Russia unveils 'Ferrari' among sniper rifles with a kill range of over 4 km

Russian weapons maker Tsar Pushka (TP) has come up with a rifle called SVLK-14S Sumrak, with an effective kill range of over 4km, which they say will not be used in combat.

The rifle has been manufactured by the first private arms factory in Russia with technology, equipment, and know-how from the US, reports Russia Beyond. The owner and principal gunsmith of TP, Vlad Lobaev, reportedly learned to fire guns and make them in the US.

"This weapon was made piece by piece, just like a Ferrari or Porsche, for people who appreciate high-precision guns and for professional snipers who use them in long-range shooting," said chief engineer Yuri Sinichkin.

The gun will fire a .408 CheyTac (10.3mm) bullet which has a muzzle velocity – the speed at which a bullet exits a gun – of over 900 metres per second. In spite of being one of the most powerful sniper rifles ever made, its makers say that it is not intended for combat. It is more of a collector's item like a powerful hyper-car.

One clear indication that it is not meant for the battlefield is the lack of a clip to feed bullets into the rifle's chamber. This was done to reduce moving "running" parts and to increase the weapon's range and keep accuracy at such distances.

The single-shot style Sumrak also features a heavy, almost 1.5m-long, high grade aluminium barrel with a stainless steel insert. It can function independently of the temperature it operates in, between -40 and +60 degrees Celsius. The weapon overall weighs 9.6 kilograms.

"The weapon was designed with two types of muzzle brakes. They reduce the shock to a very comfortable level. No rifle in the world with this calibre will allow an average shooter to take 150-200 shots a day without repercussions on his health. All this is embodied in the Sumrak rifle. It also has the classical form of a gunstock and is distinguished by its minimalism in details. There is nothing superfluous, only that which is necessary to obtain maximum range and precision," explained Sinichkin.

The stock and action of the rifle are made out of carbon fibre and Kevlar sandwiched in fibreglass set over a stainless steel chassis. Russian snipers have been able to hit targets of up to 4,200 metres away using the Sumrak, according to the report. However, owing to its size and weight, it is unlikely that anyone will be running through the woods carrying one of these.

Russia only recently announced a combat-ready long range sniper with a range of over 1,800 metres called the T-5000 Tochnost rifle made by Moscow-based ORSIS.