Zastava M91

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Zastava M91
Zastava M91
Type	Sniper rifle
Place of origin	Serbia
Service history
In service	Present
Used by	Serbia
Wars	Yugoslav wars^[1]
Production history
Designer	Zastava Arms ("Zastava oružje")
Designed	1991
Manufacturer	Zastava Arms
Number built	N/A
Specifications
Weight	5.15 kg (11.4 lb) (with optical sight)
Length	1195 mm (47.05 in)
Barrel length	620 mm (24.41 in)

Cartridge	7.62 x 54R
Action	Gas-operated
Rate of fire	Semi-automatic
Muzzle velocity	790 m/s (2,592 ft/s)
Effective range	800⁺ m (875⁺ yards) with optics^[2]
Feed system	10 round detachable box
Sights	backup iron sights adjustable to 1000 m optical sights can be mounted on a rail

The M91 is a modern military semi-automatic designated marksman/sniper rifle developed and manufactured by Zastava Arms of Kragujevac, Serbia.

1 History
2 Design
- 2.1 Individual characteristics
3 Performance
4 Operators
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

The M91 rifle was designed after long and careful study of combat tactics and experience of military and police special forces world wide. The development work has been done under supervision and in close cooperation with some of the most experienced and capable special and antiterrorist units.

Previous variants of the rifle family (Zastava M76) were tested in numerous operations fought in both Serbia and the Yugoslav Wars in extreme conditions.

According to the latest information, current modernisation of Serbian forces is going ahead on the basis of a plan designed during the late 1990s known as Model-21. It envisages upgrading personal equipment in 26 different categories, of which only five will be imported from abroad. One of the important novelties is the introduction of a series of domestically developed systems such as M91 7.62 mm sniper rifle (elimination the use of the 7.92 mm calibre as used in the M76 7.92 mm sniper rifle).^[3]

[edit] Design

The M91 is a semi-automatic, air-cooled, detachable 10-box magazine-fed firearm with a fixed stock. While the body of M91 is based upon to the Avtomatik Kalashnikov 1947 AK-47 just like its predecessor, the Zastava M76, the rifle featured several modifications. Both the stock and the pistol grip have been modified to make them more comfortable for the shooter during aiming and is made of synthetic polymer material. The barrel has been elongated so that the 7.62 x 54R cartridge, which is suited for long-range use, can be used.

The rifle features mechanically adjustable backup iron sights with a sliding tangent rear sight (the iron sights can be adjusted to a maximum range of 1000 m). In addition to the regular iron sights, a side-rail on the left wall of the receiver has been added to accept various telescopic sights and night optics.

The standard daylight telescopic sight for the M91 is the ON-M91 6 x 42^[4]^[5] For low light conditions the rifle can also be equipped with PN 5 x 80 passive sights of the first and second generation of natural light enhancers.^[6]

[edit] Individual characteristics

Possibility of adjusting to different types of fields for easier aiming
Ergonomically designed with perfect balance
Easily controlled
Easy handling and maintenance
Possibility of mounting of different types of optical devices
Possibility of installing of silencer

[edit] Performance

The best results are obtained at ranges up to 800 m. The possibility of aiming with optical sight and with mechanical sight is 1000 m. For targets of height of 30 cm (head silhouette), the sweeping range is approx. 320 m, for chest silhouette (height 50 cm) is 450 m and for running silhouette (150 cm) the sweeping range is 650 m^[7].

Like with all precision rifles, the user has to take care not to overheat the barrel.