In 2000, the Tula TsKIB of sporting and hunting weapons created the OTs-48 rifle. The purpose of creating a rifle is to provide the troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and special units with a very inexpensive sniper rifle. Also, the rifle will be used in the civilian sphere, for hunting and competitions. When creating the rifle, Mosin rifles were used, which are stored in the warehouses of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Rifle history
After the adoption and successful use of magazine rifles in the armed forces of many countries, the Main Art Directorate of Russia in 1882 took up the implementation of the project of a magazine multi-charge domestic rifle. In 1883, a special commission was created to test magazine rifles.
Rifles were proposed using a 4.2-line cartridge and black powder. In 1887, Mosin presented his own rifle for the first time. But as a result of the growing popularity of smokeless powder, the submitted developments have depreciated.
In 1889, Mosin presented a rifle for the second time, but with the use of a 7.62 mm cartridge and other changes.
During the testing of the provided rifles, the artillery department decides to change the terms of reference.
Since 1890, the Mosin rifle, along with the Nagant rifle, underwent tests, as a result of which the Mosin rifle was chosen in 1891. In the same year, the Emperor of Russia approved the rifle, and it began to bear the name of the 1891 model three-line rifle.
The rifle was in service for more than 50 years, and only after the end of World War II, the rifle was removed from service.
Modern rifle development
At the end of 2000, TsKB-14 received a technical assignment to design a budget version of a sniper rifle, the use of which is possible in domestic special forces and the troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The rifle did not need to be developed from scratch, but to use the 1891-1930 model rifle as a basis, of which a large number remained in the armories.
As a result of numerous developments, the designers settled on the development of the OTs-48. The rifle under this name was handed over for testing.
The modern version with the name OTs-48 showed excellent results on tests. From a rifle, you can aim aiming at a target with a diameter of 3.5 centimeters from a distance of 100 meters, for example, a Dragunov rifle at this distance is tested on a target of eight centimeters.
The maximum sighting range is about 1300 meters, even the SVD has only 1000 meters.
The reliability of the rifle has been tested by past wars.
In general, this version of the rifle was successfully tested, and at the beginning of 2000 it was launched into mass production.
For the production of OTs-48, specially selected rifles are used, stored in warehouses, by shooting and selecting the best in shooting.
The firing mechanism has been completely redesigned, the trigger has become soft, like a factory sniper rifle. The layout has also been redesigned with a modern bullpup layout. The rifle barrel acquired a flash suppressor, the front sight was redesigned, and it became foldable and rather high. The regular bipod is located in a comfortable bed. The function of fastening the anti-mirage tape has been added. A muffler can be installed on the flame arrester.
Rifle options
The OTs-48K modification is intended for arming domestic special units. Bullpup layout diagram. The control handle and the mechanism for firing are made in front of the receiver, the length of the rifle was reduced to 85 centimeters. The handle for reloading is made far in front and is connected by an elongated rod to the bolt. Uses 7H1 cartridge.
Not without its drawbacks., The main disadvantage is that you will have to make a good effort to reload, which, of course, lowers the rate of fire, and after a small voltage during reloading, the accuracy of hits decreases.
The military version of the OTs-48K is carried out only on special orders and in small quantities. According to some estimates of domestic experts, due to the long outdated design of the rifle, it has no future in the armed forces.
Seeing the situation in the domestic market, Tula designers create a civilian version of the OTs-48.
The OTs-48 modification is designed as a hunting carbine and has a 7.62x54 R cartridge. Its main purpose is hunting large wild animals. The barrel and the locking unit were left from the Mosin rifle, the stock with the butt was replaced with more modern ones. Went into mass production. This modification has become a fairly recognizable brand of hunting weapons.
Main characteristics:
OTs-48K length - 85 cm, OTs-48 - 100 cm;
OTs-48 ammunition - 7.62 mm, OTs-48K - 7N1;
OTs-48K weight - 6 kg, OTs-48 - 5.5 kg;
Shop with a capacity of five rounds;
Sighting range OTs-48K - 1 km, OTs-48 - 0.8 km;
Accuracy OTs-48K - 1 MOA.
Optical sights:
Daytime PKS-07U;
Night PKN-30.
Additional Information
Despite the shortcomings, the rifle can honestly be called a truly Russian weapon.
The use of a standard and inexpensive cartridge, low conversion cost, excellent shooting accuracy, undeniable reliability, time-tested, and the resulting low final cost of the rifle and carbine.
