RH-ALAN MACS-M2A

     Notes: This Croatian weapon is the standard heavy sniper rifle of that country.  It is a single-shot, bolt-action weapon with an adjustable buttstock, cheekpiece, and trigger.  The 31.1-inch barrel is tipped with a large multi-baffle muzzle brake.  The bipod is fairly simple and of inexpensive construction, but is adjustable for height.  The standard sight for this weapon is a Kahles ZF 10x42.  It is reminiscent in appearance to the AMAC 50.  These weapons have literally turned up everywhere, including the former Yugoslavia, Africa, Afghanistan, and Southeast Asia (usually in the hands of bad guys). 

     The MACS-M3 is the MACS-M2A reconfigured into a bullpup design.  The bolt action protrudes over the shoulder of the firer.  It is otherwise the same weapon as the MACS-M2A, though the barrel length is reduced slightly to 29.9 inches.  It is used on a limited basis by the Croatian Army, but most firers find it unwieldy and clumsy, especially when reloading. 

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Like many Croatian weapons, the MACS-M2A is used mostly by Croatian and Slovenian snipers, but can also be found in Serbia, Bosnia, and Romania.  A small amount have also turned up in Italian hands.  The MACS-M3 is an uncommon modification of the MACS-M2A in the Twilight 2000 World.

     Merc 2000 Notes: Like many weapons of the former Yugoslavian republics, these rifles were widely sold on the export market. However, the MACS-M3 was never really popular.

Weapon

Ammunition

Weight

Magazines

Price

MACS-M2A

.50 Browning Machinegun

12.38 kg

1 Internal

$4690

MACS-M3

.50 Browning Machinegun

8.8 kg

1 Internal

$4641

 

Weapon

ROF

Damage

Pen

Bulk

SS

Burst

Range

MACS-M-2A

SS

9

2-3-4

9

4

Nil

131

MACS-M2A (Bipod)

SS

9

2-3-4

9

2

Nil

170

MACS-M3

SS

9

2-3-4

7

4

Nil

111

MACS-M3 (Bipod)

SS

9

2-3-4

7

2

Nil

144

 

RH-ALAN RT-20

     Notes: The RT-20 (Rucini Top, 20mm, or “Hand Cannon”) is an antimateriel rifle, normally used to destroy equipment and light vehicles instead of personnel.  It is described by the Croatians as a "hand cannon."  The RT-20 is also a rather complicated (though easy to build) Weapon; it is also impractical weapon in many respects due to its configuration, weight, size (over 5.5 feet long), the huge firing signature (more akin to a rocket launcher than that of a rifle), and restrictions on what kind of cover it may be fired from.  Despite this, the RT-20 has been wildly popular; it can be found almost anywhere in the world, and a lot of factories that don’t have a license are simply copying it illegally. 

     The idea of the RT-20 started during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia and the wars which followed it.  The Serbs had as part of their tank forces the M-84, which is in fact a rather good tank compared to the average tank in the region, with excellent night vision that could easily pick out Croatian armor and infantry at long distances.  The RT-20 was designed to take out the external parts of the thermal cameras of the M-84 (and the optics and vision blocks of other vehicles as well).  It was, in fact, quite good at doing this (enough that the Serb military put a bounty on the RT-20 and their gunners), and the mission of the RT-20 was quickly expanded.

     That said, the RT-20 can be a bitch to operate.  One of the biggest problems is the bullpup/single-shot bolt-action configuration.  The bolt and action of the weapon are largely above and behind the shoulder of the gunner when he has the RT-20 on his shoulder; this means that to reload and cock the weapon, the gunner must take it off his shoulder, and then either shove it forward, scoot back, or sit up.  (Of course, you don’t want to really sit up when you are in a hide spot…)  After that, he has to remove the entire bolt and clip a round to it, then re-insert it into the rifle. And while the RT-20 does have a truly massive multi-baffle muzzle brake, thick rubber pads around the shoulder areas of the rifle, and a heavy recoil spring-type absorber, even these did not prove effective enough in absorbing the recoil of what is normally an aircraft and naval cannon cartridge. 

     The Croatians therefore turned the RT-20 into sort of a mini-recoilless rifle; the RT-20 has a complex gas system reduces the recoil of shots to manageable levels, one that basically exhausts most of the excess gas from the cartridge through a gas tube and out the rear of the rifle.  One result of this system is that the RT-20 has a backblast, and persons behind the weapon are in danger from the escaping gasses. For the same reason, the RT-20 cannot be fired within 2 meters in front of a wall.  The firing position is unorthodox, with the firer lying at an angle to the weapon to avoid having his legs burned, similar to prone firing of a rocket launcher.  (To help solve the reloading and cocking problem, the spotter on an RT-20 team normally will cock and load the weapon, while the RT-20 remains on the shooter’s shoulder; however, he must move 2-3 meters away during the actual shot, creating its own concealment problems.)  The result is that while the RT-20 may require some unusual contortions to use, the recoil is far less than one would expect from a rifle firing this sort of cartridge.  (It also means that the term “antimateriel rifle” for this weapon is regarded by many as inaccurate, with some experts calling it an “antimateriel launcher” or something like that.)  The combination of large muzzle blast and backblast will almost certainly give away the shooter’s position, making it unsuitable as a sniper’s weapon for most purposes.

     The RT-20 has no iron sights; the scope mount is on the side of the weapon and normally is equipped with a Kahles ZF 6x42 scope.  The mount is positioned so that is provides a large amount of eye relief, preventing the scope from hitting the shooter during firing and giving him a black eye or other eye damage.  The RT-20 is equipped with a lightweight bipod adjustable for height, and to a lesser extent, cant.  The RT-20 is also issued with a pair of special backpacks; either pack may carry the entire weapon (broken down), or the RT-20 may be split between the two backpacks.  Originally, the RT-20 was an incredibly heavy weapon, later production brought the weight down considerably due to the use of lighter materials, and the latest variant, the RT-20M1 is significantly lighter, and also has a better muzzle brake, a lesser firing signature, and a lighter yet stronger barrel.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This weapon has proliferated from Spain to Iraq.

     Merc 2000 Notes:  This is one of Croatia’s big sellers; they make a lot of money off of it, and will sell it to just about anyone. 

Weapon

Ammunition

Weight

Magazines

Price

RT-20 (Early)

20mm Hispano-Suiza HS-404

25.86 kg

1 Internal

$10223

RT-20 (Late)

20mm Hispano-Suiza HS-404

19.05 kg

1 Internal

$10259

RT-20M1

20mm Hispano-Suiza HS-404

15.88 kg

1 Internal

$10301

 

Weapon

ROF

Damage

Pen

Bulk

SS

Burst

Range

RT-20 (Early, API)

½

14

3/-2/-5

9

2

Nil

194

(With Bipod)

½

14

3/-2/-5

9

1

Nil

252

RT-20 (Early, HE)

½

C1  B5

-4C

9

2

Nil

161

(With Bipod)

½

C1  B5

-4C

9

1

Nil

210

RT-20 (Early, FRAG)

½

C0  B6

-6C

9

2

Nil

161

(With Bipod)

½

C0  B6

-6C

9

1

Nil

210

RT-20 (Late, API)

½

14

3/-2/-5

9

2

Nil

194

(With Bipod)

½

14

3/-2/-5

9

1

Nil

252

RT-20 (Late, HE)

½

C1  B5

-4C

9

2

Nil

161

(With Bipod)

½

C1  B5

-4C

9

1

Nil

210

RT-20 (Late, FRAG)

½

C0  B6

-6C

9

2

Nil

161

(With Bipod)

½

C0  B6

-6C

9

1

Nil

210

RT-20M1 (API)

½

14

3/-2/-5

9

2

Nil

147

(With Bipod)

½

14

3/-2/-5

9

1

Nil

191

RT-20M1 (HE)

½

C1  B5

-4C

9

2

Nil

106

(With Bipod)

½

C1  B5

-4C

9

1

Nil

139

RT-20M1 (FRAG)

½

C0  B6

-6C

9

2

Nil

106

(With Bipod)

½

C0  B6

-6C

9

1

Nil

139