Parker Hale M82

Parker Hale M82
Type	Sniper rifle
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1972-2003
Used by	See Use
Wars	War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Production history
Designed	1960s
Manufacturer	Parker Hale
Variants	See Variants
Specifications (Canada C3A1)
Weight	7.2 kg (15.9 lbs)
Length	116.2–121.3cm
Barrel length	600 mm (23.75 in)

Cartridge	7.62×51mm NATO
Action	M98 Bolt action
Muzzle velocity	840 m/s (2750 ft/s) C21 NATO ball
Effective firing range	800m
Feed system	5-round mag well, C3A1: 4-round magazine
Sights	block mounts for iron sights

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 an entirely conventional sniping weapon. It uses a manual bolt action the same as the classic Mauser 98 rifle, allied to a heavy free-floating barrel chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO round. The barrel weighs 1.98 kg and is manufactured from chrome molybdenum steel. The Model 82 has an integral four-round magazine and 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 spacers of various thicknesses. The rifle was basically a standard target 7.62×51mm NATO heavy-barreled Mauser 98 with a wide beaver tail target walnut stock (with inset handstop rail) and a Parker Hale trigger with its side safety mechanism. The sights were subject to several variations, but the standard Model 82 was normally supplied with removable ‘iron’ match-type sight blocks. If an optical sight is fitted the rear-sight was removed, and the front sight slid off, but the front block/post remained. Two mounting blocks were fitted to the receiver for the purpose of the fitting of optical sight mounts, supplied with the Parker Hale are the parkerized aluminium scope rings; rifles that were in service in the Australian and New Zealand armies used the Austrian Kahles Wien ZF-69 6×42 (26mm tube) drop compensation telescopic sight set in 100m increments out to 800m, with fine crosshair. Some attempts at refurbishing and rebarrelling the rifles resulted in usage of one piece scope mounts but this proved unsatisfactory. The action and barrel were originally finished by parkerizing then completed with a black rubberised style non reflecting coating.

The barrel for the Canadian C3A1 is a heavy, fully free floating barrel chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO round. 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.^[1] The action is a Mauser-style rotating bolt type. It has 3 stainless steel locking lugs at the front and rear of the bolt. The C3 safety is a thumb activated lever above the magazine which locks the trigger, bolt and sear giving ultimate protection against an accidental discharge.

The standard sight on the revamped model C3A1 is an Unertl 10× 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. 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.^[2]

Users

Australia - Australian Army now uses SR-25
Canada (progressive replacement by the C14 MRSRS for the Canadian Army)
New Zealand - New Zealand Army now uses L96, LMT 308 MWS and Accuracy International AW50
United Kingdom - replaced by the Accuracy International Arctic Warfare L118A1 and Accuracy International AWM L115A3 by British Army

Variants

L81A1

The Parker Hale L81A1 is a shorter version of the Parker Hale M82 rifle 7.62×51mm (.308) rifle, adopted as a cadet training rifle in addition to the 0.22"LR Rifle No8. It can trace its lineage back through both the M82 sniper rifle and the Parker-Hale 1200TX target rifle

L81A2

L81 A2 Cadet Target Rifle

The Parker Hale L81A2, officially known as the L81A2 Cadet Target Rifle (CTR), the L81A2 replaced the L81A1 following reports of technical safety issues, including bulges in the barrel and is used by the ATC, ACF, SCC and CCF in competitions such as The Schools Meeting, The Ashburton staged annually in July by the Council for Cadet Rifle Shooting (CCRS), and the Inter Service Cadet Rifle Meeting (ISCRM)^[3] held at Bisley Ranges. The rifle is issued with a Diopter sight.

C3

The C3 was adopted by the Canadians in 1972 and was based on the Parker Hale M82. Its stock was made of wood with a font beavertail and an accessories rail. It had a Kahles Helios ZF69 6×42 scope. After a couple of years, it was upgraded to the C3A1 with a few modifications.

C3A1

The C3 was updated to the C3A1 and a number of modifications were made including the addition of an 10× Unertl scope currently in use by the United States Marine Corps.^[2] A fiberglass McMillan A2 stock was fitted along with a Parker and Hale made bipod for more stability and support while aiming in the prone position. During Operation APOLLO Canadian sniper Master Corporal Graham Ragsdale recorded 20 confirmed kills with the C3A1.^[2] It has also been used as a competition rifle.^[1] The C3A1 has been withdrawn from the Canadian Army and has been replaced by the C14 Timberwolf rifle Medium Range Sniper Weapon System. Instead it is used for the training of snipers due to its similarities with the C14 Timberwolf rifle. Its decline was due to a lack of parts due to the ending of production of firearms by Parker Hale in 2000 and the cesstion of C3A1 production in 1984.^[4]

Parker Hale offered the C3A1 as a complete kit known as the M85 on the civilian market. Common confusion occurs but no M82 was fitted with detachable magazines or enlarged bolt knob. Other Canadian snipers recorded high hit ratios and some extremely difficult shots. These marksmen remain anonymous.

References

1 2 "Sniper Rifle C3A1 7.62mm". eme421.com. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
1 2 3 "Canadian Forces Rifle — the 7.62mm Parker-Hale C3A1 MRSW". casr.ca. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
↑ "Epsom College are hottest shots again". Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
↑ "Parker Hale C3A1". chasesmith.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-07-17.

L81 A2 Stripped

Canadian Army

History	History of the Canadian Army Canadian Corps First Canadian Army Military History of Canada Fort Frontenac Library

Structure	Structure of the Canadian Army 2nd Canadian Division 3rd Canadian Division 4th Canadian Division 5th Canadian Division List of Units

Mechanized brigade groups	1 CMBG 2 CMBG 5 CMBG

Brigade groups	31 CBG 32 CBG 33 CBG 34 CBG 35 CBG 36 CBG 37 CBG 38 CBG 39 CBG 41 CBG

Small arms	C9 machine-gun C7A1 rifle/C8A1 carbine/C7A2 rifle C6 machine-gun Browning .50 calibre heavy machine gun Browning-HP 9 mm pistol P225, 226 C15 Long Range Sniper Weapon (LRSW) C3A1 sniper rifle C14 Timberwolf C13 fragmentation grenade M203 grenade launcher M72 SRAAW(L)

Crewed weapons	Carl Gustav SRAAW(M) ERYX SRAAW(H) TOW LRAAW(H) 81 mm mortar 60 mm mortar Javelin short-range air defence missile Skyguard C1 close support howitzer C3 close support howitzer LG1 Mark II 105 mm towed howitzer M777 lightweight 155mm howitzer C16 CASW

Armoured fighting vehicles	LAV III Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicle ADATS Leopard C2 Leopard 2 Bison APC M113A3 and MTVL RG-31 Textron TAPV

Schools	Canadian Army Command and Staff College Peace Support Training Centre Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre

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