The two previous articles talked about PGM sniper rifles chambered for 7, 62x51 and 12, 7x99. These samples of weapons allowed a small arms company to grow into a worthy competitor to the world leaders in the development of weapons, and PGM did not stop there, continuing to work on the creation of new sniper rifles. The next sample of the weapon was already developed on an individual initiative and was supposed to fill the gap between the two previous sniper rifles using the.338 Lapua Magnum cartridge. This sample also has its own name - Mini-Hecate, which indicates its direct relationship with the previous development of the company, the Hecate II large-caliber sniper rifle. Let's try to figure out what kind of weapon it is.
Like previous sniper rifles, the Mini-Hecate is not self-loading and can be manually reloaded using a sliding bolt that locks the barrel bore when turned by three lugs located in the front of the bolt. In general, we must pay tribute to the PGM company, which squeezed the absolute maximum from one weapon design, adapting it for various ammunition. The Mini-Hecate rifle is built on the same base as the previous samples, of course, taking into account the new ammunition. Many do not consider this weapon model to be owned by the PGM company, the fact is that the designer of the ASMP company developed this rifle, the PGM company is engaged in production, and the distribution of weapons is already the task of FN Herstal. Here is such an interesting symbiosis. Nevertheless, the weapon was created on the basis of the company's previous developments, which means that it is involved in its appearance, it is only interesting how this cooperation looks from the legal side.
The Mini-Hecate sniper rifle has the same appearance as its predecessors, but some details are still different. So, the weapon received a folding butt, like the versions of the "Last Argument" with short barrels. The butt itself has the ability to adjust its length, the height of the cheek rest, as well as the third "leg" for more comfortable implementation of long-term control over a certain area. On the receiver there is a picatinny rail for mounting an optical sight. In the front part of the forearm there are folding, height-adjustable bipods of the weapon. The pistol grip of the weapon has a fairly comfortable slope for prone shooting and cutouts for the shooter's fingers. The weapon is fed from a detachable box magazine with a capacity of 10 rounds. The barrel of the weapon is free-hanging, has a muzzle brake-recoil compensator to ensure more comfortable firing. For more than half of the length of the weapon, there are longitudinal valleys, which help to cool the barrel, and also add rigidity to it. On the back of the butt there is a rubber butt pad, which softens the impact of recoil on the shooter. The weapon does not have open sights. In general, the Mini-Hecate rifle looks very nice, at least not worse than its counterparts.
The barrel length of the weapon is 700 millimeters, while the total length with the butt unfolded is 1290 millimeters, with 1010 millimeters folded. The weight of the rifle is 6, 6 kilograms, which in my opinion is lighter than necessary. I agree that carrying a multi-kilogram weapon is far from the most pleasant occupation, but the greater weight of the rifle has a positive effect on its stability when firing. On the contrary, the manufacturer is being modest, indicating the maximum range of 1200 meters, here you already begin to doubt that the problem of not the best quality ammunition is only with us. The trigger mechanism of the weapon is fully adjustable. The accuracy declared by the manufacturer when using the corresponding cartridges is less than 0.5 arc minutes.
This rifle is in service with the army and police of France, Slovenia, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland, which proves its right to life. The rifle proved to be an unpretentious and accurate instrument. Many people do not like the huge amount of light aluminum alloys in the design of the weapon, but there are no complaints about the strength of the rifle, even with prolonged use. Thus, we can confidently say that the Mini-Hecate sniper rifle has taken its place not only in the market, but also in service with the armies of many countries, and it is unlikely that it will be abandoned in the near future.
At the end of a series of articles about sniper rifles from PGM, I would like to separately note that this weapon allowed a small, little-known company not only to develop into a world-famous company, but even to ensure that the designers of other companies take its weapons as a basis. This is, of course, not an isolated case in history, but rather rare.
