Anti-Materiel Rifles

NUMBER 7 • JUNE 2011

A
nti-materiel rifles are designed pri- where its greater barrier defeating abilities
marily to engage and neutralize a over the standard infantry rifle made it an
& MARKETS

variety of targets at distances well ideal choice. The cessation of hostilities in

beyond a kilometre (or half a mile). While 1945 largely saw the disappearance of the
WEAPONS

specialized ammunition enables the weapon ‘anti-tank’ rifle.2

to pierce light armour and many aircraft, anti- The introduction in 1982 of the Barrett
materiel rifles are also used for anti-personnel M82 12.7 mm self-loading rifle made this type
purposes. Most of the weapons in this class are of weapon attractive to many countries’ mili-
chambered for 12.7 mm (.50 calibre) ammuni- taries and law enforcement bodies. Although
tion, but some fire cartridges of up to 20 mm. no longer designed to engage tanks, advances
Research Notes

The effective range for 12.7 mm and 14.5 mm in ballistics, improvements in the weapons’
anti-materiel rifles is 1,000-2,000 m (at the upper design to reduce recoil and weight, and more
threshold, at least three times the effective effective bullets resulted in a much more
range of a purpose-built 7.62 mm sniper rifle), portable weapon capable of directly engaging
but use of a mount can extend the range and a variety of targets with significantly less col-
its ability to engage the target.1 A 20 mm anti- lateral damage than larger and more destructive
materiel rifle typically has an effective range weapon systems. Today, more than a dozen
of around 2,000 m (Jane’s, 2007, pp. 287–296). countries produce anti-materiel rifles, and
Anti-materiel rifles owe their origins to dozens more have procured them.
the First World War. Developed as a quick The 12.7 mm rifle is also popular with
response to the Allied introduction of the civilians in several countries and numerous
tank in 1917, the early ‘T’ Gewehr anti-tank non-military versions are being produced to
rifle fired a 13 mm cartridge that was designed meet this demand. The civilian versions are
to defeat the relatively thin armour of the early generally heavier, less robust, and are equipped
tank. Man-portable for use in the trenches, the with less capable optical devices and fewer
design was based on the bolt-action design of enablers (although more sophisticated scopes
the much smaller Mauser rifle. The development and electronic devices can be obtained com-
of what had become known as the ‘anti-tank mercially and fitted to most ‘civilian’ models)
rifle’ continued between the two World Wars, than the weapons designed to military speci-
some countries choosing to stay with a larger fications. In the United States alone, more than
calibre, others opting for smaller, rifle calibres, 20 companies manufacture 12.7 mm calibre
but with a much increased muzzle velocity. rifles (Boatman, 2004, pp. 51-52, 56, 58, 61; see
However, irrespective of the chosen calibre, the Table 1 for a sampling of producers and prices).
man-portable, single-shot or magazine fed anti- Interest in this type of firearm arises in part
tank rifle posed little threat to better-protected because it is legal for civilians in the United
armoured vehicles at the start of the Second States to possess this weapon and because using
World War. Obsolescent by this time, the anti- these rifles has become a recognized sport in
tank rifle remained in limited service, some- the United States as well as other countries,
times being used in a counter-sniper role including Switzerland and the United Kingdom.3

Barrett M82

Small Arms Survey Research Notes • Number 7 • June 2011 1

Table 1 Examples of 12.7 mm (.50 calibre) anti - materiel rifle prices from US companies (USD)*
Company Prices Company Prices Company Prices
A.L.S 1,900 Christensen 5,500 Robar 7,000 About the
Arms Small Arms Survey
Armalite Inc. 3,000 East Ridge Gun 1,900-3,600 Safety Harbor 1,850-2,450 The Small Arms Survey serves as
Company Inc. Firearms Inc. the principal international source
Barrett 3,000-8,050 E.D.M. Arms 2,250-8,500 Serbu 2,200-2,450 of public information on all aspects
Firearms of small arms and armed violence,
and as a resource centre for govern-
Bluegrass 3,100 Ferret 50 3,300-4,000 Watson 2,150
Armory Weapons
ments, policy-makers, researchers,
and activists. The Survey distributes
* Prices are rounded to nearest USD 50. its findings through Occasional
Source: Leff, 2007 Papers, Issue Briefs, Working
Papers, Special Reports, Books, and
Non-state armed groups have its annual flagship publication, the
References Small Arms Survey.
also shown an interest in acquiring
Boatman, Robert H. 2004. Living with the BIG
this weapon. They have succeeded in The project has an international
.50. Boulder (CO): Paladin Press.
staff with expertise in security stud-
obtaining them on several occasions FCSA (Fifty Caliber Shooters Association).
ies, political science, international
from civilian customers who have 2011. ‘Fifty Caliber Shooters Association,
Inc. Fact Sheet.’ Accessed May 2011. public policy, law, economics,
transferred them (illegally). Examples development studies, conflict reso-
<[Link]
include the Irish Republican Army visitors/[Link]/> lution, sociology and criminology,
(Vobejda and Ottaway, 1999), the Friscolanti, Michael. 2006. ‘We Were Aban- and works closely with a world-
Kosovo Liberation Army (Sullivan, doned.’ [Link]. Web edition, 15 May. wide network of researchers and
2004), and drug cartels in Mexico (see, <[Link] partners.
national/[Link]?content=20060515_ The Small Arms Survey is a
for example, US DoJ, 2010; 2011).4
126689_126689> project of the Graduate Institute of
Jane’s. 2007. Jane’s Ammunition Handbook
International and Development
2007–2008. Coulsdon: Jane’s Information
Studies, Geneva. For more informa-
Sourcing Group.
tion see [Link].
This Research Note is based on Eric G. Berman Leff, Jonah. 2007. For Sale: .50 Caliber Rifles in
and Jonah Leff, ‘Light Weapons: Products, the US. Unpublished background paper.
Geneva: Small Arms Survey. First published: June 2011
Producers, and Proliferation,’ Small Arms
Survey 2008: Risk and Resilience, Cambridge: Sullivan, Stacy. 2004. Be not afraid, for you have
Cambridge University Press, pp. 7–41. It has sons in America. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
been updated by Eric G. Berman. US DoJ (United States Department of Justice). Credits
2010. ‘Two Men Charged with Conspiracy
to Illegally Purchase and Smuggle Authors: Eric G. Berman and
Military Type Semi-Automatic Rifles to Jonah Leff
Notes Mexico’. Press Release. 22 September. Design and Layout: Richard Jones
<[Link]
1 A Canadian soldier firing a .50 caliber (rick@ [Link])
rifle (a McMillan Tac-50) reportedly suc- 2010/09/092210-dal-two-charged-on-
cessfully engaged an enemy combatant [Link]>
at 2,430 meters in Afghanistan in 2002, —. 2011. ‘Stillwater Man Sentenced To One
besting a record for sniping in combat Year In Federal Prison For His Role As A Contact details
that had stood for more than a quarter Straw Buyer Of Firearms In Scheme To Small Arms Survey
Illegally Purchase And Transfer Military
of a century (Friscolanti, 2006). Graduate Institute of International
2 Author correspondence with Richard Type Semi-automatic Rifles To Texas And
and Development Studies
Jones, Consulting Editor, Jane’s Infantry Mexico’. Press Release. 19 April.
47 Avenue Blanc
Weapons Yearbook, 18 November 2010. <[Link]
news/2011/2011_04_19_4.html> 1202 Geneva
3 The US Fifty Caliber Shooters Association
Vobejda, Barbara and David Ottaway. 1999. Switzerland
(FCSA), for example, reports it has more
than 4,000 members from 22 countries ‘The .50-Calibre Rifle.’ Washington Post.
17 August. t +41 22 908 5777
(FCSA, 2011).
4 According to a US Attorney in Oklahoma, f +41 22 732 2738
‘the illegal trafficking of firearms from This Research Note forms part of a series
the United States to Mexico is a serious available on the Small Arms Survey website
problem’ and ‘is fueling a lot of the at [Link]/publications/
violent drug cartel activity.’ The illegal by-type/[Link]. The online
transfers have included .50 calibre semi- version of this document will be updated
automatic rifles (US DoJ, 2010; 2011). as more information becomes available. For
more information on anti-materiel rifles,
please visit [Link]
org/weapons-and-markets/products/light-
[Link]

2 Small Arms Survey Research Notes • Number 7 • June 2011