In the early 1980s, the British Army announced a competition for new sniper rifles to replace the obsolete Enfield L42 models. Among the various samples of small arms, the expert commission noted AWP sniper rifles - products of the British company Accuracy International. This model of the Arctic Warfare series, having become the winner in the competition, under the designation L96, was adopted by the British Army. This article offers a description and characteristics of the AWP rifle.
What does Arctic Warfare mean?
The AWP rifle (the photo is presented in the article) was created specifically for the army. The name of the series is translated from English as "arctic warfare" (AW). The letter P (Polize) indicates that this model is intended for use by law enforcement agencies. L96 is the issue number of this weapon. Thanks to the special design features of AWP rifles, theycan be used below 40 degrees.
Description
A distinctive feature of the AWP rifle from other sniper models lies in the unusual design of its box. As a basis for it, the British developers used an aluminum beam to which the barrel, receiver and trigger are attached. The stock itself consists of two plastic halves attached on both sides to an aluminum beam. It is also called "chassis". Thus, a rigid frame made of aluminum alloy is the place to mount all parts of the rifle. The design is characterized by increased rigidity, which has a positive effect on the accuracy of the battle. In addition, the owner of such a weapon model does not have any difficulties during the maintenance of the rifle.
All of its parts are very carefully fitted, which excludes their wear or loosening. When mounting the receiver, epoxy resin is used as glue. First, the master's box is put on glue, and then screwed to the frame. On the surface of the receiver boxes and the barrels themselves, a special epoxy coating is applied in black, green or camouflage shades. Some rifles are painted olive.
AWP is a bolt action repeating rifle. With its help, weapons are locked. The turning angle of the shutter in the AWP, as in other modern models of a similar design, is reduced to 60 degrees. The front of the rifle contains three lugs for the bolt. The function of the fourth is performedits rotary handle. It is equipped with a massive spherical knob, due to which it is quite easy to control it. The shutter stroke does not exceed 10 cm, the drummer to the primer - 6 mm. Due to this, the mechanism of the rifle takes a little time to fire.
The weapon is equipped with a special anti-icing design: longitudinal grooves are provided for the shutter, allowing it to work reliably at very low temperatures. The descent force is no more than 2 kg. The shooters appreciated the high performance of the trigger mechanism: it functions properly even in a state of severe pollution. Locking the bolt handle and blocking the trigger and drummer are carried out by a fuse. When using this sniper rifle, accidental shots are excluded.
Butt device
The butt is equipped with a special hole for the thumb and an emphasis for the cheek, which, if necessary, can be easily adjusted in height. The sniper rifle comes with interchangeable butt pads. They have a different thickness, which allows them to be adjusted to the individual parameters of the shooters. Mount the butt pads to the base of the rifle. The mount can be adjusted in vertical and horizontal planes. Thanks to this design feature, the rifle is comfortable to use in various positions.
Sighting devices
For AWP rifles, open sights and optical sights are provided. They are mounted on Weaver rails. Installation processsimple and takes only a few seconds. In addition to optical sights, when shooting, you can also use a mechanical one. It is designed for distances up to 800 meters. The mechanical sight is represented by a height-adjustable front sight, for which special protective pads are provided. The front sight can contain two types of rear sights:
- "Swedish". It was made by an English manufacturer for the Swedish armed forces. This rear sight is designed for a distance of 200 to 600 meters. Adjustable horizontally.
- "Belgian". Designed for the Belgian Armed Forces. This rear sight is a non-adjustable folding, diopter product. It is designed for a distance of at least 400 meters.
Barrel
The rifles are equipped with heavy match barrels. Stainless steel is used for their manufacture. The barrel is freely oscillating, equipped with a special thread, through which it is mounted in the receiver. Also, the barrel is equipped with a locking ring and grooves for lugs. In some rifle barrels, the presence of flash hiders, muzzle brakes and silencers is not ruled out. Sniper rifles of this series may also have integrated silencers.
Ammunition
The sniper rifle is chambered in 7.62 mm NATO standard. They are contained in steel removable box-type magazines. Magazine capacity is five rounds.
Tactical and technical characteristics
AWP Rifles have the following stats:
- Total length is127 cm.
- Barrel length 66 cm.
- Weighs a rifle without ammunition and sights - 6.8 kg.
- Magazine capacity - 5 rounds.
- Caliber - 7, 62 mm NATO.
- Store - box detachable.
- Maximum effective range is 800 meters.
- Used by SWAT police.
AWP airsoft rifle
The number of airsoft fans is growing every year. Many lovers of small arms like this "male sport" because it gives you the opportunity to hold in your hands, albeit not a real, but skillfully made machine gun or rifle.
For those who want to fully immerse themselves in the atmosphere of hostilities, the Chinese company Well offered the AWP Well L96 air rifle. This model is considered a spring sniper weapon. The rifle is equipped with a metal barrel, receiver and plastic stock. The stock is equipped with a rubber butt pad. For the manufacture of the internal base barrel used duralumin. The barrel length is 500 mm, the diameter is 6.08 mm. The total length does not exceed 1.15m. For an airsoft rifle, a folding bipod of a telescopic type has been developed. The pneumatic model weighs no more than 4.5 kg.
The sight is mounted using special mounting rings. For bipod mounting there is a RIS-device with side rails provided for mounting additional equipment. Ammunition supply is carried out from a mechanical metalshop. As an ammunition in an air rifle, special balls are used, the weight of which is 0.2 grams. Magazine capacity - 35 balls. The weapon has an initial speed of 100 to 140 m/s. A non-combat rifle model can be purchased for 9,000 rubles.
