Erma SR-100

     Notes: The company of Erma was taken over by Suhler und Sportwaffen (a division of Steyr-Mannlicher) in 1998.  One of their products is the advanced SR-100 sniper rifle, a weapon built of modern materials and providing features that are desired by most military and police snipers. 

     The barrel of the SR-100 is made of cold-forged high-quality steel, with lightweight aluminum alloys for most other metal parts except for most of the operating mechanism parts.  The barrel of the 7.62mm version is 28.5 inches; all other versions use a 32.5-inch barrel. The trigger is adjustable for pull, slack, weight, and position; the stock is adjustable in length and height of the buttplate and the height of the cheekpiece.  (Most stocks are made from high-quality laminated wood, but synthetic stocks are available.)  The bipod is adjustable, and a retractable “third leg” under the stock may also be deployed.  Inside the handguard is a compartment for storage of the bipod when it is detached, as well as a set of sling swivels.  (The bipod and the front sling swivel cannot be attached at the same time, since they use the same attachment point.)  The sight mount is a MIL-STD-1913 rail.  Backup iron sights do not come standard with the SR-100, though fully-adjustable iron sights which attach to the MIL-STD-1913 rail and a mount hear the muzzle brake can be provided upon request.  An extendable mirage deflector, used to reduce haze on the front iron sight, may also be had upon request.  The muzzle has a full muzzle brake, which can be removed if a suppressor is desired and the ammunition is appropriate. 

     When first introduced, the SR-100 was available in .50 Browning Machinegun and .50 Anthis, but these chamberings were quickly dropped.  However, as of 2006, a version firing the .50 Whisper subsonic round (not to be confused with the .500 Whisper) was in development, but not expected to be on the market until mid-2007.  This version will mount an integral suppressor/silencer as standard equipment.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Not only did supplies of the SR-100 suffer from arriving late on the scene; such a large amount of precision work is required in their construction that supplies of the rifle were very low indeed.  Though they were spread out among US, NATO, Israeli, and Australian snipers, no one country used a large amount of them.  .50 Anthis and .50 Whisper versions are not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

     Merc 2000 Notes: Largely as the Notes, but the cost of the SR-100 further limits their supply.

Steyr Elite

     Notes: Introduced in early 2006, the Elite is a sniper rifle development of the Steyr Scout Rifle (see Austrian Sporting Rifles).  The standard caliber is 7.62mm, but 7mm-08 and 5.56mm versions are also available.  The Elite is designed to be a precision tactical rifle primarily for police use, for use as a quick sharpshooting weapon where a full sniper rig is not necessary or available.  The Elite uses Steyr’s SBS (Safe Bolt System) to enhance safety.  The trigger is two-stage, with the first stage set at 3.5 pounds and the second stage requiring virtually no pressure to fire the weapon.  The stock is a modified form of the Scout rifle, made from reinforced textured polymer with an adjustable cheekpiece, a butt plate adjustable for height and length, and a thick recoil pad on the butt.  The receiver is of aircraft aluminum.  The barrel is free-floating, match quality, and 22.4 inches long, with no flash suppressor or muzzle brake used.  The top of the receiver has a long MIL-STD-1913 rail.  The action requires almost no lubrication for proper functioning, and works best with spray-on-type dry lubricant.  The bipod is the same as that on the Scout Rifle, but reinforced and stronger; it is built into the handguard, and swings down for use. Like the Scout Rifle, the bipod is not adjustable.  The forward mounting point for the sling swivels can also be used to mount certain bipods.  (The sling swivels themselves are not included with the rifle as bought from the factory.)  The finish or the rifle is presently available only in black, and it is not known whether more colors will be available in the future, as came later with the Scout Rifle. 

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This rifle is not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Steyr SBS Tactical

     Notes: The SBS (Safe Bolt System) Tactical is a police sharpshooting rifle made by Steyr.  The heart of the rifle is its Safe Bolt System, a method of unlocking that allows the action to cycle while turning the bolt only 60 degrees yet can be made completely safe.  The rifle is known for its reliable functioning even under very adverse conditions.  It is also known for its ability to digest just about any sort of ammunition, from standard civilian rounds to wildcat high pressure ammunition.  It comes in two versions; one with a long, heavy barrel, and one with a short, lightweight barrel.

     The Tactical Elite rifle is a version of the SBS Tactical rifle shown above.  It is an SBS with many of the features of the Steyr Scout, plus a few new features.  The Tactical Elite, as sold, has no iron sights; instead, it has a MIL-STD 1913 rail that extends nearly 41 centimeters above the receiver and handguard of the rifle.  The rail is integrated with the receiver and forward handguard (which is extended to accept the rail), and the barrel is free-floating within it.  The stock is synthetic (at present black only), and the forward handguard has fold-down bipod legs like those on a Steyr Scout Rifle, and there are provisions for attaching a conventional bipod (as the fold-down bipod is not adjustable).  The cheekpiece is adjustable and the butt has a recoil pad.  The trigger is adjustable for a lighter pull, but is factory set at 3 pounds.  The Tactical Elite is more a sharpshooters’ weapon than one meant for dedicated snipers.

     Another version of the basic SBS Tactical, the SSG-04, was introduced in 2004, but not deemed ready by Steyr until nearly 2006.  The SSG-04 is essentially a highly-evolved version of the Tactical Elite.  It has the same basic operation as the SBS Tactical and Tactical Elite.  The stock is similar to that of the Tactical Elite, being synthetic and with an adjustable butt and cheekpiece (in black).  The butt and cheekpiece adjustments are easy and quick to make; one only has to turn knobs on the right side, which allow for precise adjustments of both.  The metalwork is largely steel.  The receiver is topped with a MIL-STD-1913 rail; no iron sights are provided, and an optional extension can be added to extend the MIL-STD-1913 rail to the end of the fore-end of the stock.  The MIL-STD-1913 rail and the optics mounts provided with it allow the shooter to rapidly and repeatedly change optics without losing his zero.  The barrel is heavy, free-floating, and cold hammer-forged; it is also tipped with a small but effective muzzle brake.  The 7.62mm NATO version may be had with either a 20 or 23.6-inch barrel; the .300 Winchester Magnum version is available only with a 23.6-inch barrel.  The ball on the bolt handle is enlarged for a better grip and rapid cycling.  The SSG-04 comes with a Harris folding light bipod, adjustable for height and cant.

     A new variant, the SSG-08, was designed specifically at the request of Austrian special operations units, and has since spread to other countries.  It is also popular among target shooters.  Two versions are available, the Compact and the Standard, which vary primarily in the barrel length and the chamberings.  The compact uses a 20-inch barrel, while the Standard uses a 23.6-inch barrel. Both have folding skeletonized aluminum alloy stocks which are adjustable for length of pull, angle of the buttplate, and the height of the padded cheekpiece.  The buttplate is also thickly-padded padded.  The Compact also has a flash suppressor, while the Standard has a muzzle brake.  The top of the receiver has a MIL-STD-1913 rail; optional rails are available for the sides of the handguard.  The same bipod is used, though it is attached to the front of the handguards instead of underneath. The action, while tightened, is basically the same as the other members of the SBS line.  The trigger is user-adjustable. The Compact is limited to 7.62mm NATO; the Standard can be chambered for 7.62mm NATO, .300 Winchester Magnum, or the new .338 Lapua Magnum chambering, which was again a specific request of Austrian special operations troops.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: These rifles do not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Steyr SSG Series

     Notes: Built by Steyr, the SSG has acquired a reputation for accuracy and ease of maintenance.  As the SSG-69, it is the standard sniper rifle of Austria and Greece, and is also used by thousands of police departments around the world.  It is also a popular rifle for competition shooters. 

     The basic member of this series, the SSG-69 (also known as the SSG-PI), has a 25.6-inch barrel which is cold-forged for strength and accuracy, and the rifle is fed from a 5-round internal magazine.  (An option for feed by a 10-round box magazine was once offered, but weapons with this option have not been manufactured for several years.) The stock is adjustable for length of pull by the use of spacers, and also has a padded butt.  The standard stock is synthetic, but wood is available if desired. The standard trigger for military and police models is two-stage, but a set trigger is available upon request.  Standard military versions have backup iron sights; civilian and most police models do not.  The standard sight sold with the weapon is a Hensoldt ZF-500 or 800 6x42, attached by standard NATO-compatible sight rings which mount on a longitudinal rib atop the receiver.  For non-NATO-compliant scopes, adapters are available from Steyr.

     There are four variants: the SSG-PII (formerly known as the SSG-P) uses a heavier barrel, black furniture, a larger bolt handle, and a set trigger.  It was specifically designed for police sharpshooters, and has no iron sights.  The SSG-PIIK is a smaller version of the SSG-PII using a shorter but heavier bull barrel 20 inches long.  The SSG-PIV (formerly known as the SSG-P Special) has a shorter barrel and is threaded for a silencer (which is normally fitted); it normally has no iron sights.  The Kefels-M80 is made by EBO in Greece; it has a heavy barrel and a weighted synthetic stock, and is markedly heavier.  The Kefels-M70 is the military counterpart to the Kefels-M80; is uses laminated wooden furniture and is much lighter than the Kefels-M80 (but still heavier than the SSG-69).

     It should be noted that while Steyr does chamber the SSG-69, SSG-PII, and SSG-PIIK for .243 Winchester, virtually no military units or police departments actually use this round; the .243 chambering is mostly for civilian use.

Unique Alpine TPG-1

     Notes: A fairly-new development from Austria (though it is in fact a German design), the TPG-1 is primarily designed for police use, but is quite suitable for military use.

     One of the interesting features of the TPG-1 is its modular construction.  Stocks can be interchanged with a number of stocks, from  wood furniture to highly-configurable synthetic stocks,  (The standard stock is synthetic with a pistol grip, a monopod to support the butt, and a bipod adjustable for height and cant ad the end of the fore-end.)  Barrels are 26 inches (with the exception of the .338 Lapua chambering, which uses a 27.6-inch barrel), and they may be tipped by a flash suppressor, a muzzle brake, or use an integrally-silenced barrel (assuming the appropriate ammunition).  The barrels are also quick-change barrels (within their caliber; the TPG-1 has no provision for easily changing calibers).  They are fluted to save weight. The buttstock, barrel, and fore-end can be removed for transport.  The receiver is built primarily from thick, aircraft-quality aluminum, with a steel barrel and operating parts.  The trigger is adjustable for pull weight and pull length; the stock is adjustable for length of pull by spacers.  The stock also has a cheekpiece adjustable for height and angle.  The butt has a thick, crescent-shaped recoil pad.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The TPG-1 is not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.