What should be a modern sniper (part 1)
Experimental samples
As mentioned above, in addition to the characteristics of the "cartridge-weapon" complex, the magnitude of the dispersion of bullets is significantly influenced by firing errors, among which the most significant are errors in determining the range to the target and the crosswind speed. The influence of these errors on the accuracy of fire depends on the external ballistic characteristics of the ammunition - the range of a direct shot and the time of flight of the bullet.
Based on these considerations, in the 1980s, a 6 mm rifle cartridge was developed, the muzzle velocity of which was 1150 m / s. Due to the increase in the initial speed, the external ballistic characteristics of the cartridge improved, the probability of hitting the target increased due to a more flat trajectory and a decrease in the bullet flight time.
At PA "Izhmash", a design group consisting of A. Nesterov, V. Simonenko, A. Lomaev, O. Kivamov was engaged in the development of 6-mm sniper rifles SVK and SVK-S (modification of a rifle with a folding stock).
According to the requirements of the technical specifications, the length of the rifle barrel (based on a given initial speed of 1150 m / s) should have been 720 mm, while the total length of the weapon was limited to 1225 mm.
Initially, it was planned to modify the SVD rifle under the new cartridge. However, the total length of the SVD (with a barrel length of 620 mm) is 1220 mm, and with an increase in the barrel length to 720 mm, it would increase to 1320 mm. In addition, the layout of the automation mechanisms adopted in the SVD rifle, in which the bolt carrier is based and guided in a long receiver, does not allow reducing the total length of the weapon by reducing the length of the receiver.
Therefore, when designing a 6-mm sniper rifle, the classic layout of the weapon was taken as a basis. At the same time, the task was to reduce the length of the receiver as much as possible, especially since the parameters of the technical task allowed this to be done.
After a preliminary study of the design, it was decided to focus on the scheme of the machine with the removal of part of the powder gases and the bore. A rotary bolt with two lugs was chosen. This made it possible to bring the magazine as close to the chamber as possible and thereby reduce the length of the receiver.
A new scheme for basing the bolt carrier and the direction of its movement was invented. The bolt carrier is based in the rear part on guide projections made inside the receiver, and in the front part, through a hole in it, on the recoil spring guide rod. At the same time, it was possible to significantly reduce the length of the receiver.
In order to reduce the total length of the weapon, a short slotted flame arrester in the form of a bell was developed, the length of the working zone of which is 29 mm (compared to 78 mm on the SVD).
For the armament of the landing troops, a variant of the SVK-S rifle with a folding butt made of steel pipes was developed. On the upper tube of the butt there is a rotary plastic support for the shooter's cheek, which is used when shooting with an optical sight. The buttstock folds onto the left side of the receiver.
In the design of the sniper rifle, technical solutions were used that exclude the negative effects of the forend, butt and receiver cover on the weapon at the time of the shot and thereby increase the accuracy of fire.
The 6-mm sniper rifle went through a full cycle of factory tests in difficult operating conditions, which confirmed the operability of the selected automation scheme.
According to the designers, in general, the technical task for the development of a 6-mm sniper rifle was completed successfully. Good results were achieved in terms of firing accuracy. When shooting at a distance of 100 m while lying from a stop using a telescopic sight in three series of 10 shots, the firing accuracy was R100 = 5.5 cm, R50 = 2.3 cm (where R100 and R50 are the radii of a circle containing 100 and 50% of holes, respectively).
After conducting field tests, some shortcomings of the cartridge were noted. The 6-mm rifle cartridge needed improvement, but the country entered a period of protracted economic crisis, funding for the defense complex was sharply reduced, and all work on the cartridge and rifle was stopped.
The design of the experimental sniper rifle TKB-0145K, developed by the designer of the Tula TsKIB SOO AB Adov, is extremely interesting. This weapon is designed to destroy single targets, including those protected by body armor, at long, medium and short ranges. The rifle is effective in urban combat, in mountainous areas, in counter-sniper operations. The high muzzle velocity and short flight time of the bullet to the target, less wind drift of the bullet and high flatness of the trajectory make the TKB-0145K rifle very effective at long ranges (over 500 meters).
The weapon has design features that reduce the dispersion of bullets when firing. This includes the rigid locking of the barrel with a rotary bolt with three lugs, as well as the selection of powder gases from the muzzle of the barrel (after the bullet leaves the barrel). The last design decision is based on the fact that in a conventional gas-operated weapon (for example, in a SVD), after the bullet passes the side hole for exhausting gases, the barrel experiences a significant impulse of forces - due to the interaction of the powder gases with the gas exhaust device. This leads to the fact that at the moment the bullet leaves the bore, the weapon deviates from the original direction. This design flaw eliminates the muzzle venting device.
For shooting from a rifle, cartridges of increased power 6x49, developed at TsNIITOCHMASH, are used. The weight of a 6 mm bullet is 5 g, the muzzle velocity of the bullet is 1150 m / s. The TKB-0145K direct shot range at the chest figure is about 600 meters.
According to some reports, this rifle passed combat tests in the North Caucasus region in 2001, where it earned high reviews from the special forces fighters who worked with it.
Note that such models as VSS, VSK-94 and OSV-96 (V-94), in terms of accuracy, workmanship and ease of handling, are hardly worth considering on a par with classic sniper systems. Yes, of course, this weapon was designed to arm snipers, and today, of course, snipers also use it, but nevertheless, a number of specific features allow us to classify it as a separate class of "sniper weapons for special tasks."
All the just named new rifles were developed by Russian designers, shown at Russian exhibitions, and on this optimistic note one could finish this material, but … The vast majority of Russian shooters saw these new rifles only on the pages of magazines or on the TV screen. The task of equipping our "super-sharp shooters" will be considered completed only when the same SV-98 or TKB-0145K become a familiar tool not only for the shooters of Moscow elite special forces, but also for a simple army or police sniper from distant Ussuriisk or Blagoveshchensk.
