Zastava M93 Black Arrow

History

The rifle was designed in 1993 and entered production in 1998. In Serbian military service, it was issued with a ZRAK 8x56 optical sight (8x magnified 56mm scope with markings up to 1800 m), which was essentially a scaled-up version of the scope issued with the smaller Zastava M76.

Design and features

The Zastava M93 Black Arrow rifle is available in both 12.7×108mm and .50 BMG. It is a bolt-action, air-cooled, magazine-fed firearm with a fixed stock. The weapon is fed through a 5- or 10-round detachable, spring-loaded box magazine. The shoulder stock has a telescoping design, with two stiff springs connecting the stock to the pistol grip. The bolt handle rests over the right side of the receiver. A carrying handle is affixed to the forend and the barrel is capped by a multi-baffled brake to assist in handling the massive recoil action. A folding bipod is also attached.

Its overall design is a scale-up of the Mauser 98 system, similarly to the Mauser 1918 T-Gewehr, with some influence from the French FR-F1. The FR-F1 was developed primarily from the MAS-36, which itself was influenced by the Mauser; thus, the Black Arrow derives the majority of its features from the Mauser design and its French iterations. The front end of the M93's bolt closely resembles the Mauser design, while the back end and firing pin are essentially the same design as the FR-F1's bolt, scaled up to 12.7mm caliber. This simplifies the manufacturing and disassembly process, while retaining the famed reliability of the original Mauser design. The M93 has a trigger block safety design similar to the Russian SVT-40 semi-automatic rifle; the same design is used by the FR-F1.

Versions sold on the civilian market, particularly in the United States, have a Picatinny rail over the receiver instead of an included scope, allowing purchasers of the rifle to mount the optic of their choosing. Originally chambered in the Soviet/Eastern Bloc 12.7x108mm cartridge, an optional chambering in the American .50 BMG (12.7x99mm) heavy machine gun round was later developed for the export market, as 12.7x108mm is rare outside of former Soviet nations.

Users

Current

• − Bulgarian re-export
• Armenia − 250 imported from Serbia in 2007
• Indonesia
• Ivory Coast − Bulgarian re-export
• Jordan
• Liberia
• Libya
• North Macedonia
• Philippines − 37 M93s to the Philippine Army, 11 to the Philippine Navy and Philippine Marine Corps, and one to the Philippine Air Force and the Intelligence Service of the AFP (ISAFP).
• Serbia
• Sri Lanka
• − Used by the Syrian Army.
• − Used by the internationally recognized government and Houthi forces in the Yemeni civil war

Non-state actors

• People's Protection Units Flag.svg YPG

References

Sources

References

1. Gniew Eufratu. (22 September 2017). "Syria Combat Footage - Battle of Raqqa - Providing sniper fire on the western front".
2. Gniew Eufratu. (27 June 2017). "Sniper's day in battle of Raqqa - Syria Combat Footage".
3. Yemen Fights Back. "Yemeni fighters push back Saudi mercenaries from Midi shores".
4. "M93 Long Range". Zastava Arms.
5. (17 August 2000). "AWT 12.7 mm M93 Black Arrow anti-matériel rifle".
6. "Zastava M93 (Black Arrow) Anti-Material Rifle (AMR)".
7. TFB TV. (2 August 2017). "Lets Talk Tokarev: The Soviet SVT 40".
8. [[Forgotten Weapons]]. (20 August 2021). "Zastava M93 Black Arrow: Serbia's .50 Cal Anti-Material Rifle".
9. "Serbia 2017". United Nations.
10. "Armenia 2007". United Nations.
11. (12 January 2011). "Snajperi iz Zastave za Jordan i Indoneziju". [[Blic.
12. United Nations Security Council. (25 October 2002). "Report of the Panel of Experts concerning Liberia (S/2002/1115)".
13. (April 2017). "Web Trafficking: Analysing the Online Trade of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Libya".
14. (1 October 2003). "Macedonia's Weaponry: A New Nation Re-Arms and Fights".
15. (26 March 2024). "AFP has unlisted donated sniper rifles, equipment worth P78M".
16. Republic of Serbia: Ministry of Economy and of Regional Development. (24 September 2010). "Annual Report on the Transfers of Controlled Goods in 2008". [[Stockholm International Peace Research Institute]].
17. (3 September 2018). "Serbian Weapons Used in Yemen Conflict Zone".
18. McCollum, Ian. (October 18, 2017). "Craft-produced anti-materiel rifles in service with Kurdish YPG".