✅ Brugger & Thomet APR 308 sniper rifle (Switzerland)

Modern rifle Brugger&Thomet AG APR308: reviews and characteristics

The sniper rifles on sale today have proven themselves to be reliable, well-designed and safe devices that can be used for a variety of purposes.
Their predatory appearance, the use of modern polymer materials, characterized by increased resistance to external influences, ensure constant interest in them from buyers, and the owners note such characteristics of all presented models as excellent shooting performance, the absence of danger for the shooter due to the thoughtfulness of the entire design, as well as ease of use. And among the most interesting models, the Brugger&Thomet AG APR308 rifle should be highlighted, which can be used both to hit a distant and moving target while hunting, and for training accuracy. The combination of an attractive appearance, excellent technical characteristics and thoughtful basic equipment allows this model to be used by everyone who values the combination of quality and significant capabilities. The Brugger&Thomet AG APR308 carbine combines maximum shooting quality, guaranteeing high accuracy of shots, bullet flight range and the necessary accuracy of shots, and thoughtful design of the shotgun: even women and teenagers who decide to learn the initial skills of shooting from professional firearms will find it convenient to gain practical skills with his help.

Sniper rifle Brugger & Thomet APR 308 (Switzerland)

The Brugger & Thomet APR 308 sniper rifle was developed in 2003 by the Swiss company Brugger & Thomet based on the French PGM Mini-Hecate rifle.
Here we need to make a retreat and go back a few years in order to understand how the Swiss arms company Brugger & Thomet got the rights to modernize the French rifle, and subsequently produce the final result. The fact is that initially the Brugger & Thomet company was a distributor of the French company PGM, but apparently having gained enough experience and qualified specialists into its staff, it was only waiting for the right moment to declare itself as a full-fledged arms company. And such a moment presented itself when the Singapore Armed Forces announced a competition for a new sniper rifle. Having bought the rights to the French rifle model from its creators (the Gonnet brothers), it was modified, many of its characteristics were improved and presented at the MILIPOL 2005 exhibition. In fact, the company’s full-fledged weapons career began with this weapon. By the way, the rifle entered service with the Singapore Army almost immediately.

As with any modernization, a weapon rarely becomes different beyond recognition, and in the case of the Brugger & Thomet APR 308, there is an external resemblance to its ancestor, but the external similarity does not mean that the rifle has remained the same. First of all, Brugger & Thomet paid special attention to the balance of the weapon. So, most sniper rifles have a balance shifted towards the barrel, which is not very convenient when transporting them, but in this model of weapon, despite the fact that it has a fairly large weight, the balance is shifted closer to the rifle’s fore-end, which makes it more convenient to use compared to other even lighter models. Many weapon manufacturers have begun to focus their products on reducing the weight of weapons, and often this leads to the fact that the weapon simply jumps when firing, thereby reducing the accuracy of the shot, and this applies not only to automatic rifles, but even bolt-action rifles, for example may be McMillan's latest models.

The Brugger & Thomet company, like others, uses lightweight aluminum alloys in the design of the Brugger & Thomet APR 308 , however, it does this with great care, or, more correctly, wisely. So the rifle is based on an aluminum chassis and this is where the use of light alloys ends. The rifle has a modular design, which in principle is not surprising given modern trends in weapons manufacturing. So the trigger mechanism, assembled as a separate module with a fuse, is of interest. It is interesting because almost everything in it can be adjusted, from the free play of the trigger before firing and the force of pressing the trigger in the range from 0.5 to 4 kilograms, to the rigidity of the safety switch. Why all this is in a rifle that is clearly not intended for use by high-class specialists is not clear, although it is possible that it is thanks to the presence of all this that the Brugger & Thomet APR 308 will be chosen for certain purposes, although it was originally created as a combined arms sniper rifle.

Review of the Brugger&Thomet AG APR308 rifle

The rifle of the model in question, having a pronounced style and laconic appearance, excellent technical characteristics and ideal basic equipment, is considered one of the most popular today. The integrated silencer included in the kit allows you to use the weapon for night hunting, which significantly increases the possibilities of using the carbine. The presence of a large number of advantages ensures interest in it from buyers, who, taking into account the numerous positive reviews from the owners, are very interested in this model.

Specifications

The ideal combination of reliable design, attractive external design and high shooting performance have made the Brugger&Thomet AG APR308 model one of the most popular today. The accuracy and firing efficiency of all types of rifles on the market today are the highest, which is why interest in the Brugger&Thomet AG APR308 model is constantly at its height.

Specifications

Carbine Brugger&Thomet AG APR308

Hunting, sport shooting, accuracy training, training for beginners

History[edit]

The new rifle, serial production of which is planned to begin in early 2008, is designed for shooting at live targets at long ranges (up to 1,500 meters), as well as for destroying unarmored enemy materiel and equipment. To achieve this, the rifle uses the powerful .338 Lapua Magnum sniper cartridge. According to the manufacturer, the APR 338 rifle accuracy is less than 1 minute of arc (1 MOA) at all firing ranges up to 1,500 meters. When using cartridges recommended by the manufacturer ( .338 LM Lapua Scenar 250 grs

) the rifle provides with a 99% probability of hitting a target the size of a person’s head at a range of 600 meters from the first shot, and with the same probability of hitting a “chest target” at a distance of 1,300 meters (also with one shot).

Review of the Brugger&Thomet AG APR308 rifle

A review of the Brugger&Thomet AG APR308 rifle is given in this video:

Advantages and disadvantages

Using the list of advantages of the model in question listed below, you can get the most detailed idea of its capabilities and a general assessment of use by the owners. The small number of shortcomings indicates that the manufacturer has thought through all the subtleties of operation, and the attractive external design immediately attracts attention.

The advantages of Brugger&Thomet AG APR308, according to owners and buyers, include the following qualities:

ergonomic shape - this quality provides the greatest convenience when using the carabiner;
an elongated barrel without the slightest change in shape, which ensures the optimal trajectory of the bullet;
high muzzle velocity of the bullet, which makes it possible to hit targets even at considerable distances.

Used to arm the armies of many countries, the Brugger&Thomet AG APR308 carbine has proven itself well for civilian purposes: hunting, entertainment. Its design is well thought out, safety requirements are met, because even the presence of two longitudinal slots on the barrel, providing the fastest possible cooling and reducing the overall weight of the entire structure, is an important element when using a carbine. The manufacturer has thought through the smallest aspects regarding the operation process: ergonomics determines ease of use, compactness facilitates the transportation process, and the stylish and “predatory” appearance attracts attention.

Brügger & Thomet APR308/338 sniper rifle

The APR (Advanced Precision Rifle) series of sniper rifles was founded by the Swiss arms company Brügger & Thomet AG, which has long been the official distributor of products from the private French arms company PGM Precision.
In 2003, the Singapore Army announced a competition for the purchase of a new high-precision 7.62 mm caliber sniper rifle as part of the weapons upgrade program. Even before this, Brügger & Thomet acquired the rights to the design of the PGM Mini-Hecate rifle from its designer, modified it with Swiss precision and presented it at the MILIPOL 2005 arms exhibition in 2005, where the Singaporeans liked it so much that after appropriate field tests it was in the same year it was adopted by the Singapore Army as the main army sniper rifle of 7.62 caliber.

BT-APR308 Military sniper rifle with silencer and additional night sight

In 2008, the BT APR338 for a more powerful cartridge, as well as separate police models ( B&T APR308P ) and a silent model with an integrated suppressor ( B&T APR308S Suppressed model ) for special police/military operations.

Sniper rifle BT-APR308 Police

Sniper rifle BT-APR308 Suppressed

Sniper rifle BT-APR338 with an additional sight, silencer, on the third support

Tactical and technical characteristics of the BT APR308 / 338 sniper rifle

Basic information

In the production of rifles of the APR series, a company would not need to complicate the design of the rifle, but at the same time obtain maximum performance to improve the convenience of firing and increase the accuracy of the weapon.

It should be noted that despite the fairly heavy barrel, the rifle has almost perfect balance, it is very convenient to carry, since when carrying the center of gravity is not shifted towards the barrel.

It must be said that the almost perfect balance of the weapon has become a kind of calling card of Brügger & Thomet and, despite the fact that the rifles in this series are not lightweight, they deserve the best reviews from those who use them.

While other weapons companies at the beginning of the 21st century began to thoughtlessly lighten their weapons, introducing plastic, plastic, light metal alloys into their design, to the point that they literally jumped when fired, Brügger & Thomet use steel in their rifles , aluminum alloys and composite materials, but just enough to lighten the weight of the weapon to the minimum at which it will not lose the necessary stability.

All BT APR series rifles are built using a modular design. It is based on a chassis made of aircraft-grade aluminum, on which a steel receiver is installed with a bolt group and a barrel cantilevered relative to the elements of the stock and plastic fore-end.

The rifle operates according to the traditional design of a longitudinally sliding rotary bolt, which locks the barrel bore onto three radial lugs located in its front part, while the bolt stem rotates through an angle of 60°, which speeds up the weapon's reloading time.

The rifle barrel is made by cold forging, it is heavy, and longitudinal valleys are cut along its outer surface, which serve to reduce the overall weight of the weapon, improve cooling and increase structural rigidity. There is a thread cut on the muzzle of the barrel, onto which either a muzzle brake-recoil compensator, a flame arrester, or a tactical silencer is screwed.

An anti-mirage tape is attached above the barrel, the purpose of which is to prevent the heated air rising from the barrel (mirage effect) from misleading the shooter when aiming.

A Picatinny rail type guide is attached to the upper plane of the receiver for installing sighting devices; the standard sight of the weapon is the German Schmidt & Bender variable magnification optical sight 3-12x50, manufactured by Schmidt & Bender GmbH & Co. KG is exclusive to Brügger & Thomet and designated Brügger & Thomet TRS (Tactical Rifle Scope).

Specifications

Specifications

Carbine Brugger&Thomet AG APR308

Hunting, sport shooting, accuracy training, training for beginners