Somehow I stopped following one of my favorite large bore sniper rifles, the OM 50 Nemesis. Excellent performance, a good design and a big name provided this weapon with quite a lot of fame, but a few years ago the Swiss company AMSD sold the rights to this weapon to SAN Swiss Arms AG. It was in 2010, and already in 2011 it became clear why such a purchase was made. SAN Swiss Arms AG proposed a further development of this rifle, but already under the name SAN 511. Let's try to figure out what exactly was changed in the initial design of the weapon and try to evaluate the result, although it is quite difficult without testing the weapon ourselves.
In general, frankly speaking, I personally did not notice any significant changes in the design of the weapon. You can even say that the SAN company cost just minor cosmetic modifications to the weapon and nothing more. This was done, apparently, not because of some need, but simply because the weapon had to be associated primarily with its new manufacturer and have a minimum of reminders of where it came from and who its true developer is. But this is just my opinion, maybe, indeed, all the changes were justified.
You probably need to start with the name of the weapon. The first part of the SAN indicates the manufacturer, the second part, namely the number 511, indicates the caliber of the rifle, since the actual caliber of.50 BMG cartridges is exactly 0.511 inches. In addition, the weapon in the name may have one more number, 1 or 2, which indicate the modifications of the rifle. Externally, both options differ only in an elongated mounting bar on top of the weapon, as well as additional side bars, of which there are two on each side. Separately, it should be noted that in the second version, the trunk remains free-hanging. Many people note that the first and second versions of rifles have different material of execution. I can neither confirm nor deny this information, but judging by the fact that the weight of the first and second versions of weapons with the same barrels differs only by 400 grams, then, most likely, the same materials were used both there and there, since it is just the difference 400 grams is the difference in the presence and absence of an elongated mounting bar and additional seats.
If we talk about the dimensions and weight of the weapon, then, depending on the length of the barrel, they differ, for each version of the rifle there are five options for barrels of different lengths. With a barrel length of 445 millimeters, the rifles will be 850 millimeters long with the stock folded and 1185 millimeters unfolded. The weight of the first version of the weapon will be 11.8 kilograms, for the second version the weight will be 12.2 kilograms. With a barrel length of 560 millimeters, the length of the rifle with the stock unfolded and folded will be 1300 millimeters and 965 millimeters. The weight will be equal to 12, 4 and 12, 8 kilograms, respectively, for the first and second versions of the weapon. The barrel length of 700 millimeters will make the length of the weapon equal to 1110 millimeters with the stock folded and 1435 millimeters with the stock unfolded. The weight for the first version of the rifle will be 13.4 kilograms, for the second 13.8 kilograms. Rifles with a barrel length of 815 millimeters will have a length of 1225 millimeters with the butt folded and 1550 millimeters unfolded, with a weight of 14 and 14, 4 kilograms, respectively, for the first version of the second weapon. Well, the longest barrel, 915 millimeters long, will set the total length of the weapon with an unfolded stock of 1650 millimeters, with a folded stock of 1325 millimeters. In this case, the weight will be equal to 14.6 kilograms for the first version of the weapon and 15 kilograms for the second version. It is worth noting that the confusion with weapon modifications, which was with the Nemesis sniper rifle, has now been eliminated, so in general, such an update was positive.
The weapon itself is now powered only from a magazine with a capacity of 5 rounds, regardless of the weapon option. The rifle barrel mount was left original, with 5 bolts passing through the receiver, entering the cutouts under the chamber. Such fixation of the barrel has proven itself only from the best side, and the barrel can be replaced independently without any additional tools other than a special key, which greatly facilitates the maintenance of the weapon, and can also reduce its dimensions during transportation, which is especially important for samples with a one and a half meter length … The butt of the weapon is folding, but, despite the external flimsy of the junction, it is quite strong. It has the ability to adjust both its length and the height of the cheek piece. True, the adjustment limits are very small. There is a “third leg” under the butt to facilitate long-term control over a separate area. Weapon magazines are ordinary single-row box magazines, which are fixed with a latch in front of the safety bracket. There is a three-position fuse switch on the right and left side of the weapon.
In its upper position, it blocks the firing mechanism and the bolt of the rifle for transportation. In the middle position, the shutter becomes movable, but the shot cannot be fired, and in the lower position the weapon is completely ready to fire. The switch is convenient enough to switch with the thumb holding the pistol grip of the hand, so switching can be carried out without taking your eyes off the target. The handle itself is covered with a special "breathable" rubber, which not only prevents the shooter's hand from sliding, but also allows the skin of the palm to "breathe", in general, in the best diaper traditions, except that it does not absorb moisture. The very shape and angle of inclination are quite comfortable, but they require a habit, but they usually get used to good things quickly. To compensate for the recoil energy, there is a recoil-compensator muzzle brake, as well as a butt plate made of porous material.
The rifle is based on a sliding bolt that locks the barrel bore when turning. The bolt engagement occurs not for the receiver, but for the breech, which made it possible to reduce the load on the receiver and make it from a light alloy, and such locking has only a positive effect on the accuracy of the fire.
According to the reviews of those lucky ones who have already managed to get acquainted with the updated weapon (I envy them very much), there is no increase in the characteristics, just as there is no particular increase in ease of use. In other words, the upgrade took place without degrading the weapon, which is also a positive result.
