Turkey's MPT-76-MH rifle passes Turkish Army qualification tests

Several military sources in Turkey reported that the rifle will be used as a designated marksman’s rifle. However, this has not officially been confirmed

Turkey's MPT-76-MH rifle passes Turkish Army qualification tests

Turkish troops with the MPT-76. Photo: Turkish Ministry of National Defence

Turkey has announced that a new version of its 7.62x51mm rifle, the MPT-76, has passed qualification tests with the Turkish Army, according to the Firearm Blog website. Several military sources in Turkey reported that the rifle will be used as a designated marksman’s rifle (DMR). However, this has not officially been confirmed, and it seems more likely that the new rifle is simply a lighter version of the weapon.

CNNTurk reported that the weight of the rifle is 750g less than that of a standard MPT-76. The website of manufacturer MKEK lists the original MPT-76's original weight, without a magazine, as 4.2kg. This means that the MPT-76-MH weighs in at around 3.45kg. If the MPT-76-MH is a DMR, it joins MKEK’s previous effort to make a self-loading precision rifle – the KNT-76, which is described as "sniper rifle" in the company’s specs. Both weapons are based on the MPT-76 but it is unclear how different the two rifles are, according to the report.

The MPT-76-MH joins the 5.56x45mm MPT-55 and MPT-55K service rifles as well as the 7.62x51mm KAAN-717 Carbine prototype, the website said.

You might be interested also