The Truevelo SR sniper rifle, which is produced in South Africa, can be safely ranked among the most powerful examples of small arms in the world. In the modern world, large-caliber sniper rifles, which are also called anti-material rifles, have long been a surprise. However, gunsmiths from the Republic of South Africa tried to do everything possible for this, having put into mass production the Truvelo SR sniper rifle chambered for 20x110 mm. At the exit, we have an almost small-caliber artillery gun with a sniper scope.
Truvelo Armory, which produces sniper rifles of the Truvelo SR family, was formed relatively recently. It was founded in 1994. The main specialization of this South African company is the production of small arms and various accessories to them. The headquarters of the company is located in the city of Midrand. In the same city of South Africa there are offices, production workshops and a special laboratory in which R&D is carried out. In addition to the weapons and accessories themselves, the company also produces individual units: bolts, high-quality barrels and other products.
It is worth noting that the Truvelo SR is a whole family of sniper rifles manufactured by the South African company Truvelo Armory. Technically, they are all bolt action rifles. This line of sniper rifles is presented today for a fairly wide range of ammunition of different calibers: 6, 5x47 mm Lapua, 7, 62x51 mm NATO,.338 Lapua Magnum, 12, 7x99 mm NATO, 14, 5x114 mm, 20x82 mm and 20x110 mm.
Truvelo SR 20x82 mm, photo: truvelo.co.za
From a technical point of view, the Truvelo SR line of rifles does not represent anything revolutionary. Representatives of the company from South Africa traditionally rely on the quality of production and the relatively low cost of their products. This implies the possibility of reliable and trouble-free operation of rifles in a wide variety of weather conditions in a very wide temperature range (from -35 to +55 degrees Celsius). As the most unusual, in the line can be distinguished rifles chambered for 20 mm, but such a weapon is not something new for South Africa. Back in 1998, the Mechem NTW-20 large-caliber sniper rifle of the same caliber was adopted here.
It is curious that both cartridges for the Truvelo SR 20-mm large-caliber rifles were developed on the basis of anti-aircraft gun ammunition from the 1930s-40s. The 20x82 mm cartridge was created by the German company Mauser in the 1930s for the anti-tank defense of the Wehrmacht (2-cm Mauser cannon), later it found wide application in anti-aircraft (2-cm FLAK 38) and aircraft weapons (20-mm MG 151 /twenty). It was most widely used with the MG 151/20 aircraft cannon, which was used by almost all German fighters during World War II. In a modified form and new equipment, this ammunition is used with modern large-caliber sniper rifles produced in South Africa.
The 20x110 mm cartridge was also created on the basis of the 20x110mm Hispano projectile, developed back in 1941 specifically for the Hispano-Suiza HS.404 anti-aircraft gun. This ammunition was widely used during the Second World War, mainly by the British armed forces. Today, the cartridge of this caliber is used not only in South Africa with the Mechem NTW-20 and Truevelo SR large-caliber rifles, but also in Croatia with the RT-20 rifle. Despite its considerable age, ammunition, which appeared in the first half of the 20th century, is still relevant and in demand all over the world, finding a second life along with modern high-precision sniper systems.
Truvelo SR 20х110 mm, photo: truvelo.co.za
20-mm South African sniper rifles Truvelo SR are designed primarily for the incapacitation and destruction of various technical objects, communication equipment, unarmored and lightly armored enemy vehicles. For this, a wide range of 20-mm ammunition is used in armor-piercing, armor-piercing incendiary, high-explosive fragmentation versions. The use of 20x110mm Hispano cartridges allows the shooter to confidently hit targets at a distance of up to two kilometers. At the same time, the SR 20x110mm model can be easily distinguished from the SR 20x82mm, first of all, by the absence of a magazine. The first rifle is single-shot, the second is equipped with a box magazine for 5 rounds.
Structurally, both anti-material rifles are built according to the classic modular scheme without any frills or unusual features. Both rifles are built using a sliding bolt that locks the bore with 2 radial or 3 lugs (two in the front of the bolt, one in the back) when it is turned. The massive barrel (barrel length for the SR 20x110mm model is 1100 mm) is equipped with a powerful snake-head muzzle brake-compensator. According to the manufacturer's assurances, it is able to extinguish up to 60 percent of the recoil at the time of the shot, or a classic-type four-chamber muzzle brake-compensator. It should be noted that the Truvelo SR rifle barrels are manufactured in accordance with the international C. I. P. specifications. and NATO.
The rifle barrel cuts into a steel receiver, on the horizontal upper surface of which there is a Picatinny-type guide rail, an optical sight is mounted on it. There are no sights to open on these 20mm large bore sniper rifles. In front of the improvised fore-end, adjustable two-support bipod with wide curved support legs are mounted. This is done for more footprint, as well as convenience when mounting the rifle on uneven surfaces. In the SR 20x110mm model, a rather massive tripod (similar to the tripod of the Browning M2 heavy machine gun) can be mounted on a special mounting block, containing a shock-absorbing mechanism that further reduces recoil at the moment of firing.
Truvelo SR 20х110 mm, photo: truvelo.co.za
The fuse is located at the rear of the bolt, the shooter can move it to one of three available positions: in the first - the sniper rifle bolt is blocked; in the second - the firing mechanism is blocked; in the third, the rifle is unlocked and ready to fire. A non-folding skeletal stock is used with rifles; it is made of aircraft-grade aluminum. On the back of the butt there is a special shock-absorbing pad, and on its upper plane there is an adjustable pad under the shooter's cheek.
It is worth noting that the Truvelo SR 20mm rifles are not particularly accurate. The manufacturer claims a low accuracy for sniper weapons - 2 MOA (angular minutes) at a distance of 500 meters. However, this is quite enough to solve the tasks assigned to a large-caliber sniper rifle, especially if we take into account the caliber of the barrels and the nature of the ammunition used. Possessing high armor penetration, they can easily be attributed to almost real artillery ammunition. An armor-piercing cartridge of 20x110 mm caliber at a distance of 200 meters penetrates 25-mm homogeneous steel armor of medium hardness at a meeting angle of 60 degrees.
A well-trained sniper, with a Truvelo SR 20x110 mm rifle at hand, will be able to hit a target at a distance of two kilometers. At the same time, you will not envy not only the person into whom a real mini-projectile will fly, but also the technology. The power of the cartridge is enough to hit all existing body armor, as well as disable armored personnel carriers and other lightly armored vehicles. True, like any large-caliber sniper rifle, the Truvelo SR 20x110 mm has its own pronounced drawbacks.
Truvelo SR 20х110 mm, photo: truvelo.co.za
The first and most important drawback is the weight of the weapon. The rifle weighs nearly 25 kg. This already involves working in pairs, since in addition to the rifle itself, it can be equipped with a special tripod, which weighs another 10 kg. All this makes the weapon practically stationary. The second drawback arises from the first - the size of the weapon, the length of the rifle is 1990 mm. You will not go to a raid on the rear of the enemy with such a weapon. But if it is necessary to transport the rifle over significant distances, it can be placed in a special rigid branded aluminum case, the rifle fits into it almost unassembled. The third drawback (conditional for such a weapon) is the single-shot rifle, the training of a sniper should be enough to hit the target from the first shot.
The Truvelo SR 20x110 mm rifle is unique primarily in the use of super-powerful 20x110 mm ammunition and is one of the few in the world chambered for this cartridge. In fact, we have an anti-tank rifle that is maximally pumped in terms of accuracy, which will show itself perfectly in defense, giving the enemy a lot of problems. The manufacturer himself, by the way, also emphasizes the antimaterial capabilities of its weapons, noting that the rifle can be used to destroy various electronic equipment, communications, sighting devices, GPS and radar systems, which can be found in abundance on modern armored vehicles of medium and heavy class.
