Alongside their new 5.56mm R20 infantry rifles, Estonia has recently adopted the LMT 7.62x51mm MARS-H as its new designated marksman’s rifle; the R20L. These rifles were part of a single rifle contract, with the vast majority of the rifles being the smaller 5.56mm ones. The larger 7.62mm rifles have basically all the same features (including bayonet lugs and select-fire trigger groups), but scaled up for the larger caliber. Initial batches were fitted with Vortex scopes, but more now are being set up with Schmidt & Bender scopes in Spuhr mounts – really excellent kit. They use the same GSL suppressor as the 5.56mm guns, and are fitted with 2-position gas plugs when using the suppressor.
Thanks to the Supply Battalion of the Estonian Defense Forces Support Command for giving me access to film the new R20 rifles as well as some of their older firearms!
Overall, an excellent choice of weapon as an accompanying DMR for the 5.56mm version.
Estonia is making some good decisions with a lot of their procurement choices, in my opinion. The LMT variants on a theme of “AR-15” are exactly the evolutionary improvements I wish the US would implement in its small arms fleet, vice the constant “Gotta be a blue-sky 100% improvement on the existing weapons…”
I’d have loved to have that ambidextrous setup on my issue weapons, and the monolithic upper? Sex. Pure sex.
Can I fire a 76 2 x 5 4R out of the Estonia 76 2 x 51
Depends on how determined you are, I suppose…
The 76,2×51 over all is 2.810 in. The 7.62X54 is over all length is 3.049 in. The rim diameter is 0.473 for 7.62X51 and 0.570 in for 7.62X54. The first problem is, if you can reliable run the 7.62X54 from a AR 10 magazine. This will be you first task. Get AR 10 magazine and try make a 7.62X54 to work in the magazine. I do not think it will work.
There is better option to 7.62X54. Any thing between 6.5 and 7 mm based on the 7.62×51 mm. I think the 6.5 Creedmore is most popular.
The AR platform have zero primary extraction. There is new Russian sniper rifle, the Chukavin that is build from the ground up to fire 7.62X54. The AR have 18 degree bolt throw. The Chukavin has a three lug bolt with a 60 degree bolt throw. This will give you primary extraction.
If you are sitting on crate of 7.62×54 buy a Mosin-Naggant.
“(…)Chukavin that is build from the ground up to fire 7.62X54(…)”
https://modernfirearms.net/en/sniper-rifles/svch-sniper-designated-marksman-2/
Observe that said fire-arm is developed concurrently in 3 variants: 7,62×51 and 7,62x54R and .338 Lapua Magnum. First two are quite similar to each other, whilst last is considerably different to fit said cartridge.
“(…)Get AR 10 magazine and try make a 7.62X54 to work in the magazine.(…)”
More primal question is if it could be done to work with rimmed cartridge. Phoenix Weaponry https://gunmagwarehouse.com/blog/phoenix-weaponrys-new-ar-in-45-70-auto/ when trying to put .45-70 into AR-10 decided to remove rim and thus altered .45-70 into rebated rim design.
It wont even chamber correctly.
Sometimes I feel that small countries with limited budgets make better purchasing decisions than large countries with less budget constraints.
@Mel,
They kind of have to, given all the different constraints they have to deal with. If you’re France, you can afford to pick the Lebel and live with the cartridge… Because you’ve got other things going for you like the 75mm quick-firing cannon.
If, however, you are Finland…? You either get that sort of thing right the first time, or you cease to exist as an independent nation. Sort of the way the Baltics did during the 1940s…
Having neighbors like Russia tends to concentrate the mind wonderfully. I have always said that drones were going to be a major feature in some future war, and here we are with Ukraine using them to deal serious damage to the Russian Federation forces. This isn’t accidental; they had to, or live with Russian occupation and outright cultural genocide of their people a second time.
You make good procurement decisions, or you cease to exist. It’s that simple. And, because of that, the tendency is there for smaller nations to be the very first to adopt the disruptive and innovative, right alongside that which “just works”. At this point, the AR-15 derivative LMT rifles are in that category.