The PGM 338, also known as the PGM .338 LM (LM - Lapua Magnum) or PGM Mini-Hecate .338, is French

sniper rifle A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long-range rifle. Requirements include accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment and optics for anti-personnel, anti-materiel and surveillance uses of the military sniper. The modern sniper rifle is a por ...

from the early 1990's (being produced since 1993). It uses the

.338 Lapua Magnum The .338 Lapua Magnum (8.6×70 mm or 8.58×70 mm) is a rimless, bottlenecked, centerfire rifle cartridge. It was developed during the 1980s as a high-powered, long-range cartridge for military snipers. It was used in the War in Afghanistan and ...

(8.6×70mm) cartridge, which remains supersonic up to a range of 1200–1500 m depending on the exact ammunition type and environmental conditions. The PGM 338 is intended to fulfill a long-range anti-personnel role, and fills the capability void between the lighter 7.62×51mm NATO (.308) anti-personnel sniper rifles, which do not have the sufficient maximum effective range to be effectively used at ultra long ranges, and the larger .50 BMG (12.7×99mm) anti-materiel rifles, which lack the portability of lighter systems. The PGM 338 was designed by Chris L. Movigliatti (when he worked for PGM Précision) of the Swiss AMSD company and is produced by

PGM Précision PGM Précision (styled as PGM PRECISION) is a French company manufacturing high-precision rifles for military, law enforcement and sporting usages. Models include: * PGM Hécate II (12.7×99mm NATO / .50 BMG), .416 Barrett/ 10.6×83mm * PGM 3 ...

of France. The rifle is distributed directly through PGM in France, Drake Associates, Inc. of the United States and Liemke Defence in Germany and other European countries. The PGM 338 main commercial competitors/equivalents on the high-end factory sniper rifle market are the

Accuracy International Arctic Warfare The Accuracy International Arctic Warfare rifle is a bolt-action sniper rifle designed and manufactured by the British company Accuracy International. It has proved popular as a civilian, police, and military rifle since its introduction in th ...

and

Sako TRG The Sako TRG is a bolt-action sniper rifle line designed and manufactured by Finnish firearms manufacturer SAKO of Riihimäki. The TRG-21 and TRG-22 are designed to fire standard .308 Winchester ( 7.62×51mm NATO) sized cartridges, while the TRG ...

product lines. All these rifles are comparable performance-wise.

Design details

Like its larger brother - the

PGM Hécate II The Hécate II is the standard heavy sniper rifle and anti-materiel rifle of the French Army, sometimes known as the FR-12.7 (french: Fusil à Répétition de calibre 12.7 mm or "12.7 mm calibre repeating rifle"). It is manufactured by PGM Pr� ...

(chambered in .50 BMG), the PGM 338 is structured around a central rigid metal girder chassis, giving it a skeletal "barebones" appearance to minimize weight and simplify maintenance. The receiver is made from a high quality 7075 aircraft-grade

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductility, ...

, while the

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

bolt has three lugs that lock into a

barrel A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...

extension. It also has overpressure vent holes allowing high-pressure gases a channel of escape in the rare event of a cartridge case head failure. The barrel was designed by the German firm Lothar Walther and is cold hammer forged. The match grade

fluted Fluting may refer to: *Fluting (architecture) * Fluting (firearms) * Fluting (geology) * Fluting (glacial) *Fluting (paper) Arts, entertainment, and media *Fluting on the Hump ''Fluting on the Hump'' is the first album by avant-garde band Kin ...

barrel is mounted fully floated and sports an integrated

muzzle brake A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter recoil and unwanted ...

with a 50% recoil reduction effectiveness. The

features a non-conventional 305 mm (1:12 in) right-hand twist rate optimized for firing 16.2 gram (250 grain) .338-calibre

very-low-drag bullet A very-low-drag bullet (VLD) is primarily a small arms ballistics development of the 1980s–1990s, driven by the design objective of bullets with higher degrees of accuracy and kinetic efficiency, especially at extended ranges. To achieve this, ...

s (VLD). Longer, heavier VLD bullets, like the Sierra HPBT MatchKing 19.44 gram (300 grain) projectile require a 254 mm (1:10 in) rifling twist rate. The furniture (pistol grip and forearm) is made from a

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

material and is mounted to the frame. The

buttstock A gunstock or often simply stock, the back portion of which is also known as a shoulder stock, a buttstock or simply a butt, is a part of a long gun that provides structural support, to which the barrel, action, and firing mechanism are attache ...

is made from metal and has an adjustable shoulder pad for comfortable aiming and minimizing the effects of

recoil Recoil (often called knockback, kickback or simply kick) is the rearward thrust generated when a gun is being discharged. In technical terms, the recoil is a result of conservation of momentum, as according to Newton's third law the force r ...

on the operator. It is also adjustable for the

length of pull Length of pull (sometimes abbreviated as LOP) is the distance from the trigger to the part of a rifle or shotgun which fits against the shoulder of the shooter. Length of pull is an important ergonomic factor for ease of use; and optimum length of ...

and height, and can be folded to the left side of the receiver to reduce the overall dimensions of the rifle and make it more portable. An adjustable rear folding ground spike under the stock helps to keep the rifle in a stable position for extended periods of time and is most effective when coupled with the folding

bipod A bipod is a V-shaped portable attachment that helps support and steady a device, usually a weapon such as a long gun or a mortar. The term comes from the Latin prefix ''bi-'' and Greek root ''pod'', meaning "two" and "foot" respectively. Bipod ...

support under the rifle barrel. A

pistol grip On a firearm or other tools, a pistol grip is a distinctly protruded handle underneath the main mechanism, to be held by the user's hand at a more vertical (and thus more ergonomic) angle, similar to the how one would hold a conventional pis ...

is used for comfortable wielding of the weapon, especially during prolonged periods of time during which the operator must be immediately ready to open fire. The rifle has a fully adjustable two-stage

trigger Trigger may refer to: Notable animals and people ;Mononym * Trigger (horse), owned by cowboy star Roy Rogers ;Nickname * Trigger Alpert (1916–2013), American jazz bassist * "Trigger Mike" Coppola (1900–1966), American gangster ;Surname * Bru ...

featuring an adjustable trigger pull weight of to that can be adjusted by an armourer and a fast lock time. The PGM 338 is fitted with a

Picatinny rail The Picatinny rail ( or ), or Pic rail for short, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, 1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail (cancelled), is a military standard rail interface system that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It was o ...

so that it may be equipped with a wide range of commercial and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

-standard optical sights, lights, night vision equipment and other tactical accessories. It also has an optional set of emergency iron sights to be used in case of the failure of the primary sight. Normally muzzle brakes are fitted to reduce

, jump and flash. The PGM factory muzzle brakes are however detachable if a user does not wish to use it. In order to preserve an optimal shooting comfort, the factory advises to avoid firing without the muzzle brake or silencer attached. The PGM 338 is primarily intended for anti-personnel sniper work at distances between 500 and 1400 m, and can consistently achieve an accuracy of about 0.5

MOA Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand. The term has also come to be used for chicken in many Polynesian cultures and is found in the names of many chicken recipes, such as Kale moa and Moa Samoa. Moa or MOA may also refe ...

with match-grade ammunition when employed by a qualified marksman. At distances below 500 m, the .338 Lapua Magnum would be too powerful for anti-personnel use and cause

overpenetration Stopping power is the ability of a weapon – typically a ranged weapon such as a firearm – to cause a target (human or animal) to be incapacitated or immobilized. Stopping power contrasts with lethality in that it pertains only to a weapon's ...

in most circumstances, unless deep material penetration is required. At distances beyond 1200 m, the standard .338 Lapua Magnum bullets enter the transonic velocity region, thus significantly degrading its accuracy, but remaining somewhat reliable up to 1500 m. The rifle is most often used with a 10-round box magazine, although larger capacity magazines are also available. Factory accessories are: PGM sound-suppressor, ergonomic wooden grip, kit consisting of a long

and side Picatinny rails, PGM telescopic sight mounts, PGM back-up iron sights, transport case with formed foam and a carrying sling.

Users

*: Used by Army Special Forces *:

Chilean army The Chilean Army ( es, Ejército de Chile) is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade. In recent years, and ...

*: Israel Special Forces *:

Kenya Defence Forces The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) ( sw, Majeshi ya Ulinzi ya Kenya, stylized as "KENYA ARMED FORCES" capitalized on its coat of arms) are the armed forces of the Republic of Kenya. They are made up of the Kenya Army, Kenya Navy, and Kenya Air ...

GROM Grom may refer to: Military * JW GROM, a Polish special forces unit * ORP ''Grom'', several ships of the Polish Navy * Grom (missile), a Polish anti-aircraft missile * A Yugoslav/Serbian version of the Kh-23 (AS-9 'Kyle') air-to-surface missi ...

Singapore Armed Forces Commando Formation Commandos is the special forces formation of the Singapore Army responsible for conducting special operations. Commandos are tasked with infiltrating behind enemy lines by raiding and reconnaissance operations using airborne raids, helicopter ...

. *:

Slovenian Armed Forces The Slovenian Armed Forces or Slovenian Army (SAF; sl, Slovenska vojska; 'SV'' are the armed forces of Slovenia. Since 2003, it is organized as a fully professional standing army. The Commander-in-Chief of the SAF is the President of the R ...

. 8.6 mm Mini Hecate Sniper Rifle
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References

External links

PGM PrécisionDrake AssociatesPGM 338 data sheetUser Manual PGM .338 LMSOCOM PSR Contenders by Tom BeckstrandPGM PRECISION .338 LAPUA MAG Drake Associates' PGM 338 by Charlie CutshawPGM Germany
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pgm 338 .338 Lapua Magnum rifles Bolt-action rifles of France Sniper rifles of France Military equipment introduced in the 1990s

Design details

Users

See also

References

External links