Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1536266
The .308 GROT S20 (a commercial va- riant of MSBS 762N adopted by Polish ar- med forces) is conceptually derived from the MSBS-5.56 assault rifles. It retains the same operation manual and utilizes the design solu- tions, appropriately up-scaled for the require- ments of a weapon firing a more powerful rifle cartridge. Consequently, the internal mechanisms and both the lower and upper receivers – have been redesigned and strengthened, with the former essentially modified only around the magazine well to accommodate larger magazines for .308 ammunition. This approach is simply logical – the Polish Armed Forces have adopted a new weapon system with an operation manual com- pletely different from what was previously in service (this applies both to the assault rifles derived from the AK design and to sniper rifles, which in fact retained the ergonomics of Kala- shnikov-pattern rifles), so once training on one element begins, training on other weapon sys- tem follows. The capability to change the direction of spent case ejection has been retained, similar to the assault rifle. The bullpup variant of .308 GROT rifle will not be considered, at least for the time being, as the development of such a weapon is currently deemed unnecessary by the designers. The barrel replacement method from the 5.56 MSBS GROT has also been retained, although the barrel, obviously, has a larger caliber and is thicker. The stocks and pistol grips are identical – these components can be interchanged be- tween the various rifles and carbines. Intere- stingly, the handguard of GROT .308 is compati- ble with the thermal rail covers used on the GROT A2 assault rifles. The DMR rifle features a 20" fluted barrel and comes with an aluminum, fixed, multi-axis adju- stable stock. A folding variant of this stock is also under development. For the military, a „pa- ratrooper" aka "airborne" variant with a 16" bar- rel, equipped with a folding stock with a buffer tube known from AR15 rifles, has also been de- veloped. This is not yet offered commercially, but if the manufacturer decides to introduce barrels for sale, owners will be able to easily swap these components on their ri- fles. Stocks can already be exchanged in- dependently – simply purchase a FB ada- pter for an AR-pattern buffer tube and install it on the .308 S20. The .308 GROT S20 is approximately 5.4 kg without a magazine, bipod, or scope, so the total weight will easily reach 7 kg. The rifle employs a modified trigger mechanism with a reduced trigger pull compared. Compared to the rifles presented at trade shows over the past few years, the com- mercially released weapon has undergone several significant changes, interestingly, identical to those showcased in the con- cept of the GROT A3 variant. First and foremost, the GROT .308 S20 fe- atures a precision, nitride barrel with a re- designed three-position gas block (as in the GROT A3), including a setting for sup- pressed use. The barrel has an M18x1 external thread compatible with almost any commercial muzzle device. The rifles are equipped with the pistol grip from the GROT A2, considered by many shooters to be one of the best on the market. Also ad- opted from the GROT A3 are improved se- aling of the design (redesign of the char- ging handle slot, bolt carrier guide slot, and the connection between the charging handle and the bolt carrier) and the pre- vention of incorrect assembly of the rifle, i.e., with the bolt in the „locked" position. The GROT family of rifles in .308 caliber is being developed as a semi-automatic pre- cision weapon, but the designers state that they are capable of easily developing fully automatic versions should the need arise – so we have the potential to create a Polish equivalent of the SCAR-H and L As experience from the conflict in Afgha- nistan has shown, Allied soldiers often lacked the range and effectiveness of 5.56 cartridge. Hence, the need for just such a support weapon was articulated by Polish troops after their participation in the ISAF FIREARMS