The M93 Black Arrow ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, М93 Црна стрела, M93 Crna strela) is a Serbian bolt-action

12.7×108mm 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

anti-materiel rifle An anti-materiel rifle (AMR) is a rifle designed for use against military equipment, structures, and other hardware (materiel) targets. Anti-materiel rifles are chambered in significantly larger calibers than conventional rifles and are employed ...

, developed and manufactured by

Zastava Arms Zastava Arms () is a Serbian manufacturer of firearms and artillery, based in Kragujevac, Serbia. In 1853, it was founded, and cast its first cannon. It is the leading producer of firearms in Serbia and is a large contributor to the local defense ...

History

The rifle was designed in 1993 and entered production in 1998. In Serbian military service, it was issued with a ZRAK 8x56

optical sight A sight or sighting device is any device used to assist in precise visual alignment (i.e. ''aiming'') of weapons, surveying instruments, aircraft equipment, optical illumination equipment or larger optical instruments with the intended target. ...

(8x magnified 56mm scope with markings up to ), which was essentially a scaled-up version of the scope issued with the smaller Zastava M76.

Design and features

The Zastava M93 Black Arrow rifle is available in both

and .50 BMG. It is a

bolt-action Bolt action is a type of manual Action (firearms), firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt (firearms), turn-bolt via a cocking handle, bolt handle, most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the firearm (a ...

, air-cooled,

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

-fed firearm with a fixed stock. The weapon is fed through a 5- or 10-round detachable, spring-loaded box magazine. The shoulder stock has a telescoping design, with two stiff springs connecting the stock to the pistol grip. The bolt handle rests over the right side of the receiver. A carrying handle is affixed to the forend and the barrel is capped by a multi-baffled brake to assist in handling the massive recoil action. A folding bipod is also attached. Its overall design is a scale-up of the

Mauser 98 The Gewehr 98 (abbreviated ''G98'', Gew 98, or ''M98'') is a bolt-action rifle made by Mauser for the German Empire as its service rifle from 1898 to 1935. The Gewehr 98 action, using a 5-round stripper clip loaded with the 7.92×57mm Mauser ...

system, similarly to the

Mauser 1918 T-Gewehr The Tankgewehr M1918 (), also known as the Mauser 13mm anti-tank rifle and T-Gewehr in English, is a German anti-tank rifle—the first rifle designed for the sole purpose of destroying armored targets—and the only anti-tank rifle to see servi ...

, with some influence from the French FR-F1. The FR-F1 was developed primarily from the MAS-36, which itself was influenced by the Mauser; thus, the Black Arrow derives the majority of its features from the Mauser design and its French iterations. The front end of the M93's bolt closely resembles the Mauser design, while the back end and

firing pin A firing pin or striker is a part of the firing mechanism of a firearm that impacts the primer in the base of a cartridge and causes it to fire. In firearms terminology, a striker is a particular type of firing pin where a compressed sprin ...

are essentially the same design as the FR-F1's bolt, scaled up to 12.7mm caliber. This simplifies the manufacturing and disassembly process, while retaining the famed reliability of the original Mauser design. The M93 has a trigger block

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

design similar to the Russian

SVT-40 The SVT-40 () is a Soviet semi-automatic battle rifle that saw widespread service during and after World War II. It was intended to be the new service rifle of the Soviet Red Army, but its production was disrupted by the German invasion in 19 ...

semi-automatic rifle; the same design is used by the FR-F1. Versions sold on the civilian market, particularly in the United States, have a Picatinny rail over the receiver instead of an included scope, allowing purchasers of the rifle to mount the optic of their choosing. Originally chambered in the Soviet/Eastern Bloc 12.7x108mm cartridge, an optional chambering in the American .50 BMG (12.7x99mm) heavy machine gun round was later developed for the export market, as 12.7x108mm is rare outside of former Soviet nations.

Users

Current

* −

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

n re-export * − 250 imported from Serbia in 2007 * * − Bulgarian re-export * * * * * − 37 M93s to the

Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...

, 11 to the

Philippine Navy The Philippine Navy (PN) () is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an estimated strength of 24,500 active service personnel, including the 10,300-strong Philippine Marine Corps. It operates 91 combat ...

and

Philippine Marine Corps The Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) () is a naval infantry force under the command of the Philippine Navy. The PMC conducts amphibious, expeditionary, and special operations missions. The Philippine Marines share the traditions of both the US ...

, and one to the

Philippine Air Force The Philippine Air Force (PAF) () is the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Initially formed as part of the Philippine Army as the Philippine Army Air Corps (PAAC) in 1935, the PAAC eventually saw combat ...

and the Intelligence Service of the AFP (ISAFP). * * * − Used by the

Syrian Army The Syrian Army is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. Up until the fall of the Assad regime, the Syrian Arab Army existed as a land force branch of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces, which dominanted the military service of the fo ...

. * − Used by the internationally recognized government and Houthi forces in the Yemeni civil war

Non-State Actors

YPG The People's Defense Units (YPG), also called People's Protection Units, is a libertarian socialist US-backed Kurdish militant group in Syria and the primary component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The YPG mostly consists of K ...

References

Sources

* * {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 M93 12.7 mm sniper rifles .50 BMG sniper rifles 12.7×108 mm sniper rifles Zastava Arms Bolt-action rifles Anti-materiel rifles Serbian design