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36-608: The Barrett XM109 , originally known as the Objective Sniper Weapon ( OSW ) and now called the Anti-Materiel Payload Rifle ( AMPR ), is a prototype anti-materiel sniper rifle . It is chambered for 25 × 59 mm grenade rounds and was developed by Barrett Firearms Manufacturing . It was designed in accordance with a requirement set out in 1994, and is capable of defeating light armor and equipment out to 2 km (1.2 miles). Prototypes of

72-467: A Boys rifle, crippling one of her turbines while she was paying a visit to Waterford , Republic of Ireland. The contemporary training manuals for the Boys directed that it was for protecting the platoon against light armoured fighting vehicles: penetrating "their armour up to about 500 yards range" and "inflict casualties on their crew, although it may not seriously damage the vehicle itself." A manual on

108-483: A V-shaped bipod ; and a third model made for airborne forces with a 30-inch (762 mm) barrel and no muzzle brake. There were also different cartridges, with a later version offering better penetration. Although adequate against light tanks and tankettes in the early part of the war, the Boys was ineffective against heavier armour and was phased out in favour of the PIAT hollow charge weapon mid-war. The firearm

144-572: A counter- VBIED weapon system, due to their greater ability to penetrate uparmored VBIED threats that standard rifle calibers used by designated marksmen (typically 7.62×54mmR and 7.62×51mm) are not able to reliably stop. Despite having been designed to be used against equipment, anti-materiel rifles have also been used for killing soldiers from distances that are beyond the effective range of regular rifle-caliber cartridges. Anti-materiel rifles can also penetrate most obstacles and building materials, making them viable for engaging targets behind cover that

180-598: A fully functional XM109 rifle. The 25 × 59 mm round that is used in the XM109 is the same one originally developed for the cancelled XM307 , product of the Objective (later Advanced) Crew Served Weapon program (OCSW / ACSW). As with the XM307, the XM109 can be reconfigured back to .50 BMG , in the XM109's case this is done by swapping the 25mm upper receiver for a standard M82 / M107 upper. The XM109 offers greater range and

216-888: A large number of Boys anti-tank rifles to Finland in 1939 and 1940 during the Winter War with the Soviet Union . The weapon was popular with the Finns because it could deal with Soviet T-26 tanks, which the Finnish Army encountered in many engagements. Although useful against early German and Italian tanks in France and North Africa , as well as in the Norwegian campaign, such as the Panzer I , Panzer II and early models of Panzer III , improvements in vehicle armour during

252-461: A shorter overall length than the previous M82/M107 systems, as well as potentially greater power in the 25 × 59 mm cartridge over even the Mk 211 .50 BMG cartridge (AKA "Raufoss round"). However, the small amount of propellant and heavy projectile resulted in unacceptably high recoil due to limiting the effects of the weapon's muzzle brake , with a recoil force of over 60 foot-pounds compared to 36 for

288-589: Is termed hard target interdiction (HTI) by the United States military . The longest confirmed kill shot was made with a .50 BMG by a Canadian sniper in Iraq at 11,610 feet (3,540 m). Boys anti-tank rifle The Boys anti-tank rifle (officially Rifle, Anti-Tank, .55in, Boys , and sometimes incorrectly spelled "Boyes") is a British anti-tank rifle used during the Second World War . It

324-651: Is usually hard enough to stop rifle-caliber cartridges. In general, anti-materiel rifles are chambered for 12.7×99 mm NATO (.50 BMG) , 12.7×108 mm Russian , 14.5×114 mm Russian , and 20 mm cartridges. According to the US Army , the range of a standard sniper rifle firing a 7.62×51mm NATO round is a distance of about 2,600 feet (800 m) while the Barrett's effective range is 3,300 feet (1,000 m) against personnel targets, and 6,600 feet (2,000 m) against materiel targets. The offensive use of anti-materiel rifles

360-531: The Allied invasion of Sicily . In other roles, the Boys saw some use against bunkers, machine gun nests and light-skinned vehicles but was rapidly replaced in British and Commonwealth service, as quantities of the latter weapon became available, by the U.S. .50 BMG calibre M2 Browning machine gun . Using armour-piercing (AP), armour-piercing incendiary (API), and armour-piercing incendiary tracer (APIT) ammunition,

396-661: The Battle of Singapore , the 1st Bn Cambridgeshire Regiment claims the Boys was very useful in knocking holes through walls during street fighting. After the war in the Pacific, the gun was used by the Royal Malay Regiment to fight against communist insurgents during the Malayan Emergency . The U.S. Marine Corps purchased Canadian Boys rifles prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. They saw limited use by

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432-891: The Japanese occupation and to aid the Allied liberation . In the post-Second World War era, it was operated during the Hukbalahap Rebellion against the Hukbalahap Communist fighters in Central Luzon and by the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) against the North Korean and Chinese Communist forces. In September 1965, members of the IRA hit the British fast-attack patrol boat HMS Brave Borderer with

468-729: The Marine Raider Battalions against enemy bunkers and aided in the destruction of two seaplanes off Makin Island. The U.S. Army's 1st Ranger Battalion was also equipped with Boys, but they were not used in combat. The other five Ranger battalions were authorized Boys, but were not equipped with them. The Boys rifles used by the Kingdom of Greece during the Greco-Italian War and Greek Civil War .1,786 Boys 14mm British anti-tank rifles were ordered from Greece for

504-757: The Wz. 35 anti-tank rifle , around 800 of which were captured by Germans and put into service as Panzerbüchse 35(p). The PTRD-41 and PTRS-41 anti-tank rifles were used by the Soviets on the Eastern Front . Germany used the Panzerbüchse 39 , while Japan used the Type 97 automatic cannon , though the latter became obsolete by 1942. Notably, the United States did not develop or field any anti-tank rifles during

540-636: The .50 Browning was just as capable in armour penetration and more devastating when igniting thin-skinned vehicles using incendiary rounds than the Boys, and could also serve as an effective anti-aircraft weapon. The heavier Browning, however, was not "man-portable" at 38 kg (84 lb) without tripod and 58 kg (128 lb) with tripod. Even the British Special Air Service , which made much use of captured or cast-off weapons for their jeeps and reconnaissance vehicles, quickly got rid of their Boys rifles in favour of M2 Brownings or

576-493: The Boys published for the Home Guard in 1944 gave the expected performance against armour ranging from 0.91 in (22.3 mm) at 100 yards square on to 0.35 in (8.8 mm) at 500 yards hitting at a 40-degree angle. The manual also noted that maximum penetration against other materials was 14 in (360 mm) of brick walls and 10 in (250 mm) of sandbags. The Boys Rifle was sometimes mounted on vehicles such as

612-624: The Italian 20mm Breda cannon. The weapon was standard issue to British and Commonwealth forces which attempted to stem the Japanese onslaught through the Pacific theatre . At Milne Bay , the weapon proved completely ineffective. It also failed to stop Japanese tanks in Malaya . Some accounts claim that the 1/14th Punjabi Regiment knocked out two light Japanese tanks at a roadblock. During

648-892: The M107. As of 2004, one of the project goals was to reduce the weapon's recoil. Anti-materiel rifle The anti-materiel rifle originated in the anti-tank rifles , which itself originated during World War I . While modern tanks and most other armored vehicles are too well protected to be affected by anti-materiel rifles, the guns are still effective for attacking unarmored or lightly armored vehicles. They can also be used against stationary enemy aircraft, missile launchers, radar equipment, unexploded ordnance , small watercraft, communications equipment, crew-served weapons and similar targets. Their value lies in their ability to precisely target and disable enemy assets from long range at relatively low cost. The history of anti-materiel rifles dates back to World War I . The need for anti-tank rifles

684-612: The Objective Sniper Weapon (OSW) and now called the Anti-Materiel Payload Rifle (AMPR), is a semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle, designed primarily for engagement of light armored vehicles and similar targets. The design uses the lower receiver from an M82/M107 , but with a new upper receiver chambered in 25mm. The upper receiver of the M82 rifles can be replaced with an XM109 upper receiver to form

720-538: The Second World War left the Boys largely ineffectual as an anti-tank weapon. A shortened version was deployed in 1942 for issue to airborne forces and saw use in Tunisia, where it proved completely ineffective because of the reduced velocity caused by the shortened barrel. A further limitation was that the Boys rifle was relatively heavy and unwieldy to carry. The Boys' reputation after the Battle of France

756-523: The U.S. to Swedish forces. The M82 rifle first saw action in the early 1990s, during the Gulf War . The U.S. Marine Corps initially purchased around 125 M82 rifles; orders from the Army and Air Force followed. These weapons were used with rounds such as armor piercing incendiary rounds (API) which were effective against such targets as buildings, trucks, and parked aircraft. The purpose of this round

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792-536: The W Mark 2 ammunition, 47.6 g (735 gr) AP at 884 m/s (2,900 ft/s). The W Mark 1 could penetrate 0.91 in (23.2 mm) of armour at 100 yards (91 m), about the thickness used on the frontal armour of a half-track or armoured car, or the side or rear armour of a light tank. Later in the conflict, a more effective round was developed, the W Mark 2, which fired a tungsten -cored projectile at 945 m/s (3,100 ft/s). The Boys' effective range against unarmoured targets (for example, infantry),

828-401: The XM109 have existed since the late 1990s and studies of the weapon's effectiveness were released in 2002; 10 prototypes were known to exist in 2004, and the XM109 and Barrett XM500 were folded into a broader Anti-Material Rifle Congressional Program in 2006. The current status of the XM109 is not clear, with no news of either cancellation or potential adoption. The XM109, originally known as

864-519: The armor, while others believed that the higher caliber rounds would cause greater damage. The weapon was quite heavy at 109 lb (49 kg) and had an 88-inch (220 cm) barrel, and it carried the nickname "the elephant gun". During the Cold War , the Barrett M82 rifle was produced by the United States, and was chambered to fire a .50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO) round. This weapon was sold by

900-556: The body of the weapon and its repair and maintenance proved difficult. The .55 Boys cartridge was an adaptation of the .50 BMG with a belt added firing a 47.6 g (735 gr) bullet. At its introduction, the weapon was effective on light armour 23.2 mm (0.91 in) thick at 100 yards (91 m). Two main service loads were used during the Second World War: The W Mark 1 a 60 g (930 gr) AP projectile fired at 747 m/s (2,450 ft/s), and

936-542: The direct anti-tank protection of the infantry. However, from the beginning and during the war, only 122 of them reached Greece. The Boys rifles were also used by the Chinese Nationalist Army during the late Second Sino-Japanese War in both China and Burma. The Boys rifle was also equipped and used by the Philippine Army and Philippine Constabulary during the Second World War against

972-428: The first anti-materiel rifle. The rifle was designed to penetrate the thick armor of the British tanks. The rifle weighed 41 lb (19 kg) when loaded, fired a 13.2 mm round weighing 55.5 g (1.96 oz), and had an effective range of about 1,600 ft (500 m). This weapon had a two-man crew: one to load and the other to fire the weapon, although they often switched roles. The recoil of this weapon

1008-531: The war, choosing instead to use explosive anti-tank weaponry such as the M1 Bazooka . One anti-tank rifle used was the Lahti L-39 , a Finnish anti-materiel rifle. One version was designed to fire a 13.2 mm cartridge and another a 20 mm cartridge. There was debate over which was more effective at piercing armor. Some argued that the smaller cartridge travelled faster and could penetrate deeper into

1044-442: The weapon was large and heavy with a bipod at the front and a separate grip below the padded butt . In order to combat the recoil caused by the large 0.55 inches (14 mm) round, a muzzle brake was fitted on the barrel while the receiver was allowed to slide along the frame with a shock absorber attached to the rear of the rifle. The Boys had been designed with numerous small narrow-slotted screws of soft steel set very tight into

1080-673: Was developed by Captain Henry C. Boys , Assistant Superintendent of Design—1885-1937, who was a member of the British Small Arms Committee and a designer at the Royal Small Arms Factory , Enfield . It was initially called Stanchion but was renamed after Boys when he died a few days before the rifle was approved for service in November 1937. A bolt action rifle fed from a five-shot magazine ,

1116-602: Was first encountered by the Germans when faced with the British Mark 1 tank. The Mark I could cross ditches up to nine-foot (2.7 m) wide, which made it a major threat to infantry in trench defenses. As a counter, the Germans first used "direct fire mortars", which were mortars aimed at low angles pointing towards enemy tanks. Later, the Germans developed the T-Gewehr anti-tank rifle, which can be credited with being

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1152-490: Was much greater. Despite its recoil slide and rubber-cushioned buttpad, the recoil of the weapon (along with noise and muzzle blast) was said to be painful, frequently causing neck strains and bruised shoulders. Consequently, the Boys was almost never fired as a free weapon (that is, not affixed to a support) except in emergencies. The Boys rifle was used in the early stages of the Second World War against lightly armoured German tanks and combat vehicles. Britain also supplied

1188-631: Was often nicknamed the " elephant gun " by its users due to its size and large 0.55 in (14 mm) bore. There were three main versions of the Boys: an early model (Mark I) which had a circular muzzle brake and T-shaped monopod , built primarily at BSA in England; a later model (Mk I*) built primarily at the John Inglis and Company in Toronto , Canada, that had a rectangular muzzle brake and

1224-455: Was so high that it was known to break collar bones and dislocate shoulders. The rifle fired a steel core armor-piercing round specifically designed to be used with this rifle. During World War II , anti-materiel guns were widely used. The British Boys anti-tank rifle was used to great effect against lightly armored tanks, but was soon replaced by the PIAT due to its ineffectiveness against more armored tanks. In September 1939 Polish army used

1260-617: Was such that the Canadian government , through the Directorate of Military Training, The Department of National Defence and National Film Board of Canada (NFB) commissioned a training film , Stop That Tank! (1942), from Walt Disney Studios to counter the rifle's " jinx " reputation. Nonetheless, in the European theatre, it was soon replaced by the PIAT (Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank) in 1943, which first saw service during

1296-923: Was to penetrate non-armored vehicles and burst into flames on impact. Saboted light armor penetrator ammunition was also used in anti-materiel rifles during the conflict. In the modern era, the armor of tanks and other vehicles increased, making it difficult for .50 BMG bullets to penetrate. As such, modern day anti-materiel rifles are no longer used in an anti-tank capacity, and generally used to penetrate light armor vehicles or for its barrier-blind capabilities against targets behind concrete barricades and buildings; as well as being used to destroy unexploded ordnance. Additionally, modern anti-materiel rifles are frequently used as sniper rifles against personnel targets, due to their long range, relatively low cost of construction for craft-produced models, and robust penetrating capabilities. They have seen frequent use in Syria and Iraq as

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