The Snipex Alligator is a bolt-action, magazine-fed

anti-materiel rifle An anti-materiel rifle (AMR) is a rifle designed for use against military equipment, structures, and other hardware (materiel). Anti-materiel rifles are chambered in significantly larger calibers than conventional rifles and are employed to elimin ...

chambered in

14.5×114mm The 14.5×114mm (.57 calibre) is a heavy machine gun and anti-materiel rifle cartridge used by the Soviet Union, the former Warsaw Pact, modern Russia, and other countries. It was originally developed for the PTRS and PTRD anti-tank rifles, ...

manufactured by

XADO Xado is a multinational chemical group with headquarters in Germany, the Netherlands, and Ukraine, manufacturing high-tech nano technology products and lubricants such as revitalizants, lubricants, oils, greases, aftermarket oil additives, fuel ...

Holding Ltd.

Design

The Snipex Alligator long-range large-caliber magazine-fed repeating rifle is designed to engage moving and stationary targets: vehicles, communications and air defense systems, aircraft in parking areas, fortified fixed defensive positions, dugouts, etc. The box

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

is detachable and holds five rounds of ammunition. It is designed to penetrate of

armor plate Military vehicles are commonly armoured (or armored; see spelling differences) to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, shells, rockets, and missiles, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fighting ...

at a distance of . The

rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

was designed to take into account all the requirements for high-precision shooting. Barrel locking is achieved through a rotating bolt. The rifle demonstrates an acceptable level of recoil during shooting. Recoil is suppressed by the

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 ...

, the recoil isolator, an elastic multilayer shoulder pad, and optimally balanced weight. The rifle has a height-adjustable cheek rest, which can be positioned for right- or left-handed shooting. For ease of aiming, the rifle is equipped with a folding bipod and an adjustable rear support, allowing for fine adjustment. It has 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 ...

with a 35

arc minute A minute of arc, arcminute (arcmin), arc minute, or minute arc, denoted by the symbol , is a unit of angular measurement equal to of one degree. Since one degree is of a turn (or complete rotation), one minute of arc is of a turn. The n ...

gradient on which various sighting devices can be mounted.

History

The rifle was first introduced in June 2020 on the official Snipex

Facebook page Facebook is a social-network service website launched on February 4, 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg. The following is a list of software and technology features that can be found on the Facebook website and mobile app and are available to users of ...

. In July, the first presentation video appeared on the official

YouTube channel YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most v ...

. Based on the state examinations results, the 14.5×114 mm caliber Snipex Alligator rifle was unofficially adopted by the

Armed Forces of Ukraine , imports = , exports = , history = , ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine , country=Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly known ...

in 2020; it was officially adopted on 2 March 2021. The Alligator has been used by Ukrainian forces during the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

. A record killing shot was recorded there in November 2022 at a confirmed distance of 2710 meters.

Users

References

{{reflist, 30em 14.5×114mm anti-materiel rifles Single-shot bolt-action rifles Rifles of Ukraine

Design

History

Users

See also

References