RAI Model 300 / Model 500 (Haskins Rifle)

History of the RAI Model 300/500 (Haskins Rifle)

The Model 300 and Model 500 RAI rifles were designed by engineer Jerry Haskins in the early 1980s for military service with special elements of the U.S. Army. The rifle is designed around a lightweight body that is relatively easy to convert to chambered 7.62x51mm NATO and 12.7x99mm NATO, the latter focused on anti-matter operations on the battlefield. The results of this work were the Model 300 and the Model 500, both of which were evaluated by Army Special Forces.

Finally only the .50 caliber (12.7mm) version - the Model 500 - entered service in limited quantities.

The advent of the RAI rifle, also known as the "Haskins Rifle" after its designer, came before the .50 caliber antimatter rifle became popular. The first such weapon was introduced by the Germans in World War I (1914-1918) with the "T-Gewehr" rifle (detailed elsewhere on this page) designed to counter the new British tank formation threat. This rifle fires almost standard infantry rifle cartridges, but has enough power to penetrate the protection provided by these clumsy machines. More real anti-tank rifles were later seen in the fighting of World War II, where several major powers deployed some form of this type - Britain and their children.

55, the Soviet Union has the Simonov and Degeteleev signs, and Japan has the Type 97. Finland, Poland and Germany also contributed to this unique category, each with their own local types.

The anti-tank rifle eventually proved dual-purpose in an "anti-material" role, and there was a renewed interest in this infantry-level system in the 1970s. Development culminated in the excellent Barrett M82 for the US military, and the Harris/McMillan brand contributed other examples.

Other countries eventually joined the circle with their own designs, including Hungary's "Cheetah" series and Denell's South African small arms branch (NTW-20). Today, anti-materiel rifles are the mainstay of almost all famous armies, the most popular model being the Barrett model.

The operation of the RAI 500 pistol is a manual bolt breech, and the feeding of the cartridge is carried out from a detachable five-round box magazine, inserted in the usual way into the chute (in front of the trigger group). The shoulder rests are foldable for compactness and arranged as a "skeleton" to reduce weight. The stock can be customized to some extent by the shooter, including a cheek rest. The barrel is free-floating, the assembly never touches the front end of the stock, and is designed to tight, precision-based tolerances to ensure absolute accuracy at range.

A telescope (removable) is mounted above the receiver for long-distance shooting. A foldable bipod is attached to the short forearm section located below the barrel assembly to aid prone shooting.

In addition to the custom shoulder assembly, the trigger is fully adjustable to suit the shooter's pull requirements. The gun's lightweight construction and ability to quickly disassemble contribute significantly to the barrel's profile.

The total weight of the system (excluding its circumference) is 5.7 kg, and the barrel assembly is 610 mm long. The initial velocity of the fired bullet reaches 800 meters per second, and the effective range is 1300-2000 meters.

A skilled shooter can expect to keep the cartridge in a "small" window or box, even at extreme ranges, and that's how accurate this weapon is.

The RAI rifle was also used to test the experimental 8.58x71mm cartridge, which later became the popular .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge in widespread use today.

Specification

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