Sniper rifle. Bor – the 7.62×51 mm Polish bolt-action sniper rifle. The military role of a sniper (a term derived from the snipe, a bird which was difficult to hunt and shoot) dates back to the turn of the 18th century, but the true sniper rifle is a much more recent development. Advances in technology, specifically that of telescopic sights and more accurate manufacturing, allowed armies to equip specially trained soldiers with rifles that enable them to deliver precise shots over greater distances than regular infantry weapons. The rifle itself could be based on a standard rifle (at first, a bolt-action rifle); however, when fitted with a telescopic sight, it becomes a sniper rifle.
History[edit] During the Crimean War, the first optical sights were designed for fitting onto the rifles. Much of this pioneering work was the brainchild of Colonel D. Davidson, using optical sights produced by Chance Brothers of Birmingham. Classification[edit] Military[edit] Law enforcement[edit] Telescopic sight[edit] Anti-materiel rifle. An anti-materiel rifle (AM) is a rifle that is designed for use against military equipment (materiel), rather than against other combatants ("anti-personnel"). History[edit] The origins of the anti-materiel rifle go back to the First World War, during which the first anti-tank rifles appeared.
While modern tanks and most other armored vehicles are too well protected to be affected by anti-materiel rifles, the guns are still effective for attacking unarmored or lightly armored vehicles. They can also be used against stationed enemy aircraft, missile launchers, radar equipment, small watercraft, communications equipment, crew served weapons and similar targets. The offensive use of anti-materiel rifles or Special Application Scoped Rifles (SASR) is termed hard target interdiction (HTI) by the United States military.[1] Anti-materiel rifles can also be used in non-offensive roles, e.g: for safely destroying unexploded ordnance. Description[edit] See also[edit] References[edit] Barrett XM500. The Barrett XM500 is a gas-operated, semi-automatic sniper rifle/anti-materiel rifle currently in development by the Barrett Firearms Company. It is fed by a 10-round detachable box magazine situated behind the trigger in bullpup configuration. It is based on the Barrett M82/M107 .50-caliber sniper rifle.
It is intended to be a lighter, more compact alternative to the M82. Since the XM500 has a stationary barrel (instead of the recoiling-barrel design of the M82), it will likely have somewhat better accuracy.[1] As with its predecessor, it comes with a removable, adjustable bipod mounted under the barrel, and a top-mounted Picatinny rail for attachment of a scope and/or other accessory.[1] See also[edit] References[edit] External links[edit] Barrett M82. Overview[edit] The original Barrett M82 Barrett Firearms Manufacturing was founded by Ronnie Barrett for the sole purpose of building semi-automatic rifles chambered for the powerful 12.7×99mm NATO (.50 BMG) ammunition, originally developed for and used in M2 Browning machine guns.
Barrett began his work in the early 1980s and the first working rifles were available in 1982, hence the designation M82. Barrett designed every single part of the weapon personally and then went on to market the weapon and mass-produce it out of his own pocket. He continued to develop his rifle through the 1980s, and developed the improved M82A1 rifle by 1986. M82A1 used by the 60th Ordnance Detachment during Operation Desert Shield. The first conventional military success was the sale of about 100 M82A1 rifles to the Swedish Army in 1989. M82A2 Rifle with a Leupold Mark 4 Scope Further development led to the M82A2 bullpup rifle in 1987, which was a reduced-recoil design to be fired from the shoulder. A U.S. Dragunov sniper rifle. The Dragunov sniper rifle (formal Russian: Снайперская Винтовка системы Драгунова образца 1963 года Snayperskaya Vintovka sistem'y Dragunova obraz'tsa 1963 goda (SVD-63), officially "Sniper Rifle, System of Dragunov, Model of the Year 1963") is a semi-automatic sniper/designated marksman rifle chambered in 7.62×54mmR and developed in the Soviet Union.
The Dragunov was designed as a squad support weapon since, according to Soviet and Soviet-derived military doctrines, the long-range engagement ability was lost to ordinary troops when submachine guns and assault rifles (which are optimized for close-range and medium-range, rapid-fire combat) were adopted. For that reason, it was originally named Самозарядная Винтовка системы Драгунова образца 1963 года "Self-Loading Rifle, System of Dragunov, Model of the Year 1963. " It was selected as the winner of a contest that included three competing designs: by Sergei Simonov, Aleksandr Konstantinov and Yevgeny Dragunov. Design details[edit] RPK. The RPK (Ruchnoy Pulemyot Kalashnikova, Russian: Ручной пулемёт Калашникова or "Kalashnikov hand-held machine gun") is a 7.62x39mm light machine gun of Soviet design, developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the late 1950s, parallel with the AKM assault rifle. It was created as part of a program designed to standardize the small arms inventory of the Red Army, where it replaced the 7.62x39mm RPD light machine gun.
The RPK continues to be used by the armed forces of countries of the former Soviet Union and certain African and Asian nations. The RPK was also manufactured in Bulgaria, Poland, and Romania. Design details[edit] Operating mechanism[edit] The RPK functions identically to the AK-47. Features[edit] Most notably, the RPK has a heavier and longer barrel than an AKM. The RPK's receiver is stamped from a smooth 1.5 mm (0.06 in) sheet of steel (compared to the 1.0 mm (0.04 in) sheet metal receiver used on standard AKM rifles). The RPK uses a modified AKM recoil spring assembly. Sights[edit] M1 Garand. M1 Garand with en bloc clips. The M1 was the standard-issue service rifle of the U.S. forces in World War II, the Korean War, and also saw service to a limited extent in the Vietnam War. Most M1 rifles were issued to U.S. forces, though many thousands were also lent or provided as foreign aid to America's allies.
The Garand is still used by drill teams and military honor guards. It is also widely sought by the civilian population as a hunting rifle, target rifle, and military collectible. Although the name "Garand" is frequently pronounced /ɡəˈrænd/, according to experts and people who knew John Garand, the weapon's designer, /ˈɡærənd/ ('rhymes with "errand"') is preferred.[8][9] It is available for American civilian ownership through the Civilian Marksmanship Program.
History[edit] Development[edit] Twenty gas-operated .276 T3E2s Garands were made and competed with T1 Pedersen rifles in Spring 1931. Production difficulties delayed deliveries to the Army until September 1937. U.S. StG 44. The StG 44 (abbreviation of Sturmgewehr 44, "assault rifle 44") is a German assault rifle developed during World War II that was the first of its kind to see major deployment and is considered by many historians to be the first modern assault rifle.[5] It is also known under the designations MP 43 and MP 44 (Maschinenpistole 43, Maschinenpistole 44 respectively), which denote earlier development versions of the same weapon with some differences like a different butt end, muzzle nut, shape of the front sight base or with an unstepped barrel, all only visible with close inspection.
Description[edit] A soldier demonstrates the transitional MP 43/1 variant, used to determine the suitability of the rifle for sniping purposes, October 1943. The rifle is fitted with a ZF 4 telescopic sight. MP 43, MP 44, and StG 44 were different designations for what was essentially the same rifle, with minor updates in production. The Sturmgewehr's accuracy "...is excellent for a weapon of its type. U.S. AK-47. The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova (Russian: Автомат Калашникова). It is also known as Kalashnikov, AK, or in Russian slang, Kalash.
The original AK-47 was one of the first assault rifles of 2nd generation, after the German StG 44.[11] Even after six decades the model and its variants remain the most widely used and popular assault rifles in the world because of their durability, low production cost, availability, and ease of use. It has been manufactured in many countries and has seen service with armed forces as well as irregular forces worldwide. The AK-47 was the basis for developing many other types of individual and crew-served firearms. More AK-type rifles have been produced than all other assault rifles combined. History[edit] Pre-history[edit] Development and competition[edit] Design[edit] Receiver development[edit] Features[edit] Sights[edit] FN F2000. The FN F2000 is a 5.56×45mm NATO bullpup assault rifle, designed by FN Herstal in Belgium.[5] The F2000 made its debut in March 2001 at the IDEX defence exhibition held in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.
Design details[edit] The F2000 is a modular weapon system; its principal component is a compact 5.56×45mm NATO-caliber assault rifle configured in a bullpup layout. The F2000 is a selective fire weapon operating from a closed bolt. Features[edit] The F2000 is a gas operated, fully automatic and ambidextrous bullpup rifle. Both the safety system and trigger mechanism were adopted from the P90 personal defense weapon; the selector toggle is a rotating disc located below the trigger. The rifle does not have a hold-open device; the bolt does not stay back after the last round is fired.
The rifle’s chromed hammer-forged steel barrel is stated to retain accuracy after 20,000 normal (non-sustained) rounds. Operating mechanism[edit] Grenade launcher[edit] Variants[edit] F2000 Tactical[edit] FN SCAR. The Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle (SCAR)[10] is a modular rifle made by FN Herstal (FNH) for the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to satisfy the requirements of the SCAR competition.[11] This family of rifles consist of two main types. The SCAR-L, for "light", is chambered in the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge and the SCAR-H, for "heavy", fires 7.62×51mm NATO.
Both are available in Long Barrel and Close Quarters Combat variants. Overview[edit] The SCAR is manufactured in two main versions; Light (SCAR-L, Mk 16 Mod 0) and Heavy (SCAR-H, Mk 17 Mod 0). The L version fires 5.56×45mm NATO using improved STANAG (M16) magazines. The H fires the more powerful 7.62×51mm NATO from a newly designed 20-round magazine. Different length barrels will be available for close quarters battle and for longer-range engagements. The Mk 20 Sniper Support Rifle is based on the 7.62mm Mk 17 rifle. HAMR IAR[edit] FNAC[edit] Enhanced Grenade Launching Module[edit] The FN40GL, or Mk 13 Mod 0. XM8 rifle. The XM8 was the U.S. military designation for a lightweight assault rifle system under development by the United States Army from the late 1990s to early 2000s.
The rifle is designed by German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch (H&K), and shares design and engineering with their G36 rifle. The XM8 design was originally part of the Objective Individual Combat Weapon program (OICW), which was developing a "smart" grenade launcher system with an underslung carbine rifle as a backup weapon. The system was unable to meet performance and weight requirements and eventually canceled. In the aftermath, the two portions of the OICW were separated, resulting in the XM8 and XM29 projects. Although there were high hopes that the XM8 would become the Army's new standard infantry rifle, the project was put on hold in April 2005, and was formally canceled on October 31, 2005.
However, the weapon is now in service with Malaysian special forces and some private military companies. History[edit] A U.S. Heckler & Koch HK416. The Heckler & Koch HK416 is an assault rifle designed and manufactured by Heckler & Koch. It is based on the AR-15 platform, and was originally conceived as an improvement to the Colt M4 carbine family issued to the U.S. military, with the notable inclusion of an HK-proprietary short-stroke gas piston system derived from the Heckler & Koch G36.
Military and law enforcement customers can purchase a new upper receiver, buffer, and drive spring to refurbish existing AR-15s, or buy new complete HK416s. History[edit] The United States Army's Delta Force, at the request of R&D NCO Larry Vickers, collaborated with the German arms maker Heckler & Koch to develop the new carbine in the early 1990s. A modified variant underwent testing by the United States Marine Corps as the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle. Design details[edit] The HK416 is equipped with a proprietary accessory rail forearm with MIL-STD-1913 rails on all four sides.
Differences from the M4[edit] Evaluation[edit] In July 2007, the U.S. M4 carbine. The M4 carbine is heavily used by the U.S military. It will eventually replace the M16 rifle for most combat units in the United States Army.[5] The winner of the Individual Carbine competition was to supplement the M4 carbine in U.S. Army service; all other services will continue using the M4 carbine and M16 rifles.[6] The Army cancelled the Individual Carbine competition without selecting a replacement rifle and instead plans to equip soldiers with the improved M4A1.[7] History[edit] Following the adoption of the M16 rifle, carbine variants were also adopted for close quarters operations.
To remedy the range problem, Colt incorporated a 14.5 inch barrel, giving the weapon greater reach than the XM177 while still being more compact than the M16. The M4 carbine has largely replaced the submachine gun in military use due to increased use of body armor, as submachine guns fire pistol-power cartridges that are unable to penetrate modern body armor. Improved M4[edit] On 1 July 2009, the U.S. FN FAL. The Fusil Automatique Léger ("Light Automatic Rifle") or FAL is a self-loading, selective fire battle rifle produced by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (FN).
During the Cold War it was adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries, with the notable exception of the United States. It is one of the most widely used rifles in history, having been used by more than 90 countries.[3] The FAL was predominantly chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO round, and because of its prevalence and widespread use among the armed forces of many NATO countries during the Cold War it was nicknamed "The right arm of the Free World".[2] A British Commonwealth derivative of the FN FAL has been produced under licence as the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle. History[edit] In 1946, the first FN FAL prototype was completed.
Design details[edit] Variants[edit] Sturmgewehr 58[edit] FN Production Variants[edit] LAR 50.41 & 50.42[edit] FAL 50.61[edit] The FAL 50.61 variant. Brazil[edit] Heckler & Koch G36.