Braddick Defence Systems to deliver first new Braddick Mk XII sniper rifle 30404164

Defence & Security News - Braddick Defence
 
Braddick Defence Systems to deliver first new Braddick Mk XII sniper rifle
Braddick Defence Systems announced the first deliveries of its new Braddick Mk XII SFS (Special Forces Sniper) rifle series, which it claims is one of the most accurate sniper rifle systems in the world with guaranteed sub 0.2 minute of angle (MOA) accuracy.
     
Braddick Defence Systems to deliver first new Braddick Mk XII sniper rifle 640 001Braddick Mk XII SFS (Special Forces Sniper) rifle series
     

The bolt action series is chambered in .308, .338 Lapua Magnum and .50. Designed to form part of a long range marksmanship system, the rifle has been built entirely in South Africa and is intended to meet the rigorous standards demanded by military customers, expressly special forces and paramilitary units, Braddick said, adding that the weapons range is an African system, designed by African professionals, for African missions.

All three rifles are bolt action and magazine fed. A complete Mk XII series system will cost in excess of $12 000 per unit, excluding scope and ancillary add-ons.

Adam McCallum, Chairman of the Braddick Technology & Defense Group, told defenceWeb that the objective in manufacturing the rifle was to build more than just a revolutionary rifle system. The Mk XII was designed from the outset to be an integral part of the firm’s long range turnkey marksmanship system. This includes items such as ballistic calculators, Braddick designed laser rangefinders and reconnaissance and communications systems.

“As a package,” McCallum said, “this long range system is as good, if not better than any available and integrated system in the world today. We’ve set new horizons in pushing engineering to its very limits and creating something that is at the forefront of sniping systems as we know it, something that may even be a universal leader in its class. Rifles of this extreme accuracy [0.2 MOA] are a first for South Africa and accuracy such as is this is very rarely seen in the military and policing spheres around the world.”
     
Braddick Defence Systems to deliver first new Braddick Mk XII sniper rifle 640 002
     

All three weapons calibres adopt near similar frame designs - the new rifle range uses the same grip, stop, bipod and other components, with only the barrel and size of each weapon changing, making it easy for someone to easily get used to shooting all three rifles.

For greatest accuracy, Mk XII barrels are cut from a single die rather than pressed or hammer forged. While pressed barrels are cheaper to manufacture (using a hydraulic press to pull a ‘button’ through the steel to create the barrel) these stresses created minor metallurgical deficiencies along that barrel. Cutting the barrel ensures the bore and groove diameter remain within tighter specifications and tolerances and little to no heat deviation is transferred to the metal, making cut barrels the most accurate, not only because better tolerances may be achieved, but also because near perfect metallurgical consistency is maintained through the length of the barrel.

As the Mk XII series was designed for the military market, it had a lot of input from hunters, snipers, shooters etc. However, the Mk XII series will also be available on the civil market in the coming weeks.

(DefenceWeb)