AWM

 The Accuracy International AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum) is a bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International designed for magnum rifle cartridge chamberings. The Accuracy International AWM is also unofficially known as the AWSM (Arctic Warfare Super Magnum), which typically denotes AWM rifles chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum.

In September 2012 Accuracy International announced that the .338 Lapua Magnum AWM rifle was phased out and replaced by the Accuracy International AXMC sniper rifle.

Arctic Warfare Magnum System
The Accuracy International AWM rifle is a variant of the British Accuracy International Arctic Warfare (AW) rifle that was the basis of a family of sniper rifles using the Arctic Warfare name. As such the design details of the AWM variant are similar to the ones found in the basic AW rifle system. Compared to the AW, the AWM has a longer bolt to accommodate dimensionally larger magnum-length cartridges such as the .300 Winchester Magnum and the .338 Lapua Magnum. The bolt head, locking ring, and extractor and magazines were also revised to work with the increased size and operating pressures of magnum rifle cartridges.

The AWM features a detachable single stack removable box magazine which holds five rounds. The normal cartridges for this rifle, and the ones which have been accepted by NATO for use in AWM rifles, are .300 Winchester Magnum and .338 Lapua Magnum.

Muzzle brakes are fitted to reduce recoil, jump and flash and act as a base for optional iron sights and suppressors.

Normally, the AWMs are outfitted with a Schmidt & Bender PM II 10×42/MILITARY MK II 10×42 telescopic sight with 10× fixed power of magnification. However, a Schmidt & Bender PM II/MILITARY MK II with variable magnification of either 3–12×50, 4–16×50 or 5–25×56 can be used if the operator wants more flexibility to shoot at varying ranges, or when a wide field of view is required. Accuracy International actively promotes fitting the German made Schmidt & Bender PM II/MILITARY MK II product line as sighting components on their rifles, which is rare for a rifle manufacturer. The German and Russian Army preferred a telescopic sight made by Zeiss over Accuracy International's preference.

The AWM rifle is normally supplied in a metal transit case together with a telescopic sight, mount, butt spacers, bipod, spare magazines, sling, cleaning and tool kits.

Military adoption
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces adopted the AWM rifle chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum as the L115A1 Long Range Rifle. The British L115A1 rifles are outfitted with Schmidt & Bender 3-12×50 PM II/MILITARY MKII 3-12×50 0.1 MIL RAD telescopic sights. The L115A1 is in service with the Royal Marines, British Army and RAF Regiment in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In November 2007 the British Ministry of Defence (MOD) announced that their snipers in the Army, Royal Marines and RAF Regiment were to get a new rifle. Accuracy International would supply 580 L115A3 Long Range Rifles with day telescopic sights. The L115A3 is being supplied as part of a broader Sniper System Improvement Programme (SSIP) program which also includes night sights, spotting scopes, laser range finders and tripods.[16] The L115A3 rifle was first deployed to Afghanistan in May 2008. Some features of the improved L115A3 include:

    Schmidt & Bender 5-25×56 PM II LP/MILITARY MKII 5-25×56 0.1 MIL RAD parallax, illumination, double turn telescopic sights;
    Suppressors to reduce the flash and noise signature;
    Folding stocks for better carrying in a backpack;
    Adjustable cheek pieces for more comfort and better eye alignment with the telescopic sight;
    Butt spikes (monopods) to aid stability during firing;
    Adjustable bipods, which differ from the original Accuracy International bipod;
    5-round box magazines.

The MOD claims a muzzle velocity of 936 m/s (3,071 ft/s) for the L115A3