On December 21, 2023, the Kasam Brigade of Hamas-affiliated armed forces released a video of their small underground workshop in Gaza replicating Iran's AM-50 Hunter 12.7mm anti-materiel rifles and ammunition. Hamas has been using the Hunter since at least 2010, but for the first time it has announced its own production.
The gun is an Iranian version of the Austrian Steyr HS.50 sniper rifle, which has been produced since 2004 and began in 2008, with a different grip and barrel than the original, and a reported inferior assembly process and finish. The gun was sold for about $3,000 and, unlike most Iranian exports, was praised by buyers. It has also been given to pro-Iranian armed groups such as the Houthis in Yemen and Allah in Lebanon, and has been seized by armed groups such as the anti-Iranian Syrian rebels.
Comparison of the original (above) and the Iranian version
In the photos of the guns aided abroad, some of the guns have the production serial number erased to obscure the manufacturer.
The "Hunter" rifle is bolt-action, does not have a magazine, and is manually reloaded after each shot. It weighs about 12 kg, is 1.5 meters long, has a barrel length of 913 mm, uses 12.7x99 mm ammunition, has a muzzle velocity of 850 m / s, has an effective firing range of 1200 meters and a maximum range of 1500 meters. The rate of fire is 3-5 rounds per minute, and it comes standard with a 0 MOA Picatinny rail, which can be equipped with optical equipment such as night vision and thermal imagers, such as the DIO RU60G and RU120G thermal imaging sights. The barrel is forged using a cold hammer and comes with an adjustable bipod. When the gun is equipped with an RU120G scope, the observation hand RU100LH is equipped with a thermal imaging telescope.
RU60G
RU120G和RU100LH(右下)