by Bob Lesmeister
New Iranian-made 14.5mm Shaher sniper rifle (FARS
News Agency photo).
National Correspondent
The terror regime in Iran may be near creating a nuclear bomb, but their Shaher sniper rifle has already arrived.
Hopefully, its 14.5mm (.57-caliber) rounds won’t be hitting any US servicemen or servicewomen.
The Shaher sniper rifle weighs 48.4 pounds, is 72.83 inches long, and has an effective range of 4,000 meters. This weapon was designed and manufactured by the Self-Sufficiency Jihad of the Army. The 14.5 x 114mm is an effective round and was a staple of the former Soviet Union’s larger sniper and anti-materiel rifles. The armor piercing version can penetrate at least two inches of steel. It is still a favorite among Russia’s current military units. Construction quality and functionality are anyone’s guess as the Jihad terrorists of Iran aren’t known for their artistry or technical capability. Not so much an anti-personnel sniper rifle, its use would most likely be to take out slow moving targets such as the CH-47 Chinook and other large objects such as bunkers and tanks.
According to Army Commander Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, all sorts of military weapons and equipment are being mass produced inside the country. The Iranian military has been touting the Shaher and other military items during its recent shield-banging war games fiasco. Iranian military officials believe that showing off the new rifle and other military items such as vehicles and bombs will be a deterrent to the US and Israel, but the only ones who actually believe this are the Iranian military officials! Now, it’s up to the idiots in the Pentagon to stop transporting US troops in that slow moving target known as the CH-47 Chinook.
In sniper rifle news closer to home, the US Army has awarded Remington Arms Company LLC a Firm Fixed- Price (FFP) Indefinite Delivery- Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for the procurement of XM201 Sniper Rifle spare parts. John Day, vice president of Remington Defense, declared, “We look forward to putting the best weapons systems possible in the hands of our US military.” The XM2010 is produced at Remington’s manufacturing facility in Ilion, NY.
The XM2010 is chambered for .300 Win Mag and features the new Remington Arms Chassis System (RACS) that includes a folding stock that can be adjusted for length of pull and cheek height. More features include a monolithic rail with removable rail pieces and cable routing guides that maximize rail insert space, co-align electronic optics, and manage electric cables. Ammo is fed from a 5- round detachable box magazine. The M24 receiver and trigger along with a 22-inch barrel (1 turn in 10” RH) gives it an effective range out to 1,200 meters.
Remington is not the only manufacturer enjoying a nifty boost in sales.
US Army issues contract for Remington XM201 sniper rifle parts.
The chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) signed a $28.8 million deal for the purchase of Glock pistols.
PNP Chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome approved the purchase of nearly 60,000 Glocks. PNP spokesman, Chief Superintendent Generoso Cerbo Jr. stated Bartolome signed the agreement between PNP and the joint venture of Trust Trade and partner Glock Asia Pacific. Founded in 1988, Trust Trade is a leading importer and dealer of international firearms, ammunition and firearm accessories in the Philippines. It has several branches and over 100 sub-dealers in the Philippines.
Under the contract, Trust Trade and Glock Asia Pacific will deliver a total of 59,904 Glock 17 Gen 4 pistols in 9mm within 570 days after signing of the agreement. Currently, the PNP has 85,689 service pistols issued to 143,104 police personnel. Director Arnulfo Perez, the PNP logistics chief, said that after the PNP completes its current procurement program, it will have a total of 172,289 handguns in its inventory. The Glock contract will provide enough handguns to arm all 148,000 PNP personnel on active duty and new police recruits joining the force in the next couple of years.
Trust Trade is scheduled to deliver the first batch of 12,000 pistols in February 2013. This will be followed by two succeeding deliveries every 120 calendar days and two more deliveries in the last 180 days of the delivery period. Each Glock pistol will come with two spare magazines, cleaning kit, user’s manual, carrying case and a basic load of 28 rounds of 9 mm ammunition.
The “close but no cigar” award goes to the Israeli Weapons Industry that actually came out with the lowest bid for its Jericho pistols. According to PNP officials, IWI and its bidder R. Espineli were disqualified for failing to comply with the post-documentary requirements.
Espineli submitted the lowest bid to supply the PNP with Jericho handguns for $23.4 million.
