Walther WA 2000

Infobox Weapon
name= Walther WA 2000


caption= Walther WA 2000
origin=flagcountry|West Germany
type= Sniper Rifle
is_ranged=yes
is_bladed=
is_explosive=
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is_vehicle=
service=
used_by=
wars=
designer=
design_date=1970s
manufacturer=Walther
production_date=
number=
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weight= 6.95 kg (unloaded, without telescopic sight)
length= 905 mm (35.6 in)
part_length= 650 mm (25.6 in)
crew=
cartridge=

• 7.62 x 51 mm NATO
• .300 Winchester Magnum
• 7.5 x 55 mm Swiss

caliber=
action= semi-automatic, gas-operated
rate=
velocity=
range= 1000 m
max_range=
feed= 6-round detachable box magazine
sights= Schmidt & Bender 2.5–10 × 56mm telescopic sight
breech=
recoil=
carriage=
elevation=
traverse=
blade_type=
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The Walther WA 2000 bullpup sniper rifle was designed by the Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen company from the ground up as a specialised police sniper rifle as opposed to being an adaptation from an existing rifle.

Design

The bullpup design was chosen because it would allow a standard length (for a sniper rifle) barrel to be used whilst the overall length would be shorter than a conventional rifle.

The WA 2000 used the PV4 night vision sniper scope.

The .300 Winchester Magnum round was chosen as the primary caliber because of its long range accuracy and its consistency at all ranges. The entire rifle is designed around the barrel. The WA 2000 fires from a closed bolt and uses a bolt with seven locking lugs. The rifle features a six round magazine capacity.

Variants

Only 176 total rifles were ever produced in three different variants: one chambered for the standard .300 Winchester Magnum round, another chambered for the popular 7.62 x 51 mm NATO round, and the final version for the 7.5 mm Swiss round.

The two variants can be differentiated by the type of flash suppressor used: the first, the older model, uses a "can" type flash suppressor; whereas the second and newer model uses the more conventional "flash-hider/compensator" design.

Production

The rifle was produced from the late 70s through November 1988 when production was stopped due to high production costs. The final retail cost for a base rifle in 1988 was in the range of $9,000 to $12,500.

Of the 176 units were produced, only 15 were exported to the U.S., 11 of which are owned by Earl J. Sheehan Jr., President of [http://www.waltheramerica.com/ Walther U.S.] Due to its rarity the WA 2000 can be worth over $75,000 to $80,000 in the open market.

External links

* [http://world.guns.ru/sniper/sn15-e.htm WA 2000 info]