North Korea's secret weapon: EU‑made rifles in Kim's hands
In North Korea, Kim Jong Un participated in the presentation of new weaponry for the special forces. This included new sniper rifles, which interestingly originate from one of the renowned manufacturers in the European Union. Here's what Kim fired from, and we'll explain how this weapon could have made its way to the DPRK.
Kim Jong Un personally tested the new sniper rifle, which turned out to be the Steyr SSG 08 produced in Austria. Its presence in the DPRK is a mystery, as it could have only unofficially arrived through third countries.
European rifles in the DPRK — Russia could have been the culprit
North Korea, similar to Iran, is under sanctions and acquires components or arms through clandestine means and networks that obscure the end client. Still, some countries tolerate sales by local companies to other sanctioned countries.
It is worth noting that, due to the enormous aid provided by the DPRK to Russia, North Korea gained access to more advanced equipment, as Russia remains less isolated globally than the DPRK. Most likely, Austrian SSG 08 rifles, which are also available on the civilian market, ended up in Kazakhstan or another state maintaining relations with Russia, similar to the case with sniper ammunition components. The rifles from Russia could then have been delivered to the DPRK as payment for other equipment.
Steyr SSG 08 - sniper perfection from Austria
The Steyr SSG 08 rifle has been in production since 2008, and its name comes from Scharfschützengewehr 2008. The rifle was designed to meet the requirements of the EKO Cobra counter-terrorism unit. It is worth noting that the Steyr company has a rich history dating back to 1864 and has delivered many unique and revolutionary weapons for their time.
The SSG 08 is a classic bolt-action rifle fed from interchangeable magazines, requiring manual reloading after each shot. It is characterized by very high precision of even less than 0.5 MOA, although there are instances of shooters capable of achieving even 0.3 MOA with Steyr rifles.
MOA stands for minute of angle, which is often used to evaluate the accuracy of firearms. In the case of this rifle, we are talking about accuracy that allows all shots to fit within a circle with a diameter of about 0.35 inches or 0.59 inches at 328 feet. At 984 feet, this equates to 1.02 inches and 1.71 inches. This allows for multiple hits on a target the size of a tissue box, even at a distance of 984 feet.
The Steyr SSG 08 is produced in variants for 7.62x51 mm NATO (.308 Winchester), 7.62x67 mm (.300 Winchester Magnum), and 8.6x70 mm (.338 Lapua Magnum) ammunition. The last caliber allows precise shooting over a distance of more than 0.93 miles, and even the best ballistic plates in the world cannot protect against bullets of this caliber.
The rifle, apart from key components such as a cold hammer-forged barrel or a bolt with four locking lugs and a trigger mechanism, is made of aluminum, which helps maintain an acceptable weight. Depending on the caliber, the SSG 08 weighs from about 12 to 13.5 pounds unloaded without a bipod and optical sight with a mount, which in practice increases the weight by over a pound.
It appears that the rifle Kim fired has a factory-installed optical sight that resembles the very popular Schmidt & Bender 5-25x56 PM II in recent years.
Of course, as befits a modern sniper weapon, the SSG 08 allows extensive customization to the shooter's physique. The side-folding stock not only allows for adjustments in length and cheek pad height but also features an extendable monopod with adjustable height. Meanwhile, the dorsal section of the Picatinny rail comes standard with a 20 MOA incline.
