User:MFIreland/Parker Hale M82

The Parker-Hale Model 82 (M82) is the military version of the Parker-Hale 1200TX target rifle; it was accepted for service by several nations for both military and police use. In appearance and design terms the Model 82 is entirely conventional sniping weapon. It uses a manual bolt action similar to the classic Mauser 98 rifle, allied to a heavy free-floating barrel chambered for the 7.62 X 51mm NATO round, the barrel weighs 1.98 kg and is manufactured from chrome molybdenum steel. An integral four round magazine and has an entirely self contained trigger unit which can be adjusted as required.

Design and features
The M82 was available in a number of forms to suit any customer requirements. Thus an adjustable cheek pad may have been provided if wanted, and the butt lengths can be altered by adding or taking away butt pads of various thicknesses. The sights were subject to several variations, but the Model 82 is one weapon that was normally supplied with ‘iron’ match-type sights. If an optical sight is fitted the rear-sights have to be removed to allow the same block to be used. Two mounting blocks were machined to the receiver for the purpose of the fitting of optical sight mounts; a one piece mount is encountered on the Model 82 on rifles that were in service in Australian and New Zealand.

Adoption by the Canadian Forces
The C3A1 was originally adopted by the Canadians as the need to fill a requirement role. Prior to that, the Canadian Forces had no specialized medium range anti-person sniper rifle. It was designated the C3. A few years later the C3 was updated to the C3A1 and a number of modifications were made including the addition of an 10x Unertl scope currently in use by the United States Marine Corps. During Operation APOLLO a Canadian sniper recorded 20 confirmed kills with the C3A1.

Variants
Australian and New Zealand used the M82 fitted with a Kahles Wien ZF69 6X42 telescopic sight. The Canadian army used a version of the M82 altered to meet local requirements and is known as the "Rifle 7.62mm C3".

Parker Hale L81A1
The Parker Hale L81A1 is a shorter version of the Parker Hale M82 rifle 7.62x51 mm (.308) rifle, adopted a cadet training rifle by the British Army and some other Commonwealth countries. The rifle is used as a sniper with a magazine and fed with a single action bolt. It is accurate up to ranges of 600 yd in the field and 1000 yd on a range with windage flags.

L81 A2 Cadet Target Rifle


The Parker Hale L81A2 is a shorter version of the Parker Hale M82 rifle 7.62x51 mm (.308) rifle, adopted as cadet training rifle. It can trace its lineage back through both the M82 sniper rifle and the Parker-Hale 1200TX target rifle. It is used by cadets in the Combined Cadet Force, Sea Cadet Corps, Army Cadet Force and Air Training Corps. It has a non-removable loading tray in place of the L81A1's magazine. The rifle is issued with dioptre target rifle sights and is used in competitions such as The Schools Meeting and the Inter Service Cadet Rifle Meeting (I.S.C.R.M) held at Bisley Ranges. This rifle is accurate to 1000 yards but more commonly used at 300, 500, and 600 yards. The service life of the barrel is 2000 rounds after then it is x-rayed to see if there are any faults with the barrel. The barrel is also very prone to rusting making it very hard to keep in a serviceable condition. The L81A2 replaced the L81A1 in cadet use after the L81A1 was withdrawn by the cadet organisations following reports of technical safety issues, including bulges in the barrel. Nicknamed the "Elephant Gun" by some units upon re-issue, it uses the same 7.62mm ammunition but is not magazine fed, the magazine is replaced in cadet use by a non-removable loading tray. The rifle is issued with a variable dioptre target rifle sight and is used in competitions such as The Ashburton staged annually in July by the NRA, and won regularly by Epsom College. Also the Inter Service Cadet Rifle Meeting ISCRM. The L81A2 does not have a magazine.

C3
The C3 was the base model which was based on the Parker Hale M82. It was adopted by the Canadians in 1972. After a couple of years, it was upgraded to the C3A1 with a few modifications. Instead of the Parker Hale M82, the stock was taken from the Parker Hale M87, giving it a fiberglass stock designated the McMillan A2. Also the Kahles ZF69 6x scope was replaced with the more advanced Unertl 10x scope. Finally, the standard Parker Hale monopod on the C3 was replaced with a Harris made bipod for more stability and support while aiming in the prone position. Apart from that, there were no other significant performance modifications made to the rifle.

C3A1
The C3A1 is an export version of the Parker Hale M82. In the 1970s it was adopted by the Canadian Armed forces due to its recorded superb accuracy. It has been used as a competition rifle. Since sniper trials at CFB Gagetown the C3A1 has slowly been withdrawn from the Canadian Army and has been replaced by the C14 Timberwolf rifle in the Medium Range Sniper Weapon System role. Instead it has been found on the training grounds teaching new snipers the art of trade due to its similarities with the C14 Timberwolf rifle. Its decline was down to a lack of parts due to the halt in production on firearms by Parker Hale in 2000 and more importantly, the C3A1 actually ceased production in 1984. Advances in sniper technology such as heavier free floating barrels provided amazing accuracy which left this rifle eventually becoming less and less modern and soon overshawdowed by newer rifles.

Ammunition
The C3A1 can use two different type of ammunitions, the 7.62x51mm NATO round or the Winchester .308.

Barrel
The barrel for the C3A1 is a heavy, fully free floating barrel which is chambered for the 7.62x51 NATO round, however as mentioned above can be chambered in the .308. It has a weight of 2.04 kg/4.5 lbs and a length of 60 cm. Rifling follows a 1:12 turn ratio with 4 right hand twists.

Action
It makes use of a rotating bolt, single shot manually operated mauser action with a fully adjustable trigger system. It has 3 stainless steel locking lugs at the front and rear of the bolt. The safety is a thumb activated lever above the magazine which locks the trigger, bolt and sear giving ultimate protection against an accidental discharge.

Sight
The standard sight on the revamped model C3A1 is an Unertl 10x zoom scope which can only be used for daytime engagements as its lacks any night vision capabilities. It has a duplex crosshair with a mil dot style scale in increments of 200m up to 1000m. It can also be used with the default iron sights

Stock
The stock for the C3A1 is one piece walnut or fibreglass stock with an internal bedding of either Devlon, Aluminum or Steel putty. The fibreglass version is called the Mcmillan A2 stock and can be painted in any camouflage scheme depending on environment. The ease of re-painting the stock was a massive success in Afganistan when matched with dry grass and sand.