JGS-109
| Type 109 Sniper Rifle (JGS-109) | |
|---|---|
 Top to bottom: JGS-93, JGS-109G, JGS-109N. | |
| Type | Sniper rifle |
| Place of origin |  Menghe |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2010 to present |
| Used by | see "Users" |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Daechun Precision Tooling |
| Designed | 2006-2009 |
| Produced | 2010-Present |
| Variants | see below |
| Specifications (JGS-109G) | |
| Weight | 7.1 kg |
| Length | 1,232 mm (with one spacing pad) |
| Barrel length | 700 mm |
| Cartridge | 8.58mm Lapua Magnum |
| Action | Bolt-action |
| Effective firing range | 2,500 m |
| Feed system | 5-round magazine |
| Sights | Adjustable iron sights Customizable scope (usually 3-9x) |
The JGS-109 (Formal designation: 109식 저격수 소총 / 一〇九式狙擊手小銃, Illyŏnggu-sik jŏgyŏksu sochong, "Type 109 sniper rifle;" Short designation 109식, Illyŏnggu-sik, "Type 109") is a bolt action sniper rifle developed in Menghe during the 2000s. It is designed for high-powered or magnum cartridges, though scaled-down variants in smaller cartridges have also been produced. Unlike the SS-110 "marksman rifle" which came into service the same year, the JGS-109 is a true sniper rifle, designed to be used by an independent sniper-spotter team to engage high-value targets.
Development
Prior to the introduction of the JGS-109, Menghe's main bolt-action sniper rifle was the JGS-93, or Type 93 sniper rifle. Designed in the early 1990s but influenced by earlier work in the 1980s, this weapon was relatively antiquated even by the standards of the time, lacking the floating barrel and adjustable cheekplate which by then were becoming ubiquitous. Modifications in the late 90s would steadily improve it, but the base weapon still suffered from a number of shortcomings, many of which were complicated by the poor precision tolerances of its assigned manufacturer.
Menghe's intervention in the Polvokian Civil War brought the JGS-93's shortcomings to the attention of the Menghean Army's commanders, but it was only after the Ummayan Civil War that the Army leadership expressed a serious commitment to procure a replacement. In addition to the rifle's lackluster performance and poor quality control, Army snipers were expressing interest in a new high-powered round for greater range in desert and mountain engagements. Even then, with the 2005 Menghean military reforms underway, the main focus was on regular combat forces rather than special units, and little funding was put forward for in-house sniper rifle development.
Instead, development began independently under a private firm. Daechun Precision Tooling, a small-scale maker of competition target-shooting rifles spun off from a machine parts company, produced a prototype rifle as a patriotic response to the rumored state demand, combining their previous rifle-making work with influences from a number of foreign sniper rifles. They submitted the weapon for evaluation in 2007, surprising the Menghean Army, which had not yet issued an official requirement and was still awaiting preliminary work from the state-run Hanbyŏl Machine Works. Army leaders initially postponed the evaluations, sending back the Daechun prototype to be re-chambered in new calibers in an effort to stall until the in-house competitor was ready. When the competition finally was held in 2008, it soon became apparent that the Daechun prototype was still more advanced than the Hanbyŏl submission, which, though durable and reliable, lacked the former's modularity and quality manufacture. Somewhat surprised by the awarding of a large-scale contract after years of delay and dismissal, Daechun secured last-minute loans to expand its operations, taking great care to ensure that the new machine stations would not deviate from their original tolerance levels. The first deliveries were made in 2010, and the new rifle was well-received among its new users.
Design
Layout
In keeping with the latest military sniper rifles, the JGS-109 uses a "chassis system" with a free-floating barrel. The receiver is bolted to an aluminium bar running inside the handguard, which is composed of two polymer sides screwed together on either side of it. This ensures that heating, cooling, or pressure on the handguard and bipod do not affect the barrel, which is only fixed to the receiver itself. Additionally, the handguard sides can easily be removed and swapped out for new ones without affecting the weapon's zero, especially as the screw holes running through the aluminium frame are not threaded.
One of the weapon's distinctive characteristics is its buttstock, which in the stock version has a large, triangular thumb hole. More common features include an adjustable upper plate to match the cheek weld to the user's face, and a rear pad which can be customized to match the user's arm length and preferred shooting posture. An adjustable monopod under the buttstock allows the user to rest the weapon at a fixed elevation. The buttstock is foldable behind the pistol grip for easier storage.
The weapon has two possible bipod positions, both with the same mounting system. The first, at the forward end of the handguard/chassis, offers the greatest steadiness, and is recommended for normal use. The second, underneath the handguard, allows for more clearance between the buttstock and the ground and thus a higher elevation.
Ammunition
In its standard Army production version, the JGS-109 is chambered in the .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, designed in Hallia for high accuracy and hitting power at long range. It feeds from a 5-round, single-stack detachable magazine. The receiver has finger-shaped recesses on either side of the magazine well, and the magazine itself has a slightly protruding baseplate on either side, allowing for easier magazine changes when wearing gloves.
Special, scaled-down variants are also available for export in smaller rifle cartridges, including 7.5×54mm Sieuxerrian and 7.62×54mmR. Generally, higher-grade ammunition is used in this role, to maintain accuracy out to a shorter range of 900 meters. The 7.5mm JGS-109N has been spotted in Menghean counterterrorism units, though little information is available on the number of rifles procured. As the 7.5mm-range rounds are smaller and lighter, they can be fed from a 10-round, double-stack magazine.
Barrel
The JGS-109 uses a heavy, chrome-lined, 700mm stainless steel barrel machined to tight tolerance levels for optimal accuracy. The barrel is free-floating, with a direct mount to the receiver but no direct connections to the handguard or lower chassis. On early-production models (2010 to 2011) the barrel was fluted to improve cooling, but the fluting is omitted on later-production models, apparently due to concerns that it was interfering in accuracy.
While the basic barrel can be fitted with a suppressor, as detailed below, there are also dedicated barrels with integral suppressors. These have a modified rifling turn to better stabilize subsonic ammunition.
Optics
Early-production models of the JGS-109 used a dovetail mount on the upper receiver, with a single recess that matched up with a fixed pin on the base of the scope, allowing for a repeatable zero. For all rifles manufactured after 2011, this is replaced by a single MARS rail, to allow a wider variety of optics options.
Within the Menghean Army, the JGS-109 is typically issued with a 3-12x telescopic sight with a 50mm lens, adjustable for range, windage, and magnification. Beneath the simple crosshair are four sets of parallel lines, spaced to match the average head-to-waist length of a human target at 400, 600, 800, and 1000 meters. A 5-25x scope for particularly long-range engagements is also available.
Both scopes have a small section of MARS rail on the upper side, which can be used to mount an infrared image intensification unit . The Menghean Army's preferred model of IR image intensifier is the Samsan S450, a large cylinder which sits above the sight and feeds video to a lens in front of the scope. The S450 fits both the 3-12x and 5-25x scopes, though it must be manually re-zeroed if switched between scope types, as a locking thumb screw adjusts the interface between the scope top and the mount. The MARS rail over the scope can also be used to mount a small red-dot reflector sight, useful for acquiring targets or firing at short range.
Like many Menghean weapons, the JGS-109 retains a set of backup iron sights, though their usefulness on a sniper rifle is somewhat dubious given their maximum practical range. Rather than being permanently mounted on the weapon, as on the JGS-93, the iron sights are removable, with a foresight that slots onto the barrel's threaded end and a rear sight that attaches to the MARS rail. These sights are issued alongside the rifle in a small pouch and mounted if the optics are damaged beyond use. Daechun Precision Tooling claims that the iron sights have a repeatable zero, and do not need to be re-zeroed after mounting, though the Army has not released independent test results. Standard practice in the Menghean Army is to have the spotter remove his rifle's 6x optic and pass it to the sniper if the latter's optic is broken, and only use the iron sights if the spotter's sight is broken or missing as well.
Other accessories
The weapon's muzzle lacks an integrated flash hider, as the length of the barrel itself was deemed adequate for reducing flash. Nevertheless, the muzzle does have an unscrewable cap covering a threaded section, allowing the user to attach a flash hider, iron foresight, or suppressor. The muzzle end can also be used to mount a mirage shroud, a long strap which hangs over the barrel to ensure that heat dissipation from the barrel does not interfere in the sight picture of a visual or infrared optic.
The protruding section of chassis just behind the bipod is fitted with two screw holes on either side. As designed, these can be used to mount an infrared-to-visual conversion scope which sits aligned in front of the lens of the 3-12x optic. This configuration is very uncommon in Menghean service, as the Samsan S450 image intensifier was deemed to offer better performance.
Variants
- JGS-109G: Standard Menghean Army variant chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum.
- JGS-109N: Scaled-down variant chambered in 7.5×54mm.
- JGS-109R: Scaled-down export variant chambered in 7.62×54mmR.
Users
| Menghean postwar infantry weapons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pistols |  | |
| Rifles | ||
| Submachine guns and carbines | ||
| Machine guns | ||
| Sniper rifles | ||
| Grenade launchers | ||
| Rocket-propelled grenades | ||
| MANPADS | ||
| Mortars | ||
| Land mines | ||
Note: r = retired from service, d = in development, e = export only. All names use foreign designations, except for names of weapons not accepted by the MoND. | ||