Haskins Rifle
Purpose-built US military sniper rifle, later used by the IRA.
The Haskins Rifle—also called the RAI 300 or Haskins M500—is a bolt-action sniper rifle Jerry Haskins designed from 1981 to 1982 for the U.S. military. Unlike many military sniper rifles, it was built from scratch for military use, not adapted from a civilian model. The design came from a U.S. Army need for an antimaterial weapon, since standard 7.62×51mm sniper rifles couldn't meet penetration demands.
Several experimental cartridges were tested, leading to a convertible lightweight bolt-action rifle that could fire either .50 caliber machine-gun rounds or a lighter, faster wildcat cartridge optimized for antipersonnel use with some antimaterial capability. The Army declined to buy the lighter version but purchased a small number of .50 caliber rifles, which are now used by some U.S. Army Special Forces snipers. The Haskins M500 can fire a .50 caliber round up to 2 km and still hit a garbage-bin-sized target.
Though not widely adopted by the U.S., the weapon served as a testbed for new sniper ammunition. The original cartridge, the 8.58×71mm, was later developed by Finland’s Lapua-Nammo Oy into the .338 Lapua Magnum. The Haskins is a bolt-action, magazine-fed rifle with a steel receiver and a rotating bolt featuring three long lugs that lock into the receiver walls. It could use either 7.62×51mm NATO or 8.58×71mm cartridges, and switching calibers required only replacing the barrel and bolt head.
The rifle included a detachable scope mount, a heavy precision barrel, a folding bipod, and a fully adjustable trigger. It could be disassembled for easier carry and storage. The Haskins was also used by the Provisional Irish Republican Army against British troops in Northern Ireland, where it became highly feared and caused many deaths.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- United States
- Is Ranged
- yes
- Service
- 1983
- Designer
- Jerry Haskins
- Design Date
- 1981–1982
- Weight
- 5.7 kg (unloaded w/o scope)
- Part Length
- 610 mm
- Cartridge
- 8.58×71mm, 7.62×51mm & 12.7×99mm NATO
- Action
- Bolt-action
- Feed
- 5-round (7.62) or 4-round (8.58) detachable box magazine
- Sights
- Detachable telescopic sight
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Haskins Rifle was designed by Jerry Haskins between 1981 and 1982 in response to a US Army requirement for an antimaterial sniper capability. Several experimental cartridges were produced, culminating in a convertible lightweight bolt-action rifle able to use .50 caliber machine-gun cartridges or a lighter, faster, then-wildcat cartridge optimized for antipersonnel use with some antimaterial ability. The US Army declined to purchase the lighter rifle but bought a small number of the .50 caliber rifles, which are now used by some United States Army Special Forces snipers.
The weapon features a steel receiver with a rotating bolt that has three long lugs locking into the receiver walls. Switching between the two calibers (7.62×51mm NATO and 8.58×71 mm) required only replacing the barrel and bolt head. The Haskins included a detachable scope mount, heavy precision barrel, folding bipod, fully adjustable trigger, and could be disassembled for ease of carry and storage.
The Haskins was also used by the Provisional Irish Republican Army to fire upon British troops in Northern Ireland, where it became highly feared and was the cause of many deaths.
Reader's Guide
The Haskins Rifle's significance lies in its role as a purpose-built military sniper rifle, a departure from the common practice of reworking civilian firearms. Although not adopted in large numbers by the US, it served as a testbed for new sniper ammunition. The cartridge originally used, the 8.58×71mm, was eventually developed by the Lapua-Nammo Oy company in Finland into the .338 Lapua Magnum, a round that became widely influential in long-range shooting. The weapon's convertible design, allowing use of both 7.62×51mm NATO and the experimental 8.58×71mm cartridge, demonstrated a flexible approach to sniper systems. Its legacy includes both its limited US military service with Special Forces and its controversial use by the Provisional Irish Republican Army, where it gained a fearsome reputation. The Haskins remains an example of an innovative but niche design that contributed to later ammunition development.
Did You Know?
- The Haskins Rifle was purpose-built for the US military, not reworked from an existing civilian firearm.
- It could fire .50 caliber rounds up to 2 km and still hit a target the size of a garbage bin.
- The 8.58×71mm cartridge used in the Haskins was later developed into the .338 Lapua Magnum by Lapua-Nammo Oy in Finland.
More in Bolt-Action Rifles, Part 5 1-24
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