Sniper Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

The Enigmatic Iraqi Tabuk AKs w/ Miles Vining

December 7, 2020 Ian McCollum 9

Today I am joined by Miles Vining from Silah Report to take a look at a selection of Tabuk pattern AKs. Tabuk was the name given to the whole family of domestically-produced Iraqi Kalashnikovs, which […]

Czechoslovakia Recycles Mosins: The vz.54 Sniper

December 2, 2020 Ian McCollum 57

Czechoslovakia adopted a whole new slate of small arms in the 1950s, including the vz.52 pistol vz.52 rifle, and vz.52 light machine gun. They also adopted a new sniper rifle, developed by a Moravian designed […]

Elmech EM-992: Croatia’s First Domestic Sniper Rifle

July 1, 2020 Ian McCollum 14

There was a fair amount of small arms production in Croatia during the breakup of Yugoslavia, but most of it was not particularly high quality. After the government of Croatia had become established, it looked […]

French FR-F1 Sniper Rifle at the Range

June 4, 2020 Ian McCollum 5

The FR-F1 was adopted in 1967 as the French Army’s marksman or sniper’s rifle. It was based roughly on the MAS-36 bolt action system, but with a heavier receiver and 10-round detachable box magazine. It […]

Zastava DMR Showdown: M76 vs M91 at the Range

May 30, 2020 Ian McCollum 18

Time to compare the Zastava over-sized AKs! Today I’m out at the range for a comparison shutoff between a Yugoslav M76 and a Serbian M91, both Kalashnikov-based DMRs made by the Zastava factory. The M76 […]

An AK in 8x57mm: The Yugoslav M76 at the Range

May 23, 2020 Ian McCollum 12

Yesterday we looked at the history and mechanics of this Yugoslav M76; today we are taking it out to the range…

Zastava’s Heavy Hitter: The Yugoslav M76 DMR

May 22, 2020 Ian McCollum 25

In the 1970s, the Yugoslav Army decided that it wanted a semiautomatic marksman’s rifle, something akin to the Romanian PSL or Soviet Dragunov. Not having the technical data package to manufacture the SVD, the Zastava […]

PGM Precision Hecate II at the Range

May 9, 2020 Ian McCollum 17

Today, we are taking the PGM Precision Hecate II out to the range. It is a rifle designed for use out to 1800m, but I have neither the skills myself nor the range facility to […]

PGM Hecate II: A Battle-Hardened .50 Caliber Sniper Rifle

May 8, 2020 Ian McCollum 22

Courtesy of PGM Precision USA, we have a chance to take a look at a Hecate II sniper rifle today. This rifle’s story begins with the Ultima Ratio, a classic-based 7.62mm precision rifle designed by […]

Zastava M91: Serbia Modernizes its DMR to 7.62x54R

March 13, 2020 Ian McCollum 39

After World War Two, Yugoslavia was left with a tremendous amount of German war material – enough that it cost to adopt the 8x57mm Mauser cartridge as its standard. The M76 precision rifle was developed […]