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M76 (weapon)
Encyclopedia
The Zastava M76 is a modern military semi-automatic sniper rifle
developed and manufactured by Zastava Arms
.
released the M76 in the mid-1970s. Since then it has become the standard issue sharpshooter rifle in the Serbian army
and its predecessor the Yugoslav National Army (JNA). It is designed to fulfill the same role as the Soviet Dragunov SVD, which is to provide a designated marksman
capability to the infantry platoon. During the Yugoslav Wars
of the 1990s, it was used by several sides; it saw action in Croatia
, Bosnia
and Kosovo
. In Serbian service it is reportedly being replaced by the Zastava M91
. The Zastava M91 uses the 7.62x54mmR cartridge which is replacing the 8x57mm IS (M-49) cartridge in Serbian service.
design than the Dragunov, similar to the Romanian PSL
. Being derived from the AK design it is simple and reliable, and like other Zastava AK-derivatives it is of high-quality manufacture. Accuracy is typically around 1.5 MOA, which is good for a Kalashnikov design and entirely acceptable for the designated marksman role.
Rather than being a Dragunov clone, it looks more like a lengthened AK-47 with a heavier barrel, an impression strengthened by the separate stock and pistol grip rather than the Dragunov's thumbhole combination stock. Instead of the Dragunov's 7,62x54mmR chambering it uses the 8x57mm IS round. The Yugoslav National Army (JNA) adopted a 8x57mm IS ball variant, designated as M49, as infantry ammunition at the end of the 1940-s. Instead of the Dragunov's separate gas piston, the M76 has an AK-type piston attached to the bolt carrier. The receiver is a milled forging like that of the original AK-47 to give greater rigidity when firing a full-power round and it is longer to suit the 8x57mm IS chambering. The AK-type rotating bolt, bolt carrier, barrel and other parts are also longer and heavier to suit. Feeding is via a 10-round steel box magazine, which has a follower that holds the bolt open after the last shot. Since there is no device in the weapon to hold the bolt to the rear, the bolt will move forward when the magazine is removed, which increases the difficulty of removing the magazine. Fire is semi-automatic only, so the AK-47-type safety on the right side of the receiver has only 2 settings - 'safe' and 'fire'. The barrel
has a tapered profile with a Dragunov-type combination slotted flash suppressor and foresight housing. A standard AKM bayonet can be fitted to the bayonet lug below the foresight. Like the Dragunov, but unlike the AK-47, the M76 features an operator-adjustable gas regulator enabling more propellant gas to be vented to the piston in marginal operating conditions.
The furniture features a straight comb butt, which has a rubber pad similar to that found on the Zastava M70 series of weapons, and a well-shaped contoured pistol grip. The fore-end is also reminiscent of that found on the M70 series. There is no butt trap for cleaning kit storage in the wooden butt. In newer production models the wooden furniture is replaced with synthetic polymer material which offers some storage space for accessories like a cleaning kit and reduces the M76 overall weight by approximately 0.5 kg.
With the exception of the gas regulator, disassembly and operation are similar to that of the AK-47/AKM family of weapons.
Though the M76 fires its bullets at a relatively modest 730 m/s (2395 ft/s) muzzle velocity, the 8x57mm IS cartridge loaded with aerodynamically efficient 12.8 gram (198 gr) military sS ball bullets still offers a supersonic reach of ≈ 910 m (995 yd) under ICAO Standard Atmosphere conditions at sea level (air density ρ = 1.225 kg/m³).
To mount the optics, a side-rail is permanently attached to the left wall of the receiver which accepts an alloy sliding dovetail mount with a clamping lever to which can be attached various telescopic sight
s and night optics. The mount is detachable from the receiver rail in seconds by swinging the locking lever open and sliding the scope and mount off the rail to the rear. It can be removed and reattached without loss of zero. The optic sight is normally removed during field stripping to give easy access to the receiver cover and bolt carrier. The rifle features mechanically adjustable backup AKM-type iron sights
with a sliding tangent rear sight which can be adjusted from 100 m to 1,000 m. These sights can be used with or without the optic sight in place.
The typical scope used is a ZRAK M-76 4x 5°10’ scope originally produced in the ZRAK factory in Sarajevo
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
. This optical sight is similar to the PSO-1
4x24 sight used on the Russian SVD rifle and the Romanian I.O.R.
LPS 4x6° TIP2 4x24 sight used on the PSL rifle. The reticle illumination of the ZRAK M-76 4x 5°10’ is provided by (radioactive) tritium
. The tritium light source has to be replaced every 8–12 years, since it gradually loses its brightness due to radioactive decay
. The reticle features a PSO-1
type range-finding reticle.
or MOA consistent accuracy with appropriate ammunition
. Under normal conditions a maximum effective range of 800 m (875 yd) against man sized targets for an average sniper
is achievable. The dispersion at 900 m (984 yd) is described as 50 x 50 cm (19.7 x 19.7 in), which is ≈ 1.9 MOA. Under optimal atmospheric and environmental conditions excellent marksmen might use the M76 up to 1,000 m (1094 yd). Recoil is described as being modest.
It has the reputation of a reliable and capable weapon and has seen extensive combat service.
As with all precision rifles, the user has to take care not to overheat the barrel.
The rifle is designated M77 when chambered for 7.62x51mm NATO..
The rifle is designated M90 when chambered for .243 Winchester
or .308 Winchester
.
The rifle is designated M91 when chambered for 7.62x54mm R.
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...
developed and manufactured by Zastava Arms
Zastava Arms
Zastava Arms is a Serbian manufacturer of firearms and artillery. It was founded in 1853 when it cast its first cannons. It is currently the leading producer of firearms in Serbia and is a large contributor to the local defence industry...
.
History
The arms company ZastavaZastava Arms
Zastava Arms is a Serbian manufacturer of firearms and artillery. It was founded in 1853 when it cast its first cannons. It is currently the leading producer of firearms in Serbia and is a large contributor to the local defence industry...
released the M76 in the mid-1970s. Since then it has become the standard issue sharpshooter rifle in the Serbian army
Serbian Army
-Objectives:The Serbian Army is responsible for:* deterring armed threats* defending Serbia's territory* participation in peacekeeping operations* providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief-Personnel:...
and its predecessor the Yugoslav National Army (JNA). It is designed to fulfill the same role as the Soviet Dragunov SVD, which is to provide a designated marksman
Designated marksman
The designated marksman is a military marksman role in a U.S. infantry squad. The term sniper was used in Soviet doctrine although the soldiers using the Dragunov were the first to use a specifically designed designated marksman's rifle. Sniper is also used in Russian doctrine...
capability to the infantry platoon. During the Yugoslav Wars
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
of the 1990s, it was used by several sides; it saw action in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and Kosovo
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. In Serbian service it is reportedly being replaced by the Zastava M91
Zastava M91
The Zastava M91 is a modern military semi-automatic sniper rifle developed and manufactured by Zastava Arms, Serbia.-History:Zastava website claims that M91 rifle was designed after a long and careful study of combat tactics and experience of military and police special forces worldwide; and that...
. The Zastava M91 uses the 7.62x54mmR cartridge which is replacing the 8x57mm IS (M-49) cartridge in Serbian service.
Design details
The M76 is similar in concept to the Russian Dragunov SVD sniper rifle; a semi-automatic rifle using a full-power cartridge from a 10-round magazine. However, the M76 is closer to the AK-47AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
design than the Dragunov, similar to the Romanian PSL
PSL (rifle)
The PSL is a Romanian military designated marksman rifle. It is also called PSL-54C, Romak III, FPK, FPK Dragunov and SSG-97...
. Being derived from the AK design it is simple and reliable, and like other Zastava AK-derivatives it is of high-quality manufacture. Accuracy is typically around 1.5 MOA, which is good for a Kalashnikov design and entirely acceptable for the designated marksman role.
Rather than being a Dragunov clone, it looks more like a lengthened AK-47 with a heavier barrel, an impression strengthened by the separate stock and pistol grip rather than the Dragunov's thumbhole combination stock. Instead of the Dragunov's 7,62x54mmR chambering it uses the 8x57mm IS round. The Yugoslav National Army (JNA) adopted a 8x57mm IS ball variant, designated as M49, as infantry ammunition at the end of the 1940-s. Instead of the Dragunov's separate gas piston, the M76 has an AK-type piston attached to the bolt carrier. The receiver is a milled forging like that of the original AK-47 to give greater rigidity when firing a full-power round and it is longer to suit the 8x57mm IS chambering. The AK-type rotating bolt, bolt carrier, barrel and other parts are also longer and heavier to suit. Feeding is via a 10-round steel box magazine, which has a follower that holds the bolt open after the last shot. Since there is no device in the weapon to hold the bolt to the rear, the bolt will move forward when the magazine is removed, which increases the difficulty of removing the magazine. Fire is semi-automatic only, so the AK-47-type safety on the right side of the receiver has only 2 settings - 'safe' and 'fire'. The barrel
Gun barrel
A gun barrel is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion or rapid expansion of gases are released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at a high velocity....
has a tapered profile with a Dragunov-type combination slotted flash suppressor and foresight housing. A standard AKM bayonet can be fitted to the bayonet lug below the foresight. Like the Dragunov, but unlike the AK-47, the M76 features an operator-adjustable gas regulator enabling more propellant gas to be vented to the piston in marginal operating conditions.
The furniture features a straight comb butt, which has a rubber pad similar to that found on the Zastava M70 series of weapons, and a well-shaped contoured pistol grip. The fore-end is also reminiscent of that found on the M70 series. There is no butt trap for cleaning kit storage in the wooden butt. In newer production models the wooden furniture is replaced with synthetic polymer material which offers some storage space for accessories like a cleaning kit and reduces the M76 overall weight by approximately 0.5 kg.
With the exception of the gas regulator, disassembly and operation are similar to that of the AK-47/AKM family of weapons.
Though the M76 fires its bullets at a relatively modest 730 m/s (2395 ft/s) muzzle velocity, the 8x57mm IS cartridge loaded with aerodynamically efficient 12.8 gram (198 gr) military sS ball bullets still offers a supersonic reach of ≈ 910 m (995 yd) under ICAO Standard Atmosphere conditions at sea level (air density ρ = 1.225 kg/m³).
To mount the optics, a side-rail is permanently attached to the left wall of the receiver which accepts an alloy sliding dovetail mount with a clamping lever to which can be attached various telescopic sight
Telescopic sight
A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, is a sighting device that is based on an optical refracting telescope. They are equipped with some form of graphic image pattern mounted in an optically appropriate position in their optical system to give an accurate aiming point...
s and night optics. The mount is detachable from the receiver rail in seconds by swinging the locking lever open and sliding the scope and mount off the rail to the rear. It can be removed and reattached without loss of zero. The optic sight is normally removed during field stripping to give easy access to the receiver cover and bolt carrier. The rifle features mechanically adjustable backup AKM-type iron sights
Iron sights
Iron sights are a system of shaped alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist in the aiming of a device such as a firearm, crossbow, or telescope, and exclude the use of optics as in telescopic sights or reflector sights...
with a sliding tangent rear sight which can be adjusted from 100 m to 1,000 m. These sights can be used with or without the optic sight in place.
The typical scope used is a ZRAK M-76 4x 5°10’ scope originally produced in the ZRAK factory in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
. This optical sight is similar to the PSO-1
PSO-1
The Soviet PSO-1 telescopic sight was at the time of its introduction , the most technically advanced telescopic sight ever designed for a mass-production designated marksman or sniper rifle...
4x24 sight used on the Russian SVD rifle and the Romanian I.O.R.
I.O.R.
IOR is the acronym for the name of Întreprinderea Optică Română . It is a major optics company established in 1936 in Bucharest, Romania. I.O.R. produces military and civilian grade optics for export and domestic production. Famous for its own version of the Russian PSO-1 type scopes , binoculars...
LPS 4x6° TIP2 4x24 sight used on the PSL rifle. The reticle illumination of the ZRAK M-76 4x 5°10’ is provided by (radioactive) tritium
Tritium
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. The nucleus of tritium contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of protium contains one proton and no neutrons...
. The tritium light source has to be replaced every 8–12 years, since it gradually loses its brightness due to radioactive decay
Radioactive decay
Radioactive decay is the process by which an atomic nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting ionizing particles . The emission is spontaneous, in that the atom decays without any physical interaction with another particle from outside the atom...
. The reticle features a PSO-1
PSO-1
The Soviet PSO-1 telescopic sight was at the time of its introduction , the most technically advanced telescopic sight ever designed for a mass-production designated marksman or sniper rifle...
type range-finding reticle.
Performance
The M76 is relatively accurate for a semi-automatic rifle. It can achieve 1.5 to 2 Minute of angleMinute 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...
or MOA consistent accuracy with appropriate ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
. Under normal conditions a maximum effective range of 800 m (875 yd) against man sized targets for an average sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
is achievable. The dispersion at 900 m (984 yd) is described as 50 x 50 cm (19.7 x 19.7 in), which is ≈ 1.9 MOA. Under optimal atmospheric and environmental conditions excellent marksmen might use the M76 up to 1,000 m (1094 yd). Recoil is described as being modest.
It has the reputation of a reliable and capable weapon and has seen extensive combat service.
As with all precision rifles, the user has to take care not to overheat the barrel.
Variants
Zastava produces several variants of the M76 in different calibers.The rifle is designated M77 when chambered for 7.62x51mm NATO..
The rifle is designated M90 when chambered for .243 Winchester
.243 Winchester
The .243 Winchester is a popular sporting rifle cartridge. Initially designed as a varmint round, it is now more frequently used on medium to large game such as whitetail deer, mule deer, pronghorn, wild hogs, and even black bear and caribou...
or .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...
.
The rifle is designated M91 when chambered for 7.62x54mm R.
Users
: Manufactured locally as Jeogyeok-Bochong.See also
- Zastava M91Zastava M91The Zastava M91 is a modern military semi-automatic sniper rifle developed and manufactured by Zastava Arms, Serbia.-History:Zastava website claims that M91 rifle was designed after a long and careful study of combat tactics and experience of military and police special forces worldwide; and that...
- Zastava M93 Black ArrowZastava M93 Black ArrowThe M93 Black Arrow is a 12.7mm or .50 caliber anti-materiel rifle developed and manufactured by Zastava Arms.The M93 Black Arrow is designed on the basis of the Mauser system, which was, during its one hundred years long combat history, proven to be one of the most accurate and reliable...
- Zastava M07Zastava M07The Zastava M07 is a modern military sniper rifle developed and manufactured by Zastava Arms, Serbia. The sniper rifle M07 is designed on the basis of the Mauser 98 bolt action system, the barrel is made of chrome-vanadium steel. The rifle is loaded from a detachable magazine with the capacity of...
- List of sniper rifles