AR-500. Semi-automatic rifle for elephant hunting

The AR-10
is an American automatic rifle created in 1954-1955 by Eugene Stoner.

Sniper rifle Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 04 (Austria)

The SSG 04 rifle (ScharfSchützen-Gewehr 04 - sniper rifle model 2004) was developed and produced since 2004 by the famous Austrian company Steyr-Mannlicher AG. It was created in addition to the very popular, but no longer very “fashionable” and “modern” rifle SSG 69 of the same company. The SSG04 rifle is based on the SBS 96 system, developed by Steyr-Mannlicher in the mid-1990s for a new line of hunting and sporting rifles. Currently, SSG 04 rifles are already in service with a number of security services and police forces in European countries. When using appropriate ammunition, SSG 04 rifles consistently provide accuracy of less than one arc minute at practical firing ranges.

The Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 04 sniper rifle has a longitudinally sliding rotary bolt with four lugs located in pairs in front of the bolt. High-precision barrels are made using cold rotational forging and are equipped with a muzzle brake. The trigger mechanism is adjustable, release without warning. The cartridges are fed from detachable box magazines. The rifle stock is made of impact-resistant polymer and has a height-adjustable butt comb and butt plate. The rifle does not have open sights; a Picatinny rail type guide is installed on the receiver, allowing for quick and accurate installation of any optical and night sights on the appropriate mounts.

AR-500. Semi-automatic rifle for elephant hunting

AR-500 semi-automatic rifle, photo: bighornarmory.com
Created by gunsmiths of the American company Big Horn Armory, the AR-500 semi-automatic rifle is the most powerful in the world. At the same time, the unique model of small arms is built on the basis of the well-known semi-automatic rifle AR-15, widely used by American intelligence services, police and actively sold on the civilian market. Today, US residents can purchase an AR-500 rifle chambered for the .500 Auto Max cartridge by paying at least $1,999.

AR-500 semi-automatic rifle

Created at the turn of the 1960s, the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle has become such a successful weapon platform that it still serves as the reason for various adaptations, upgrades and modifications by manufacturers around the world.
Especially many models made in the AR-15 style are created in the USA. Today, the AR-15 rifle is recognized by experts as one of the most modifiable small arms in history. In this regard, the American rifle competes with the domestic Kalashnikov assault rifle and endless modifications of weapons built on its basis. Big Horn Armory decided to go the beaten path, presenting its vision of an American classic of the weapons world. At the same time, the company's designers focused on increasing the power of the weapon, turning to a caliber that is unconventional for semi-automatic rifles. Typically, heavy machine guns or anti-material sniper rifles are created in .50 caliber, for ordinary rifles it is a very rare caliber. However, a semi-automatic rifle of the same caliber as the famous Soviet DShK machine gun is now available on the US civilian arms market. It is probably impossible to find a more powerful rifle on the civilian small arms market.

The rifle was specially created for the .500 Auto Max cartridge, which, in turn, is a modification of the .500 Smith & Wesson (12.7x41 mm). The cartridge received minor changes aimed at making it possible to use it in automatic weapons. This ammunition is rightly considered the most powerful pistol cartridge in the world and the most powerful cartridge available on the civilian small arms market.

According to the developers, the AR-500 semi-automatic rifle is suitable for hunting any large game. With such a weapon you can really go out, if not against an elephant, then against any bear, and even against a medium-sized dinosaur, if they still lived on our planet. Big Horn Armory says its rifle can kill “any dangerous animal on Earth” and is also effective against a variety of vehicles. The latter attracts the attention of not only professional hunters to the rifle, but also special forces soldiers who could use this weapon to solve various tactical problems.

Technical features of the AR-500 rifle

The AR-500 semi-automatic rifle has inherited a lot from its famous ancestors.
Structurally, it is close to the AR-10 model, which was the predecessor of the famous AR-15. At the same time, it also has a sufficient number of solutions from the latest rifle. There is no need to talk about the similarity in appearance of these models. The recognizable silhouette of American AR rifles cannot be confused with anything else. The AR-500 is functionally identical to other popular models in the large AR family, so people who are familiar with the AR-15 should have no problem upgrading to Big Horn Armory's AR-500 semi-automatic large-caliber rifle. At the same time, the AR-500 is made in a non-standard 12.7 mm caliber, and the manufacturer claims that this is the most powerful semi-automatic rifle when shooting at short and medium distances. The weapon is especially effective at a distance of up to 200 meters. According to the manufacturer, at this distance the rifle is equally effective against prairie dogs and thick-skinned rhinoceroses. In addition, at such a distance it can easily deal with a classic American truck or Peterbilt truck tractor.

The AR-500 rifle received a high-strength 18-inch barrel (457 mm), made of special stainless steel with nitride coating. This coating gives the metal additional hardness and also provides high corrosion resistance. There is a thread on the muzzle of the barrel that allows you to easily install a device for silent and flameless shooting or a muzzle brake-compensator on the weapon. A special feature of the AR-500 model is the presence of an adjustable gas block. This solution allows the rifle to use cartridges with different bullet weights and equipment.

The designers of the AR-500 semi-automatic rifle traditionally paid much attention to ergonomics. The shooter has at his disposal a full-size Picatinny rail, which occupies the entire upper part of the weapon and extends to the fore-end. This rail allows you to easily install a wide variety of sighting devices on your rifle. The designers also worked with the butt. The shooter has access to a telescopic, adjustable six-position stock, which is similar in appearance to those found on M4 rifles. The rifle butt is made of impact-resistant polymer. Also, for user convenience, the model is equipped with a rubberized pistol grip from Ergo, which provides the maximum level of fixation even after moisture or dirt gets on it.

The rifle comes standard with a box magazine that can hold five rounds of .500 Auto Max ammunition. Magazine capacity is largely limited by the laws that apply to such weapons in most American states. At the same time, there is a version of the rifle with a magazine of increased capacity - 10 rounds.

.500 Auto Max Power

The AR-500 semi-automatic rifle features the .500 Auto Max cartridge, which is based on the .500 S&W cartridge, which has tremendous stopping power.
According to the developers, with this cartridge the AR-500 rifle is suitable for hunting the largest game, including the “Big Five of Africa” (elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, lion and leopard). And in this regard, the transition to a more powerful caliber is completely justified and obvious. Numerous 5.56-mm cartridges from the AR rifle family are poorly suited for hunters, as they do not allow them to confidently and, most importantly, quickly deal with a medium-sized deer. Equally important is that 5.56 mm cartridges are ineffective against vehicles. Cartridges of this caliber are often unable to penetrate and damage the engine, and therefore are poorly suited for stopping various vehicles. Switching to 12.7mm ammunition solves these problems. In addition, according to shooters who have already tested the AR-500 in action, the recoil of the rifle is not as great as it might seem. When the rifle is properly and securely secured, it does not feel like the recoil from firing a weapon with .300 Winchester Magnum cartridges (7.62x67 mm).

At the same time, the differences between the .500 Auto Max cartridge and traditional 5.56 and 7.62 mm ammunition are quite obvious. Such a bullet does not have high speed; its maximum flight speed does not exceed 660 m/s (for a bullet weighing 25.9 g). As they say, you will feel the difference. A standard .223 Remington bullet weighs an average of 4 grams. And although the 5.56 mm ammunition can accelerate to speeds of more than 1000 m/s, the energy of such a bullet does not even come close to the truly colossal values ​​\u200b\u200bof .500 Auto Max. The AR-500 rifle, depending on the .500 Auto Max cartridges used, exhibits muzzle energy from 4000 to 6000 J. This is approximately three times the muzzle energy of standard NATO 5.56x45 mm ammunition.

Of course, the AR-500 is a niche weapon. The model was not created as a weapon for everyone. The same numerous AR-15 clones in the popular 5.56 and 7.62 mm calibers are much more in demand on the market. But if you're out hunting big game or need to be sure to stop any vehicle, even a light armored vehicle, then the AR-500 is just what the doctor ordered. For others, the model will be put off by its relatively short effective firing range, small capacity of a standard magazine, and heavy weight. By the way, the rifle itself weighs more than 4.5 kg, and with a five-round magazine, the .500 Auto Max can add another half a kilo, which also becomes a certain problem: after all, the shooter usually has to carry more than five rounds with him.

Sniper rifle Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 69 (Austria)

The SSG 69 rifle was developed and manufactured by the Austrian company Steyr-Daimler-Puch (currently Steyr-Mannlicher AG). In 1969, it was adopted by the Austrian Army, hence its name (ScharfSchützen-Gewehr 69 - sniper rifle model 1969). The Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 69 sniper rifle was produced in 4 modifications - SSG-PI, SSG-PII, SSG-PIIK and SSG-PIV. The SSG-PI variant (aka SSG 69) was originally designed as a military sniper rifle, having both conventional sights (front and rear sights) and optical sight mounts, and has a 660mm barrel. The SSG-PII was created for the police, has a heavy barrel of the same length and does not have conventional sights. SSG-PIIK has a shorter (508mm) barrel length, which, however, does not affect accuracy at distances up to 500 meters. SSG-PIV is known as SSG SD in Europe. It has an even shorter barrel (406mm), threaded for installing a flame arrester or silencer.

The Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 69 sniper rifle is a manually loaded repeating rifle. The bolt is longitudinally sliding, rotating, locking is carried out by 6 radial protrusions in the rear part of the bolt through grooves in the receiver. The barrel is heavy, made by cold rotational forging. The trigger mechanism is adjustable. descent with warning. Rotary magazine for 5 rounds, detachable. At one time, box magazines with a capacity of 10 rounds were also produced, but their production was discontinued. The stock is made of plastic (SSG 69 was the first sniper rifle to have such a stock), the length of the butt can be adjusted using special rubber gaskets under the butt plate. In addition to seats for installing optical sights, the SSG 69 in the military is equipped with open, adjustable sights; the police versions do not have open sights.

Information

The Armalite AR-10

is the .308 predecessor of the AR-15. The original AR-10 design (modified and manufactured by the Dutch company Artillerie Inrichtingen) saw limited military use in several countries and a very small number of civilian sales. In the mid 90s Eagle Arms purchased the Armalite company name and trademarks and started production on a series of semi-automatic only weapons called the Armalite AR-10B. These rifles bear little mechanical resemblance to the original AR-10 rifles and are in actuality a scaled up version of the Colt AR-15A2. Due to the fact that these weapons were manufactured during the Assault Weapons Ban new high capacity magazines could not be manufactured, so Armalite chose to use modified versions of already existing M-14 magazines (the only alternative at the time were magazines for the Knight's Armament SR-25 which were in short supply to civilians at the time). After the Assault Weapons Ban expired and new magazines could be manufactured, Armalite introduced the AR-10A series which used the original Armalite pattern magazines, which is the standard that Knights chose for their SR-25 series and has since become the de-facto standard for 7.62x51mm AR rifles.

Sniper rifle Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 08 (Austria)

The SSG 08 sniper rifle, introduced in 2008 by the famous Austrian company Steyr-Mannlicher AG, is a further development of their fairly successful SSG 04 sniper rifle. The new SSG08 rifle was created with the participation of experts from the famous Austrian police special forces unit COBRA, and differs from its predecessor mainly a new aluminum stock with a side-folding adjustable butt, and, as a result, slightly greater weight.

The Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 08 sniper rifle has a longitudinally sliding rotary bolt with four lugs located in pairs in front of the bolt. High-precision barrels are made using cold rotational forging and are equipped with a muzzle brake. The trigger mechanism is adjustable, release without warning. The cartridges are fed from detachable box magazines. The rifle stock is made of aluminum with plastic linings and has a side-folding buttstock with a height-adjustable comb and butt plate. An adjustable rear support is built into the butt, and there is a mount for a folding bipod in the front of the stock. The rifle does not have open sights; a Picatinny rail type guide is installed on the receiver, allowing for quick and accurate installation of any optical and night sights on the appropriate mounts. Additional Picatinny rail type guides are installed on the forend and are intended for attaching accessories (for example, a laser laser).

Steyr Scout Tactical (Austria)

Steyr Scout rifles are manufactured by Steyr, Austria.

The idea of ​​the Scout rifle (scout) was born in the head of the famous American shooter and weapons expert Jeff Cooper. He managed to infect the Steyr company with this idea, and as a result, the company launched the Scout rifle on the market in the late 1990s, based on Steyr’s patented longitudinally sliding rotary bolt design SBS (safety bolt). The main idea of ​​the "Scout" is a lightweight, universal weapon, suitable for hunting at medium distances with medium game (up to 150-200 kg). The "Scout" rifle has a proprietary Steyr cold-forged barrel, a polymer stock, adjustable in length using butt pads. The stock has a built-in lightweight plastic folding bipod, which when folded turns into part of the fore-end. The rifle is equipped with a folding rear sight and front sight, but the main one is a 2.5X optical sight, mounted low above the barrel and with a large offset forward, which provides convenient aiming with both eyes and quick target acquisition. The butt has a slot at the bottom for a spare magazine. Standard 5-round magazines are considered standard, but you can install a special magazine socket extension and use optional 10-round magazines. The safety is three-position, with the modes “fire”, “loading/unloading” (the striker is blocked, the bolt is movable), “safe” (the striker and the bolt are locked). The rifle is very easy to handle and has excellent accuracy, so creating a sniper weapon on its basis rifles was the obvious move.

The Scout Tactical rifle differs slightly from the basic version - it has a blued bolt with an enlarged handle (for ease of quick reloading), and a more traditional optical sight arrangement. In addition, the Scout Tactical often comes with an adapter for a 10-round magazine.

Sniper rifle Unique Alpine TPG-1 (Austria)

The Unique Alpine TPG-1 sniper rifle (TPG stands for Taktisches Präzisions Gewehr - tactical precision rifle) was developed in Austria by Unique Alpine. The rifle has a modular design that allows you to easily change barrels and used cartridges (calibers). Available as both a sporting weapon and a police sniper rifle. With specially selected cartridges, the rifle exhibits an accuracy of about 0.5 minutes of arc (MOA).

The Unique Alpine TPG-1 sniper rifle is built on the basis of a proprietary receiver and bolt group. The bolt is longitudinally sliding, rotating, and is locked with three lugs. The steel receiver is rigidly attached to an aluminum block, to which a detachable stock with a pistol grip and fore-end are in turn attached. The barrels are quick-change, fixed in the receiver using one transverse screw. To change the caliber of a rifle, you need to replace the barrel and bolt, and for some calibers, also the magazine. For the 7.62x51mm cartridge, the company additionally offers a shortened barrel and an integral silencer. The firing mechanism has a fully adjustable trigger. The stock is plastic, with an adjustable butt plate and butt cheek. A retractable adjustable support is installed at the bottom of the butt. The forend has a mount for a bipod. The sights are mounted on a Picatinny rail mounted on the receiver; open sights are not provided as standard.

Characteristics

Armalite AR-15

The early Armalite AR-15 without a flash hider or magazine
The AR-15 is a choice fire, 5.56×45mm, air-cooled, direct impact, gas-powered, magazine offset rifle, with a bolt action and linear recoil design. It was designed to be manufactured using extensive use of aluminum and synthetic materials by state-of-the-art Computer Numerical Control (CNC) automated equipment.

Armalite AR-15 with 25-round magazine and flash hider

The AR-15 is a Modular System weapon. It is easy to assemble, modify and repair with a few simple hand tools and a flat surface to work on. The AR-15 upper receiver includes the forward rod, charging handle, gas operating system, barrel, bolt and bolt carrier assembly. The lower receiver includes a magazine well, pistol grip and stock. Below, the receiver also contains a trigger, a disconnector, a hammer, and a fire selector (collectively known as a fire control group). The AR-15's "duckbill" flash suppressor had three prongs or prongs and was designed to preserve the shooter's night vision while destroying flash. Early AR-15s had a 25-round magazine. Later AR-15s used a 20-round waffle pattern magazine which was intended to be a lightweight, disposable item. As such, it is made from extruded aluminum/stamped and was not designed to be durable.

The AR-15's most distinctive feature is the ergonomic carry handle and rear sight assembly on top of the receiver. This is a by-product of the design, where the carrying handle serves to protect the charging handle. The AR-15 rifle has a 500 mm (19.75 in) sight radius. The AR-15 uses an L-type flip, aperture rear sight and is adjustable with two settings, 0 to 300 meters and 300 to 400 meters. The front sight post is height adjustable. The rear sight can be adjusted for windage. The sight can be adjusted with a bullet tip or a sharp tool.

“The (-15 AR'S) Stoner System provides a highly symmetrical design that allows straight line movement of the operating components. This allows the recoil force to move straight to the rear. Instead of connecting or other mechanical parts to the drive system, high-pressure gas preforms have this feature, reducing the weight of the moving parts and the rifle as a whole." Design The AR-15 recoils in a straight line, where the recoil spring is present directly behind the action, and performs the dual function of a working spring and recoil buffer. The shares are in line with the hole and also reduces the rise of the muzzle, especially during automatic fire. Since recoil does not significantly move the point of aim, faster follow-up shots are possible and user fatigue is reduced.

Colt Armalite AR-15 (Model 601 and 602)

Colt Armalite AR-15 Model 01 with 20-round magazine, made from 1959-1964

Colt Armalite AR-15 Model 02 without magazine and new 1 in 12-inch (300 mm) twist rate rifling, made in 1964

The first two models Colt produced after acquiring rifles made from Armalite were the 601 and 602, and these rifles were largely clones of the original Armalite rifles (in fact, these rifles were often stamped Colt Armalite AR-15, US Government Proprietary caliber .223

, without reference to them it will be M16s).

The 601 and 602 are virtually identical to the later M16 rifle without direct assistance. Like the later M16 rifles, their charging handle was again located under the carry handle, like the AR-10 on the rear of the receiver. They were equipped with triangular front stocks and sometimes green or brown colored furniture. Their front sight had a more triangular shape. They had flat bottom receivers with no raised surfaces around the magazine well. Their hold-bolt-open device did not have a raised bottom engagement surface and had an angled and jagged surface that had to be handled with a bare finger, index finger, or thumbnail due to the lack of this surface. Their fire selector was also changed from up=safe, retarded=semi-automatic and forward=full auto to the now familiar forward=safe, up=semi-automatic and retarded=full auto M16 rifles.

The main difference between the 601 and 602 is the transition from the original 1:14-inch twist rifling to the more common 1:12-inch twist. The 601 was first adopted by the US Air Force, and quickly complemented by the 602s (AKA: XM16s) and then the 604s (AKA: M16s). Over time, the 601S and 602s were converted to M16 rifle configurations. The USAF continued to use Armalite AR-15 rifles marked well into the 1990s.

Enfield L39A1, L42A1 and Enforcer (UK)

After the end of World War II, a large number of Lee-Enfield SMLE No.4 repeating rifles in .303 British caliber accumulated in England. After the NATO countries adopted the 7.62x51mm cartridge as standard, the British state arms company British Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF), Enfield, developed an option to convert SMLE No.4 rifles to the new cartridge. Conversion rifles were intended for target shooting and were equipped with a new, heavy 7.62mm NATO caliber barrel and a modified stock with a shortened fore-end and receiver guard. The civilian version was released under the designation Enfield “Envoy” match rifle, and the military version under the designation L39A1 target rifle.

Due to the need to adopt a sniper rifle, the L42A1 rifle was created on the basis of the L39, which was distinguished by the presence of mounts for an optical sight on the left side of the receiver, as well as a wooden “cushion” under the cheek on the butt.

In 1970, based on the L42, Enfield engineers developed a police sniper rifle designated the Enfield "Enforcer". The main differences from the L42 were a modified hunting-type stock with a semi-pistol grip, open adjustable sport-type sights and more modern commercial optical sights than the L42.

The L42 and Enforcer rifles were produced until 1985 and were replaced mainly by the L96 / Arctic Warfare rifles from the British company Accuracy International.

See Also

Sniper rifle Accuracy International L96 A1 / Arctic Warfare (UK)

In the early 1980s, the British Army announced a competition to replace its aging Enfield L42 sniper rifles. The main participants in the competition were the English companies Parker-Hale with the Model 82 rifle, and Accuracy International with the Model RM rifle.

The RM rifle emerged victorious in this competition, and in the mid-1980s it was adopted by the British Army under the designation L96. The main distinguishing feature of this rifle was the stock of an unusual type and design: the basis of the stock is an aluminum beam running along the entire length of the stock, to which the barrel with receiver, trigger mechanism and all other parts of the rifle are attached, including the stock itself, consisting of 2 plastic half - left and right. In addition, L96 rifles are equipped with open sights in addition to the mandatory optical sight.

In the mid-1980s, the Swedish Army also began searching for a new sniper rifle suitable for use in harsh northern weather conditions. Accuracy International offers the Swedes a modified version of the L96 rifle called the Arctic Warfare, and in 1988 the Swedish Army adopted it under the designation PSG.90. The British Army, in turn, is also adopting Arctic Warfare rifles (new designation L96A1).

The main model of the series, the AW, is designed as an army weapon; in addition to it, four more basic models are produced: Police (AWP), Suppressed (AWS), Folding (AWF) and Super Magnum (AW SM). The name of the series (Arctic Warfare = Arctic combat) comes from the fact that the rifles have special design features that allow them to be used in Arctic conditions (at temperatures down to -40 degrees Celsius). The AW, AWP and AWS models are chambered only in 7.62mmNATO, while the SM model is chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum and 7mm Remington Magnum. The barrel of the AW model has a length of 660mm, the AWP model - 609mm. AW SM model barrels can have a length from 609mm to 686mm. The AWS model is equipped for use with suppressor and subsonic ammunition. The accuracy of the basic AW model is such that at a distance of 550 meters a series of 5 shots fits into a circle less than 50mm in diameter! The rifles are equipped with Smidt&Bender 3-12X variable magnification scopes or Leupold Mark 4 constant 10X magnification scopes, as well as a folding removable bipod.

Notes

1. ↑ A. B. Zhuk. Encyclopedia of small arms: revolvers, pistols, rifles, submachine guns, machine guns. M., AST Publishing House LLC, Voenizdat, 2002. pp. 718, 720, 733
2. ↑ AR-10 // Chris Shant. Infantry weapons: encyclopedia of small arms. / lane from English M., Omega, 2004. p. 106
3. ↑ Armalite // A. E. Hartink. Army weapons: a modern illustrated encyclopedia. M., Labyrinth Press LLC, 2005. pp. 86-89
4. Knight's Manufacturing Co. // A. E. Hartink. Army weapons: a modern illustrated encyclopedia. M., Labyrinth Press LLC, 2005. pp. 287-291
5. ↑ AR-10 // J. Hogg. Firearms: reference book. M., “Astrel” - AST. 2004. p. 410
6. (unavailable link). Retrieved March 7, 2020.
7. (unavailable link). Retrieved March 7, 2020.
8. (unavailable link). Retrieved March 28, 2020.
9. (unavailable link). Retrieved March 28, 2020.
10. (unavailable link). Retrieved March 28, 2020.
11. (unavailable link). Retrieved March 30, 2020.
12. (unavailable link). Rhino Arms
    . Retrieved August 5, 2020.
13. (unavailable link). Retrieved February 16, 2020.
14. (unavailable link). Retrieved February 16, 2020.
15. (unavailable link). Retrieved February 16, 2020.
16. (unavailable link). Retrieved February 16, 2020.
17. (unavailable link). Retrieved February 29, 2020.
18. ↑

RPA sniper rifle (UK)

A small British company, RPA International Ltd, began its business 40 years ago with the production of components for high-end sporting rifles, and then moved on to the production of match rifles of the original design. The rifles of this company have been successfully and repeatedly used in world-class competitions, and in 2001 the company introduced the first “police” type sniper rifle chambered for 7.62x51 NATO, created on the basis of its match rifles, which received the designation RPA “Rangemaster”. In 2004, a shortened modification of the same caliber appeared for use in the city, at short ranges, as well as the RPA “Rangemaster” long-range rifle in .338 Lapua Magnum caliber, which is a slightly enlarged version of the 7.62mm caliber rifle. Currently, the RPA "Rangemaster" series rifles are in service with a number of police units and security services in several European countries, and they are also supplied to other regions of the world. When using the correct ammunition, the company claims accuracy of less than one minute of arc (1 MOA) for its rifles at all practical firing ranges.

The RPA "Rangemaster" sniper rifle uses manual reloading with a longitudinally sliding rotary bolt having four radial lugs in the front. The receiver is steel, of original design. The trigger mechanism is adjustable, release with warning (two-stage). The rifle's stock is composite, with a folding stock of an original design, allowing, if absolutely necessary, to shoot with the stock folded. The cartridges are fed from detachable box magazines. The rifle is standardly equipped with a folding bipod and an adjustable rear support in the butt. Sights (day or night optical sights) are mounted on a Picatinny rail on the receiver; the rifles do not have open sights.

Sniper rifle L129A1 Sharpshooter rifle / LMT LW308MWS (USA UK)

The L129A1 sniper rifle entered service with the British Army in 2010. This rifle was born as a result of the accumulation of combat experience of the British contingent operating in Afghanistan. Afghan mujahideen, realizing the superiority of NATO infantry in close combat, have recently switched to the tactics of shelling convoys and foot patrols of the NATO contingent from ranges of about 500 meters and beyond, using weapons of 7.62x54R caliber (mainly PKM machine guns, SVD rifles and their Chinese analogues) . Weapons of 5.56mm NATO caliber, standard for most NATO countries, are relatively ineffective at such ranges, and as a result, the armies of many countries began to show active interest in self-loading rifles chambered for 7.62x51 NATO, equipped with optical sights and allowing fire at ranges of up to 800 meters. Thus, the armies of the NATO countries, with their own experience, once again confirmed the correctness of the concept laid down 50 years ago in the Soviet SVD rifle. In the case of the British Army, the new rifle, classified as a “Sharpshooter rifle,” should be used at the tactical platoon level, as a means of enhancing the firepower of infantry operating in isolation from support equipment (armored vehicles, heavy machine guns, mortars) or in case of their deficiency. To occupy the Sharpshooter rifle niche, the British Army announced a competition in which four self-loading rifles of 7.62x51 NATO caliber took part - HK 417 from Germany, FN SCAR-H Mk.17 from Belgium, Saber Defense XR-10 from Great Britain and LMT LW308MWS(LM7) from USA. According to the results of the competition at the beginning of 2010, the American LMT LW308MWS (LM7) rifle produced by Lewis Machine & Tool Co was recognized as the best and adopted for service under the designation L129A1. The first contract for the purchase of sniper (in domestic terminology, similar to the SVD sniper rifle) L129A1 rifles provided for the supply of 440 rifles to the active troops; in the future, additional purchases are possible as needed.

The L129A1 sniper rifle is self-loading, uses automatic gas venting with direct exhaust of powder gases into a Stoner-type bolt frame (similar to the AR-10 and M16 rifles). The design of the receiver and bolt group is also Stoner, with the difference that the rigid aluminum forend is made together with the upper part of the receiver. The barrel is made of stainless steel and cantilevered inside the forend. The trigger mechanism provides only single shots, the safety lever is located on both sides of the weapon. The cartridges are fed from 20-round box magazines; the design includes a bolt stop. The rifle is standardly equipped with an adjustable telescopic stock of the SOPMOD type. Sights are mounted on integral Picatinny rails, and include backup open sights on folding bases and an optical or night sight. The standard optical sight for the L129A1 rifle is the Trijicon ACOG 6X48 fixed magnification sight. If necessary, the rifle can be equipped with a quick-detachable silencer, and a folding bipod, a front handle, or even a 40mm M203 grenade launcher can be installed on the bottom of the forend.

According to available information, with a bulk rifle-machine-gun cartridge, the L129A1 rifle provides accuracy of fire of the order of 1 MOA (minutes of angle) and reliably hits a tall target at ranges of up to 800 meters.

Armalite AR-10

Original “Hollywood Humpback” Armalite AR-10 prototype – 7.62x51mm NATO

Armalite AR-10, “Sudanese” model – 7.62x51mm NATO

Armalite AR-10, “Transitional” model – 7.62x51mm NATO

Armalite AR-10, “Portuguese” model – 7.62x51mm NATO

The original version of the AR-10 was designed by Eugene Stoner and manufactured by Armalite (then a division of the Fairchild Aircraft Corporation) in 1956. Only four rifles were completed when it was submitted in the competition which aimed to replace the M1 Garand ( which was eventually won by the M14). After this an additional 50 or so rifles were built at Armalite's Hollywood workshop (which are today referred to as “Hollywood Humpbacks” due to their manufacturing location and the shape of the carry handle) and given to traveling salesmen in order to pitch their new rifle to various countries.

In 1957 Armalite awarded a five year contract to the Dutch company Artillerie Inrichtingen (AI), who produced all subsequent examples of the 10,000 or so original AR-10 which were manufactured. There were three primary variants, being the “Sudanese”, the “Transitional” and the “Portuguese”. There were numerous other variants such as carbine or sniper weapons along with smaller contract weapons such as the “Guatemalen” which is similar to the “Sudanese” but with a perforated barrel shroud. All military variants of the rifle feature a shroud pinned to the forward section of the barrel, to which is welded differing bayonet lugs or grenade launching rings which varies with the variant. Civilian “Sporter” models were also produced which lack this shroud giving them the appearance of having a slimmer barrel, despite the fact that the actual barrel is the same.

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Heckler und Koch MSG90 sniper rifle (Germany)

The MSG-90 rifle was developed by the German company Heckler-Koch in 1987 specifically as an army sniper weapon based on the HK PSG-1 police rifle. The MSG-90 rifle was lightened by almost 2 kilograms, had a barrel shortened by 5 cm (also with polygonal rifling), a modified and somewhat lightweight plastic stock with an adjustable butt. At the bottom of the fore-end there is a guide for attaching a detachable folding bipod, the mountings for optics are made in accordance with NATO standards, and the rifle is standardly equipped with a 10X optical sight, providing an effective firing range of up to 1000 meters. In addition, unlike the PSG-1, the body of the trigger mechanism of the MSG-90 is made of plastic, integral with the pistol grip. The trigger is adjustable, the trigger force is about 1.5 kg. The rifle has swivels for attaching a rifle sling.

In the early to mid-1990s, Heckler-Koch modified the MSG-90 rifle to participate in the DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle) competition held by the US Department of Defense. As a result, a modernized sniper rifle MSG-90A1 was released, which differed from the MSG-90 in a number of features. Firstly, the MSG-90A1 received fixed sighting devices - a front sight in a ring-shaped front sight and an adjustable rear sight from the NK 21 machine gun, designed for ranges from 100 to 1200 meters. Secondly, the muzzle of the barrel was equipped with a new flash suppressor, making it possible to install a shot silencer. A cartridge deflector appeared behind the window for ejecting cartridges, making it possible to fire from the left shoulder. The safety lever has also become double-sided. Otherwise, the MSG-90A1 is no different from the prototype.

Sniper rifle Heckler - Koch PSG-1 (Germany)

In the mid-80s, Heckler und Koch, in collaboration with various counter-terrorism organizations, including the German GSG9 and the British SAS, created the PSG-1 long-range self-loading sniper rifle. The rifle is based on the standard Bundeswehr HK G3 automatic rifle, and uses the same principle - a semi-free bolt slowed down by rollers. It differs from the G3 in the inability to fire in bursts, a special heavy barrel 650 mm long with polygonal rifling, a modified adjustable buttstock with a cheek rest, an adjustable trigger, a modified sport-style fire control handle and special guides on the receiver for mounting optical sights. In addition, the PSG-1 has a device “for silently closing the shutter” in the form of a button behind the window for ejecting cartridges

Purpose

In the Russian Federation, the area of ​​a plot of land is measured in hectares. In most cases, the size of the land area for payment of land tax is calculated in hectares (Ha). How to calculate 1 hectare? You can imagine this as much as you like both in the form of plans and in the form of tables.

Plan for calculating land area:

1. The length of a certain part of the earth is measured,
2. The width of the land plot is calculated,
3. The area of ​​the measured territory is determined.
4. The resulting calculation result is converted into points and its own coefficient is used.

Ha are used in the areas of urban planning , agriculture, and in the design of land management works. In addition, this unit of measurement is also used to calculate the size of a football field.

Units of area measurement also include the so-called hundred (Ar) - a measure of the calculation of a land plot during purchase and sale.