Accuracy International AX50 | |
---|---|
Type | Anti-materiel rifle |
Place of origin | United Kingdom |
Service history | |
Used by | See Users |
Production history | |
Manufacturer | Accuracy International |
Produced | 2010-present |
Specifications | |
Mass | 12.5 kg (27.6 lb) (with empty magazine) |
Length | 1,370 mm (53.9 in) 1,115 mm (43.9 in) folded |
Barrel length | 685.8 mm (27.0 in) |
Width | 125 mm (4.92 in) 164 mm folded |
Height | 190 mm (7.48 in) |
Cartridge | .50 BMG |
Action | Bolt-action Two-stage trigger, set at 1.5 to 2.0kg (3.3-4.4 1bs) |
Muzzle velocity | 900 m/s (2,953 ft/s) |
Effective firing range | 2,500 m (2,734 yd) |
Feed system | 5-round detachable box magazine |
Sights | Standard: S&B 5-25×56 PM II telescopic sight |
The Accuracy International AX50 is a .50 BMG anti-materiel rifle manufactured by British firearms company Accuracy International.
Devised as an upgrade to the AW50 rifle, the AX50 is built to withstand sustained, heavy usage and constant military deployment. It was designed to allow the operator a high level of accuracy and performance in harsh conditions. [1] [2]
The AX50 is a variant of the AX series of sniper rifles that entered production in 2010. Designed by Accuracy International to meet the modern demands of military and police units alike, the AX50 Is designed with long range precision accuracy in mind for a more accurate anti-materiel weapon. [3]
According to Accuracy International, the development of the series was partly influenced by the Precision Sniper Rifle (PSR) U.S. Special Operations Command solicitation, an undertaking by the U.S. military for a new and improved Precision long range rifle. The PSR contract was ultimately granted to Remington's Modular Sniper Rifle. [4]
The AX50 is a bolt-action, .50 BMG anti-materiel rifle weighing 12.5 kg (27.6 lb ), and is 1,370 mm (53.9 in ) in overall length with a 685.8 mm (27.0 in ) free floated barrel that can be changed in less than 10 minutes. The rifle itself is built on an aluminum chassis, and has a stock which can be folded to the left to shorten the overall length of the rifle when needed, and features a two-stage trigger with a 3.3 to 4.4 lbs. adjustable pull. The receiver and bolt featuring a 60° bolt throw are made of steel. The AX50 comes with an integrated Picatinny rail as well as a "Firing pin cocking indicator" safety allowing the user to ascertain whether a cartridge is chambered. [5] Accuracy International actively promotes fitting the Schmidt & Bender PM II / MILITARY MK II product line as sighting components on their sniper rifles and sells these telescopic sights as accessories, which is rare for a rifle manufacturer.
The AX sniper rifle series comprises variants which were designed for various cartridges.
A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long-range rifle. Requirements include high accuracy, reliability, and mobility, concealment, and optics, for anti-personnel, anti-materiel and surveillance uses by military snipers. The modern sniper rifle is a portable shoulder-fired rifle with either a bolt action or semi-automatic action, fitted with a telescopic sight for extreme accuracy and chambered for a high-ballistic performance centerfire cartridge.
An anti-materiel rifle (AMR) is a rifle designed for use against military equipment, structures, and other hardware (materiel) targets. Anti-materiel rifles are chambered in significantly larger calibers than conventional rifles and are employed to eliminate equipment such as engines and unarmored or lightly armored targets. Although not originally designed for use against human targets, the bullet weight and velocity of anti-materiel rifles gives them exceptional long-range capability even when compared with designated sniper rifles. Anti-materiel rifles are made in both bolt-action as well as semi-automatic designs.
The Accuracy International AWM is a bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International designed for magnum rifle cartridges. The Accuracy International AWM is also unofficially known as the AWSM, which typically denotes AWM rifles chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum.
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The Sako TRG is a bolt-action sniper rifle line designed and manufactured by Finnish firearms manufacturer SAKO of Riihimäki. It is the successor to the SAKO TR-6 target rifle, and thus the letter G within the rifle's name is meant to represent number 7.
The DSR-1 is a compact bolt-action sniper rifle designed, manufactured and marketed by the German company DSR-Precision GmbH and was also marketed by the German company AMP Technical Services as a specialized sniper rifle for police sharpshooters. It has been adopted by the German counter-terrorist unit GSG 9, as well as by other European special police units and agencies.
The PGM Ultima Ratio is a French-designed and manufactured sniper rifle. It uses the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge but depending on the barrel variant can also be chambered for several other cartridges. The PGM Ultima Ratio is intended to fulfill an anti-personnel role and is produced by PGM Précision of France. Its main commercial competitors/equivalents on the high-end factory sniper rifle market are the Accuracy International Arctic Warfare and Sako TRG product lines. All of these rifles are similar in performance.
The .338 Norma Magnum is a cartridge first introduced in 2008 and came into production in 2009, designed by Norma of Sweden.
The Modular Sniper Rifle, or MSR, is a bolt-action sniper rifle developed and produced by Remington Arms for the United States Army. It was introduced in 2009, and was designed to meet specific United States Army and USSOCOM Precision Sniper Rifle requirements. The MSR initially won the PSR competition, and was called the Remington Mk 21 Precision Sniper Rifle in U.S. military service. However, it was then decided that the Mk 21 did not conform to SOCOM requirements at the time in 2018, and the program was re-competed with the Barrett MRAD selected in 2019 as the Mk 22 Advanced Sniper Rifle solution.
The Rangemaster is a series of bolt-action rifles produced by the British company RPA International, formerly known as RPA Precision Ltd. Before the Rangemaster, the company had focused on target rifles, and entered the tactical rifle market in 2001 when they introduced their Rangemaster 7.62 rifle in 7.62×51mm NATO. Rangemaster soon subsequently developed other versions, with both the Rangemaster 338 in .338 Lapua Magnum and the subsonic short range Rangemaster 7.62 Standby in 7.62 NATO introduced in 2004, and the long range Rangemaster .50 anti-materiel rifle in 12.7 × 99mm NATO released the following year in 2005.