Modern American 12,7mm sniper rifles
I usually do not undertake to write articles about the rifle weapons, although I own a legally small arsenal. But my fourteen-year-old son in the past very persistently asked me to talk about 12,7-mm American rifles and recently reminded me of a promise, which was recklessly made before the August vacation, to write a review article on this topic. Promises must be kept, and I hope that this topic will be interesting not only to my idiot, but also to other readers.
In the world
Before starting a story about modern large-caliber rifles, it should be said that similar weapons were used in the First and Second World Wars.
However, the main purpose of large-caliber rifles, which we call anti-tank rifles, was the fight against armored vehicles. For firing at long distances, anti-tank rifles were of little use, due to insufficient manufacturing accuracy, low barrel life and the lack of high-precision cartridges in the ammunition load.
However, it is known that during the Second World War, attempts were made to use the PTR for firing at manpower and embrasures of firing points. For example, the Finns actively used the Lahti L-20 39-mm anti-tank gun for this.
20 mm anti-tank rifle Lahti L-39
At the end of the 1930s, optical sights were installed on the experienced domestic anti-tank rifles of Vladimirov and Rukovishnikov, but these samples were not included in the series.
In the middle of 1942, on the 14,5-mm anti-tank rifle PTRD-41, field tests of the 2PR collimator sight, which did not have an increase, were tested. Although the speed and accuracy of aiming increased significantly, the military considered the collimator sight to be superfluous.
There are photographs of a 14,5-mm PTRS-41 with a PU telescopic sight, taken during wartime. Field tests showed that the PU optical sight on the standard Kochetov bracket was not strong enough.
As a result of the powerful recoil, the scope settings were confused.
The development of a new bracket did not correct the situation. In addition, during aiming, the optical sight was dangerously close to the shooter's eye and, with a strong recoil, could cause serious injury. In this regard, it was decided that it was impractical to equip anti-tank rifles with optical sights.
Domestic sources also mention a 14,5-mm anti-tank rifle of the ZIF type, created in 1942 in Leningrad. The shortened and lightweight versions of the ZIF-11, ZIF-11A and ZIF-11B had optics and were positioned as "sniper armor-piercing guns." However, there is no information about their combat use. It is also unclear what sights the prototypes were equipped with and how the problem of excessive recoil, which knocked down the settings of standard optical sights, was solved.
It seems to me that the persons responsible for the small arms of the Red Army, in wartime, did not bother creating a specialized optical sight with a strong bracket that could withstand crushing recoil. This was done much later.
In Syria and the Donbass, the old Soviet anti-tank guns PTRD-41 and PTRS-41, equipped with optics, were quite actively used. Due to the fact that the accuracy of 14,5-mm anti-tank rifles is not very high, they were mainly used for firing at armored vehicles, hitting manpower hidden behind the walls of buildings, and suppressing firing points.
Currently, 12,7-, 14,5-, 20- and even 23-mm "rifles" have been created in many countries. Such rifles were designed even in states that do not have their own weapons school and a developed scientific and industrial base. For example, weapons of this class were developed in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Yemen and Indonesia.
Most often, such rifles use 12,7 mm cartridges (NATO - 12,7 × 99 mm and Soviet - 12,7 × 108 mm), used in large-caliber machine guns. The bullet energy reserve of these cartridges is enough to hit a wide range of targets at the entire range of an aimed shot. The large mass and dimensions prevent the widespread use of such rifles in the "line" units, and they mainly entered service with various groups and special forces.
Large-caliber sniper rifles are mainly designed to destroy and disable unarmored and lightly armored vehicles. They can be very effective when firing at airplanes and helicopters located at the airfield, against radars, rocket launchers, fuel tanks, reconnaissance, control and communications equipment. Good results are obtained by shooting at the embrasures of firing points.
Due to their high penetrating power, heavy 12,7-mm bullets are capable of hitting enemy personnel hiding behind the walls of buildings and sandbags. In the defense of checkpoints, bases and strongholds, large-caliber sniper rifles are used for counter-sniper combat. Sappers successfully use them to destroy unexploded ordnance, mines and bombs, as well as to eliminate improvised explosive devices.
Due to the fact that the main purpose of such rifles is the fight against various equipment and the destruction of physical objects, they are often called "antimaterial". At a distance of 1 m, with the use of special armor-piercing cartridges, armor with a thickness of more than 000 mm can be pierced.
Of course, armored and fortified targets can also be destroyed with ATGMs. But the ax is not always appropriate where the scalpel should be used. In addition, the cost of the missile system itself and the guided missile is much higher than the price of a rifle and a cartridge.
USA
As of today, more than four dozen large-caliber military rifles are known in the world, but today we will consider only the most massive and interesting American 12,7-mm rifles.
Apparently, the first rifle chambered for 12,7 × 99 mm, which entered service in the early 1980s, was the M500 rifle, created by Research Armaments Prototypes (RAP), located in Jacksonville, Arkansas.
12,7 mm M500 rifle
The single-shot 12,7 mm M500 rifle has an original loading scheme.
The bolt is locked by turning it by 3 lugs. For reloading, the bolt is removed from the weapon, a cartridge is installed on its mirror in special grooves, after which the bolt with the cartridge is inserted into the barrel and locked by turning. After the shot is fired, the bolt is unlocked and removed from the barrel together with the spent sleeve, which is manually removed from the bolt mirror. A developed muzzle brake is installed on the barrel, designed to compensate for the powerful recoil.
Shooting from a rifle only from a stop. It does not have a forearm and is equipped with a folding two-legged bipod. The rifle buttstock is composite, adjustable in length and height. There are no open sights, all rifles were used only with optical day or night sights. A number of sources say that the famous Leupold M-series riflescopes were originally designed specifically for the M500 rifle.
Rifle weight - 13,4 kg. The total length is 1 mm. Barrel length - 384 mm. Combat rate of fire - up to 813 rds / min. Effective firing range - up to 6 m.
The M500 rifle was produced in small series. By 1983, the US military had purchased only 125 of these weapons. It was used to a limited extent during the hostilities in Panama, Lebanon, the Persian Gulf and in the territory of the former Yugoslavia.
Further development of the M500 were the M600, M650, AMAC-1500 and AMAC-5100 rifles. The family produced rifles chambered for 12,7 × 108 mm and 14,5 × 115 mm.
12,7 mm M600 rifle
The 12,7 mm M600 rifle is a lightweight version of the M500. The weight of this modification has been reduced to 10,4 kg.
12,7 mm M650 rifle
M650 received a detachable box magazine with a capacity of 7 rounds. At the same time, the length of the weapon increased to 1 mm, and the weight was 448 kg.
Even during the tests of 12,7-mm rifles, it turned out that, in addition to the reloading scheme and barrel design, the used ammunition has a very significant effect on the accuracy of shooting. The regular 12,7 × 99 mm cartridges used in the Browning M2NB machine gun were not very suitable for accurate long-range shooting. When using special sniper cartridges with an all-metal bronze bullet, turned on a lathe, the accuracy of firing from M500 rifles was about 1 arc minute (1MOA).
The first fairly common 12,7 mm rifle was the M82A1.
This weapon, released by Barrett Firearms Manufacturing in 1986 (headquartered in Murfreesboro, Tennessee), became the most massive in its class and received the unofficial nickname - "light fifty".
Early modification of the 12,7 mm M82A1 rifle with a cylindrical muzzle brake
Unlike the family, the progenitor of which was the M500 rifle, the design created by Ronnie Barrett was self-loading.
On the one hand, this, in combination with a detachable magazine for 10 rounds, made it possible to significantly increase the combat rate of fire, and on the other hand, the automation, based on the recoil of the barrel with a short stroke, does not have the best effect on accuracy.
Nevertheless, this rifle is quite suitable for solving a certain range of tasks.
A well-trained sniper, when firing with an armor-piercing incendiary cartridge MK 211, is capable of confidently hitting a truck or a helicopter at an airfield at a distance of 1 m from the first shot. The effective firing range against manpower when using special sniper cartridges is about 500 m less.
However, the lack of accuracy (1,5-2 MOA) in most cases is compensated by the caliber and automatic reloading, which allow, in the event of a miss, to quickly fire a second shot from a distance inaccessible to a 7,62-mm weapon. An experienced shooter can fire up to 20 aimed shots per minute.
The weight of a rifle with a 740 mm barrel is 14 kg. Overall length - 1 450 mm. The stock is equipped with a rubber butt pad. The rifle has a mount for installation on a tripod machine gun M2NV, as well as a special shock-absorbing cradle for use on jeeps or armored personnel carriers. The two-legged bipod is borrowed from the M60 machine gun.
On production rifles currently in use by the American armed forces, the cold forged barrel is equipped with a two-chamber muzzle brake that absorbs up to 30% recoil. Early models were equipped with a cylindrical muzzle brake.
M82A1 rifle with night sight
The Leupold Mark 4 optical sight has a 10x magnification, and there is also a duplicate frame sight. For later versions, it is possible to install various night optics.
The most numerous modification is currently the M82A1 SASR (Special Applications Scoped Rifle - a special purpose rifle with a telescopic sight). In the US armed forces, this rifle is designated M107. Also known modifications M82A1A and M82A1M.
The main difference between the improved models from the early M82A1 is a long Picatinny rail (allows you to mount any day, night and combined sights), the presence of a monopod on the stock, as well as an improved trigger and muzzle brake.
A shorter version with a 508mm barrel is known as the M107CQ. This weapon weighs 10,8 kg empty. At the same time, the effective firing range was reduced by about 20%. According to promotional materials, the shortened large-bore rifle is more suitable for shooting from helicopters, armored vehicles, boats and combat operations in the city.
The M107A1 rifle appeared in 2011. Due to the use of titanium alloys in the construction, the weapon has become lighter.
On the forums dedicated to sniper shooting, it is said that in competitions this model, when using Match-class cartridges, consistently fell into a circle with a diameter of 21 cm, located at a distance of 914 meters. Shooting with special subsonic cartridges in combination with a silencer allows you to hit point targets at a distance of up to 500 m.
Although rifles of the Barrett M82 family were and remain quite expensive (the M107A1 costs more than $ 12), this weapon is very popular and widely distributed around the world.
Officially, the M82A1 and M107 large-caliber rifles are used by law enforcement agencies in more than 30 countries. Sweden became the first customer of М82А1 in 1989. In the run-up to Operation Desert Storm, several hundred rifles were acquired by US Special Operations Forces.
It is reliably known that, in addition to companies against Iraq, Barrett's large-caliber rifles were used in hostilities in Somalia and the former Yugoslavia, in Afghanistan, against drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia. According to unconfirmed reports, М82А1 / М107 were used in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
The M107CQ trimmed rifles are used by the United States Coast Guard. The crews of the Tactical Barrage Helicopter Squadron use them to disable the engines of speedboats, which are used to smuggle cocaine into the United States. Also, the M107 rifles were adopted by the New York and Pittsburgh Police Departments.
The latest version of the 12,7mm short-barrel rifle has a new four-chamber muzzle brake that better compensates for the recoil force of the lightweight design.
A number of other models have been created on the basis of the M82A1.
The 12,7 mm M82A2 rifle, made according to the bullpup scheme, looks very unusual.
12,7mm M82A2 rifle
This rifle, which began production in 1987, became significantly shorter, and even allowed shooting from a standing position. An additional front handle has been added for holding. But due to unsatisfactory ergonomics and inconvenience of shooting from a prone position, it did not receive wide distribution.
The experience gained with the creation of the M82A2 was rethought, and in 2006 the XM500 bullpup rifle saw the light. But, unlike the M82A2, in this model, the automation works by removing part of the powder gases with the barrel locking with a rotary bolt.
12,7 mm rifle XM500
Compared to the M82A2, the new rifle looks less futuristic. The total length is 1 mm. Barrel length - 168 mm. Without cartridges, the rifle weighs 737 kg. The Picatinny rail allows the installation of various day and night sights, as well as a laser designator.
There is no information on the use of large-caliber bullpup rifles in the US military. Most likely, there was a trial operation and military tests of single copies.
The commercial success of the Light Fifty led Barrett to continue developing other 0,5-inch rifles. Taking into account the fact that it is very difficult to achieve high accuracy in self-loading weapons, the M-1990 rifle with a fixed barrel and a rotary sliding bolt was created in 90.
12,7 mm rifle M-90
The use of manual reloading made it possible to make the rifle simpler and more reliable. The fixed barrel improved firing accuracy, and the bullpup layout made it possible to reduce the size of the weapon while maintaining the same barrel length and effective firing range. Rifle weight without cartridges and sight - 10,2 kg. Length - 1 mm. Barrel length - 345 mm. Food is supplied from a detachable 736-round magazine.
Serial production of the M-90 rifle began in 1990, and in 1995 it was replaced by the modified M-95 model. The M-95 rifle differs from the M-90 in that the pistol grip and the trigger are moved 25 mm forward from the magazine to improve the convenience of shooting, the bolt handle is bent back, the design of the firing mechanism has been slightly changed. The telescopic sight mount has been replaced with a standard Picatinny rail. The mass of the weapon decreased to 9,82 kg.
The 12,7mm M-95 rifle entered a competition announced by the USMC, and about a dozen rifles were purchased to equip the Marines' sniper pairs. However, due to changes in the conditions of the competition, the self-loading M107 won.
For high-precision shooting at long distances, the M-1999 single-shot rifle was created in 99. The main difference between this model and other large-caliber rifles from this manufacturer was the lack of a store. Loading is carried out with one cartridge through the window for the extraction of spent cartridges. After firing, the sleeve is ejected automatically.
12,7 mm rifle M-99
Due to the widespread use of light alloys in the design and the absence of a magazine, significant savings in rifle weight have been achieved. With a barrel length of 812 mm and a total length of 1 270 mm, the weight of an unloaded weapon without an optical sight is 11,34 kg.
In 2001, with such a rifle, a world record was set in shooting at a distance of 914 meters (1 yards) from a 000 mm weapon (five hits were laid in a circle with a diameter of 12,7 centimeters). Thus, this weapon fully implements the "one shot - one dead" concept.
In addition to the basic version with a long barrel, the M-99-1 modification is produced with a barrel length of 635 mm. This rifle weighs 9,07 kg and is 1 mm long. The main purpose of the shortened model is to use it in urban conditions, when, for example, it is necessary to disable a car engine with an accurate shot or to hit a protected target.
In the 1990s, the M-90 and M-95 rifles were sold in the civilian arms market, and were often used by extremist groups. So, in the period from 1991 to 1997, members of the Irish Republican Army shot several British soldiers with 12,7-mm rifles. There is also information that up to fifty manually reloadable large-caliber Barrett rifles in 1997 were at the disposal of Albanian militants.
A significant number of M-90, M-95 and M-99 rifles were purchased by private military companies operating in various hot spots around the world. They are in service with the law enforcement agencies of two dozen states.
The main advantages of manually reloadable large-caliber bolt-action rifles over self-loading rifles are lower weight and dimensions, as well as higher firing accuracy. At the same time, the М82А1 / М107 rifles are unsurpassed in terms of rate of fire.
Given the impressive success of Barrett Firearms Manufacturing in the creation and production of large-caliber rifles, a number of other less famous firms in the United States also decided to develop such weapons. But they have not yet managed to achieve special results. The main customer for 12,7-mm rifles, optical and optoelectronic sights for them is the state power structures, and this field is firmly occupied.
To expand the sales market, a number of 12,7 mm rifles are positioned as hunting and sporting weapons. However, it is difficult to imagine that someone, being in their right mind, would even hunt big game with a rifle weighing more than 10 kg, capable of piercing a 15-mm armor plate at a kilometer range.
Heavy, very large and spectacular looking 12,7mm rifles are popular with game makers and action movie makers. Most often, Barrett M82 appears in games and films.
However, there are exceptions, for example, in the action movie Under the Gun, which was released in 1996, the protagonist, played by actor Dolph Lungren, used a large-caliber M600 rifle from RAP.
There is no doubt that in the future long-range large-caliber rifles will be in great demand as an inexpensive means of combating modern high-tech weapons systems, as well as for countering snipers armed with less powerful weapons.
Taking into account the achievements in the field of creating new high-strength and lightweight materials and alloys, we should expect the emergence of new, more advanced designs.
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