The Truvelo SR-20 is categorized as an anti-material rifle and is the product of the burgeoning South African arms industry. The weapon is conventional by modern standards and fires a powerful 20mm cartridge that is suitable for defeating light armor, fortified structures and other military-value structural targets. Its large caliber also makes it a plus when utilizing the weapon system in the "counter-sniper" role to minimize the effects an enemy sniper has on a modern army.
Design of the SR-20 is consistent with other large, heavy rifles of this classification and is rather conventional in her layout with the magazine feed ahead of the pistol grip (as opposed to behind as the "bullpup" configuration commonly seen with weapons of this type). The SR-20 is operated through a manual bolt-action process that introduces a fresh, ready-to-fire cartridge into the firing chamber while ejecting any spent cartridges currently in the chamber. The bolt handle is set to the right side of the receiver near the trigger unit. The magazine is rather shallow once inserted into the underside of the receiver and sports an angled bottom facing due to the nature of the tapered bullets. The pistol grip is ergonomically angled with the curved trigger unit just ahead. There is a short forend for forward support when positioning the rifle. The receiver tapers off to become the barrel which provides for a most contoured appearance.
The SR-20 is officially chambered to fire the 20x82mm Ball cartridge, this from a detachable box magazine. The rifle series is cleared to fire a range of ammunition types to meet mission criteria and includes armor-piercing (AP), armor-piercing incendiary (API) and high-explosive (HE).
The gun maintains a running length of 78.35 inches with the barrel measuring in at 38.98 inches. Empty weight (sans magazine) is listed at 55.12lbs. The aluminum shoulder stock is skeletal in design and made fully adjustable to suit operator taste and comes complete with a cheekpiece and rubber-covered buttplate. Likewise, a forward-fitted bipod is also adjustable and collapsible against the underside of weapon. The long barrel is capped by a double-baffled muzzle brake to help contend with the violent recoil (up to 60% reduction) inherent in the firing of such a large-caliber round. Interestingly, no base iron sights of any kind are fitted to the SR-20 almost requiring the use of some sort of optics (day or night). The SR-20 is equipped with a Mil-Std M1913 series Picatinny accessories rail as standard.
Truvelo lists the range of their SR-20 out to 1,500 meters (just under 5,000 feet).
South Africa
