Indian Army gets Sako TRG-42 sniper rifles for soldiers deployed along LoC

New Delhi, Mar 29: The Indian Army has inducted the Sako .338 TRG-42 sniper rifles from Finland for troops deployed along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. Most of the special forces across the world use .338 Sako TRG 42 sniping rifle and Indian Army has procured it.

 

 

Reports suggest that the latest sniper rifles have been inducted into the army and they are using it now. The Sako .338 TRG-42 sniper rifles have a better range, firepower, and telescopic sights than those possessed by the adversary. The move is to make the snipers more lethal amid a change in operational dynamics along the Line of Control.

 

The Sako rifles have reportedly replaced the .338 Lapua Magnum Scorpio TGT by Beretta, and the .50 Calibre M95 by Barrett, which were inducted in the Indian army in 2019 and 2020. These rifles – made in Italy and America – had replaced the ageing Russian Dragunov, the mainstay of Indian troops.

 

 

First procured in the 1990s, the Dragunovs have slowly fallen behind contemporary sniper rifles which offer improved sights and mounts, increased accuracy, and a strike range of over 1 kilometre.

 

The Sako TRG-42 sniper rifle is a bolt-action sniper rifle designed and developed by the Finnish gun maker SAKO. The rifle is designed to fire powerful .338 Lapua Magnum-sized cartridges and weighs at 6.55 kgs without ammunition. It has an effective range of 1,500 metres. The rifle is considered one of the most accurate and trustworthy weapons gobally.