| Accuracy International AWM | |
|---|---|
German Army AWM-F, designated G22 |
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| Type | Sniper rifle |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1996-present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | Afghanistan War, Iraq War |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Accuracy International |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 6.5 kg (14.3 lb) (.300 Winchester Magnum) 6.9 kg (15.1 lb) (.338 Lapua Magnum) with stock, bipod and empty magazine |
| Length | 1200 mm (47.2 in) (.300 Win. Mag.) 1230 mm (48.4 in) (.338 Lapua Magnum) |
| Barrel length | 660 mm (26 in) (.300 Win. Mag.) 686 mm (27 in) (.338 Lapua Magnum) |
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| Cartridge | .300 Winchester Magnum .338 Lapua Magnum |
| Action | Bolt-action |
| Effective range | 1,100 m (1,203 yd) (.300 Winchester Magnum) 1,500 m (1,640 yd) (.338 Lapua Magnum) |
| Feed system | 5-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | detachable aperture type iron sights day or night optics |
The AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum) is a sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International. It is also known as the AWSM (Arctic Warfare Super Magnum), which typically denotes the .338 Lapua Magnum version.
Contents |
The AWM rifle is a variant of the British Accuracy International Arctic Warfare (AW). Compared to the AW, the AWM has a longer bolt to accommodate larger magnum-length cartridges such as the .300 Winchester Magnum and the .338 Lapua Magnum.
The AWM features a detachable box magazine which holds five rounds. The normal cartridges for this rifle, and the ones which have been accepted by NATO for use in AWM rifles, are .300 Winchester Magnum and .338 Lapua Magnum.
Muzzle brakes are fitted to reduce recoil, jump and flash and act as a base for optional iron sights and suppressors.
Normally, the AWMs are outfitted with a Schmidt & Bender PM II 10x42/MILITARY MK II 10x42 telescopic sight with 10x fixed power of magnification. However, a Schmidt & Bender PM II/MILITARY MK II with variable magnification of either 3-12x50, 4-16x50 or 5-25x56 can be used if the operator wants more flexibility to shoot at varying ranges, or when a wide field of view is required. Accuracy International actively promotes fitting the German made Schmidt & Bender PM II/MILITARY MK II product line as sighting components on their rifles, which is rare for a rifle manufacturer. The German and Russian Army preferred a telescopic sight made by Zeiss[1] over Accuracy International's preference.
The AWM rifle is normally supplied in a metal transit case together with scope, mount, butt spacers, bipod, spare magazines, sling, cleaning and tool kits.
The .300 Winchester Magnum, a standard length cartridge offers a flatter trajectory and a significant increase in wind resistance and supersonic range over the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge. Despite the cartridge's greatly increased muzzle velocity, it delivers greater precision than ordinary 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition and is only slightly eclipsed by the best match-grade 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition. This significantly enhanced range and precision ensures high first-shot hit probability to well beyond 800 m using standard .300 Winchester Magnum match-grade ammunition. For precision shooting, the Federal Gold Medal Match grade is the most commonly used ammunition.
The AWM chambered for the .300 Winchester Magnum is fitted with a fluted, stainless steel barrel that is 660 mm (26") long for optimum velocity and nominal weight. The .300 Winchester Magnum barrel features a non-traditional 279.4 mm (1:11 in) right-hand twist rate.
The AWM in the .338 Lapua Magnum (8.6 x 70 mm) calibre was designed as a dedicated long range sniper rifle combining the maneuverability of rifles chambered in 7.62 x 51 mm NATO with the greater power and range of the .50 BMG cartridge.
Compared to most .50 calibre rifles, the AWSM offers considerably less rifle weight, recoil, muzzle flash, smoke and report. Although the .338 Lapua Magnum delivers less kinetic energy to the target compared with the .50 BMG, both cartridges have similar trajectories, resistance to wind drift and penetration, while the .338 Lapua Magnum unquestionably outperforms the 7.62 x 51 mm NATO, especially at ranges beyond 800 m. AWSM rifles in .338 Lapua Magnum can also be deployed against unarmoured hard targets, including armoured glass.
The AWSM is fitted with a stainless steel, fluted, 686 mm (27") barrel, which research has found to be the best compromise between velocity and precision on the one hand, and weight and length on the other. A non-traditional 279.4 mm (1:11 in) right-hand twist rate was selected to optimize the rifle for firing 16.2 up to 19.44 gram (250 up to 300 grain) .338-calibre very-low-drag bullets. Whether this twist rate is adequate to stabilize 19.44 gram (300 grain) very-low-drag bullets in dense air encountered in Arctic sea level environments is questionable. The bullet manufacturer Lapua advises a tighter 254 mm (1:10 in) twist rate for its 19.44 gram (300 grain) .338-calibre HPBT Scenar bullet.[2]
A problem with AWSM rifles is that .338 Lapua Magnum cartridges loaded to the C.I.P. (Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives) maximum allowed overall length of 93.50 mm (3.681 in) do not function properly due to a lack of internal magazine length.[3] The reason for this problem is that the AWSM bolt-action is not specifically designed for the fat and long .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge. Because of this, ammunition manufacturers produce .338 Lapua Magnum cartridges that are loaded short enough (≈ 91.44 mm / 3.600 in) to fit in the AWSM magazines. As long as .338 Lapua Magnum cartridges that will fit in the magazines are used, the AWSM rifles can be used as repeating rifles instead of single shot rifles.[4] Ammunition types currently available for the .338 Lapua Magnum are FMJ, hollow point, Armour Piercing (AP) and Armour Piercing Incendiary (API).
The British Armed Forces adopted the AWM rifle chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum as the L115A1 Long Range Rifle. The British L115A1 rifles are outfitted with Schmidt & Bender 3-12x50 PM II/MILITARY MKII 3-12x50 0.1 MIL RAD telescopic sights. The L115A1 is in service with the Royal Marines, British Army and RAF Regiment in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In November 2007 the British Ministry of Defence (MOD) announced that their snipers in the Army, Royal Marines and RAF Regiment were to get a new rifle. Accuracy International would supply 580 L115A3 Long Range Rifles with day telescopic sights. The L115A3 is being supplied as part of a broader Sniper System Improvement Programe (SSIP) program which also includes night sights, spotting scopes, laser range finders and tripods.[17] The L115A3 rifle was first deployed to Afghanistan in May 2008.[16] Some features of the improved L115A3 include:
The MOD claims a muzzle velocity of 936 m/s (3,071 ft/s) for the L115A3.[18] This implies the British military are using a high pressure load to attain this muzzle velocity. A reverse engineering simulation with QuickLOAD internal ballistic software predicted that a typical military .338 Lapua Magnum load using 16.2 g (250 gr) Lapua LockBase B408 bullets at an overall cartridge length of 91.44 mm (3.600 in) produces ≈ 460 MPa (66,833 psi) maximum piezo chamber pressure to achieve the claimed 936 m/s (3,071 ft/s) muzzle velocity.
There are media reports about a British military sniper striking a Taliban leader in Afghanistan with his second shot at a range of 1,853 m (2,026 yd) using a L115A3 rifle.[19][20] These reports lack conclusive information regarding important external ballistics variables like the ambient air density and other environmental conditions on site.
According to JBM Ballistics,[21] using drag coefficients (Cd) provided by Lapua, at International Standard Atmosphere conditions the L115A3 has an approximate supersonic range (speed of sound = 340.3 m/s) of 1,375 m (1,504 yd) at sea level (air density ρ = 1.225 kg/m3) and 1,853 m (2,026 yd) at 2,445 m (8,022 ft) altitude or elevation (air density ρ = 0.909 kg/m3). This illustrates how environmental condition differences can significantly affect bullet flight.
Other media reports mention British Army sniper Corporal of Horse (CoH) Craig Harrison, a member of the Household Cavalry, setting the longest recorded sniper kill record in November 2009 by striking two Taliban machine gunners south of Musa Qala in Helmand Province in Afghanistan at a range of 2,475 m (2,707 yd) using a L115A3 rifle.[22][23][24][25] In the reports CoH Harrison mentions the environmental conditions were perfect for long range shooting, no wind, mild weather, clear visibility. Mr. Tom Irwin, a director of Accuracy International, the manufacturer of the L115A3 rifle, said: “It is still fairly accurate beyond 1,500 m (1,640 yd), but at that distance luck plays as much of a part as anything.”
The AWSM-F chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum has been introduced from 1996 by the Dutch Army’s Korps Commandotroepen snipers and the AWSM is used by all long range marksmen of the 11 Luchtmobiele Brigade (airborne infantry), mechanized infantry and reconnaissance units. Recently (2007) the snipers of the Netherlands Marine Corps also received this sniper rifle. The Dutch AWSM(-F) rifles are outfitted with Schmidt & Bender 10x42 PM II and 3-12x50 PM II telescopic sights. The rifles are designated as Accuracy, antipersoneel snipergeweer .338 (Accuracy anti personnel sniper rifle .338) and the Military of the Netherlands claim a maximum effective range of 1,400 m (1,531 yd) for their AWSM(-F) rifles and have used these rifles in Afghanistan with great success.[10][11]
Since 1998 the Bundeswehr fields an AWM-F chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum (7.62 x 67 mm in Bundeswehr nomenclature), with a 3-12x56 SSG telescopic sight made by the German company Zeiss, under the designation of G22 (for Gewehr 22) or Scharfschützengewehr 22 (sniper rifle 22). The German G22 rifles have folding stocks and emergency iron sights. For their G22 rifles the Bundeswehr claims an effective range of 1,100 m (1,203 yd).[6][7]
The German ammunition manufacturer Metallwerk Elisenhütte Nassau (MEN) has specially developed 7.62 x 67 mm ammunition for the G22.[26]
The Carl Zeiss Optronics (previously branded as Hensoldt) telescopic sight has a mil-dot reticle and a scale that enables the operator to see the dialled in elevation setting through the rifle scopes ocular. The Bundeswehr 3-12x56 SSG telescopic sight differs somewhat from the further developed 3-12x56 SSG-P telescopic sight. The Bundeswehr telescopic sight has no parallax setting option and the range scale has a setting range from 0 to 10 instead of 0 to 11 symbolizing the 11.2 milliradian elevation adjustment range shown in the current Carl Zeiss Optronics 3-12x56 SSG-P telescopic sight brochure.[27]
The snipers in Marinejegerkommandoen and Forsvarets Spesialkommando are currently using the AWM as their primary weapon, chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum, with Schmidt & Bender scopes.
The snipers of the Russian Alpha Group counter-terrorism unit are using the AWM-F chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum with Zeiss 3-12×56 SSG series telescopic sights.[14][15]
The snipers of the Singapore Army use the AWM alongside the Accuracy International Arctic Warfare.
The 707th Special Mission BN from ROK Army and the Republic of Korea Naval Special Warfare Brigade from ROK Navy use AWM series sniper rifles chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum outfitted with Schmidt & Bender 3-12x50 PM II telescopic sights.
| Accuracy International rifles related |
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AI Arctic Warfare |
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by McMillan Tac-50 |
Longest confirmed combat sniper-shot kill 2009- 2,475 m (2,707 yd / 1.538 mi) using 16.2 g (250 gr) Lapua LockBase B408 bullets by Craig Harrison |
Succeeded by current |
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