ZMT's SR-50M anti-materiel rifle breaks cover at sniper conference

The ZMT SR-50M may feature multiple calibre options in future. (Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów)

Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów (ZMT) presented its ZMT SR-50M anti-materiel sniper rifle at a conference held at the Military Institute of Armament Technology in Zielonka on 2 June 2023.

The event included the first live-firing demonstration of the 12.7 mm (.50) calibre bolt-action rifle since it passed initial factory trials earlier this year.

Roman Uznański, chief small arms designer at ZMT, told Janes that the ZMT SR-50M has a modular design and might be multicalibre, “In the future ZMT SR-50M could be fitted [for] calibres such as .416 Barrett or .408 CheyTac. Moreover, it is possible to develop a variant with a chamber fitted to 12.7 mm×108 ammunition.”

According to Polish Armed Forces requirements, the rifle can be easily dismantled and transported in two major parts – a solution that is especially needed by airborne troops and special forces. Uznański said “the weapon is designed to fit standard containers used during parachute drops”.

The ZMT SR-50M is fitted with a 29-inch (736 mm) long free-floating barrel with muzzle brake. For special forces requirements a shorter 22-inch (559 mm) barrel might be used. Both barrels are interchangeable in the field using one hook-key only. A standard M24 screw thread enables other muzzle brakes and suppressors to be attached.

The design's use of a Remington 700 trigger mechanism and 5-round McMillan magazine enables off-the-shelf components to be used. The rifle features a fully adjustable stock and is fitted with the M-LOK mounting system and MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rails, enabling various day or night scopes, bipods, tripods, and laser pointing devices to be integrated. The 29-inch barrel rifle weighs only 12 kg.