Adopted in 1983, the “Galatz” (a contraction of the Hebrew for Galil Sniper) is a DMR based on the 7.62x51mm Galil action. It was fitted with a 23” heavy barrel, rear-m mounted bipod, folding stock, cheek riser, and a Nimrod 6×40 scope in a detachable mount offset to the left of the action. Only a very small number came into the US commercially before importation was banned in the late 1980s.
Light MGs
An Israeli LMG, Part I: The .303 Dror
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Conversion
Israeli M1919 Brownings and the US Semiauto Market
In the world of converted semiautomatic “machine guns,” the Browning 1919 is a happy example of one of the most iconic and historically important US machine guns and also one of the cheapest semiautomatic belt […]
General Purpose MGs
All the Guns on a T-62 Tank (with Nicholas Moran, the Chieftain)
Try out World of Tanks with a special bonus tank using this link! https://tanks.ly/3dqGoBL Today Nicholas Moran (the Chieftain) and I are at Battlefield Vegas courtesy of Wargaming.net, to show you around a Soviet T-62 […]
The author in the studio!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nehemia_Sirkis
https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/casatic/13973664/804467/804467_900.jpg
Nice shot Stiven. That looks like a very neat rifle to shoot.
I don’t know who took the picture.
But I saw the first Sardius.
Unlike the SVD but like most “accurized” 7.62 Kalashnikov variants, the Galatz retains the short-stroke piston action of the basic Kalashnikov, which doesn’t exactly help pinpoint accuracy.
It’s worth noting that most “DMR” versions of the AK actually began as ersatz SAW/LMGs, i.e. selective fire. Their “conversion” to semi-auto and “accurized” status was largely for commercial sale to civilians where legal.
While not up to even DMR accuracy standards, such rifles would be reasonable choices as spotter’s rifles for two-man sniper teams in either military or police service.
PS; U.S. MILSPEC accuracy standard for DMR is 1/2 MOA out to 500 meters. The sniper’s rifle, such as the M40 series, is supposed to deliver 1/4 MOA at the same range.
Discussions about “longest sniper shots” notwithstanding, as with the standard infantry rifle, most sniping hits on the battlefield have historically been at 400 meters or less. That being about as far as most terrain and cover permits actually seeing a potential target.
Beyond that…get a decent belt-fed GPMG on a properly designed and set-up tripod. And a properly-trained MG team who know what to do with same.
(h/t Kirk)
cheers
eon
I do not know where all these tales about the alleged lack of accuracy of Galatz come from.
Yes, compared to the M24, this is definitely less accurate.
But for a city sniper, that’s good enough.
When they write about 1.5 MOA, it looks like a machine gun cartridge with a worn out sight bracket. The rifle itself, with its cartridge, quietly provides the notorious minute, in fact, less.
And with the brackets, yes, there were problems. Due to their idiotic design, they did not provide monotony of installation. And as the operational wear and tear ceased to keep zero.
It got better with the new brackets. But I have not seen these brackets.
Perhaps they did not even have time to produce them in noticeable quantities until the production of the rifle itself was discontinued.
I had one of the the more modern version of these with a bull rather than stepped barrel that I had made from an imported kit on a Hadar II receiver. I was very surprised to find it shot about 1MOA fairly consistently with 168 grain gold medal match. On the other hand it weighed something like 16lbs with a full 20 round magazine and scope mounted. Basically like hauling a SAW around with you. Give me an SVD any day.