Russian weapons constantly attract the attention of the foreign press. On April 11, the British edition of the Mirror published its material about the Russian SVLK-14 "Twilight" high-precision rifle. The article's general admiration begins with the headline: 'Game-changer' world's deadliest Russian sniper rifle accurate from two miles away.
Deadly weapon
The Mirror writes that the Dusk rifle from the Integrated Systems Design Bureau has been called the deadliest weapon in its class, capable of “game changing”. In the hands of a well-trained shooter, it is capable of effectively hitting targets at a distance of 2 miles (over 3 km).
The weapon weighs 10 kg and costs 30 thousand pounds. It has no magazine and is manually charged. The SVLK-14S is said to be capable of accurate fire at distances of 2 or even 3 km, while the British Army L115A3 sniper rifle can only hit targets at 1500 m.
The publication quotes the words of the chief engineer of the development company Yuri Sinichkin. He noted that "Twilight" is a piece commodity, like Ferrari or Porsche cars. This rifle is intended for professional snipers who need a tool for high-precision shooting at long distances, as well as for connoisseurs of such weapons.
The rifle uses the.408 Cheyenne Tactical cartridge (10, 36x77 mm) and accelerates the bullet to 900 m / s - almost three times faster than the speed of sound. According to Yu. Sinichkin, such a bullet can pierce a rail 30 mm thick. It is also proposed to imagine what will happen to the enemy when hit by such a bullet, from which no body armor will save.
The Mirror quotes an unnamed intelligence officer from the Royal Military Police of Great Britain. He believes that a rifle capable of hitting targets from two miles can really revolutionize the situation on the battlefield. He also noted that such a weapon should be highly reliable. Before pulling the trigger, the sniper must make several critical decisions - and the rifle must not let him down.
The Mirror article was noticed by other British and foreign publications. They posted reprints or revised and supplemented versions of it.
Cause for admiration
The high marks from the foreign press are understandable. The Russian SVLK-14S rifle, first introduced a few years ago, really shows unique characteristics and can be considered one of the best examples of the world in its class. It is specially designed for high-precision shooting at ultra-long distances - and has repeatedly proven its potential. KBIS company regularly talks about new experiments and successes of this weapon.
"Twilight" is a single-shot rifle with a bolt-action locking bolt. It is equipped with a 900 mm SHG contoured rifled barrel of the required caliber. There are modifications chambered for.408 CheyTac,.338 Lapua Magnum (8, 6x70 mm) and.338 Winchester Magnum (8, 6x64 mm). In the basic configuration, the barrel is equipped with a T-Tuner muzzle brake.
The rifle has a trigger mechanism with adjustable trigger pull. The receiver is equipped with a standard rail for mounting sights. Also, the weapon can be equipped with a silent firing device or other muzzle devices instead of the base and bipod.
The length of the weapon is 1570 mm with a height (without sight) 175 mm and a width of 96 mm. The weight of the rifle itself is 9.6 kg. The manufacturer allows operation at temperatures from -45 ° C to + 65 ° C.
The muzzle velocity of a bullet depends on the type of cartridge, but in all cases exceeds 900 m / s. Maximum effective range - more than 2500 m. Technical accuracy with a group of 5 shots from 100 m - 0.3 MOA; distance between centers - 9 mm. The fighting qualities of the rifle have been repeatedly confirmed on tests. So, when firing during the day, we managed to get a range of more than 4, 2 km and at night - 2 km.
Outstanding performance comes at a price. According to the manufacturer's website, SVLK-14S in the basic configuration will cost the customer 1,945 thousand rubles.
Record technology
The declared and confirmed characteristics are achieved due to the correct choice of technical solutions and the widespread use of modern materials and technologies that most fully meet the high requirements. All this significantly complicates production (and increases cost), but gives a known result.
It is reported that the "Twilight" is equipped with match barrels only for basic special circuits. The barrel is fixed to the receiver and hung over the stock - a standard solution for modern high-precision rifles.
The receiver is made of aluminum alloy, also used in aircraft construction. This part is complemented by a high alloy steel threaded insert. The same alloy is used in the manufacture of the bolt group. Aluminum and steel have been selected to provide strength to match the loads of heavy duty.408 CheyTac chucks.
When developing a rifle, they abandoned the use of a store. This made it possible to make the receiver without a receiving window and thereby increase its rigidity. The overall strength and rigidity of the structure contributes greatly to achieving all the required performance.
In the SVLK-14S project, an exhausted slide group of the King v.3 type was used. However, for the Twilight, it is manufactured with higher requirements, exceeding the standards of the weapons industry. Due to this, the shutter combines high strength and increased combat performance. The shutter can have a larva chambered for one of three types.
Strength and rigidity issues related to accuracy and range were also addressed when developing a new stock. The stock is a multi-layer piece made of fiberglass, kevlar and carbon fiber. The composite part has an aluminum chassis. The resulting design is robust enough to handle even the powerful.408 CheyTac.
Success and attention
Thanks to the use of all the most modern ideas and solutions, the SVLK-14S "Twilight" rifle is capable of showing high technical and combat characteristics. In the hands of an experienced shooter with the necessary skills and techniques, such a weapon can accurately hit 2-3 km or more, as has already been shown in practice.
It is quite expected that such a weapon will attract the attention of foreign experts and the media, and also become the protagonist of new publications. The British newspaper "Mirror" and other media write about "Twilight", clearly admiring the superior performance of this rifle. The opinions in the comments to similar publications are divided. Some readers are also surprised at the achievements of the Russian industry, while others doubt the fact of a record or the very need for such a rifle.
Despite the controversy, Russian precision-guided small arms are gaining popularity abroad, and in the broadest circles. Perhaps the latest publications in the British media will become additional advertising for the "Twilight" rifle and other KBIS products under the Lobaev Arms brand.
