A few days ago, the Russian arms holding Bespoke Gun, known for its work in the field of high-precision and "elite" small arms for sports and hunting, presented a new development. The Phantom carbine combines a successful design and a recognizable appearance. At the same time, the new product allows you to get rid of problems with the supply of foreign components.
Carbine against sanctions
It is alleged that the emergence of a new project "Phantom" from Bespoke Gun contributed to foreign sanctions against Russia, incl. in the field of small arms. Previously, manufacturers of high-precision systems could order the necessary materials and components abroad, but the imposed sanctions closed this opportunity. Russian gunsmiths found an obvious way out: they studied the developments of foreign colleagues and designed their own units with the required parameters.
It is alleged that the bolt design uses solutions spied on the SAKO Tikka and Accuracy International AW rifles. The trigger mechanism is made in the form factor of Remington rifles. This approach has accelerated the development of weapons, as well as simplified the completion of finished samples. In particular, the trigger from the Bespoke Gun and Remington are interchangeable.
They also conducted their own research aimed at determining the optimal performance and ergonomics of the weapon. Based on their results, the most visible and notable components of the rifle were created.
To solve the set tasks, it was necessary to conduct research, look for the necessary materials and technologies, and then carry out tests. All this made it possible to sharply reduce the share of imports in finished weapons. However, some types of raw materials still have to be purchased abroad. Domestic manufacturers are not yet able to offer their counterparts.
The first result of new approaches and projects was the Phantom carbine. It is a magazine weapon with manual reloading, characterized by reduced dimensions. In the very near future, Bespoke Gun promises to present the Phantom Tactics rifle - a similar system with increased dimensions and other characteristics.
Technical features
The Phantom gets a 406 mm (16 in) rifled barrel with pronounced sidewalls. A cylindrical muzzle brake-compensator with several rows of radial holes is used. The barrel is secured in a compact receiver housing a sliding bolt.
The Bespoke Gun development bolt group includes a three-lug bolt action. Reloading is controlled by a traditional rear handle. When locking the barrel, the base of the handle serves as an additional combat stop.
The ammunition supply is provided by detachable small-capacity magazines. Curiously, the type of ammunition has not yet been reported. Other products from the Bespoke Gun can be produced in different calibers to accommodate a range of modern rifle cartridges. Perhaps, "Phantom" will also be made in several modifications.
Advertising materials from the manufacturer mention the need to use cartridges of their own production, which are characterized by increased manufacturing accuracy and, therefore, higher characteristics.
The carbine does not have its own sighting devices, but it is equipped with a universal bar for mounting any systems.
A characteristic feature of the "Phantom" is a special plastic stock. It has a futuristic appearance with many straight edges and matching colors. Such a bed is designed to increase the accuracy of the fire. The developers remind that the wrong tab and grip of the weapon can negatively affect the accuracy of shooting. Specialists in ergonomics and biomechanics were involved in the new project, and with their help they created a handle and a butt, in fact, excluding incorrect holding of the weapon. Due to this, it is alleged, it was possible to fully realize the technical potential of the structure.
The stock has a pronounced pistol shot, and the trigger guard is noticeably placed in front of it. The stock is equipped with an adjustable cheek piece. The front of the stock has bipod mounts.
The competitive advantage of Phantom and other Bespoke Gun products is the high quality of production. Manufacturing tolerances brought down to micron levels. Almost all assembly operations are carried out manually. In production, strict quality control is carried out.
As presented, the Phantom carbine has a length of 985 mm and weighs less than 4 kg - apparently, parameters without sights and ammunition. The 16-inch barrel accelerates the bullet to 930 m / s. Effective firing range - 1 km. When using custom-made cartridges that meet high manufacturing requirements, an accuracy of 0.1 MOA is achieved.
The most important parameter of the new carbine, its cost for the customer, has not yet appeared in open sources. Nevertheless, other positions in the manufacturer's catalog hint that there is a solid price behind the high performance.
Ghostly "Phantom"
Unfortunately, only the most general facts about the development of a new carbine and only some of its characteristics have been published so far. Also, the developer company shared with the press photos of the product "in real life". At the same time, a number of the most important information has not yet been published, which makes it difficult to fully review and evaluate the carbine.
The very fact of the appearance of a new high-precision Phantom carbine and a unified rifle may be cause for optimism. This means that the domestic arms production is developing and is ready to show its new developments. Bespoke Gun revealed some details of the process of creating new samples, and this data is also quite interesting. Taking advantage of the specific situation on the market, the domestic holding is looking for new technologies and designs designed to ensure independence from imports.
The declared characteristics show "Phantom" as a promising development with a good future. The use of such weapons with specially prepared ammunition allows you to get accuracy at the level of the best world samples, and this can be a reason for pride.
Following the carbine of the new model, it is planned to show a full-size rifle built on the same solutions. Thus, so far only two high-precision samples are ready, but in the future a family of weapons with different barrels and for different ammunition may appear. Domestic manufacturers of small arms do not often delight the public with such news.
The design approaches to the design of the Phantom are curious. Engineers carefully studied the best foreign samples and adopted the most successful solutions. This reduces the degree of novelty and the associated risks, but at the same time ensures the desired design qualities. However, there were some new solutions. In this capacity, one can consider the original ergonomic stock, which “protects” from improper grip.
Most of the most important technical parameters of the Phantom carbine have not yet been published. This fact makes it difficult to evaluate the product and compare it with other modern samples of the same class. The lack of data on the price of weapons and ammunition for it does not allow us to present commercial prospects.
It remains to be hoped that in the near future the Bespoke Guns holding will publish new data on its developments, show them in practice and, perhaps, even compare with similar foreign samples. This will remove a lot of questions and serve as a good advertisement for both the already well-known carbine and the announced rifle.
"Phantom" can be a reason for pride in Russian gunsmiths and their success in mastering new technologies and directions. However, the current state of affairs with the available information forces us to make only conservative estimates. And besides, it does not allow to fully appreciate the efforts and merits of the designers. It remains to be expected that the situation will change - to the delight of lovers of high-precision weapons.
