The PGM 338, also known as the PGM Mini-Hécate, is a French sniper rifle.
History[]
Designed by Chris L. Movigliatti of AMSD, the PGM 338 was designed to fill the niche between the 7.62×51mm NATO marksman rifle's lack of stopping power and the .50 BMG sniper rifle's lack of portability. It is designed to compete with the SAKO TRG and the Accuracy International Arctic Warfare. It is distributed by PGM Précision in France, Drake Associates, Inc. in the United States, and by Liemke Defense in Germany.
Design Details[]
Similar to its larger brother, the Hécate II, the PGM 338 is built around a central girder metal chassis. This gives it a distinctive barebones appearance which is supposed to reduce maintenance. The receiver is made of 7075 aluminum, with the bolt having three locking lugs and the receiver having many overpressure vent holes to help vent high-pressure gases in the rare event of a cartridge case head failure. The cold hammer-forged barrel is manufactured by Lothar Walther and has a removable muzzle brake on its end; in order to preserve shooting comfort, PGM recommends that the muzzle brake or a silencer be always attached. The rifling is an unconventional 1:12 right-handed twist optimized for firing low-drag .338 bullets. The weapon has polymer furniture and has an adjustable trigger pull. It is fitted with a Picatinny rail which can be used to mount all sorts of optics. The PGM 338 has a bipod attached to the bottom, along with an additional monopod attached to the stock. It is capable of 0.5 MOA accuracy.