This Iranian Sniper Rifle Has Never Been Seen Before

Via Iranian media.

Earlier this month Iran’s military leaders visited another exhibition in Tehran for promoting new locally made weapons. Considering the dates when it took place–between December 2 and 3–this was a different occasion from the annual IPAS show that’s geared more towards foreign OEM vendors. Images later published in Iranian media revealed the hardware presented at the event is meant for the ground forces. There’s now public evidence that an extended range Kornet missile is manufactured in Iran and armament options are being tailored for a local brand of pickup trucks.

Yet the existence of a mysterious sniper rifle went unnoticed even when Iran’s highest ranking soldier was impressed by it.

Pictured above is Major General Mohammed Bagheri peering through the scope. Bagheri’s official title is the Chief of Staff for Iran’s armed forces, making him responsible for both the IRGC and the Artesh although Bagheri spent his career in the former. The rifle he’s clutching remains unnamed but it resembles similar bolt action rifles manufactured in the US by companies like McMillan and Remington. It remains guesswork if the rifle is chambered for 7.62×51 mm or 7.62×54 mm ammunition–Iranian state-owned factories under the AIG manufactures firearms for either caliber.

Another intriguing characteristic of the rifle is its enlarged sighting device. Its shape and size resembles the computerized rifle sights manufactured and sold by the US company TrackingPoint. Not to arrive at a hasty conclusion but it looks as if a TrackingPoint sight has an Iranian analog mounted on the sniper rifle held by Bagheri. Since 2013 TrackingPoint grew its reputation by customizing sporting firearms with its unique laser rangefinder that calculates ballistic data for shooters. Part of its viral marketing strategy was to emphasize how their sights revolutionized firearms and had broad, if ill-defined, military applications. The company even boasted it borrowed technology from a fighter pilot’s heads-up display (HUD) for their products even if TrackingPoint sights just use a Linux-based operating system.

The mystery sniper rifle held by Bagheri is patterned after the current generation of long-range bolt action precision firearms favored by special forces. Its appearance can almost be mistaken for the Remington M40-series of sniper rifles embraced by the US Marine Corps. There are near identical similarities with the MacMillan TAC-338 rifle with its ergonomic stock shaped to provide a comfortable grip and an adjustable cheek rest. Like the TAC-338 this Iranian sniper rifle has a 27-inch barrel crowned by a distinctive muzzle brake. The magazine looks like it carries five rounds.

If the Iranian copycat TrackingPoint works as intended its range in daytime exceeds one kilometer. The civil wars that ruined Iraq and Syria this decade was a proving ground for Iranian and Iran-trained snipers who tested their skills in years of grueling combat. The AM-50 Sayyad anti-material rifle, chambered for 12.7×99 mm ammunition, saw extensive use in the struggle against ISIS. During the protests that swept Iraq in October and November militias supported by Iran are accused of sending snipers to harass and assassinate unarmed demonstrators.

It’s a terrible irony how Iran’s armed forces are able to acquire and reproduce military equipment from the US when sanctions imposed by Washington, DC have caused unimaginable hardship for Iranians. The existence of an advanced laser designator for firearms in Tehran can’t be dismissed, however. Iran’s state-owned manufacturing sector has enormous production output regardless of economic constraints. TrackingPoint’s technology, whether or not it’s been stolen and replicated, is adaptable to assault rifles and machine guns. The IRGC in particular will relish having their small arms enhanced with precision laser designators.