Sniper Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

SVD Dragunov: The First Purpose-Built DMR

December 3, 2024 Ian McCollum 27

The development of the Dragunov designated marksman’s rifle was spurred by the NATO adoption of the 7.62x51mm cartridge. The Red Army had standardized on a new suite of infantry weapons using the intermediate-sized 7.62x39mm round, […]

Estonian R20L DMR Clone at the Range

August 30, 2024 Ian McCollum 0

Today we are out at the range with a semiauto clone of the Estonian R20L “Rahe” designated marksman’s rifle. These rifles are based on the LMT MARS-H platform, with a few tweaks requested by the […]

Estonian R20L Designated Marksman’s Rifle in 7.62x51mm

August 24, 2024 Ian McCollum 8

Alongside their new 5.56mm R20 infantry rifles, Estonia has recently adopted the LMT 7.62x51mm MARS-H as its new designated marksman’s rifle; the R20L. These rifles were part of a single rifle contract, with the vast […]

Snipers Before Infantry: the Danish m/66 Sniper

March 4, 2024 Ian McCollum 5

The Danes adopted the M1 Garand after World War Two, and continued using it as their standard service rifle all the way until 1975 – and alongside it they used the M1D as a sniper […]

Mosin 91/30 PU: Soviet Standard WW2 Sniper’s Rifle

February 23, 2024 Ian McCollum 8

The Mosin M91/30 PU is the most recognized Soviet sniper rifle of World War Two, but it was not their first. It was preceded by the Model 1931 PE, the Model 1936 PEM, and also […]

M91/30 PU Sniper at the Range

February 17, 2024 Ian McCollum 2

Today we are out at the range with a 1943 Izhevsk M91/30 PU sniper rifle to see how it shoots… For more, check out the 9 Hole Reviews video taking a 91/30 PU on their […]

Everything Wrong with the Sniper Rifles in “Enemy at the Gates”

February 7, 2024 Ian McCollum 17

One of the very few blockbuster American movies about the Eastern Front in World War Two is Enemy at the Gates, a film about the Soviet sniper Vasily Zaitsev. The movie is based around a […]

M98kF1 ZF41: Norway Recycles Germany’s Worst Sniper Rifle

January 29, 2024 Ian McCollum 6

When Germany capitulated at the end of World War Two, several hundred thousand German soldiers were stuck in Norway (thanks to the efforts of the Norwegian Resistance preventing them from moving south to reinforce against […]

A Sneaky Swiss Sniper for Israel: the ZK-31

September 6, 2023 Ian McCollum 12

In 1949, Israel was still fighting its was of independence, and purchasing arms internationally was difficult to do. The recently-formalized IDF wanted sniper rifles, and looked to Hammerli in Switzerland for a variant of the […]

Argentina’s Slightly French Model 1909 SOM Sniper

August 11, 2023 Ian McCollum 5

Argentina was one of the first countries to adopt Mauser rifles, with the Model 1891. These were replaced by newer Model 1909 rifles a couple decades later, and in 1913 they bought 500 telescopic sights […]