Walther WA 2000
The Walther WA 2000 is a semi-automatic bullpup sniper rifle produced by the Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen company from 1982 until 1988. It was produced in three different calibers.[1] Production of the rifle was limited and it was shortly stopped because it was too expensive to achieve widespread sales and not robust enough for military use as a sniper rifle.[2] Only 176 were built due to its high cost, making it one of the rarest and most sought production firearms ever made. The Bundeswehr Museum of German Defense Technology in Koblenz has one of this specimen in its collection.
| Walther WA 2000 | |
|---|---|
 First-Generation Walther WA 2000 production model with wooden frames & stock (top) and also first generation production model with black polymer frame & stock (bottom). | |
| Type | Semi automatic bullpup sniper rifle |
| Place of origin | West Germany |
| Service history | |
| Used by | German police units |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1970s–1980s |
| Manufacturer | Walther |
| Produced | 1982–1988 |
| No. built | 176 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | |
| Length | 995 mm (39.2 in)[1] |
| Barrel length | 650 mm (26 in)[1] |
| Cartridge | |
| Action | Gas-operated,[1] rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic[1] |
| Effective firing range | 700 m (770 yd) |
| Feed system | 6-round detachable box magazine.[1] A 5-round box magazine for .300 Winchester Magnum |
| Sights | Schmidt & Bender 2.5–10× telescopic sight |
Design
The WA 2000 was designed in the late 1970s and early 1980s, in response to the 1972 Summer Olympics Munich massacre.[3] The bullpup design was chosen because it would allow a standard length barrel to be used whilst the overall length would be shorter than a conventional rifle. The WA 2000 had a quick-detachable scope mount with a weight of 0.96 kg (2.1 lb).[1] The rifle did not have iron sights. The most commonly used optical sight was a Schmidt & Bender 2.5–10× telescopic sight. Without scope the rifle has an unloaded weight of 6.95 kg (15.3 lb) and a loaded weight of 7.35 kg (16.2 lb).[1]
The .300 Winchester Magnum round was chosen as the primary caliber because of its long range accuracy and its precision at all ranges. The entire rifle is designed around the barrel. The WA 2000 fires from a closed bolt and uses a bolt with seven locking lugs. It has either a single-stage trigger[4] or a two-stage trigger[5] with a trigger pull of 1.2 to 1.4 kg (2.65 to 3.1 lb).[1] The rifle uses single stack box magazines with a 6-round capacity, which weigh 0.4 kg (0.88 lb) when loaded.[1]
Variants
The WA 2000 is chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum, 7.62×51mm NATO, and 7.5×55mm Swiss.
Only 176 total rifles were produced, and in two different variants. The two variants can be differentiated by the type of flash suppressor used: the first, the older model, uses a "can" type flash suppressor; whereas the second generation and newer model uses the more conventional "flash-hider/compensator" design. The second generation incorporated several changes improving the rifle's accuracy, making it more suited to its intended job.[6]
Production
The rifle was produced from 1982 until November 1988. The rifle was used by some German police units, but production was stopped because it was too expensive to achieve widespread sales. It was never adopted by a military unit due to its cost and not being robust enough for field service.[2] The final retail cost for a base rifle in the 1980s was in the range of $9,000 to $12,500, and the rifle's current value ranges from $40,000 for the first generation to $75,000 for the second generation.[6]
References
- "WA 2000 Owner's Manual" (PDF). Walther USA. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 June 2004. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- Dougherty, Martin J. (16 October 2012). SAS and Elite Forces Guide Sniper: Sniping Skills from the World's Elite Forces. Globe Pequot. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-7627-8876-7. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- "Walther Sniper Rifle". Walther USA. 2004. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Ostfront 1987: Walther WA-2000 vs SVD Dragunov". YouTube.
- "Walther Sniper Rifle".
- Walther WA 2000 at Sniper Central
