BeSpokeGun: How Sanctions Boosted Russian Sniper Rifle Production for Special Military Op

The gunsmiths recently handed over a new batch of high-precision Raptor Tactical sniper rifles to Russian soldiers in the special military operation. Yaroslav Tabolsky, CEO of the private arms company BeSpokeGun, discussed the competitive advantages of the new Russian guns with Sputnik.

Russian arms company BespokeGun developed the Raptor Tactical systems in April this year in partnership with the Russian Special Forces University.

The Raptor Tactical .338 LM has already proved effective in the special military operation zone. The rifle can effectively hit targets at a distance of up to 1850 meters and weighs 7.1 kg without additional accessories.

"The reviews are very positive," Yaroslav Tabolsky, CEO of the private arms company BeSpokeGun, told Sputnik. "This is a really good Russian weapon and of a very high class. The guys are satisfied with the accuracy, reliability, and quality of the product - everyone is very happy."

"We have not made any truly revolutionary discoveries. We also did not apply any fundamentally [new] design solutions. Yes, there are certain laws, including the laws of ballistics and physics. We just made a product of excellent quality. We used the best technologies, the best materials and components," the CEO continued.

Russia's Raptor sniper rifle. File photo

© Photo : BespokeGun/Telegram

BeSpokeGun has long been focused on creating luxury hunting and sporting weapons.

"We have always made rifles that shoot extremely accurately," Tabolsky stressed. "But here it all depends on the caliber. For hunting - when distances are short – there’s a 308 caliber. Its maximum range is 800 meters; when a 338 caliber is used, here the transition to subsonic starts and [its firing range soars] to 1500 meters. We use the full potential of 338. So, yes, indeed, it is highly accurate. The concept of 'high precision' is more about sports, but it is also applicable in the field of tactics. Moreover, tactical actions differ from sports, because, as a rule, you need one or two shots."

Per the manufacturer, the Raptor's shooting accuracy is between 0.1 - 0.3 MOA ("minute of angle") which means that a seasoned sniper could literally hit the same point twice.

After the company has mastered the production of the Raptor Tactical .338 LM, there is room to grow, according to Tabolsky. He revealed that BeSpokeGun is presently developing a new generation of rifles with the use of advanced technologies.

Raptor Tactical Sniper Rifle made by BespokeGun

© Photo : BespokeGun

"It will be even better," the executive promised. He explained that the Russian military needs high-precision weapons to shoot from a larger distance to ensure soldiers' safety and increase their effectiveness. Per Tabolsky, all parts of the weapon will see improvements, making it even more reliable and handy.

"We have always produced weapons with a personal touch," he pointed out. "And in general, when we started developing tactical weapons – which became necessary some time ago – we proposed the same approach. But taking into account our popularity and growing demand, we began producing a small series."

"But in general, we try to preserve all our traditions. That is, one can simply come and take a rifle from stock, but we try to communicate with the end user and assemble a system, especially for him. Including some individual features of the rifle or, say, accessories in the form of body kit, ammunition, and so on. That is, we are trying to keep this concept for now."

How Western Sanctions Facilitated BeSpokeGun Production

Immediately after the beginning of Russia's special military operation to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine, Western countries slapped a series of sanctions on almost all sectors of the Russian economy. However, instead of strangulating it, the restrictions gave it a boost.

Previously, BeSpokeGun imported foreign components to make their rifles, now the company has replaced almost all of them with Russian-made elements and units.

"Sanctions are a very good basis for the development of our own technologies and our own production," Tabolsky said. "We replaced almost everything with [components of] our production. Indeed, these [sanctions] pushed us. Of course, there were a lot of labor hours and financial costs. But there are development trends. That is, the import replacement works."

It wasn't as complicated as one could imagine, Tabolsky continued: "Almost everything has already been replaced: the stock is domestic, the barrel is ours, the bolt group is our own, and it is better than the imported one. The more we produce now, the further we develop it, the cheaper the cost becomes. And everything I saw regarding imported components, there is nothing that we cannot produce."

However, in general, the company is trying to produce components that surpass the imported analogs, the executive underscored.

"In Russia, arms production has always been built around some unique gunsmith who knows everything and can do everything. We have chosen the way of technology. And, let’s say, the designers were not invited from the weapons industry. As a result, they do not have tunnel vision. They see the problem more broadly, and that's what allowed us to give birth to our Raptor [Tactical system]. I mean, it really worked," explained Tabolsky.

Despite having some shortage of staff, the company has enough young employees devoted to their work and is ready to train new specialists, according to the Sputnik interlocutor. All in all, the Russian manufacturing industry has risen sharply against all odds, he admitted, adding: "I personally really like this job, always with sparkling eyes."