Steyr HS .50 / HS .460

The Steyr HS .50 and the Steyr HS .460 are single-shot anti-materiel rifles manufactured by Steyr Mannlicher and chambered in .50 BMG and .460 Steyr, respectively. Unlicensed variants of the HS. 50 include the AM-50 Sayyad produced by Iran, the Golan S-01 produced by Syria and the Al-Ghoul rifle produced by the Al-Qassam Brigades.

Steyr HS .50
Steyr HS .50
Type	Anti-materiel rifle
Place of origin	Austria
Service history
Used by	See Users
Wars	Iraq War Syrian Civil War[1] War in Iraq (2013-2017)[2] Yemeni Civil War (2014–present)[3] Russo–Ukrainian War (2014–present) Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
Production history
Manufacturer	Steyr Mannlicher
Produced	2004
Variants	HS .460 HS .50 M1
Specifications (HS .50)
Mass	12.4 kg (28.5 lbs)
Length	1,370 mm (54 inches)
Barrel length	833 mm (33 inches)
Cartridge	.50 BMG .460 Steyr
Caliber	.50 BMG
Action	Bolt action
Effective firing range	up-to 1500m
Feed system	Single shot (HS .50, HS .460) 5 round detachable box magazine (HS .50 M1)

Design and features

The Steyr HS .50 is a single-shot bolt-action rifle. It has no built-in magazine, and each round has to be loaded directly into the ejection port and is pushed into the chamber by the bolt. The fluted barrel is cold hammer-forged and has an effective range of up to 1,500 m. It has an adjustable bipod, a muzzle brake that reduces recoil significantly, and a Picatinny rail for the installation of various optics.

The original Steyr HS-50 was designed by Heinrich Fortmeier, on behalf of Steyr Arms.

Variants

HS .460

The HS .460 is chambered for the .460 Steyr round, developed for markets where ownership of the .50 BMG by private citizens is banned but .46 caliber rounds are not, such as California.

HS-50

The "HS-50" is a single shot bolt action .50 BMG rifle, with 2 barrel length options (29" / 33"), The rifle comes standard with a 0 MOA picatinny rail

HS-50 M1

The HS .50 M1 is an evolution of the HS .50. It is magazine-fed from a five-round magazine feeding horizontally left from the receiver, has a longer top Picatinny rail and more Picatinny rails on the side, an adjustable cheekpiece, a newly designed fixable bipod, and a monopod at the buttstock.

AM-50 Sayyad

Iran produces an unlicensed copy under the name AM-50 Sayyad.^[4] The AM-50 has been in production since 2008 and has been widely exported.^[5] Because of its wide exports, AM-50 rifles have also been supplied to or captured by groups opposed to Iran, such as Syrian rebels.^[3] The AM-50 reportedly has much worse fit and finish than the original Steyr HS .50.^[5]

Golan S-01

In June 2018, media organizations affiliated with the Syrian government^[6] reported that Syria had begun producing an unlicensed variant of the rifle, dubbed the Golan S-01, in reference to the Golan Heights. Its first prototype was issued in 2015. Unlike the original HS .50, the Golan S-01 fires the Soviet 12.7×108mm anti-materiel rifle cartridge.^[7] It is slightly heavier than the HS.50, weighing in at 13.5 kg and has an effective firing range of 1,600 meters, a 100-meter improvement over the previous generation of anti-materiel rifles used by the Syrian Army. It is also 100 mm longer than the HS .50, measuring in at 1,470mm total length.^[8] It is manufactured by Golan Rifle Plant. In 2023, the SSRC has upgraded the Syrian produced Golan S-01 AMR. New model Golan S-01 Mk.2 was introduced with a new stock, box magazine, and scope.^[7]

Al-Ghoul

Named after the Hamas engineer and senior operative Adnan al-Ghoul, Is an upgraded variant of the original Steyr HS.50 sniper, It is a Palestinian-made sniper used and manufactured by the Al-Qassam Brigades. One of the world’s longest sniper rifles with a length of 2 meters, it differs from the typical model as it uses 14.5mm and 12.7mm caliber ammunition and has an effective range of 2000 meters, 500 meters greater than the original Steyr.^[9] Hamas first used this rifle in the 2014 Gaza war. The group also stated that these rifles are “evidence of the distinction of its military industries”.^[10]

Users

Steyr HS-50 Iranian sniper

• Argentina - Used by Argentine Army.^[11][12]
• Bolivia - Used by Bolivian Army.^[13]
• Iran - 800 rifles were purchased in 2006.^[2]
• Romania - Used by Brigada Specială de Intervenție a Jandarmeriei^[14]
• Russia - Used by police forces and special forces.^[15]
• Ukraine - Used by HUR.^[16]

AM-50 Sayyad / Golan S-01 operators

AM-50 Sayyad used by Iranian Navy Takavaran

• Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq^[17][2]
• Badr Organization^[17]
• Hamas^[18]
• Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba^[17]
• Hezbollah^[3]
• Houthis^[3]
• Iran ^[3]
• Iraq - Iraqi Special Operations Forces, and the Iraqi Armed Forces.^[3]
• Islamic State^[3]
• Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada^[17]
• Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)^[3]
• Liwa al-Zulfiqar^[17]
• Liwa Fatemiyoun^[19]
• Saraya al-Aqida^[17]
• Saraya al-Khorasani^[17]
• Saraya al-Salam (until 2021)^[17]
• Saraya Ashura^[17]
• Syria^[3][1]
• Tahrir al-Sham^[3]
• Syrian National Army^[3]

“Ghoul” variant operators

• Qassam Brigades^[3]
• Al-Quds Brigades
•  Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (in Gaza)

Gallery

• 
  Ukrainian HUR soldier in 2022

See also

• Barrett M82, an American anti-materiel rifle
• Denel NTW-20, a South African anti-materiel rifle
• KSVK 12.7, a Russian anti-materiel rifle
• PGM Hécate II, a French anti-materiel rifle
• Steyr SSG 69, an Austrian bolt-action sniper rifle