Tabuk

The Tabuk Sniper Rifle is a 7.62 x 39mm light caliber, short range, platoon level sniping rifle. Developed in Iraq in the 1980s to answer their intermediate sniping needs during the Iran-Iraq War, the rifle is a unique hybrid of the Yugoslavian Zastava-based M-76 sniper and the Yugo-Tabuk AKM standard rifle. Evidence points to Zastava near Belgrade providing engineering assistance for the rifle. It is listed in the 1988 Iraq Defense Trade Book, giving evidence that the rifle was around far earlier than originally believed. Tabuk Snipers, sometimes mistakenly called a Designated Marksmanship Rifle or 'DMR' after the US label, were never intended to be a long-range sniper. Iraq developed thier own longer-ranged sniper, called the Kadasia, based on a stamped version of the the Dragunov with influence from the Romanian PSL in the more powerful caliber 7.62x54 Rimmed. The Tabuk Sniper was intended to provide accurate fire at shorter distances just beyond the reach of the Tabuk AK rifle and be able to support fire from the Al Quds RPK light machine gun. Both have similar effective ranges to about 600 meters. The Tabuk Sniper was prized by Iraqi solders and insurgents alike and saw heavy enemy use in Fallujah and Baghdad. US troops encountered and captured this rifle in every part of Iraq, making it a favorite battlefield capture piece from the war. The Tabuk Sniper is built on a standard Tabuk AK stamped receiver. Many of the parts are interchangeable with the Tabuk AK and M70 AK that it was patterned after, including the magazines. The Tabuk is in essence an RPK design with a thinner profiled barrel, a unique scope rail that fits Soviet and Yugoslavian pattern scopes, and a hollowed out butt stock with cheek pad attachment. The iron sights are identical to the Al Quds RPK. The rifles are most often seen with the Chinese and Hungarian style 20 round magazines as well as the 5 and 10 round short magazine. They can use any size standard AK magazine or drum. Iraq used a Zrak contract scope cammed in 7.62 x 39mm. The scope is identical to an M76 Yugoslavian / Bosnian sniping scope with the exception that it does not have tritium. The scopes are often encountered with scrape marks where the orange tritium plates have been removed. The Zrak Company of Sarajevo, Bosnia made all of Iraq's scopes and exported them by contract. Iraqi 4 x power scopes were called the ON-M99 and can be found with Iraqi Ministry of Defense logos on the plate data. In use however, the Tabuk Sniper is most often seen with the Romanian or Russian PSO 4 x power scope. Both have the standard Soviet style choke reticle. Two Rivers Arms Tabuk Sniper rifles are built on Serbian parts and US receivers. The rifles are exact copies of the originals. Two Rivers Tabuk Snipers are hot blued for a spectacular finish. Two Rivers Arms Tabuk rifles have matching numbered parts with authentic wood stocks and are serialed to match their receivers. Each rifle is hand fitted for accuracy, range tested to provide the most accurate performance possible. Accessories such as cheek rests are available. Each rifle comes with a 20 round magazine. Tabuk is tremendously focused on "symmetrical aesthetics". When she encounters things, she judges them by how symmetrical they are. She further embraces this notion during battle - if she finds that her formation isn't symmetrical enough, she considers rearranging said formation to be her top priority. Conversely, if her sense of "symmetrical aesthetics" is satisfied, it allows her combat ability to reach its apex.