Ssg 82
Encyclopedia
The Scharfschützengewehr 82 (SSG 82) or "Sharpshooter's Rifle, 82" is a rifle
chambered in the 5.45x39 Soviet cartridge
built in East Germany at the end of the Cold War.
Very little is known about this weapon and very few examples have been imported into the west, with famed importer Century International Arms having imported around 600 at the turn of the century. There has been much speculation as to why this rifle was built and which company built it. Many believed that it was possibly used by the Stasi
as a sniper rifle to pick off people who tried to escape over the Berlin Wall
in to the west. This seems doubtful since a machine gun
would have been much more effective, and more powerful sniper rifles like the SVD Dragunov were already in service.
The design is reminiscent of a European-style biathlon
rifle, but lacking sling attachment, it seems unlikely it would be used for this purpose. The shape of the stock makes it uncomfortable to use in the prone position, the small caliber would make the rifle a poor choice for most hunting scenarios, and its lack of shared design characteristics with any other military or police rifle used at that time in East Germany would make it a poor training tool. It is equipped with a 4-power scope made by Zeiss Jena (in the original Zeiss plant that was captured by the Soviets at the end of WWII) which is numbered to the rifle and mounted using a quick detachable base.
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
chambered in the 5.45x39 Soviet cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
built in East Germany at the end of the Cold War.
Very little is known about this weapon and very few examples have been imported into the west, with famed importer Century International Arms having imported around 600 at the turn of the century. There has been much speculation as to why this rifle was built and which company built it. Many believed that it was possibly used by the Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
as a sniper rifle to pick off people who tried to escape over the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
in to the west. This seems doubtful since a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
would have been much more effective, and more powerful sniper rifles like the SVD Dragunov were already in service.
The design is reminiscent of a European-style biathlon
Biathlon
Biathlon is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. However, biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting...
rifle, but lacking sling attachment, it seems unlikely it would be used for this purpose. The shape of the stock makes it uncomfortable to use in the prone position, the small caliber would make the rifle a poor choice for most hunting scenarios, and its lack of shared design characteristics with any other military or police rifle used at that time in East Germany would make it a poor training tool. It is equipped with a 4-power scope made by Zeiss Jena (in the original Zeiss plant that was captured by the Soviets at the end of WWII) which is numbered to the rifle and mounted using a quick detachable base.