Chinese large-caliber self-loading rifles
After creating a non-self-loading large-caliber rifle, despite its accuracy and other high characteristics, several unpleasant facts surfaced about this weapons. As it turned out, high accuracy is far from the most important thing when shooting light armored vehicles, and often one shot is not enough, and the second, subject to manual reloading, the sniper may not have time, since during the time that he recharges and takes aim, transport can already hide behind any shelter, and its defeat will become impossible. Of course, the most acceptable option for hitting the enemy’s lightly armored vehicles is a large-caliber machine gun, but here everything is decided by weight and the large-caliber rifle turns out to be more mobile, which overcomes its drawback in its practical rate of fire. Thus, it was decided to create self-loading besides non-self-loading large-caliber rifles. One of the first Chinese large-caliber rifles was the M99 (do not confuse with Barrett), and we will start with it.
This rifle is a very inconspicuous example of large-caliber self-loading rifles. It does not have any sophisticated methods of damping returns or other individual elements that may cause interest. However, locking the barrel of a weapon is not the most common way for large-caliber rifles, but more on that below. Also of interest is the fact that this weapon has two options, both of which are used in the army and only one of them is offered for export. There are no fundamental differences between these two types of rifles, the main difference is in the cartridges that this weapon uses. So, the version of the rifle, which is used only inside China and is not exported, is fed by the Soviet-style cartridge 12,7x108 and has the designation M99-I. The second version of the weapon is powered by the cartridge 12,7x99 (.50BMG) and is offered for export, respectively, has the name M99-II. Both rifles have approximately the same characteristics, so that they can be easily combined into one description, especially since they differ literally in millimeters and tens of grams in weight and dimensions.
Both versions of the M99 rifle have a length of one and a half meters and a weight of about 12 kilograms, which is quite average for such weapons, however, the length is still too big, even if the rifle is made in the classic layout. Butts of rifles have the ability to adjust the length and height of the stop for the cheek arrow. Under the butt of the weapon is the so-called "third leg", which facilitates the arrow to the task of long-term observation of a particular area of the area for a long period of time. In front of the rifle forearm, folding bipods are fixed, which have the possibility of height adjustment. On top of the receiver is a seat for an optical sight in the form of a mounting bracket such as a Picatinny rail. Immediately above the pistol grip is located the switch of the fuse of the weapon, the bolt handle is also displayed on the right, the ejection of spent cartridges is also carried out on the right side. One of the interesting features of the weapon is that the handle for transporting the rifle is located on the left side, but is bent in such a way that at rest it is located at the bottom of the weapon and does not interfere. However, this arrangement is also a minus at the same time, since the rifle itself collapses on the right side when carrying the weapon by this handle and if the bipods are not folded before carrying, they will significantly interfere with the arrow moving at a run, although the weapon can always be lifted up - not so much weight. It feeds a rifle from detachable single row magazines with a capacity of 12 cartridges, regardless of which cartridges are used.
The M99 large-caliber rifle automatics is built on the removal of powder gases from the bore of the weapon, while the barrel bore is locked when the bolt is skewed. Considering that this automatics scheme does not “touch” the weapon’s barrel, it allows the rifle to achieve greater accuracy in comparison with the versions with a moving barrel. However, the maximum accuracy of weapons can only be achieved with very high quality production, which is not the best for export options, oddly enough, but for domestic "consumption" with quality, the question is not clear. Naturally, the accuracy of the weapon is also affected by the fact that the barrel of a rifle cannot be called freely hung, since the removal of powder gases is located at a sufficiently large distance from the breech breech. To combat the fairly strong recoil of the M99 large-caliber sniper rifle, quite classic versions of devices were used in the form of a muzzle brake-recoil compensator and a rubber pad on the rifle butt. This is clearly not enough for a fully comfortable use of the rifle, but in general, the recoil when shooting is quite portable, provided that the recoil is partially extinguished by the automatic rifle. Thus, despite the locking of the barrel, the weapon turns out to be quite ordinary.
Despite the fact that the barrel of a rifle can not be called freely-weighted, despite the fact that the weapon is self-loading, that is, it has automatic equipment, which to some extent affects the accuracy when shooting, the M99 large-caliber rifle has a sufficiently high accuracy for “self-loading”. Of course, it doesn’t reach the “bolt” rifles in this parameter, but against the background of most models it looks impressive and this is despite the fact that the quality of production of export weapon options is very difficult to call high. Apparently, in this situation, something like the Kalashnikov assault rifle turned out, when even with the roughest performance, the weapon turns out to be quite good, only if in AK it is expressed in high reliability, then in some unknown way exactly, which I repeat high enough for a self-loading rifle. According to the manufacturer, the effective firing range for enemy personnel reaches 1200 meters, while the effective fire on the enemy's equipment can reach up to 1800 meters and up to 1500 meters for lightly armored vehicles. However, I would nevertheless divide the last figure into two, since, knowing the characteristics of ammunition, it is difficult to imagine that they can cause significant harm even to lightly armored vehicles at a distance of more than half a kilometer. Although, on the other hand, depending on where to shoot.
Despite such characteristics of the weapon, this rifle still did not fully satisfy all the requirements that were imposed on such weapons. The main reason for discontent was the length of the rifle. Still, half a meter-long "fool" is far from every Chinese person can comfortably endure, although there are tall guys among them. Thus, the question arose of reducing the length of the weapon, which would mean only maintaining the barrel shortening, while maintaining the rifle design, and this in turn would have a negative effect on the characteristics. For this reason, we decided to take a wiser path and change the layout of the weapon to bullpup. So there was a new rifle M99V.
Rather, there was not even one rifle, but as many as three, all of which differ in their characteristics, albeit only slightly. Two rifles under the designations M99B-I and M99-II are offered as export and are not used domestically. The samples are fed with 12,7x108 and 12,7x99 cartridges, respectively. The length of both variants of the weapon is 1250 millimeters, the weight of the rifles is equal to 12 kilograms. That is, roughly speaking, a change in the layout of the weapon reduced only the length by 25 centimeters. The other, the third version of the rifle, is intended only for domestic use, powered by 12,7x108 cartridges, which is longer than the export versions of the weapon. This M06 rifle is designated, uses 12,7x108 ammunition, the only difference from export options lies in the barrel length, which is millimeter longer on 110, respectively, the rifle itself has a length 1360 millimeters. To be honest, I do not quite understand the logic of the Chinese, since from its predecessor in the classic layout, the M06 is shorter only by 14 centimeters. Most likely, the reduction in length is not connected with the small average height of the soldiers of the Chinese army, but with the requirements for the maximum length of weapons that are associated with the transportation of weapons. A remarkable point is that, despite the longer barrel, the weight of the weapon remains the same and is equal to 12 kilograms. What saved is unknown, but clearly not on the thickness of the trunk.
The principle of operation of the weapon has not changed in comparison with the previous model of the M99 self-loading rifle. The main driving force is still powder gases, which are discharged from the bore of the weapon when fired. The bore of the rifle is locked by the bias of the bolt. Interestingly, the powder gases are taken from the barrel at a sufficiently large distance from the breech, which naturally affects the accuracy of the weapon, since despite the fact that the barrel does not touch anywhere any elements of the rifle except the attachment point in the receiver, freely suspended it can not be called. Although it is necessary to pay tribute to the Chinese, the impact on the accuracy of shooting of this whole happiness is minimal, but it still exists, which is felt especially in comparison with non-self-loading weapons, in which the barrel is freely hung. Naturally, the presence of automation also affects the accuracy of shooting. Generally speaking, according to its characteristics, this weapon is no worse and no better than the M99, however, the option for internal use of the M06 is still slightly better, if only because the bullet on the longer barrel accelerates to slightly higher speeds, which is only a plus .
But not everything is so simple and familiar in this weapon. There is in it and its own "zest". A very interesting feature of the rifle became the shops from which it is powered. The fact is that weapons can be eaten from stores of standard designs, that is, direct ones, but at the same time the standard weapon stores are drum shops with a capacity of 5 cartridges. What it is done for and what it gives the weapon can only be guessed at. My guess is easier firing at helicopters taking off, that is, targets that are above the sniper. On the other hand, it would be more logical to make the supply of weapons from the store, which joins on the right side, parallel to the ground level, but once decided to stand out, and without loss of reliability, then just flag in hand. In the end, even the most delusional ideas sooner or later develop into something worthwhile, and here the originality of the design seems to have no significant drawbacks, although it also has some definite advantages. All weapon controls are located on the right side, which is not surprising, in principle, there is no adaptation for left-handed users. Despite the layout of the bulpap, the discharge of spent cartridges occurs at a sufficiently large distance from the shooter’s face. The rifle does not have an emphasis under the cheek, but the butt plate on the butt can be adjusted in length, although the adjustment is made by individual adjustment in the form of inserting rubber plates. Under the butt of the weapon is a removable "third leg". In the front of the arms are two folding and height-adjustable bipod. But further more interesting. The mount for the optical sight is not located on top of the weapon, but according to the Soviet "sample" on the left side of the rifle, but the picatinny type mount. In my opinion, such an arrangement of the attachment plate is only for the benefit of the weapon, since the rifle's thickness is quite large, and it is much more convenient to use it when the sight is shifted slightly to the left, rather than strictly centered, and the negative qualities of this sight are easily taken into account.
The problem of a sufficiently large recoil of the weapon when firing is solved by a multi-chamber muzzle brake-recoil compensator, as well as a rubber butt pad. Also, we must not forget that a small part of the recoil of the weapon when firing is extinguished by automation. All this, naturally, does not make shooting from large-caliber rifles in the Chinese bullpup layout comfortable, but it is quite portable and smaller than any non-self-loading samples.
If we talk in general about these weapons, then it should be noted that there are no unconventional solutions for quenching the same effect in it, everything is quite simple and tasteful. So to say, the balance is maintained when the weapon and is self-loading and more or less comfortable and accurate. However, I would not call this rifle the best in its class, but it certainly draws on the strong four.
Summing up both this and the previous article about large-caliber sniper rifles, it should be noted that they really incorporated all the best of all the weapons that are produced on our planet. That is, it is already possible to talk not just about copying any specific samples, but about the combination of separate units already worked out by others in one sample. At the same time, those solutions that are completely the development of Chinese designers are not in last place in Chinese weapons. In other words, at this stage, weapons in China are made on the principle of "we will take all the best, combine them into one model and make it even better." At the same time, I personally can’t blame them for anything, because even among eminent arms companies 99% of new weapons are made according to the same principle. At the same time, it is also impossible to exclude those samples of weapons that are experimental. Of course, there is no information on all models, and even the information that leaks through the China Wall is very scarce, but, nevertheless, even on its basis we can speak not only about a well-developed military industry, but also about the flourishing of the arms industry in the country . Separately, it is also worth noting that the Chinese are trying to hide the best samples a little deeper and not only do not sell them left and right, but also do not “shine” once again, and give up weapons for export, which are slightly worse in characteristics than those that stand on armed with the army and police. Of course, in this way a certain part of the money that can be earned from the export of arms is lost, but at the same time there is at least a guarantee that in the event of a conflict against China they will not fight with their own weapons. And if you look, then at the mention of Chinese weapons, most will twist their noses, and as shown in the last 10-20 years, in vain. However, far from all the Chinese have learned to do it on their own. Aviation, armored vehicles and so on, are just beginning to fully develop, and in them no, no and there will be an almost complete copy of another sample. Nevertheless, the example with firearms suggests that someday this will all be done according to a similar principle, and that “someday” is just around the corner. Returning to the topic of self-loading large-caliber rifles, I would like to note one more question that has remained unsolved for me. Are the designations M99 and M99B an accident or a calculation for association with other Barrett rifle models? True, there is a slightly different weapon under these names, but still.
This rifle is a very inconspicuous example of large-caliber self-loading rifles. It does not have any sophisticated methods of damping returns or other individual elements that may cause interest. However, locking the barrel of a weapon is not the most common way for large-caliber rifles, but more on that below. Also of interest is the fact that this weapon has two options, both of which are used in the army and only one of them is offered for export. There are no fundamental differences between these two types of rifles, the main difference is in the cartridges that this weapon uses. So, the version of the rifle, which is used only inside China and is not exported, is fed by the Soviet-style cartridge 12,7x108 and has the designation M99-I. The second version of the weapon is powered by the cartridge 12,7x99 (.50BMG) and is offered for export, respectively, has the name M99-II. Both rifles have approximately the same characteristics, so that they can be easily combined into one description, especially since they differ literally in millimeters and tens of grams in weight and dimensions.Both versions of the M99 rifle have a length of one and a half meters and a weight of about 12 kilograms, which is quite average for such weapons, however, the length is still too big, even if the rifle is made in the classic layout. Butts of rifles have the ability to adjust the length and height of the stop for the cheek arrow. Under the butt of the weapon is the so-called "third leg", which facilitates the arrow to the task of long-term observation of a particular area of the area for a long period of time. In front of the rifle forearm, folding bipods are fixed, which have the possibility of height adjustment. On top of the receiver is a seat for an optical sight in the form of a mounting bracket such as a Picatinny rail. Immediately above the pistol grip is located the switch of the fuse of the weapon, the bolt handle is also displayed on the right, the ejection of spent cartridges is also carried out on the right side. One of the interesting features of the weapon is that the handle for transporting the rifle is located on the left side, but is bent in such a way that at rest it is located at the bottom of the weapon and does not interfere. However, this arrangement is also a minus at the same time, since the rifle itself collapses on the right side when carrying the weapon by this handle and if the bipods are not folded before carrying, they will significantly interfere with the arrow moving at a run, although the weapon can always be lifted up - not so much weight. It feeds a rifle from detachable single row magazines with a capacity of 12 cartridges, regardless of which cartridges are used.
The M99 large-caliber rifle automatics is built on the removal of powder gases from the bore of the weapon, while the barrel bore is locked when the bolt is skewed. Considering that this automatics scheme does not “touch” the weapon’s barrel, it allows the rifle to achieve greater accuracy in comparison with the versions with a moving barrel. However, the maximum accuracy of weapons can only be achieved with very high quality production, which is not the best for export options, oddly enough, but for domestic "consumption" with quality, the question is not clear. Naturally, the accuracy of the weapon is also affected by the fact that the barrel of a rifle cannot be called freely hung, since the removal of powder gases is located at a sufficiently large distance from the breech breech. To combat the fairly strong recoil of the M99 large-caliber sniper rifle, quite classic versions of devices were used in the form of a muzzle brake-recoil compensator and a rubber pad on the rifle butt. This is clearly not enough for a fully comfortable use of the rifle, but in general, the recoil when shooting is quite portable, provided that the recoil is partially extinguished by the automatic rifle. Thus, despite the locking of the barrel, the weapon turns out to be quite ordinary.Despite the fact that the barrel of a rifle can not be called freely-weighted, despite the fact that the weapon is self-loading, that is, it has automatic equipment, which to some extent affects the accuracy when shooting, the M99 large-caliber rifle has a sufficiently high accuracy for “self-loading”. Of course, it doesn’t reach the “bolt” rifles in this parameter, but against the background of most models it looks impressive and this is despite the fact that the quality of production of export weapon options is very difficult to call high. Apparently, in this situation, something like the Kalashnikov assault rifle turned out, when even with the roughest performance, the weapon turns out to be quite good, only if in AK it is expressed in high reliability, then in some unknown way exactly, which I repeat high enough for a self-loading rifle. According to the manufacturer, the effective firing range for enemy personnel reaches 1200 meters, while the effective fire on the enemy's equipment can reach up to 1800 meters and up to 1500 meters for lightly armored vehicles. However, I would nevertheless divide the last figure into two, since, knowing the characteristics of ammunition, it is difficult to imagine that they can cause significant harm even to lightly armored vehicles at a distance of more than half a kilometer. Although, on the other hand, depending on where to shoot.
Despite such characteristics of the weapon, this rifle still did not fully satisfy all the requirements that were imposed on such weapons. The main reason for discontent was the length of the rifle. Still, half a meter-long "fool" is far from every Chinese person can comfortably endure, although there are tall guys among them. Thus, the question arose of reducing the length of the weapon, which would mean only maintaining the barrel shortening, while maintaining the rifle design, and this in turn would have a negative effect on the characteristics. For this reason, we decided to take a wiser path and change the layout of the weapon to bullpup. So there was a new rifle M99V.
Rather, there was not even one rifle, but as many as three, all of which differ in their characteristics, albeit only slightly. Two rifles under the designations M99B-I and M99-II are offered as export and are not used domestically. The samples are fed with 12,7x108 and 12,7x99 cartridges, respectively. The length of both variants of the weapon is 1250 millimeters, the weight of the rifles is equal to 12 kilograms. That is, roughly speaking, a change in the layout of the weapon reduced only the length by 25 centimeters. The other, the third version of the rifle, is intended only for domestic use, powered by 12,7x108 cartridges, which is longer than the export versions of the weapon. This M06 rifle is designated, uses 12,7x108 ammunition, the only difference from export options lies in the barrel length, which is millimeter longer on 110, respectively, the rifle itself has a length 1360 millimeters. To be honest, I do not quite understand the logic of the Chinese, since from its predecessor in the classic layout, the M06 is shorter only by 14 centimeters. Most likely, the reduction in length is not connected with the small average height of the soldiers of the Chinese army, but with the requirements for the maximum length of weapons that are associated with the transportation of weapons. A remarkable point is that, despite the longer barrel, the weight of the weapon remains the same and is equal to 12 kilograms. What saved is unknown, but clearly not on the thickness of the trunk.The principle of operation of the weapon has not changed in comparison with the previous model of the M99 self-loading rifle. The main driving force is still powder gases, which are discharged from the bore of the weapon when fired. The bore of the rifle is locked by the bias of the bolt. Interestingly, the powder gases are taken from the barrel at a sufficiently large distance from the breech, which naturally affects the accuracy of the weapon, since despite the fact that the barrel does not touch anywhere any elements of the rifle except the attachment point in the receiver, freely suspended it can not be called. Although it is necessary to pay tribute to the Chinese, the impact on the accuracy of shooting of this whole happiness is minimal, but it still exists, which is felt especially in comparison with non-self-loading weapons, in which the barrel is freely hung. Naturally, the presence of automation also affects the accuracy of shooting. Generally speaking, according to its characteristics, this weapon is no worse and no better than the M99, however, the option for internal use of the M06 is still slightly better, if only because the bullet on the longer barrel accelerates to slightly higher speeds, which is only a plus .
But not everything is so simple and familiar in this weapon. There is in it and its own "zest". A very interesting feature of the rifle became the shops from which it is powered. The fact is that weapons can be eaten from stores of standard designs, that is, direct ones, but at the same time the standard weapon stores are drum shops with a capacity of 5 cartridges. What it is done for and what it gives the weapon can only be guessed at. My guess is easier firing at helicopters taking off, that is, targets that are above the sniper. On the other hand, it would be more logical to make the supply of weapons from the store, which joins on the right side, parallel to the ground level, but once decided to stand out, and without loss of reliability, then just flag in hand. In the end, even the most delusional ideas sooner or later develop into something worthwhile, and here the originality of the design seems to have no significant drawbacks, although it also has some definite advantages. All weapon controls are located on the right side, which is not surprising, in principle, there is no adaptation for left-handed users. Despite the layout of the bulpap, the discharge of spent cartridges occurs at a sufficiently large distance from the shooter’s face. The rifle does not have an emphasis under the cheek, but the butt plate on the butt can be adjusted in length, although the adjustment is made by individual adjustment in the form of inserting rubber plates. Under the butt of the weapon is a removable "third leg". In the front of the arms are two folding and height-adjustable bipod. But further more interesting. The mount for the optical sight is not located on top of the weapon, but according to the Soviet "sample" on the left side of the rifle, but the picatinny type mount. In my opinion, such an arrangement of the attachment plate is only for the benefit of the weapon, since the rifle's thickness is quite large, and it is much more convenient to use it when the sight is shifted slightly to the left, rather than strictly centered, and the negative qualities of this sight are easily taken into account.
The problem of a sufficiently large recoil of the weapon when firing is solved by a multi-chamber muzzle brake-recoil compensator, as well as a rubber butt pad. Also, we must not forget that a small part of the recoil of the weapon when firing is extinguished by automation. All this, naturally, does not make shooting from large-caliber rifles in the Chinese bullpup layout comfortable, but it is quite portable and smaller than any non-self-loading samples.If we talk in general about these weapons, then it should be noted that there are no unconventional solutions for quenching the same effect in it, everything is quite simple and tasteful. So to say, the balance is maintained when the weapon and is self-loading and more or less comfortable and accurate. However, I would not call this rifle the best in its class, but it certainly draws on the strong four.
Summing up both this and the previous article about large-caliber sniper rifles, it should be noted that they really incorporated all the best of all the weapons that are produced on our planet. That is, it is already possible to talk not just about copying any specific samples, but about the combination of separate units already worked out by others in one sample. At the same time, those solutions that are completely the development of Chinese designers are not in last place in Chinese weapons. In other words, at this stage, weapons in China are made on the principle of "we will take all the best, combine them into one model and make it even better." At the same time, I personally can’t blame them for anything, because even among eminent arms companies 99% of new weapons are made according to the same principle. At the same time, it is also impossible to exclude those samples of weapons that are experimental. Of course, there is no information on all models, and even the information that leaks through the China Wall is very scarce, but, nevertheless, even on its basis we can speak not only about a well-developed military industry, but also about the flourishing of the arms industry in the country . Separately, it is also worth noting that the Chinese are trying to hide the best samples a little deeper and not only do not sell them left and right, but also do not “shine” once again, and give up weapons for export, which are slightly worse in characteristics than those that stand on armed with the army and police. Of course, in this way a certain part of the money that can be earned from the export of arms is lost, but at the same time there is at least a guarantee that in the event of a conflict against China they will not fight with their own weapons. And if you look, then at the mention of Chinese weapons, most will twist their noses, and as shown in the last 10-20 years, in vain. However, far from all the Chinese have learned to do it on their own. Aviation, armored vehicles and so on, are just beginning to fully develop, and in them no, no and there will be an almost complete copy of another sample. Nevertheless, the example with firearms suggests that someday this will all be done according to a similar principle, and that “someday” is just around the corner. Returning to the topic of self-loading large-caliber rifles, I would like to note one more question that has remained unsolved for me. Are the designations M99 and M99B an accident or a calculation for association with other Barrett rifle models? True, there is a slightly different weapon under these names, but still.
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