The Army released a report in late 2016 that centered on the Russian threat in Ukraine and detailed how the capabilities of Russian snipers have grown, thanks in large part to a deadly new Russian sniper rifle, the ORSIS T-5000.
And it also just so happens that the National Rifle Association once helped promote the T-5000, according to Mother Jones.
In 2015, the NRA sent a delegation to Moscow, where they toured the facilities at ORSIS (the Russian company that makes the sniper rifle), test-fired the T-5000 and were even included in an ORSIS promotional video, Mother Jones reported.
The delegation included NRA board member Peter Brownell, NRA donor Joe Gregory, former NRA President David Keene, and former Milwaukee County Sheriff and Trump supporter David Clarke, Mother Jones and The Daily Beast reported.
The delegation also met with Dmitry Rogozin, who had been sanctioned by the Obama administration over the invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea, during the trip, which was also partially paid for by a Russian gun-rights organization called the Right to Bear Arms, Mother Jones reported.
Rozogin was Russia’s deputy prime minister who oversaw the defense sector at the time, but was not retained by Russian Prime Minister-designate Dmitry Medvedev in Putin’s new administration, Reuters reported on Monday.
The US Army report from 2016 described the T-5000 as “one of the most capable bolt action sniper rifles in the world.”
A former Soviet Spetsnaz special forces operator, Marco Vorobiev, said the gun “can compete with any custom-built bolt action precision rifle out there,” according to Popular Mechanics.
“It is well designed and built in small batches,” he said. “More of a custom rifle than mass produced.”
The T-5000 fires a .388 Lapua Magnum round, which is an 8.6 or 8.58x70mm round, that can hit targets up to 2,000 yards away, Popular Mechanics reported.
A .388 Lupua Magnum round is more than two times more powerful than a 7.62x54R round, The National Interest reportedin December, adding that there’s no known body armor in the field that can stop the round.
The T-5000 has reportedly been used by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine, Iraqi special forces operators, and has been spotted being used by Chinese troops and Vietnamese law enforcement officers, Popular Mechanics and thefirearmblog.comreported.
The Russian military is also beginning to field the T-5000, and it has even been tested with Russia’s “Ratnik” program, which is a futuristic combat system that includes modernized body armor, a helmet with night vision and thermal imaging, and more, The National Interest and Popular Mechanics reported.
The rifle, however, has had problems opening the bolt, The National Interest reported.
Still, the T-5000’s range has helped Russian forces in Ukraine “fix Ukrainian tactical formations by employing sniper teams en masse,” the 2016 Army report said.
The sniper teams “layer their assets in roughly three ranks with spacing determined by range of weapons systems and the terrain” with the “final rank [consisting] of highly trained snipers” with the best equipment, the report said.
They then “channelize movement of tactical formations and then direct artillery fire on prioritized targets.”
“Several sniper teams will work together to corral an enemy formation into a target area making delivery of indirect fire easy and devastating,” the report said. “Russian snipers also channelize units into ambushes and obstacles such minefields or armored checkpoints.”
The “capabilities of a sniper in a Russian contingent is far more advanced than the precision shooters U.S. formations have encountered over the last 15 years,” the report said.
http://www.businessinsider.com/nra-helped-promote-orsis-t-5000-russian-sniper-rifle-2018-5
I bet the gun carry a high price
*** A .388 Lupua Magnum round is more than two times more powerful than a 7.62x54R round, The National Interest reportedin December, adding that there’s no known body armor in the field that can stop the round. ***
I assume they mean the .338 Lapua round. It’s an excellent long-range round, but there ARE body armor plates that can stop it (unless you’re using AP rounds, which I’ve never seen on the civilian market).
You can still get .50 BMG AP rounds as a civilian in the US, and there may still be some surplus .30-06 AP rounds out there also. Either is VERY good to have.
So some one took the time too build a decent bolt rifle. Do the writers of the article not understand that we Americans can do the same thing with an over the counter Remington or Savage. Blue – Printing a bolt rifle is getting damn common. The tools needed can easily be purchased at Pacific Tool and gauge.
That’s what I was thinking. (or something like that) … it’s just a rifle, and we’ve had no trouble building good ones in the past.
I don’t understand why this would have the military worried, but we’re seeing a lot of our technological shortcomings in the news lately……. it’s as if they’re preparing the public for losing WW3 by giving them the reasons now.
Now that’s a hoss right there…..
Savage Makes a real nice 7mm bolt action
I’d like to shoot it
Love playing long with my .300WM
The .338 is a very nice round very capable , accurate and hard hitting at distance
Anything Russian is getting big time face time, weapons, airplanes, Putin. They’re building up Russia like its the new world nation. This is what happens when a $200 billion leader spreads his mafia cash around.
You stuff a ballot box with only one guys name, the world is forced deal with the bullshit.
So it begins, as I have warned in the past. If they can get their AR ban, next up is the dreaded “high powered sniper rifle”. IDIOTS!
This rifle is nothing special, I know guys with .338 Lapua and .50 BGM shooting in long range competitions.
Bill that is an excellent analogy. The next gun grab is sniper rifles
This story is about a rifle that someone took the time to build right. NO BIG DEAL