AMP Technical Services DSR-1
Encyclopedia
The DSR-1 is a compact bolt-action
rifle designed, manufactured and marketed by the German company DSR-Precision GmbH and was (until 2004) marketed also by the German company AMP Technical Services as a specialized sniper rifle
for police sharpshooters. It has been adopted by the German GSG 9
counter-terrorist unit, as well as by other European special police units and agencies.
. The folding bipod
is mounted onto upper rails (above the barrel), and the adjustable horizontal front grip is mounted on the lower rails (under the barrel). The rifle features a fully adjustable rear stock
and cheek piece. The holder for a spare magazine is installed in the front of the trigger guard to decrease reloading time. The DSR-1 action features a benchrest match-grade, fluted barrel that is quickly interchangeable and is fixed into the receiver by three screws. The bolt features six lugs that lock directly into the barrel. The barrel is protected by a ventilated aluminium handguard and is fitted with a muzzle brake (which is very useful when firing full-power, magnum loads). The trigger is two-stage and adjustable. The DSR-1 features a manual, ambidextrous three-position safety, located above the trigger guard. For the standard version of the DSR-1 a tactical suppressor
is available. The suppressor is designed to be used with high power ammunition of the DSR-1 chamberings. This suppressor effectively suppresses the muzzle blast. Naturally it cannot suppress the crack of a supersonic projectile but the direction where the bullet comes from is effectively concealed. The tactical suppressor is easily mounted in seconds on the muzzle brake using a quick release lever.
The expected accuracy of the DSR-1 is high: some sources state sub 0.2 MOA
accuracy (0.20 inch / 5 mm groups measured center-to-center at 100 yards / 91,4 meters) with match-grade ammunition and favourable environmental conditions.
In an article on the DSR-1 rifle the German gun magazine Visier performed test shoots with a DSR-1 to get an indication of its accuracy potential with factory ammunition in October 2003.
The 5-shot groups were obtained by test shooters whilst shooting from the bipod and measured from centre to centre. The table shows that with target factory ammunition the DSR-1 performs in the 0.34 - 0.63 MOA
region. If the DSR-1 can perform better under ideal environmental conditions with to the particular rifle tailored handloads
and/or if the human test shooters are a limiting factor was not tested by Visier magazine.
An article on the DSR-1 in the French Armes & Tir November 2001 gun magazine corroborates the German Visier results. The Armes & Tir test shooters used RUAG target cartridges and could shoot 200 x 300 mm (0.69 x 1.03 MOA
) groups at 1,000 m distance with a .338 Lapua Magnum chambered DSR-1 rifle.
subsonic ammunition usage. The barrel length is reduced to 310 mm. The 8 inch twist rate of the barrel is especially adapted to stabilize the long heavy projectiles used in subsonic ammunition. The propellant charge of subsonic ammunition is reduced to keep the bullet velocity (300 m/s - 320 m/s) below the speed of sound (~ 340 m/s). At this subsonic speed the supersonic crack that arises when standard ammunition is fired is avoided. The manufacturer recommends exclusive use of subsonic ammunition for the DSR-1 Subsonic.
The DSR-50
Sniper Rifle is an enlarged variant of the DSR-1. It has an integrated hydraulic recoil damping system in the buttstock and an integral muzzle brake. The forward-venting muzzle brake, also described as a linear compensator reduces the perceived muzzle blast. The DSR-50 Sniper Rifle is chambered for the .50 BMG
(12.7x99mm NATO) cartridge that is significantly larger than the .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, which is the biggest available chambering for the DSR-1 rifle. Sniper rifles chambered in .50 BMG are often employed as anti-materiel rifle
s.
Bolt-action
Bolt action is a type of firearm action in which the weapon's bolt is operated manually by the opening and closing of the breech with a small handle, most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon...
rifle designed, manufactured and marketed by the German company DSR-Precision GmbH and was (until 2004) marketed also by the German company AMP Technical Services as a specialized sniper rifle
Sniper rifle
In military and law enforcement terminology, a sniper rifle is a precision-rifle used to ensure more accurate placement of bullets at longer ranges than other small arms. A typical sniper rifle is built for optimal levels of accuracy, fitted with a telescopic sight and chambered for a military...
for police sharpshooters. It has been adopted by the German GSG 9
GSG 9
The GSG 9 der Bundespolizei , is the elite counter-terrorism and special operations unit of the German Federal Police.-History and name:...
counter-terrorist unit, as well as by other European special police units and agencies.
Design details
The DSR-1 system is configured in a bull-pup design, with a free-floating barrelFree-floating barrel
A free-floating barrel is a specific design technology used in highly accurate rifles, particularly match grade rifles, to increase the accuracy of the weapon.With normal rifles, the barrel rests in contact with the stock...
. The folding bipod
Bipod
A bipod is a support device that is similar to a tripod or monopod, but with two legs. It provides significant stability along two axes of motion .-Firearms:...
is mounted onto upper rails (above the barrel), and the adjustable horizontal front grip is mounted on the lower rails (under the barrel). The rifle features a fully adjustable rear stock
Stock (firearm)
A stock, also known as a buttstock or shoulder stock, is a part of a rifle or other firearm, to which the barrel and firing mechanism are attached, that is held against one's shoulder when firing the gun. Stocks are also found on crossbows though a crossbow stock is more properly referred to as a...
and cheek piece. The holder for a spare magazine is installed in the front of the trigger guard to decrease reloading time. The DSR-1 action features a benchrest match-grade, fluted barrel that is quickly interchangeable and is fixed into the receiver by three screws. The bolt features six lugs that lock directly into the barrel. The barrel is protected by a ventilated aluminium handguard and is fitted with a muzzle brake (which is very useful when firing full-power, magnum loads). The trigger is two-stage and adjustable. The DSR-1 features a manual, ambidextrous three-position safety, located above the trigger guard. For the standard version of the DSR-1 a tactical suppressor
Suppressor
A suppressor, sound suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer, is a device attached to or part of the barrel of a firearm which reduces the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon....
is available. The suppressor is designed to be used with high power ammunition of the DSR-1 chamberings. This suppressor effectively suppresses the muzzle blast. Naturally it cannot suppress the crack of a supersonic projectile but the direction where the bullet comes from is effectively concealed. The tactical suppressor is easily mounted in seconds on the muzzle brake using a quick release lever.
The expected accuracy of the DSR-1 is high: some sources state sub 0.2 MOA
Minute of Angle
Minute of angle is the measurement of a ballistic round's deviation from its initial heading due to gravity and/or the effect of air resistance on velocity. Informally known as a "Bullet's Trajectory" or "the rainbow effect". Long range weapons must account for this effect because a fired round...
accuracy (0.20 inch / 5 mm groups measured center-to-center at 100 yards / 91,4 meters) with match-grade ammunition and favourable environmental conditions.
In an article on the DSR-1 rifle the German gun magazine Visier performed test shoots with a DSR-1 to get an indication of its accuracy potential with factory ammunition in October 2003.
| .308 Winchester .308 Winchester The .308 Winchester is a rifle cartridge and is the commercial cartridge upon which the military 7.62x51mm NATO centerfire cartridge is based. The .308 Winchester was introduced in 1952, two years prior to the NATO adoption of the 7.62x51mm NATO T65... cartridge type |
100 m group (mm) | 100 m group (MOA Minute of Angle Minute of angle is the measurement of a ballistic round's deviation from its initial heading due to gravity and/or the effect of air resistance on velocity. Informally known as a "Bullet's Trajectory" or "the rainbow effect". Long range weapons must account for this effect because a fired round... ) |
300 m group (mm) | 300 m group (MOA Minute of Angle Minute of angle is the measurement of a ballistic round's deviation from its initial heading due to gravity and/or the effect of air resistance on velocity. Informally known as a "Bullet's Trajectory" or "the rainbow effect". Long range weapons must account for this effect because a fired round... ) |
| RUAG Swiss P Target 168 gr HP-BT | 13 | 0.45 | 48 | 0.55 |
| Federal GM 168 gr Sierra MatchKing | 14 | 0.48 | 55 | 0.63 |
| Sellier & Bellot 168 gr HP-BT | 15 | 0.51 | 52 | 0.59 |
| IMI 168 gr Match | 13 | 0.44 | 52 | 0.59 |
| .300 Winchester Magnum .300 Winchester Magnum The .300 Winchester Magnum is a popular, belted, bottlenecked magnum rifle cartridge that was introduced by Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1963 as a member of the family of Winchester Magnum cartridges. The .300 Winchester Magnum is a magnum cartridge designed to fit in a standard length... cartridge type |
100 m group (mm) | 100 m group (MOA Minute of Angle Minute of angle is the measurement of a ballistic round's deviation from its initial heading due to gravity and/or the effect of air resistance on velocity. Informally known as a "Bullet's Trajectory" or "the rainbow effect". Long range weapons must account for this effect because a fired round... ) |
300 m group (mm) | 300 m group (MOA Minute of Angle Minute of angle is the measurement of a ballistic round's deviation from its initial heading due to gravity and/or the effect of air resistance on velocity. Informally known as a "Bullet's Trajectory" or "the rainbow effect". Long range weapons must account for this effect because a fired round... ) |
| RUAG Swiss P Target 200 gs HP-BT | 13 | 0.45 | 38 | 0.43 |
| Sellier & Bellot 168 gr HP-BT | 14 | 0.48 | 45 | 0.51 |
| Sako 168 grs HP-BT | 14 | 0.48 | 30 | 0.34 |
The 5-shot groups were obtained by test shooters whilst shooting from the bipod and measured from centre to centre. The table shows that with target factory ammunition the DSR-1 performs in the 0.34 - 0.63 MOA
Minute of Angle
Minute of angle is the measurement of a ballistic round's deviation from its initial heading due to gravity and/or the effect of air resistance on velocity. Informally known as a "Bullet's Trajectory" or "the rainbow effect". Long range weapons must account for this effect because a fired round...
region. If the DSR-1 can perform better under ideal environmental conditions with to the particular rifle tailored handloads
Handloading
Handloading or reloading is the process of loading firearm cartridges or shotgun shells by assembling the individual components , rather than purchasing completely assembled, factory-loaded cartridges...
and/or if the human test shooters are a limiting factor was not tested by Visier magazine.
An article on the DSR-1 in the French Armes & Tir November 2001 gun magazine corroborates the German Visier results. The Armes & Tir test shooters used RUAG target cartridges and could shoot 200 x 300 mm (0.69 x 1.03 MOA
Minute of Angle
Minute of angle is the measurement of a ballistic round's deviation from its initial heading due to gravity and/or the effect of air resistance on velocity. Informally known as a "Bullet's Trajectory" or "the rainbow effect". Long range weapons must account for this effect because a fired round...
) groups at 1,000 m distance with a .338 Lapua Magnum chambered DSR-1 rifle.
Variants
The DSR-1 Subsonic is a DSR-1 variant. The DSR-1 Subsonic is optimized for 7.62x51mm NATO/.308 Winchester.308 Winchester
The .308 Winchester is a rifle cartridge and is the commercial cartridge upon which the military 7.62x51mm NATO centerfire cartridge is based. The .308 Winchester was introduced in 1952, two years prior to the NATO adoption of the 7.62x51mm NATO T65...
subsonic ammunition usage. The barrel length is reduced to 310 mm. The 8 inch twist rate of the barrel is especially adapted to stabilize the long heavy projectiles used in subsonic ammunition. The propellant charge of subsonic ammunition is reduced to keep the bullet velocity (300 m/s - 320 m/s) below the speed of sound (~ 340 m/s). At this subsonic speed the supersonic crack that arises when standard ammunition is fired is avoided. The manufacturer recommends exclusive use of subsonic ammunition for the DSR-1 Subsonic.
The DSR-50
DSR-50
The DSR-50 is a bolt-action anti-materiel rifle developed and marketed by DSR-precision GmbH, and is essentially an upscaled DSR-1 chambered in .50 BMG .-DSR-50:...
Sniper Rifle is an enlarged variant of the DSR-1. It has an integrated hydraulic recoil damping system in the buttstock and an integral muzzle brake. The forward-venting muzzle brake, also described as a linear compensator reduces the perceived muzzle blast. The DSR-50 Sniper Rifle is chambered for the .50 BMG
.50 BMG
The .50 Browning Machine Gun or 12.7×99mm NATO is a cartridge developed for the Browning .50 caliber machine gun in the late 1910s. Entering service officially in 1921, the round is based on a greatly scaled-up .30-06 cartridge...
(12.7x99mm NATO) cartridge that is significantly larger than the .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, which is the biggest available chambering for the DSR-1 rifle. Sniper rifles chambered in .50 BMG are often employed as anti-materiel rifle
Anti-materiel rifle
An anti-materiel rifle is a rifle that is designed for use against military equipment rather than against other combatants ....
s.
Users
- Used by the GSG 9GSG 9The GSG 9 der Bundespolizei , is the elite counter-terrorism and special operations unit of the German Federal Police.-History and name:...
counter-terrorist group.: Used by Unité Spéciale de la PoliceUnité Spéciale de la PoliceThe Unité Spéciale de la Police is a special unit of the Grand Ducal Police that was created in Luxembourg in 1999. It is tasked with responding to especially dangerous situations such as hostage rescue operations, arrests of dangerous individuals, bomb threats, and dignitary protection duties...
of the Grand Ducal PoliceGrand Ducal PoliceThe Grand Ducal Police is the primary law enforcement agency in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The police is under the control of the Minister for the Interior of Luxembourg, although they operate in the name, and under the ultimate control, of the Grand Duke. Day-to-day executive control is...
.: Used by Grupo Especial de OperacionesGrupo Especial de OperacionesThe Grupo Especial de Operaciones , commonly known as GEOs, are the Special Operations Forces of the Spanish Cuerpo Nacional de Policía of Spain. They are stationed in Guadalajara near the capital, Madrid. The GEO has response capabilities and is responsible for VIP protection duties, as well as...
(GEO) of the Cuerpo Nacional de Policía.
