of the bolt handle
::n the rear of the bolt to the front.
Cn most rrfles this would be of little
=locl.lnt, but on a specialist sniper rrfle
-- means that the firer can operate the
c:li action without having to move his
::ad out ofthe way as the bolt itselfcan
:e made relatively short; it also means
:e barrei can be made cofiespon-
This version of the SP 66, known as
the Model 86 SR, is equiPPed with a
set of target sights and a biPod for
sup er - accu r a te c om P e tition
shooting: the service version is
basically the same weaqon fitted
with a telescopic sight butwithout
thebipod.
*?
The Parker Hale Model 82 was
selected by theCanadian Armed
Forces as their sniper fifle, and is
seen here inwinter camouflage' It
uses a Mauser-type bolt action and is
fittedwith a four-round box
magazine.
Parker-Hale Limited of Birminqham
has for many years been manufactur-
ing match rifles and their associated
sighrs, and also produces sntPlng
rifles. The company's best-known pro-
duct to date rs the 7,62-mm (0.3-in) Par-
ker-Hale Model 82, also known as the
Parker-Hale I200TX. The Model 82 has
been accepted for military and police
service by several nattons.
In appearance and design terms the
Model 82 rs an entirely conventional
sniping weapon. It uses a manual bolt
action very similar to that used on the
classic Mauser 98 rifle, allied to a
heavy free-floatrnQt barreli the barrel
dingly longer for enhanced accuracy.
This has been done on a custom-built
Mauser-Werke sniper's rifle known as
the Mauser SP 66. The revised bolt
action is but one instance of the care
lavished on thrs weapon, for it also has
a heavy barrel, a butt with a carefully
conroured thumb apenure. pror,rsion
for adjustable cheek and butt pads,
and a special muzzle attachment. Thts
last is so designed that on flring the
great bulk of the resultant flash is
weiqhs kq (4.365 lb) and rs manu-
1.98
factured from chrome molybdenum
steel, An inteQ[al four-round magazine
is pronded. The trigger mechanism is
an entirely self-contained unit that can
be adjusted as required.
the Model 82 rs available rn a nLlm
ber of forms to suit any particular cus-
tomer requirements. Thus an adjust-
able cheek pad may be provided if
wanted, and the butt lengrths can be
altered by adding or taking away butt
pads ofvarious thicknesses. The sights
loo are subject to several variations
but the Model 82 is one weapon that is
normally supplied urth 'iron' match-
type sights. if an optical sight rs fitted
the rear-siqhts have to be removed to
allow the same mounting block to be
used The forward mounting block is
machined into the recelvet, Various
types of iron' foresight or optical night
sigrhts can be fltted
The Australian army uses the Model
82 fitted with a Kahles He[a ZF 69 tele-
scopic sight. The Canadian army uses
a version of the Model B2/I200TX
altered to meet local requirements;
this servrce knows the Model 82 as the
Rifle 7.62-mm C3, New Zealand also
uses the Model 82.
Parker-Hale produces a specrai
training version of the Model 82 known
as the Model83. This srngle-shot rifle is
directed out ofthe firer's vision, and it
also acts as a muzzle brake to reduce
recoil, Reducing both these factors en-
ables a user to fire second and subse-
quent shots more rapidly.
The standard of flnish and careful
desigm throughout the production of
the SP 66 is very high, Even such de-
tails as rougheningr al1 surfaces likely to
be handled to prevent slipping have
been carried out with meticulous care,
and the trigger is extra wrde to allow it
fitted with match sights only and there
is no pronsion for a telescoprc sight, 1:
has been accepted by the British
Ministry of Defence as the Cadet
Trainingr Rifle L8lA1,
The Model 82 has now been up-
dated to the Model 85. This has a re-
vised butt outline compared with the
Model 82. a lO-round box magazire
and a bipod (optional on the Model 82)
is fltted as standard. This weapon was
one of the rifles competitively tested
by the Brrtish army to determine its
new sniper rifle, a competition won by
Accuracy lnternational,
Specification
Model32
Calibre: 7,62 mm (0,3 in)
Lengrths: 1162 mm (45,75 in); barrel
660 mm (25,98 in)
Weight:unloaded 4,8 kq (10,58 lb)
Muzzle velocity: about 840 m (2,756 ft)
persecond
Magazine capacity: 4 rounds
Below: In servicewiththe armed
forces ofAustralia, New Zealand and
Canada, the Parker Hale ModeL82 is
intended to hit point targets atup to
400 m in good light, or up to the
maximum range of any sights fitted.
to be used when gloves have to be
worn,
The sights have been selected with
equal attention. There are no fixed
sigrhts and the standard telescopic
sight rs a Zeiss-Dlari ZA with zoom
capability of from x1.5 to x6, Night
srghrs can be frlred, though it is recom-
mended that the manufacturer selects
and calibrates them to an exact match
ior the rifle on which they are used. As
is usual with such rifles the ammunition
Mauser SP 66 and SP 86 (continued)
flred from the SP 66 is taken from care-
fully-selected batches of 7,62-mm (0,3-
in) NATO rounds produced specifrcal-
ly for use by snipers.
The SP 66 has been a considerable
success even thougth tt is manufac-
tured virtually to order only, It is in
service with the West German armed
forces and more have been sold to a
further 12 or so nations, most of which
are unwilling to dil'ulqe their names for
security reasons.
Specification
SP 66
Calibre: 7 62 mm (0,3 in)
Lengths: overall not drl'ulged; barrel
380 mm (26.77 in)
Weight: not divulged
Muzzle velocity: about 860 m (2,821 ft)
per second
Magazine capacity: 3 rounds
Walther WA2000
Vi/ith the Walther W42000 it would
appear that small-arms desrgtn is
aiready in the 'Star Wars' era, for this
','ieapon has an appearance all of tts
:-wn. The rifle was desigmed from the
rutset for the sniprng role and the
Walther approach has been to put
asrde all known small-arms design
erecepts and start from scratch after
alalysingT the requirements
The most important part of any rifle
iesrqn is the barrel, for tt alone imparts
:ne required degree of accuracy.
Walther decided to clamp the barrel
a. the fuont and rear to ensure that the
!que .mparted by a bullet passing
:rough the bore would not lift the bar
rel away from the intended point of
: m. The barrel is also fluted longttudi-
This Mauser SP 86 is fittedwith a Long-range accuracy depends on
nightvision device. It is
recommended that the manufacturer
selects and calibrates the sights of
e ac h in div idu al w e ap on.
nally over lts entire lenqth. This not
only provides more coolinq area but
also reduces the vrbrations imparted
on firinq1, vrbrations that can also cause
a bullet to stray. The designers also
decrded to qo for a gas-oPerated
mechamsm to reduce the need for bolt
manipulation between shots, and to re-
duce recoil effects to a mintmum the
barrel is rn direct ltne wrth the shoul-
der so that the muzzle will not be
thrown upwards after every shot.
Thus the strange outhne of the
WA2000 beqdns to make sense, but
there is more to come for the WA2O00
is a 'bullpup desrqn with the gas-oper-
ated bolt mechanism behind the triq-
qer group, Such an arranQtement
makes the overall design that much
Modern Sniping Rifles
Aclose-up of the double-row.
good ammunition, and Mauset select detachable nine-round magazine o!
theirs from batches of NATO 7.62- the Mauser SP 86, one of the
mm cartridges- This Mauser is fitted improvements incorpor ated into this
with a laser rangefinder- development of the SP 66-
shorter and easier to handle without favoured 7 S-mm (0.295-tn) S'.'-s :--
''
reducinq the barrel lenqth. It does trLdge can be accommodoL-o ,,.':.
mean that the ejection port is close to required alterations to the bcl: a:i r= -
the firer, so specral left- and right-hand mg
verslons have to be produced
The overall standard of finish of the Specification
W42000 is all that one would expect. w42000
The butt pad and cheek rests are Calibre:see text
adjustable, and there is a carefully- Lengrths: overall905 mm (35 63 -:-
shaped pistol grip for added aiming barrel 650 mm (25.59 in)
stabllity. The normal telescoptc sight is Weights: empty, no sights 6 3c k;
a Schmidt und Bender x25 to x10 (15.32 1b); loaded,wthststht t 3, k;
zoom, but other types can be fltted. (18 32 lb)
Walther has decrded that the best Magazine capacity: 6'ou- d.
round for the sniprnq role rs now the
300 (7.62-mm) Wlnchester Magrnum Supplied with a Schmidt & Bender
cartridge, but while the WA200O is tetrescopic sight, the remarkabie
chambered for this rcund others such Walther WA2000 fires the 0. 3A - in
as the 7.62-mm (0 3-in) NATO or much- W inches ter m agnum c ar tr idge.
 Heckler & I(och sniper rifles il
-
rr'n'1ssh'i
Heckler & Koch G3 SG/l Rifle
J*

bipod (closed) 7.62 mm round f r -.

-' - olHeckler & Koch rtfles has
=noe
-'.'.' r:ecome so larqe that a weapon
. -.:.+ tor us- dbou ary appttcatlon
,..- a-oparently be selected from the
.--='.' Snrper's rifles have not been
:-;-::ied but gtenerally speakingt
-- : :: these spectaltzed weapons are
'- :. - )16 nan s-andard oesrgns pro-
,: -:=i ',r,rith a lrttle extra care, a few
: r :=sscnes and a mounting for a tele-
duced for the West German Police.
The latter model has a ltght biPod
Good as these weapons are they are
basicaity only 'breathed on'versions of
standard weapons origrnally designed
with mass production rather than spe
cialization in mrnd. Accordinqly Heck-
ler & Koch has turned its attentions to
production of a special design known
as the PSG 1 that continues to use the
the magazrne housinq is a new fore-
stock and the long barrel, while the
butt has been reconflgrured to the
wrdeiy useo al'.adlustaole 'orm.
The PSG I uses a x 6 telescoprc sigrht
adlustable up to 600 m (656 yards) It
has oeen s.a eo tna lne r/eapoils -x-
tremely accurate These clarms are
drlflcult to confrrm rndependently as
the weapon rs still rn the development
weapon but rts lorm ts stLll un-
announced It may well emerqe that
this trrpod wrll be an adaptation ol one
of the Heckler & Koch machtne gun
mountrngs the butt used on the PSG I
is a much modifled HK 2l machine
Qun component
Specification
PSG 1

. ::: : sicht. This doesnot detract ftom
-=.: servrceabilrty or efflciency, many
::n being more suitable for fteld
:::-:-:rcns than other designs that have
.. , r , duc-o l,i -th enphasLs on suo-
accuracY rather than ser-
. ::-:
::rbilrty Typical ofthese Heckler &
i--:: sniper weapons are the 7 62 mm
:- :-) H&K G3 A3ZF and G3 SG/l Pro-
basic Heckler & Koch rotary lock
mecharrsm olt d l ed lo a samt-au-o-
matic system and a prectston heavY
barrel with a polyqonal rifled bore. G3
rnfluence can still be seen in the out-
lines of the recerver and Ln the 5 or
2O-round maqazine houstnq (tt is also
possible to load sLngle rounds manual-
ly) but the rest ts all new. Forward of
staqe with the mrlrtary and paramrltr
ary pohce market rn mind, It ts even
possrble that the final form ofthe PSG l
will alter the stamped recerver body
perhaps beinq replaced wrth some-
thinq purpose-built to ensure that the
srght mountinq rs more rigrd. For spe-
cral purposes there has been mention
oi a precrsron aiming tripod for this
Calibre: 7 62 mm (0 3 in)
Lengrths: overall 1208 mm (47 56 in);
barrei 650 mm (25 59 in)
Weight: less magaztne B. 1 kq (17 BS ]b)
Muzzle velocity: about 860 m (2 821 ft)
per second
Maqazine capacity:5 or 20 rounds

Yritr..:a.1.)l
 bolt body re ease ever Zeisssight(j Sx6)

reco i Spt ng
Modern Snipingr R.:f . e s

rears ght
cheek pad

ejector pressure spr ng

settrgger/sets the md nt gaet

a5d rtd r tt tqqer )

SEAI

clector

catch spr ng

hammer catch firc se ector

magazine release iever trigger spr ng

mecha n lsm

tselow:TheWest German army recognizes the value of sniping, particularly

egains.t a potential Soviet opponent whose units are especiafy'dependent on
a small cadre of officers. Here, a Bundeswehr sniper 'ieutralizes,i ,Soyjel
)'iaval Infantry officer using thePriizisionsschiitzenqewehr (High-precision
;4arksman's Rifle) PSG-1. This latest Heckler & KoCh design iia dedicated
sniper weapon, rather than a developed service rifle, and is a single-shot,
s^emi-automatic weapon using the proven rotary lock system. I t i;fitted with a
e^t 42 teEscopic sightwith illuminated reticle with six iettings from I00 to
5 0 0 m. T he length and angle of the shou lder s tock can be
adjusted to suit the individual firer.

:::,*, :9
'.' :1'
,r7: .

+ry#i't:,'tt'
./::.1 ..., a;.:. ::
,:
^::it,i;,|:'::.
,.'t,t_.::.Pii
l:,.):.. .a:tat ) :,:,1
: ::,: ji.L
1.: jt tr:
::1
a.
Snipers in Action:
The Tangling l4ctchine
Clausewitz once described the many naturalfactors affecting the movement of
a" 'friction'. To the normal military headacftes su ch as rivet crossjngrt
"r-i""
mountains and theweather, the snipercanaddsuchproblems as dead
commanders, increasing the normAl friction to the point where the whole delicately-
balanced army machine seizes uP.
The poputar image of a sniper is one man firtng The short answer is that even in this era of
at a disiant enemy from a carefully-concealed highly-mechanized warfare there will be times
position, This may have been true in past con- w[en batt]es wrll settle down to aliow both
ilicts, but it ts anticipated that any major war of sides to regroup and supply themselves in pre-
the future will be a series of mobile battles in paration for the next round: tanks and all the
which the sniper will have little chance to exer- bther associated machines of mobile warfare
cise such traditronal skills, What role, there- will have to be resupplied wlth fuel and
ammunition, and casualties replaced. This The Steyr AUG assault rifle can be ptoduced in a
fore, is there for the sniper in such a war, and
great deal ofthought and money going takes time, and during thls time the sniper can sniper version fitted with a heavy barrel, a folding
why rs a
biiod and the usual telescopic sight' However. -the
into provldlng him wlth highly sophisticated return to his task, which is little changed from
5.i6-mm (0.2 l9-in) cartridge fired is designed for
equipment? thatof otd, i.e. beingthebiggamehunterof the relatively close ranges and lacks the power of the
battlefield, heavier 7.62-mm round, so its effecfiveness is
The sniper is not just a killer who can pick off limited.
AnFR-Fi sniper's rifle is showninuse somewhere his targets at long ranges, He rs also a highly-
in the French Alps. This rifle is based on a service trained observer who can move across country Right: The Galil sniper rifle is a first-rate weapon,
weaponfirstusedin 1936, although only afew in such a way as to avoid notice by an enemy
parts from the original are retained. Normally the eiternally similar to the standard assault rifle from
sniperwoulduse the bipod, butin snow this is not
and thus reach areas in which he is not ex- whichitwas developedbut in fact avery different
pected, Once there he does not simply frre at gun; each partis manufactured to avery high
always possibie. Note the unorthodox holding
wrll He has to save hts all-importanl fire for the standard and is capable of impressive accuracy'
method employed here.

oa 10
Snipers in Action
senior officers and NCOs will be prime targets
of opportunity, Even though most offlcers, even
senior ones, now wear the same uniforms and
carry the same weapons as their men in an
attempt to escape the attentions of enemy snip-
ers, their very actions and conduct generally
give them away to a trained observer.
Snlpers can also be used to knock out enemy
snipers, In many modern armies an advance
screen of snipers is often laid out in front of
defended positions for the sole purpose of dis-
ruptrng and slowinq enemy movements ln any
fulure battle these snipers wili still have to be
tackled, and using the otd maxim of settlnq a
poacher to catch a poacher, the sniper will still
be used to deal with his counterpart This will
be particularly true in wooded or close country
where the number of positions in which an
enemy can hlde are many.

The SSG 2000 is a target-

shooting ver sion of the service SS G
69. Seen here it rests on a small
bench tripod used for suPer-
accuracy bench shooting contests
popu I ar thr oughou t E uroPe but not
s oZommon elsewhere. T he S S G 20 00
has several differences from its
military version, including a heavier
barrel but is basically the same rifle'
It now seems certain that in a future conflict
the role of the sniper wil] thus be more that oia
scout than of a hunter. The training which pro-
duces snipers can also produce excellent
observers, men who can infiltrate and report
back enemy positions and activltles using the
latest miniature radios that transmit information
in short 'bursts' of coded data. Such information
rmportant target, For this to happen he acts not
as an lndependent agent but under strict con-
is in general invaluable to a commander who
trol after c-areful preparation and planning. also knows that his obsewer has the capabiiity
In any future conflict the sniper will rarely to knock out important enemy weapons and
operatsalone, In general, each infantry batta- men, Exactly how secondary this offensive
hbn in any army has a team of about eight capability wl]l be to the observing function ls
almost impossible to predict, but one thing that
snipers (sbmetimes more), and these often
does seem certarn is that the trained sniper wtll
-on The idea is that one man con-
operate in pairs,
rarely use his rifle to take out targets at ranqes
c-entrates observation and location of
grealer than 800 m (875 yards): there are usual-
targets, using a telescope or binoculars, while
the-other man sticks to the shooting This is not a
ly too many imponderables involved and the
sniper is aiways loth to give away hls position.
hard and fast rule, for there will be many occa-
Why then, one might ask, is so much effort
sions when the snipers will be operating pri-
battlefield hazards encountered by the foot sol- directed towards desrgning and producing the
marily as observers and wrli use their weapons^
diers of the past: machine-gnrn or other weapon super-accurate weapons that are featured in
only if absolutely necessary or- if a target.of this study? The short answer is that they are
importance is d-etected At other times the flre can then pln them down, often from unde-
tected fire positions. intended more for internal security and terror-
sniper may work alone,
Under such circumstances the sniper may isVhostaqe srtuations than overt military con-
Interval in warfare rnfiltrate enemy positions before an advance flict, Weapons such as the lver Johnson Model
gets under way. Using camouflage and stealth, 300 and Walther WA2000 would not last long on
In the static conditions produced by the in-
tervals in mobile warfare there is much the imalt teams of snipers can possible work their any battlefield. They are too demanding of
sniper can do. He can inflltrate enemy posi- way through the enemy lines to lie in wait until caie and are generally too fllmsy to withstand
their colleagnres make their move They can the unavoidable knocks and bumps ofstandard
trons to obsewe movements and strengths, and
he can disrupt and unsettle an enemy attemp- then smooth the advance by detecting and mrlitary sewice, even though they can theorqti-
ling to recuperate or carry out matntenance knocking out weapon positions from the rear, cally ensure a hit at 1000 m (1 094 yards) The
tasts AnO if he remalns wrthin his own de- probably with the old ploy of knocking out the miliiary sniper is far more likely to be carrying
weapon rather than its team. In past conflicts a a weapon resembling the SVD, the Galil snip-
iended area the sniper can keep watch for an
enemy carrying out exactly the same infiltra- heaw wea'oon such as a machtne-gnrn or mor- ing rifle, or the US Marines' M4941, a weapon-
tar was often taken out of action far more effec- that would not have looked too much out of
tron tactics in return. He can also prevent place on a World War I1 battlefield Whatever
enemy reconnaissance patrols from gettingtoo tively by a single well-placed armour-piercing
bullet than by the slower and more uncertain weapon he carries, the military sniper of any
close by skilful anticipation of the enemy s like-
method of knocking out every member of the future conflrct wil still have to know that when
ly apprbach paths and the establishment of an
ambush Point, weapon team: the same no doubt applies to he sees a target he wrll be able to hit lt, flrst
appropriate
' time and effectively, Even if the battle moves to
in more mobile conditlons the snrper can stlll modern weapons such as missile-launchers'
and some sniper teams will no doubt be de- and fro around him the snrper will still be there,
have an important battlefleld role lnfantry do
tailed to infiltrate as far tnto the enemy rear as watching and waiting, still carefu1ly concealed
not constantly operate from the armoured con-
the artiliery lines to create mayhem and gener- and wlth-a definite objective in mindr to use his
flnes of personnel carriers: to close with an
al disruption. Weapons wil] not be the only observation skills and his skill-at-arms for the
enemv thev have to leave their'battle taxis'and
targets to be engaged. As always the enemy maximum possible results
fight on fooi. They then become prone to all the

2714
 USSR

SVD Modern Sniping Rifles

-::--;:ne who reads accounts ol the bat srghts are fltted for use rfthe optical The Soviets have always given
l::at Patriotic War (World War II to sight becomes defective, snipers a great deal of prominence ir
.---: rest of the world) cannot but help Perhaps the oddest feature for a the field and have always provided
,=-l.e the emphasis given to sniping by sniper rifle is that the SVD is provided them with good weapons. The
:: Sovret army. That emphasis re- with a bayonet, the rationale for this curre nt D r agunov SVD, al thou gh
::,:,ns undiminished, and to carry out remaining uncertain, A lo-round box Iong and bulky, is a reliableweapon
-:: sniping role the Soviets have de- magazine is fltted although not as accurate as, say. the
--:-3ped what is widely reqarded as Tests have demonstrated that the L42.ltuses a modifiedAK-47 gas-
::-: of the best snipers rifles around SVD can flre accurately to ranges of oper ate d semi- au tom a tic ac tio n
: jay; this is the SVD sometimes well over 800 m (875 yards). It is a allied to a largemagazine.
.:-:wn as the Dragn:nov. pleasant weapon to handle and flre
The SVD (Samozariyadnyia Vintokv- despite the lengthy barrel, SVDs have
:.: first appeared in 1963
Dragn-mova) been provrded to many Warsaw Pact
-,d ever since
prized
has been one of the and other nations and rt has been used
::-:st of infantry trophies. It rs a rn Afghanistan some endrng in the
::mi-automatic weapon that uses the hands of the gn-rerriilas, who are cer-
:,:re operatinq pnnciples as the AK- tainly no newcomers to snipinq. The
- assault rifle but allied to a revrsed Chinese produce a direct copy of the
;:s-operated system Unlike the AK- SVD and offer thrs version for export
-which uses the short 7.62-mm (0 3- quoting an effective ranqe of 1000 m
=-
-:r' x 39 cartridqe, the SVD fires the old- (1,094 yards),
=: 7.62-mmx54R rimmed cartridqe
::-3nnally introduced during the 1890s Specification
,:: the Mosin-Nagant rifles Thrs re- SVD
::ars a good round for the sniping Calibre: 7 62 mm (0,3 in)
::-e. and as it is still used on some Lengrths: overall less bayonet 1225 mm
S:-.ret machine-gmns availability rs no (48,23 in) barret547 mm(21,53 in)
;::blem. Weiqht: complete, unloaded 4 3BS kg
The SVD has a long barrel, but the
-r.'.apon is so balanced that it handles
(9 667 rb)
Muzzle velocity: 830 m (2,723 ft) per
i g
-,'.-:11
'-: and recoil is not excessive If the second
1 barrel rs rol a oec-s.ve recognr- Magazine capacity: l0 rounds
:i point then the cut-away butt cer-
- :ly is. The weapon rs normally flred
j 19 a shng rather than the bipod
---.-rured elsewhere, and to assist aim-
:-g a PSO-I telescopic sigrht is pro-
--ied. Thrs rs secured to the left-hand
-,je of the receiver and has a maq-
:-:ation of x 4. The PSO- I has an un-
'-::al feature in that it tncorporates an
-:-:a-red detector element to enable tt
-- be used as a passive nrght sight,
=--:cught it is normally used in con-
-::tron with an independent rnfra-red
.]lfet-lllumrnation source Basic com-

Right:The Dragunov uses a bolt

sJstem similar to that of the AK-47
and its derivatives, but it is modified
lo suit the different characteristics of
ie rimmed 7. 6 2 mm x 5 4 cartridge
originally produced in I908 for the
){oisin-Nagant rifle.

lhe Dragunov has an excellent sight which displays a graduated range-finding scale, based on the China produces a direl copy of Lhe s'!rD a-li :s::cm
seight of the average man. By fitting the target into the grid, the firer gets an accurate idea of the offering it for exp,].ft rjtft r'arious ertras lliii::rer
:ange and aims accordingly. Simple, but effective. thi s b ayone Uwire-cu tter.
 ISRAEL

sl Galil Sniping Rifle

-:rrer since Israel was formed in 1948
-ae role of the smper within the Israeli
anned forces has been an important
cne, but over the years snipers have
usually been equipped with an array of
weapons from all around the world. At
one point attempts were made to pro-
duce sniper rifles locallY, so for a
period Israeli army snipers used an
indigenous 7.62-mm (0.3-in) design
known as the M26. This was virtually a
hand-made weapon using desrqn fea-
tures fuom both the Soviet AKM and
Belgran FAL rifles. But for various
reasons the M26 was deemed not fully
satsfactory, so work began on a snip-
inq rifle based on the Israel Military
Industries 7,62-mm Galil assault rifle,
the standard lsraeli service rifle.
The resultant Galil SniPing Rifle
bears a resemblance to the original
but it is virtually a new weapon. Almost
every component has been rede-
signed and manufactured to very close
tolerances. A new heavy barrel is The Galil Snipinq Rifle ts now tn pro- together with the telescoprc sight The design of the Galil sniper rifle
fitted, as is an adjustable bipod. The duction and has been offered for ex- optical frlters to reduce sun when
gTlare was shaped by the IDF's extensive
solid butt (which can be folded for- port. It is a very serviceable weapon using optical sights, a carrying and battlefield experience, and it is
ward to reduce carrytnQl and stowage ihat is far more suitable for the rigours firinq s[nq, two magazines and the al]- perhaps not surprising that the gun
bulk) has an adjustable butt pad and of military life than many of the current important cieaningr kit. is built more for reliability in combat
cheek rest, while a Nimrod x6 tele- crop of super-accuracy models. De- than exceptional accuracy in ideal
scopic sight is mounted on a bracket spite its basic design approach it can conditions.
offset to the lelt of the receiver. The siill place groupinqs of less than Specification
mechanism is now single-shot only the 300nim (11,Bin) at a range of 600m GalilSnipinsrRifle
original Galil 20-round magaztne (656 yards), which is more than adequ- Calibre: 7,62 mm (0.3 in)
being retained. The barrei is fltted ate for most smpinq purposes Careful Lenqths:overall I i 15 mm (43.9 in); The semi- automatic G alil is a gas'
with a muzzle brake/compensator to selectron of the ammunition and use ol barrel50B mm (20 in) operated weapon with a rotating bolt
reduce recoil and barrel jumP on the bipod ensures even better Per- Weights: rifle only 6.4 kg ( 14. I 1b); and a 2l-round magazine. Itfires
fLring A silencer can be fltted to the formances. complete 8.02 kq (17,68 ]b) standardNATO 7.62 mm xSl and r's
muzzle, but subsonic ammunition must The Galil SniPing Rifle retarns its Muzzlevelocity:815 m (2,674 ft) per built to hit the head at 300 m, half-
then be used, As would be expected, 'iron combat srghts When nol In use second body at 600 m and fuLL figure at 800-
various niqht sights can be fltted, the rifle is kept in a sPecial case Magazine capacity: 20 rounds 900 m.

FN Model 30-II
Fabrique Nationale (FN) has lor long
kept an astute eye on the arms market
lom its Herstal headquarters, so when
.t noted an increased demand over re-
cent years for highly accurate rifles for
'ise against point targets the company
oame up with the FN Model 30-IL At
irst sight the Model 30-11 appears to
be a hlghly conventional design And
so rt is though in order to make the
-;yeapon as accuate as possible it has
been desiqned and manufactured with
grreat care to obtatn the best possible
results.
The Model 30-11 fires carefuilY
selected 7 62 mm (0 3 rn) NATO
ammunition, The manual bolt action ls
the frequentiy used Mauser forward-
locking action but manufactured using
a very nrgh standaro of cral smansh-p.
The same can be said of the heav-Y
barrel which is connected to the re-
celer wrth qreat care, A five-round
TheBelgianFN Model30-l I riflewas
originally produced for police and
para-military use, but manv ate in
military hands. The example seen
here is fittedwith target sights. The
odd butt shape is due to the degree
of individual adjustment that can be
incorporated.
:li Model 30- I I (continued) Modern Sniping Rifles
: ,,, :ragazine is used, but normally
.,--,=:.: rounds only are loaded by hand
::::: into the chamber The butt is
. : ;rable in two planes (up and down/
,- :,',-ard and back) to suit the individual
-::s comfort. Swivels are provided
:.: i shooling sling. and there rs provr-
--, ior mountinqt a brpod under the
--::s1ock, the same bipod is used on
-= FN MAG machrne-gun,
- ils bipod rs recommended for use
-::-:n the Model 30-11 is employed
- -- any of the larger sighting devices
---: can be fltted Unhke many other
. -per rifles the Modei 30-ll can be
.:i with precision-adjustable match-
-l: ron' sights, but there rs also a
' ,i: ranqe of telescopic sights avarl-
.: -: For use at night or rn poor vrsibrl-
.-.- ::nditrons image tntensifler or ther-
-,. -maQfing sights can be used, The
, .1: s selected are normally kept in a
-'al proIecTIl,e carry,ng case on producrnq the Model 30-l I means Specification
;:.rer with the rifle when they are that the weapon is not cheap Thrs has Model30-11
:..- : ransPor-Qd or stored. apparently prevented the usual Calibre: 7,62 mm (0,3 in)
, r: Model 30 I I is used by the Bel- appearance of high-class target-shoot- Lengths: overall 1117 mm (43,97 1n);
..:r :rmy, although most have been ingt versrons for commercial sales, barrel 502 mm (19 76 in)
..,- -:i to Belgran paramilitary police although anyone fortunate enouqrh to Weight: rrfle oniy 4.85 kq ( 10 69 lb)
,-.. . Some sales have been made to obtain a standard Model 30-11 with Muzzlevelocity: 850 m (2,788 ft) per
, ..=: rations, but only in small num- iron' sigrhts will find themselves the second
,= . ,:r the degree of care lavished owner of a superlative match rifle Magazine capacity: 5 rounds

: USA

Rifle MzI

fltted to the M21 is a sound suppressor
Thrs rs not a srlencer in the usually
accepted sense of the word but a
senes ofbaffles that reduces the veloc-
ity of the qases produced on flnngr to
below the speed of sound. This pro-
duces a muffled report wlth none of the
usual flring srqnatures and its use
makes the source ofthe sound (and the
firer) difflcult to detect.
Specification This M14 is from the cojiec'::: :: :.:
M2r Weapons Museum af tie ^Sc.hc\r- .i
Calibre: 7.62 mm (0.3 in) Infantry, Warminster. The l,! 2 - - :
lengths: overall L 120 mm (44.09 in); specialversion of the Ml1. z=: "'-
barrel559 mm (22 in) parts manufactured to Lhe cr'o-.es:
weight:loaded 5,55 kg (12.24 ]b) tolerances and with a muzzle
Muzzle velocity: 853 m (2,798 ft) per supp-ressor ard x 3 scope.itttej.
second
Magazine capacity: 20 rounds

.'s.-

Although many Israeli snipers use the Gali|

sniping rifle some still retain the American M21 ,
the accurized version oI the M14 rifle. They were
obserued in use during the early stages of the
invasion of Lebanon, and many were used against
the PLO in Beirut in August 1982.
€ Hnioins Rifle M40A

The US Marrne Corps has alwaYs been
allowed its own equipment procure-
ment system as it has lonq been
accepted that its particular amphi-
bious role requlres equipment to
match, Thus when the selection of a
new snipinq rtfle to rePlace the MlC
and MtD weapons based on the Ml
Garand rrfles came about this servlce
went tts own way.
For the US Martnes the sniPer has
always had a speciai role, often operal
ing in advance of other supporting un-
its to gain informatton as well as acting
as a long-range killer, So when they
contemplated weapons such as the
When theUS MarineCorPs decided
to select their own sniping rifle they
ordered numbers of commercial
Reming ton M odel 7 00 r ifle s, s ome
sights, as seen ftere.
stillwith'iron'
These became the M40 sniPing rifle
and many are stillin use, despite the
introduction of the later M40Al, but
they are used only bY the Marines.
':d,bx*1.1.
M14/M21 sntper nfles theY decided
they wanted something better, They
could not find exactly what theY
wanted on the open market but the
design that came closesl to tneir re-
quirements was a commercial rifle
known as the Remington Model 700,
This became the M40 in 1966
The M40 has a Mauser-tYPe manual
bolt action and a hearry barrel. It is
normally fitted with a Redfleld tele-
soprc sight with a zoom magnification
of from x3to xg Afive-roundmaga-
zrne is fltted, and the M40 is an entirely
conventional but high-quality desiqn
in service with the US Marines the M40
proved to be pedectly satlsfactory, but
experience qarned with the basic de-
sign showed them that something bet-
ter could be produced. TheY accor-
dingly asked the Remington Arms
Company to introduce a few modiflca-
tions. These included the replacement
of the barrel by a new stainless steel
component, the replacement of the
wooden furniture by flbreglass and the
introductron of a new sight This new
telescopic sight has been produced
entirely to demanding US Marine spe-
ciflcatrons and empioys a fixed x l0
magniflcation. No iron sights are fltted
1n addittion to this optrcal sight.
With all these chanqes embodied
the M40 ts now the M40A1, and it is
produced by Reminqton onlY for the
US Marrnes By all accouns i'is one ol
the most accurate snipinqT rifles ever
TheMarines adopted the Remington
700 in 1966 and have had the weaPon
modified to meet their requirements.
The M40A 1 rifle differs from the M40
in having a heavy stainless steel
barrel, a fibreglass stock and a
pow erful te Ie s copic s ig ht.
produced. ahhough exact hgrures are
not avaiiable to confirm -hts assenion.
The main reasons for this are the heavy
stainless steel barrel and the superb
optical sight, The magniflcation of thts
sight is much more than usuai on such
devtces, but it produces a bright and
clear image for the firer. All the usual
windage and other adjustments can be
rntroduced to the sight,
As always wrth a weaPon of this
type, the degree ofaccuracy is depen-
dent on the skill of the user (the US
Marines spend a great deal of time
trainrng their snipers) and the per-
formance of the ammunition selected,
but by all accounts the M40Al is the
rifle 'everyone else wants'.
Specification
M4OAI
Calibre: 7.62 mm (0,3 in)
Lengths: overall I I 17 mm (43,97 in);
barrel 610 mm (24 tn)
weiqht: 6 57 ks (14,48 Ib)
Muzzle velocity: 777 m (2,549 ft) Per
second
Magazine capacity: 5 rounds

iu"r Johnson Model 300 Multi-Caliber Rifle

=
This weapon has undergone a few
changes in name since it first emerged
some years back from the drawlnqt
boards of the Research Armament In-
dustries concern tn Rogters, Arizona
Its full current title is the Iver Johnson
Model 300 Multi-Caliber Long-Range
fufle and it is marketed by Napco In-
rernational Inc.
The Model 300 is another of the
attempts to produce the perfect snip-
.ng rifle capable of being effective at
ranges up to 1500 m (1,640 Yards), On
:he Model 300 everythtng that can eli-
minate technical error has been in-
aorporated these leatures rargrng
fooma fluted barrel with a counter-
'ilerght beneath,to reduce vtbrattons
ald whip in the free-floating barrel, to
an all-adjustable butt with a cheek
pad. A x9 Leupold telescopic slght is
the only means of aiming the weaPon
:rd a brpod is provided tor maxlmum
aiming stability. A manual bolt action is
used.
The designers also decided to Pro-
vide what they regard as the optlmum
ca:tridqe for long-ranqe sniping This
was developed from an existing Rigtby
hunting cartridqe by Research Arma-
ment lndustries and has a cahbre of this cartridge apparently ensured that
the Modei 500 was not a great success
Lengrth: barrel only, both caltbres
610 mm (24 in)
B,58 mm (0.338 in). Tables supplied to
demonstrate the efficiency of this car- with the US Marines, and one feature of Weisht: 5,67 kq (12.5lb)
Muzzlevelocity: B S8-mm915 m
tridge show that it has a much hiqher the Model 500 they did not accePt is
the fact that on this larger version the (3,002 ft) per second; 7.62-mm 800 m
muz2le velocity than most comparable
bolt has to be removed to load every (2,625 ft) per second
rounds and a considerablY higher
muzzle energy, giving the bullela flat- round After a few rounds the bolt often Magazine capacity: B.S8-mm 4 roundsi
7.62-mm 5 rounds
ter balhstic path over longler ranges, lammed and could not be removed
However, the designers also realized without force, i.e. kicking it out,
that the acceptance of this new car- The'space age' Iver Johnson rifles
are intended for suPer-long range
tridge might be an uphill task, so they Specification
have also produced barrel and bolt Model300 us e. The M odel 300 (foreground) can
head to enable existing 7 62-mm (0 3- Calibre: B,58 mm (0.338 in) or 7,62 mm fire either a7.62-mm (0'30-in) or a
in) NATO cartridges to be used; the (0,3 in) special 8.58-mm cartridge.
cahbres can be switched from one to
the other as required, This provides
the Model 300 with its 'Multi-Caliber
designation.
To date the Model 300 has had a
mixed reception, It has attracted much
attentlon by its very appearance but
apparently hard orders have been
slow in coming, Unconfirmed reports
soeak of some being used bY US SPe-
cial Forces, but that is all The US
Marines have procured trial numbers
of the Model 500, a much larqer and
heavier version of the Model 300 that
fires the 127-mm (0,S-in) machine-gnrn
cartridge. The ballistic limitations of

27t8
BigFifts Snipins
:nthusiasm in the USA for monstrous
::fle bullets has paralleled thatfor man-
::opping pistols. After experiments with
:onverted anti-tank guns, some
:hooters have turned to the .50-ca|
nachine-gun bullet. This may seem
:urprising, as the bullet was designed in
',rtorldWar
I and shows its age
aallistically.
.-- ..i'n somany thrngs'nesedays rhe rdea ora
.:- re-ccrl;bre long range snlprng rille hod -ts
-:,gins in the USA. There has always been a
.=:tor of the Amerlcan populace that has
' :.ried to
Qto one staqe further and be there
..:stest with the mostest', and so it has been
' -:r long-range sniping rrfles. Not conlenl with
.::epiing, cr appreciating, that most modern
.---.,iary sniper's rifles are already more than
._r:quate lor thelr task, there has been for Soviet weapon onginally fired a 14,S-mm (0,57- The lver J ohnson Model |Aa r rear .i : . :.-_r:.-
- -:::e time a iaction within the American shoot- rn) sohd projectile, but by f,ttinq a new barrel versionof theModel300.firinqC.it-::. -. -,: -
-: iraternity which dreams of the ideal lonq and some extras such as a powerful telescopic ammunitiontorangesof overZalj::. .:: :: _

,,::i3e polrlt target weapon and so does its best
' lcnveri these dreams into reality.
lie movement ioward a 'super iifle' was no
- ;bt elled by the arrival on lhe American
.,:-:ll-arms market of numbers of old Ftnnish
..:.ir Model 39 20-mm (0,787-in) anti-tankrifles,
-.,:g -,r,rith scme ammunttion. At that time, dur-
; :he late l950s, one of these massrve rifles
, :C be purchased for as little as $99,95 and a
.:= of 100 rounds cost S84,95 - all via mail
::r=r. Knockrng over oil drums with one of
srght the desrgner lound he had produced a
rifle that coulci be fired to a range of well over
1000 m (1,094 yards). The same thingwas disc,
overed by an enterprising gun salesman vrho
hand on his hands a sizeable stock of British
World War 1l Boys anti-tank rifles OrigLnally
chambered fbr a special 0 55-rn (13,97-mm)
cartridge, these were relatively easily con-
veried lor the Browning M2 round and are
currently berng sold with the boid advertisrng
slogan '1 reach out and touch someone'.
is inhibited by rhe limitations a,'.':-..:: _-.:.:;.
cartridge, and it has to be loadeC b',' :=::.: . ..
bolt. I t h a s bee n tes te d by th e Uj.'..'. ::-: : I : .-
whowere not greatly impressec
tnLo a 660-mm (2t-i.-. __:
yards) ra<inqstrna-. . .--
yards) a very dillereni c,:.-.:=
range attempting to hil a .:.::_ :
a srngle round ts \-r -:..- _...:
smoll iruck rs a r.t.= -. : .

=se powerfiil weapons was qurte the thing for
. : :rrod, but some shr:oters realized the lonq.
.:,je potential ol the weapon and started
-,<rngr
in terms of real1y long-ranete snipino.
: =,,re that avenue could be fully explored the
interesting though these latter two weapons
are, the 12.7-mm concept gained full respecta-
bility wrth the appearance of the Research
Armament Industries/lver Johnson Model 500
long-range rifle, Deslgned upon much the
dorbt a skrlled mor.- 1-:-. .: .
Model 500 coLrid d_ :. :....
evon the oVe rdo- .l;---: - --
using a Modei 5;1i = :: -: .. .=
fdnges SOlllq'lllfl . .' . .

. :<s of available ammunitton ran out, leaving
-,:-..i shooters with larqe and inanrmate (but
':restinq) anti-lank whlte elephants.
l,ewregulations
::: the seed had been sown There was llttle
. '.r:ce of lollowrng the 20-mm calibre line
.:i iuriher, however, lor by the late 1960s
-. . dera.l regulal.ons rerattng
'o rhe rype of
-r.l'-olts with which Joe Pubhc' could arm
.--: v,ere being ngcrously onotaoo und
--:r anti tank rifles were out (following a
- ,'=: of spectaculat bank-bustrnq ratds),
-, - ::: calibre shooters started to turn to the
-.'=:: readily-avariable calibre, and that was
- : I'mm (0 5 rn) Ball M2 and its derivatives
. . :-.Iy designed for use wrth the Brownrng
.- :-,:avy macnlne-guns,
-,.-
''. -2.7 mmcartridge dates backto the end
- r-i. War I, but it 1s a widelv used and
. . d desron tha -s sLrllreoardeo as one o'
= :-=s.'nan-stoppers'around, Jt is now tech-
'- -. <no-wn as the 12,7-mmx99 and the com-
: : ::.1no
:nd 1s
is 137,8
rJl,u mm (c.4zb lonq The
(5.425 in) 1ong. lne
=:.:j muzzle velocity (Ball M2) is 854 m
r -.) per second flring a solrd bullet
.-'-.a
46 grams, II/La-.,onn.",irL
.-::g AA When used with rl-,^the
:-:g machine-qun
-.-:c machine-crun this round can deliver
--- . .o rangres of over 3500 m (3 828 yards),
.:ra: distance accuracv is minimal.
:-:,:t paying too much attention to the bal-
:::perties of thrs cartrrdge, several en-
.-: staried to converl' existing weapons to
.= rcundt some even decided to scratch-
',: .:eir o-wn designs using war-surplus
- I -'10Cflifl€ gun bdrrels. or e oi the ear
, , - .:e conversions was a one-off design
' . . +{i-cL a SovLe- PTRD 4 anLr- an!,
' .. -.-: red lorhe Brownrng rourd - hr.
same lines as the Model 300 Multr-Calibre
Rifle, the Model 500 was intended from the Marinestesting
outset for the Browning cartridge. The Model The LS Mor-ne I :,
500 also carries over the dramatic and unusual the weapon and re;e:.:J - -
appearance oi the Model 300 and many of its apart frcm tne aac,-ir::-.- t - _ ., -=:
advanced design features, but these are waslound .- L. -. : :--... " . ...
emphasized by rts long (840 mm/33 in) and even w:thcu: : s,-i... r - :
(30 1b), :
heavy barrel, The barrel is fluted longiiudrnally removriq:nei6- r"' :.
io rrllplJr e barrt-l coo,rng and al he sarre Llme loaded soon losi ils c:.:.:::, :-:: : :
assrst in removrng ihe barrel vibrations pro- bo- rended to-o:- -. - . :
duceo on nr,ng. These r.brairons ore furrher frred
dampened by a counterweight, described as Ihrs :he l- I:
an adjustable tunrng rod (in a tube under the appears to hate l:e::,'.: .:
barrel) and by a large and heavy metal block desrgn c. r j =-- '; '. : -'
around the barrel. The metal block 1s just be- that
hind the much-needed muzzle brake fitted to
reduce, in part at least, the considerable flring
recoll The Model 500 has the usual all-adlust-
abie butt and a telecopic sight mount,
Accurate aiming
One ol the teiescopic srghts that can be used
on the Model 500 has sraticules tirat can allow
the firer to judge,range quite accurately by
placing a man-size target between spaced
markers Using such a srght the manulacturer
claims that the rrlle will place a round into a
cucle 872.7 mm (34.36rn) in drameter at a
range of 1500 m (1 640 yards). The manufaciur
er also states that the rifle is 'extremely accu-
rale at ranges in excess of 2000 metres' (2, 187
yards) Thrs is aill very laudable, but other sta-
tistrcs mdy ploce suJh c.la,ms i: lo perspec'-. e
rlnlcss one is iring spec.Lar.y prcpor+J
amnun.lion, The ordinary M2 corrr l-- .
designed to be fired in bursts lrom a machle
gUn. SO Oln pornl aCCUIdCy \Ao- Fe .:I -
pected of 1t All that is asked ol the a',-:la-l:
cartridge is ihar it should place l:s 'crc e: ,,=
 z:gT:h* M76
=E= ofthe
Yugoslavia is not one
automatically sprinqs to mrnd
nations that
when
tie international arms marke'is const-
dered, but it is currently one of the
naiions most involved in the selltng of
arms to the Third World. Its small-arms
Lndustry is not particularly innovative,
preferrinq to adapt or develop existtnqt
designs rather than branch out into
startlinq new ventures, Thus when a
requirement came to replace all the
elderly World War II snipinq weapons
still in use by the Yugoslav armed
forces lt was again decided to adapt an
exrsting desiqn, in thrs case the M70B1
assault rifle, the Yugoslav derivative of
the Soviet AKM,
Not surprisinqly the resultant
weapon, the M76 semr-automatic snip-
ing rrfle, has much in common wrth the
Sovret SVD. The marn difference is the
choice of cartrtdge, which on the M76
Ls a 7,92-mm (0.312-in) type, a left-over
foom the German World War II stan-
dard rifle calibre, Yugroslavia sttll uses
thrs cartridge for some machine-gtuns
so its retention for the sniping role ts PSO-1, includlng the rubber eye- tical weapon than many of the 'super- TheYugoslav M76 sniping rifle can
underslandable. For marketing pur- piece, and is stated to make the M76 accuracy' designs now likely to be en- be found chambered for 7.92-mm
poses the Yugoslavs also offer the M76 effective at rangres of BOO m (875 yards) countered. The M76 is already in ser- (0.3 I 2 -in) and both S oviet and NATO
chambered for the 7,62-mm (0 3-in) or more, A variety of night vision de- yice with the Yugoslav armed forces, 7.6 2 -mm (0. 30 -in) ammunition. I t is
NATO cafiridge and the elderly Soviet vrces, usually passive infra-red siqhts, but rt is difflcult to determrne exactiy basically a specially produced
7 62-mm (0 3-in) rimmed cartridge, can be fltted rn its place, The normal how export sales have fared. variant of theYugoslav M70 assault
Having said that, the M76 resembles combat sights of the M70Bl are re- riflebased on the AKM andfitted
lhe origdnal AKM design much more tained, but the bayonet feature of the Specification with a longer barrel and an optical
than does the Soviet SVD, The M76 is a SVD rs not. M76 sightmounting.
seml-automatic weapon with a longt Although the M76 may be regarded Calibre: 7 92 mm (0,312 in)
barrel but much of the original M70Bl/ as a derivative ofa Soviet design there Lenqths: overall 1 135 mm (44,69 in); The concealing face netting used by
KM outline survives includinq the is nothing derrvative rn its production barrel550 mm (21,65 in) thisY'.'.goslav army sniper is
solid wooden butt The M76 uses a IO- standards, In common with most other Weight: empty complete 5.08 kg standard equipment for most
:or.md box magazine and a teiescopic Yugoslav weapons, the M76 is weli- (1i 2 ]b) snipers. In use here is an M76 rifle,
srght wrth a x4 maqnification is made and rugged enouqth to withstand Muzzie velocity: 720 m (2,362 ft) per noticeable by its long barrel, fitted
noulted over the receiver. This sight the hard knocks of service life, From second with a standard x 4 magmification
ras much in common with the Soviet this point of view it ts a far more prac- Magazine capacity: l0 rounds telescopic sight.

7.