Parker-Hale M82

Last updated

Parker Hale M82
Type Sniper rifle
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1972–Present
Used bySee Use
Wars War in Afghanistan [1]
Production history
Designed1960s
Manufacturer Parker Hale
VariantsSee Variants
Specifications (Canada C3A1)
Mass7.2 kg (15.9 lbs)
Length127–132.1cm
Barrel  length711.2 mm (28 in)

Cartridge 7.62×51mm NATO
Action M98 Bolt action
Muzzle velocity 786.3 m/s-835.1 m/s (2580 ft/s-2740 ft/s)(175 grain – 147 grain)
Effective firing range1200m
Maximum firing range600m
Feed system4 Round, Internal magazine.
Sightsblock mounts for iron sights

The Parker-Hale Model 82 (M82) is the military version of the Parker-Hale 1200TX target rifle; it was accepted for service by several nations for both military and police use. In appearance and design terms the Model 82 is an entirely conventional sniping weapon. It uses a manual bolt action the same as the classic Mauser 98 rifle, allied to a heavy free-floating barrel chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO round. The barrel weighs 1.98 kg and is manufactured from chrome molybdenum steel. The Model 82 has an integral four-round magazine and an entirely self-contained trigger unit which can be adjusted as required.

Contents

Design

The M82 was available in a number of forms to suit any customer requirements. Thus an adjustable cheek pad may have been provided if wanted, and the butt lengths can be altered by adding or taking away butt spacers of various thicknesses. The rifle was basically a standard target 7.62×51mm NATO heavy-barreled Mauser 98 with a wide beaver tail target walnut stock (with inset handstop rail) and a Parker Hale trigger with its side safety mechanism. The sights were subject to several variations, but the standard Model 82 was normally supplied with removable 'iron' match-type sight blocks. If an optical sight is fitted the rear-sight was removed, and the front sight slid off, but the front block/post remained. Two mounting blocks were fitted to the receiver for the purpose of the fitting of optical sight mounts, supplied with the Parker Hale are the parkerized aluminium scope rings; rifles that were in service in the Australian and New Zealand armies used the Austrian Kahles Wien ZF-69 6×42 (26mm tube) drop compensation telescopic sight set in 100m increments out to 800m, with fine crosshair. Some attempts at refurbishing and rebarrelling the rifles resulted in usage of one piece scope mounts but this proved unsatisfactory. The action and barrel were originally finished by parkerizing then completed with a black rubberised style non-reflecting coating.

The barrel for the Canadian C3A1 is a heavy, fully free floating barrel chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO round. It has a weight of 2.04 kg/4.5 lbs and a length of 60 cm. Rifling follows a 1:12 turn ratio with 4 right hand twists. [2] The action is a Mauser-style rotating bolt type. It has 3 stainless steel locking lugs at the front and rear of the bolt. The C3 safety is a thumb activated lever above the magazine which locks the trigger, bolt and sear giving ultimate protection against an accidental discharge.

The standard sight on the revamped model C3A1 is an Unertl 10× zoom scope which can only be used for daytime engagements as its lacks any night vision capabilities. It has a duplex crosshair with a mil dot style scale in increments of 200m up to 1000m. It can also be used with the default iron sights. The stock for the C3A1 is one piece walnut or fibreglass stock with an internal bedding of either Devlon, Aluminum or Steel putty. The fibreglass version is called the Mcmillan A2 stock and can be painted in any camouflage scheme depending on environment. [1]

Variants

L81A1

The Parker Hale L81A1 is a shorter version of the Parker Hale M82 rifle 7.62×51mm (.308) rifle, adopted as a cadet rifle in addition to the .22 LR Rifle No.8. It can trace its lineage back through both the M82 sniper rifle and the Parker-Hale 1200TX target rifle.

L81A2

L81 A2 Cadet Target Rifle L81 A2 Cadet Target Rifle.jpg
L81 A2 Cadet Target Rifle

The Parker Hale L81A2, officially known as the L81A2 Cadet Target Rifle (CTR), the L81A2 replaced the L81A1 following reports of technical safety issues, including bulges in the barrel[ citation needed ] and is used by the ATC, ACF, SCC and CCF in competitions such as the Ashburton Shield staged annually in July by the Council for Cadet Rifle Shooting (CCRS), and the Inter Service Cadet Rifle Meeting (ISCRM), [3] held at Bisley ranges.

C3

The C3 was adopted by the Canadians in 1972 and was based on the Parker Hale M82. Its stock was made of wood with a front beavertail and an accessories rail. It had a Kahles Helios ZF 69 6×42 scope. After a couple of years, it was upgraded to the C3A1 with a few modifications.

C3A1

The C3 was updated to the C3A1 and a number of modifications were made including the addition of a 10× Unertl scope currently in use by the United States Marine Corps. [1] A fiberglass McMillan A2 stock was fitted along with a Parker-Hale made bipod for more stability and support while aiming in the prone position. During Operation APOLLO Canadian sniper Master Corporal Graham Ragsdale recorded 20 confirmed kills with the C3A1. [1] It has also been used as a competition rifle. [2] The C3A1 has been withdrawn from the Canadian Army and has been replaced by the C14 Timberwolf rifle Medium Range Sniper Weapon System. Instead it is used for the training of snipers due to its similarities with the C14 Timberwolf rifle. Its decline was due to a lack of parts due to the ending of production of firearms by Parker Hale in 2000 and the cesstion of C3A1 production in 1984. [4]

Parker Hale offered the C3A1 as a complete kit known as the M85 on the civilian market. Common confusion occurs but no M82 was fitted with detachable magazines or enlarged bolt knob. Other Canadian snipers recorded high hit ratios and some extremely difficult shots. These marksmen remain anonymous.

Users

See also

Similar sniper rifles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mosin–Nagant</span> Imperial Russian five-shot, bolt-action military rifle

The Mosin–Nagant is a five-shot, bolt-action, internal magazine–fed military rifle. Known officially as the 3-line rifle M1891 and informally in Russia and the former Soviet Union as Mosin's rifle, it is primarily found chambered for its original 7.62×54mmR cartridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee–Enfield</span> British Bolt-action rifle

The Lee–Enfield is a bolt-action, magazine-fed repeating rifle that served as the main firearm of the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century, and was the standard service rifle of the British Armed Forces from its official adoption in 1895 until 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karabiner 98k</span> German bolt-action rifle

The Karabiner 98 kurz, often abbreviated Karabiner 98k, Kar98k or K98k and also sometimes incorrectly referred to as a K98, is a bolt-action rifle chambered for the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge. It was adopted on 21 June 1935 as the standard service rifle by the German Wehrmacht. It was one of the final developments in the long line of Mauser military rifles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M1903 Springfield</span> American bolt-action main battle rifle

The M1903 Springfield, officially the U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1903, is an American five-round magazine-fed, bolt-action service repeating rifle, used primarily during the first half of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sniper rifle</span> Type of rifle used for long-range engagements against enemy personnel

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M24 sniper weapon system</span> Bolt action sniper rifle

The M24 Sniper Weapon System (SWS) or M24 is the military and police version of the Remington Model 700 rifle, M24 being the model name assigned by the United States Army after adoption as their standard sniper rifle in 1988. The M24 is referred to as a "weapon system" because it consists of not only a rifle, but also a detachable telescopic sight and other accessories.

The Winchester Model 70 is a bolt-action sporting rifle. It has an iconic place in American sporting culture and has been held in high regard by shooters since it was introduced in 1936, earning the moniker "The Rifleman's Rifle". The action has some design similarities to Mauser designs and it is a development of the earlier Winchester Model 54, itself being based on a Mauser 98–type action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrett M82</span> American anti-materiel sniper rifle

The Barrett M82 is a recoil-operated, semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle developed by the Australian-owned company Barrett Firearms Manufacturing and produced in the United States.

The L42A1 is a bolt-action sniper rifle chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. Used in the past by the British Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force RAF Regiment, the L42A1 entered service in 1970. It was replaced by the Accuracy International AW in 1985.

The Kongsberg M59 is a sniper rifle produced by Kongsberg Arms of Norway based on left-behind K98k actions from the German World War 2 occupation, in a similar fashion to the later Kongsberg M67. Even though these rifles are sometimes called Mauser M59 and Mauser M67, they were not licensed products of Mauser, but were produced by Kongsberg and marketed as such.

The SSG 69 is a bolt-action sniper rifle produced by Steyr Mannlicher that serves as the standard sniper rifle for the Austrian Army.

The NM149 sniper rifle was developed by Våpensmia A/S in close cooperation with the Norwegian Army and is based on the tried and true Mauser M98 controlled feed bolt action. These actions originate from Mauser Karabiner 98k rifles left by German armed forces in Norway at the end of World War II in 1945. It is used by both the Norwegian military and police forces, though it was originally designed at the request of the Norwegian Army. The NM149 replaced the Kongsberg M59F1 in the Norwegian Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swedish Mauser</span> Bolt-action rifle

"Swedish Mausers" are a family of bolt-action rifles based on an improved variant of Mauser's earlier Model 1893, but using the 6.5×55mm Swedish cartridge, and incorporating unique design elements as requested by Sweden. These are the m/94 carbine, m/96 long rifle, m/38 short rifle and m/41 sniper rifle. Production began in 1898 at Carl Gustafs stads Gevärsfaktori in Eskilstuna, Sweden.

The CZ-550 is a bolt-action hunting rifle series manufactured by Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod. The CZ 550 series is available with a medium or magnum sized action. The CZ 550 rifle is based on the Mauser 98 rifle.

The C14 Timberwolf MRSWS is a bolt-action sniper rifle built by the Canadian arms company PGW Defence Technologies Inc. In 2005 they won the contract to supply the Canadian Forces Land Command with the C14 Timberwolf MRSWS for $4.5 million.

The M52 was the first in a family of target rifles based on refurbished Mauser M 98 military actions by the Danish company Schultz & Larsen in the years following World War II. They were produced to fill a need for target rifles by the Danish shooting association - De Danske Skytteforeninger. The M52 was superseded by later variants the last of which remained in production until the 1970s. It had a similar development path to other Scandinavian target rifles derived from German M98 and other Mauser actions, such as the Kongsberg M59 and Carl Gustaf M63.

The FN Model 30-11 is a Belgian bolt-action sniper rifle, manufactured between 1976 and 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unertl Optical Company</span>

Unertl Optical Company, Inc. was a manufacturer of telescopic sights in the United States from 1928 until 2008. They are known for their 10× fixed-power scopes that were used on the Marine Corps' M40 rifle and made famous by Marine Corps Scout Sniper Carlos Hathcock during the Vietnam War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadet rifle</span> Rifle used by military cadets and others for basic firearms and marksmanship training

A cadet rifle is a rifle used by military cadets and others for basic firearms and marksmanship training. Generally .22 caliber and bolt-action, they also come in semi-automatic versions. They are often miniature .22 caliber versions of standard issue service rifles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt Canada C20 DMR</span> Designated marksman rifle

The Colt Canada C20 DMR is a 7.62×51mm NATO designated marksman rifle created by Colt Canada, in response to a request by the Canadian Armed Forces to replace their earlier 5.56mm C8 carbine in sniper sections. The weapon is intended to enter service in the Canadian and Danish militaries, beginning in 2021. C20 rifles are fitted with the Schmidt & Bender 3-20×50 Ultra Short riflescope.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Canadian Forces Rifle — the 7.62mm Parker-Hale C3A1 MRSW". casr.ca. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Sniper Rifle C3A1 7.62mm". eme421.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
  3. "Epsom College are hottest shots again". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  4. "Parker Hale C3A1". chasesmith.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 June 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2009.