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Firearms / Sniper rifles / Walther WA 2000

Walther WA 2000

General Facts

  • TYPE
    Sniper rifle

  • ORIGIN
    Germany

  • NICKNAMES
    -

  • DESIGNED
    Late 1970's - early 1980's

  • DESIGNER
    Carl Walther GmbH

  • PRODUCTION
    1982 - 1988

  • PRODUCERS
    Germany - Carl Walther GmbH

  • QUANTITY
    176 produced

  • UNIT COST
    $ 9.000 to 12.500 in 1980's

  • CHARACTERISTICS
    Excellent accuracy
    Semi-automatic
    Ergonomic design
    Excellent build quality
    Limited size due to bullpup layout
    Very expensive
    Not rugged enough for military use

Introduction

The WA 2000 is a late Cold War era sniper rifle of German origin. It was developed by Walther in the late 1970's specifically for law enforcement use. The 1972 Olympics hostage rescue drama showed a need for well trained and well equipped police snipers. Due to its futuristic looks the WA 2000 has become an iconic firearm. Its high quality and good performance resulting in a high price tag.

Design

The WA 2000 was developed from scratch with accuracy in mind. For that reason the .300 Winchester Magnum round was chosen, since it has a flatter trajectory than the 7.62x51mm NATO. The WA 2000 uses a bullpup design with metal receiver and wooden panels and pistol grip. It is a gas operated semi-automatic weapon with free floating barrel. An optical sight is fitted, iron sights are missing.

Firepower

The WA 2000 is designed around the .300 Winchester Magnum round. This is fired from a 6 round detachable magazine. Accuracy proved to be very good. The effective range is quoted as 700 meters. For law enforcement purposes the WA 2000 was not likely to be used beyond 300 meters. Conversion barrels for 7.62x51mm NATO and 7.5x55mm Swiss

Users

The WA 2000 was produced in limited quantities. Less than 200 rifles have been produced. It proved to be very expensive. More expensive than the contemporary Heckler & Koch PSG-1, which was developed for the same role. Furthermore, the WA 2000 was considered to fragile and expensive for the Cold War era battlefield.

Variants

WA-2000

The WA 2000 is a high quality bolt-action sniper rifle. Even though it is nearly three decades old it still look futuristic. The looks make it also very easy to identify. No variants of the WA 2000 have been produced, although minor variations are available. Spare conversion barrels chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO and 7.5x55mm Swiss were available. Additionally early models featured a thick can type muzzle brake. Later models featured a longer and sleeker bird cage style flash hider, a palm rest and differently shaped stock.

TypeSniper rifle
Caliber.300 Winchester Magnum
Magazine6 round detachable box
OperationGas operated
Fire selector0-1
Rate of fireSemi-automatic
Barrel length650 mm
Rifling?
Muzzle velocity?
StockFixed, adjustable
Length905 mm
Width?
Height?
Weight6.95 kg empty without scope, 8.31 kg with scope and full magazine
SightsOptical sight, various models can be fitted, Schmidt & Bender 2.5 - 10x is most common
RemarksOptional bipod, barrels for 7.62x51mm NATO and 7.5x55mm Swiss available

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