WALTHER WA-2000

WALTHER WA-2000

The Walther WA-2000 bull-pup sniper rifle is probably one of the most notorious, yet obscure, sniper rifles ever manufactured. Originally built from the ground as an Olympic shooting rifle during the 1960s by private initiative from the German gun manufacturer Carl Walther Waffenfabrik AG & Co. KG GmbH, its design was quickly converted as a sniper rifle for Police forces and marketed after the botched attempt of hostage rescue during the 1972 Munich Olympics by the German Police shown how the sniper/sharpshooter firearms then available were largely ineffective or inoperable in such situations. The Bull-Pup design was chosen to retain a standard barrel lenght, and thus the range and accuracy of a standard-design sniper rifle, yet allowing the operators to properly handle and shoot the weapon even when hiding in confined spaces, which is a mostly probable situation for a Police marksman. 650mm (25,59 inches) fluted barrels were thus used on a firearm that resulted around 90 centimetres long. The entire rifle was designed around the barrel. The adjustable trigger operated a hammer, and the entire firing machanism could be removed as a unit from the lower frame. The WA2000 fires in semi-automatic operation, from a closed bolt position, and used a rotating bolt with 7 locking lugs.
The first production batch models reported problems with the gas blowback system, problems which were solved in the second production run. The 2nd series rifles were refined refined with a more robust gas system which also reduced the recoil, and a more effective flash hider was added in adition to an upgraded bi-pod. The fluted barrel was also eliminated on the series 2 rifles. The combination of the new gas system and the non fluted barrel made the second generation rifles more accurate than the first generation.
The Walther WA-2000 used 6-rds magazines, using the NATO standard 7,62x51mm caliber (.308-Winchester), the then-new .300 - Winchester Magnum cartridge or the Swiss 7,5x55mm GP-11 cartridge. It could be equipped with either German-made Schmidt & Bender 2.510 × 56mm telescopic sights or PV-4 night vision devices.
The major problem encountered with the design was its heavy weight, over 6,95 Kilograms (16 lbs), which however helps stabilizing the rifle and contributes to its exceptional accuracy.

According to several sources, f the 176 units were produced, only 15 were exported to the U.S., 11 of which are owned by Earl J. Sheehan Jr., President of Walther USA. Due to its rarity the WA 2000 can be worth over $75,000 to $80,000 in the open market. The Italian gun shop "Armeria Waffenamt" (www.waffenamt.it) has a number of former German Police issue WA-2000 rifles in stock, sold to a maximum price of 17,800 Euros.

--TECHNICAL SPECS--
CALIBER: .300 Winchester Magnum / .308-Winchester (7'62x51mm) / 7'5x55mm
CAPACITY: 6 rounds, detachable magazine
OPERATION: Semi-automatic, gas-operated, rotating bolt
TOTAL LENGHT: 90,5 centimetres (35,62 inches)
BARREL LENGHT: 65 centimetres (16 inches) - Fluted barrel w/h muzzle brake
WEIGHT UNLOADED: 6,95 Kilograms (16,9 lbs, 5 oz)
STOCK: Full wood, thumbhole, adjustable
TRIGGER: Fully adjustable
MAX EFFECTIVE RANGE: Over 1 Km. w/h .300-WinMag ammunition

--MANUFACTURER CONTACT INFO--
CARL WALTHER WAFFENFABRIK AG & Co. KG GmbH
Now CARL WALTHER SPORTWAFFEN, GmbH
Donnerfeld 2
D-59757 Arnsberg - Germany
Tel.: +49 29 32 / 63 81 00
Fax: +49 29 32 / 63 81 49
URL: http://www.carl-walther.de

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