Accuracy International AW-50 Series

     Notes: The AW-50 is essentially an enlarged version of Accuracy International’s smaller sniper rifles.  The features of the AW-50 are basically the same as those of the AI’s other rifles (particularly the AW/L-96A1), but suitably enlarged to handle the much larger cartridge.  The British are known to be users of the AW-50 and AW-50F, while the Australians have recently chosen the AW-50F for use as one of their antimateriel rifles.  The users of the AW-50FT are as yet unknown.

     All AW-50s are bolt-action magazine-fed rifles with receivers partially built from steel (in areas where high strength is required) and aircraft-quality aluminum alloy.  The receiver is bedded to a chassis also of aluminum alloy, one which has an integral anti-recoil system.  The 27-inch barrel is of heavy stainless steel and is tipped with a rather long but high-efficiency muzzle brake.  The stock folds for transport (but the AW-50 cannot be fired with the stock folded) and the buttplate is padded and adjustable for length of pull and height.  The stock also has a cheekpiece which is adjustable for height and position along the stock.  The folding bipod is fitted at the front of the receiver and is adjustable for height and cant; the butt also has a folding monopod adjustable for height.  The trigger is also adjustable for pull weight and length.  The receiver is topped with a MIL-STD-1913 rail for optics; backup iron sights are optional, but not normally found on the AW-50.  (The normal scope in British service is a 3-12x50 Mk II with an illuminated Mil-Dot-type reticle.)  The AW-50 was introduced in 1998, and was said to have drawn first blood in 2001.

     In 1999, AI introduced a further development of the AW-50, the AW-50F.  The biggest difference between the AW-50F and the original AW-50 is the lesser weight (without compromising strength), achieved through the use of more advanced metals and metalworking methods.  In 2002, the AW-50FT version was introduced; in this model, much of the steel is replaced with titanium, reducing the weight even further while actually making the AW-50FT even stronger.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: British special operations snipers were the only known users of the AW-50 in the Twilight War, and it is estimated that they only had no more than 8-10 of them the entire war.  The AW-50F and AW-50FT do not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

     Merc 2000 Notes: In a world saturated by US, Russian, and Eastern European antimaterial rifles, the AW-50 did not find many buyers.

*Though the AW-50 series will fold to a bulk of 7, the AW-50 series CANNOT be fired with the stock folded.

Accuracy International AS-50

     Notes: At first thought to be a semiautomatic development of the AW-50 series, the AS-50 is in fact a new design.  Reputedly developed at the behest of US Navy SEALs, it is also being evaluated by other member of the special operations community and sniper community (both in the US and otherwise), including combat testing in Afghanistan and Iraq, where it has received excellent reviews.  It was first shown at the 2005 SHOT Show, but what the rifle had been doing up to that point and what it is doing now has not been officially stated by Accuracy International.

     The AS-50 is gas-operated with a single rear locking system (a variant of a tilting bolt).  Construction is of high-grade, high-strength steel.  The stock and certain other parts (pistol grip, rear grip/stand, and some other minor parts) are made from polymer.  The stock may detached for transport (it can actually be fired without the stock, but it is not recommended due to the recoil and lack of support), along with the barrel.  The butt has a thick rubber recoil pad.  The 27.25-inch barrel is heavy, match-quality, free-floating, and fitted with a large and effective muzzle brake.  The folding bipod is attached just forward of the receiver and is adjustable for height and cant, as well as being able to be rotated up to 90 degrees in either direction.  The top of the receiver and gas tube are fitted with a full-length MIL-STD-1913 rail, which extends almost to the end of the barrel.  The handguards are short, but also have MIL-STD-1913 rails on either side.  The AS-50 has a total of four sling swivels to allow a variety of slings and harnesses to be mounted.  No iron sights are provided.  The charging handle is unusual in that it can be replaced by ones of differing lengths and bends, as the shooter and tactical situation dictates.  There is a manual safety which blocks the trigger mechanism, as well as several passive safeties. 

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The AS-50 is not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline, though Accuracy international engineers did develop a rare semiautomatic version of the AW-50 (treat as a semiautomatic AW-50).

Accuracy International AX-50

     The AX-50 is an antimateriel rifle version of the AX, sort between an AS-50 and AX-50 in features..  It is designed to exhibit extreme toughness, especially under battle conditions. Most of the advantages and functions of the rest of the AX series are present in the AX-50.  The barrel is 27 inches long.  The barrel, like the others, is floating, match-grade, hand-fitted, heavy-duty, and a large muzzle brake, and made from a special steel alloy. The barrel is removable so that a less-worn barrel can be attached. The AX-50 is largely machined from steel billets.  It has a proprietary flat-bottomed profile, and has a full-length recoil lug.  The AX-50 has MIL-STD-1913 rails, above the receiver, atop the handguards, and at 3, 6, and 9’oclock positions on the handguard.  Unlike the AXMC series, the AX-50 is finished in black. The pistol group and controls are AR-15-stype.  The trigger is two-stage.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This rifle does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Boys Mark 1/Mark 2

     Notes:  This weapon was originally designed in the mid-1930s by Captain Boys of the British Small Arms Committee.  They gave it the name of Stanchion, but when Captain Boys suffered an untimely death (of natural causes), the Committee decided to name the new weapon after him.  Unfortunately, by this point the antitank rifle was already a spectacularly useless weapon in its intended role and it was withdrawn from service in 1942 except in certain specialized sniping roles.  The Boys Mark 1 was a very large rifle, with a 36-inch barrel. In 1942, the Mark 2 was designed; it was a short 30-inch-barreled model of the Boys for use by paratroopers, but was even more useless against the armor the Germans were fielding at the time.  The Mark 2 had a short period of popularity as a heavy sniping rifle, but as it was very unpleasant to fire, it was withdrawn after less than a year. 

     The US Marine Raiders used a variant of the Boys Mark 1, built for them by Canada; these were chambered for .50-caliber ammunition, and had a strengthened action, beefed-up bipod, muzzle brake, and with a scope mount. The Raiders used them as a long-range sniper rifle during the Korean War, though they were never type standardized or adopted on an official basis.

     The Boys was, design-wise, a rather austere weapon; most of the barrel is unsupported (though it is NOT a floating barrel) and the receiver looks almost like raw, unfinished metal.  The butt is similar to that of the PIAT, though larger, and has a thick recoil pad that unfortunately does little to mitigate the felt recoil. The buttstock is equipped with a folding monopod, and the front of the receiver is equipped with a folding bipod that is adjustable for height.  The pistol grip is canted forward at an odd angle (if any of my readers know why the grip is canted like this, let me know at the email address on the home page). Sights are simple aperture sights, seemingly inadequate for such a weapon, though civilian enthusiasts have, over time, improvised mounts for telescopic sights.

     The few examples that are still in firing condition today could each probably buy a person a decent car, and the ammunition usually has to be handloaded.