Anti-Materiel Rifle

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Barrett M82

As anti-materiel rifle guns are called, which are employed for combating lightly armored vehicles or enemy forces behind cover. A corresponding German term such as the literal translation of anti-equipment rifle does not exist. The Bundeswehr describes their G82 rifle as a "long range rifle".

The caliber of these rifles is between 12.7 and 20 mm.

history

Anti-materiel rifles can be seen as the successor to tank guns or anti-tank rifles . These weapons were developed in the First World War to be able to fight enemy tanks . The first such weapon was the M1918 tank rifle of the Imperial German Army in 13 mm caliber . In the interwar period, these weapons were further developed internationally, mainly to increase penetration. The designers took different approaches: In Poland the caliber was reduced ( anti-tank rifle model 1935 , 7.92 mm ), in Finland it was increased ( Lahti L-39 , 20 mm ).

After the beginning of the Second World War , however, it quickly became clear that even the anti-tank rifles with the highest penetration power , such as the Soviet PTRD and PTRS , were no longer able to cope with the increased armor strength of modern tanks. Only hits on the tracks or the side armor were still successful, and the task of anti-tank fighting increasingly shifted to anti-tank guns, leaving the infantry without a suitable weapon for fighting tanks. Towards the end of the war, at least the Wehrmacht and the US Army received infantry stand-off anti-tank weapons with reactive anti-tank rifles such as the Panzerfaust or the Bazooka .

After the Second World War, no new armored rifles were developed and existing weapons were decommissioned. Light or unarmored targets at greater distances were fought worldwide with other weapons such as super-heavy machine guns in the Soviet Union, automatic cannons or reactive anti-tank rifles.

During the Vietnam War put Carlos Hathcock , a sniper of the US Marine Corps , a heavy machine gun Browning M2 one, to combat enemy snipers. He made the furthest hit at a distance of 2,500 yd (2,286 m). This gave rise to the development of heavy sniper rifles in the 1980s , which had a greater range and penetration power and were used to combat enemy snipers at long distances and behind cover.

The first such rifle was the Barrett M82. With the Barrett M82 in 12.7 mm caliber , which was included in the armament of the American armed forces as the M107, even low-value targets could be fought effectively and inexpensively.

The success of the M82 in the anti-equipment role, also known in English as the light fifty ("light fifties", since the caliber is 12.7 mm .50 inches ), triggered the development of anti-materiel rifles worldwide. The designers often used calibers heavier than 12.7 mm: So came the Soviet 14.5 × 114 mm cartridge , which was already used in the PTRD and PTRS anti-tank rifles during World War II and then continued to be used as machine gun ammunition for the KPW and its variants was now used again in single-shot rifles. Other states developed anti-materiel rifles in calibers up to 20 mm, for example South Africa the Denel NTW-20 .

species

Anti-materiel rifles are structured differently. Basically there are single , multiple and self-loading rifles . Since - especially with the larger calibers - the dimensions and weight are considerable, the designers are looking for ways to make the weapons smaller and lighter. One way is the bullpup design , in which the magazine sits behind the grip (for example the Barrett M95 ). The disadvantage here is a higher load on the shooter, as the shot fires closer to the ear. Recoil is another problem with large-caliber shoulder-fired weapons, so almost all anti-materiel rifles are equipped with muzzle brakes. Spring-loaded and padded shoulder rests are also used. In order to reduce weight, a scarf is often largely dispensed with and necessary attachments are made with a reduced weight. Self-loading rifles are designed as gas pressure chargers (for example OSW-96 ) or recoil chargers - like the Czech CZW 127 . Single and multiple loaders are all designed with a bolt lock.

An exception is the Steyr IWS 2000 , which is equipped with a smooth barrel and fires APFSDS bullets. The construction adopts the principle of modern tank cannons for handguns .

All modern anti-material rifles are equipped with telescopic sights , an open sight as an emergency sight is only found on a few weapons.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ matter vs. material. In: Grammarist. grammarist.com, accessed on October 15, 2019 (English, "Anti-Material-Gewehr" would be a false friend . The corresponding English misspelling anti-material rifle is still often found.): "In English, materiel has one narrow definition: the equipment, apparatus, and supplies of a military force. It can apply to weapons, aircraft, parts, support equipment, ships, and almost any other type of equipment used by the military. "
  2. ^ German Army - Handguns - G82 sniper rifle. In: deutschesheer.de. Retrieved October 4, 2015 .
  3. ↑ Maxim Popenker: anti-tank rifles. In: Modern Firearms. modernfirearms.net, accessed October 5, 2015 .
  4. ↑ Michael Haugen: Hard Target Interdiction. Archived from the original on July 19, 2007 ; accessed on October 4, 2015 .
  5. ^ Marine Corps Sniper Carlos Hathcock. (No longer available online.) In: grunt.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012 ; accessed on October 4, 2015 .
  6. ↑ Barrett M90 - Bullpup Anti-Material Rifle. In: militaryfactory.com. Retrieved October 4, 2015 .

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