Notes: This weapon generated a lot off interest when it was introduced in 1997, due to its quality; it was also designed using a host of suggestions from military and police snipers all over Europe and North America. (The design of the R-93 Tactical actually generated nine separate new patents.)

The R-93 Tactical (also known as the R-93 LRS-2) has a number of unusual features: the receiver, stock, and forestock are made of an almost solid piece of composite material; the barrel is of chrome-moly steel, cold-forged, and impregnated with deep-penetrating nitrogen gas to retard rusting. The barrels for most of the non-magnum calibers are 24.7 inches long; for the .300 Winchester Magnum and 6mm Norma Benchrest, the barrel is 25.6 inches; and for the .338 Lapua Magnum chambering, the barrel is 27 inches long. The barrels are deeply-fluted to reduce weight and promote cooling. The bolt handle does not need to be rotated to be actuated; it is simply pulled straight back, unlocking and locking automatically, with two chamber vents being provided if a case head failure occurs.

The bipod normally provided with the R-93 Tactical is a Harris lightweight-type, but this may be removed and replaced with a normal fore-end or even a foregrip if desired. The sight mount is a MIL-STD-1913 rail; no iron sights are provided. The buttplate is adjustable for height, length and angle, the cheekpiece is adjustable for height and position upon the stock, and the bipod is adjustable for height and cant. The trigger is match-quality, two-stage, and is adjustable for pull, takeup, overtravel, and three directions of position. With the exception of the .338 Lapua Magnum version, any chambering available to the R-93 Tactical can be fired from the same rifle simply by changing the barrel, bolt head, and magazine. (Versions of the R-93 Tactical which fire .338 Lapua Magnum are designed specifically for that round, and the operating parts are not interchangeable with other R-93 Tactical rifles.) These caliber changes are can be accomplished without changing the zero of whatever sights are mounted; the only changes the sniper might have to make are to account for the different calibers.

The ammunition feed for the R-93 Tactical positions the rounds directly in line with chamber, which increases reliability and means that the rifle does not need a feed ramp. The stock is made from one piece of molded synthetics; in addition to the bipod groove on the fore-end, the rear of the stock has a retractable monopod.

The R-93 Tactical is based on two earlier designs: The R-93 UIT Standard, a match rifle with a single-shot action, and the R-93 CISM, a bolt-action match rifle. Both of these weapons use a normal flash suppressor instead of a muzzle brake, have normal sight mounts instead of a MIL-STD-1913 rail, and use set triggers. The bipod is usually metal instead of composite.

The R-93K Bullpup is a bullpup version of the R-93 Tactical above, designed to provide a barrel that is actually longer than that used in the standard R-93 in a compact weapon. The muzzle brake is somewhat more substantial than on the R-93, and there is a carrying handle with a MIL-STD-1913 rail on top. The furniture is all polymer and not subject to weather conditions. The design has its drawbacks: the magazine capacity is greatly reduced and the bolt handle is in a very awkward position (directly beside the firer's shoulder), requiring all but the most flexible snipers to take the weapon off the shoulder to cycle the bolt. Despite this it is used by many members of German Police SRT units and is popular with German hunters.

Notes: In the mid-1980s, Heckler & Koch began development of an upgraded PSG-1. Originally, the new rifle was to be called the PSG-3, but the name was later changed to the MSG-90. The MSG-90 is basically a PSG-1 built using the latest materials and construction techniques, such as a cold-forged tempered barrel, a reduced (but fixed) trigger pull, a smaller padded stock that is adjustable for length and the height of the cheekpiece, and a MIL-STD-1913 rail able to take virtually any sort of optic or accessory. The trigger is also wider for a better grip for the trigger finger. A standard bipod replaces the tripod of the PSG-1, but this bipod is attached to an internal T-rail, allowing it to be easily detached and replaced with a sling swivel or some other accessory. A (rather long) flash suppressor is fitted to the end of the barrel. The firing selector was made ambidextrous. The MSG-90 has no iron sights; the standard sight for the weapon is the same 10x42 Hensoldt sight fitted to late-model PSG-1s.

Based on user experience (particularly US Marine Corps scout-snipers and FAST teams, and the German GSG-9 and KSK), Heckler & Koch made some improvements to the MSG-90, producing the MSG-90A1. It is somewhat heavier, but has a number of new changes to the bipod, stock, and the barrel. The barrel now sports a full muzzle brake; this brake can be removed to reveal threads for a suppressor. The iron sights have been put back on the weapon to allow for emergencies, and these iron sights are micrometer-adjustable. The MSG-90A1 can use the 50-round drum of the G-8 battle rifle (though reportedly few units ever actually use this capability). At the rear of the ejection port, a small brass deflector has been added, to correct a small problem with case ejection (sometimes hot cases would end up going down the shirts of shooters of the MSG-90). In USMC service, this weapon is known as the MSG-90-DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle).

Twilight 2000 Notes: The MSG-90A1 went into limited use by the Germans, but the USMC never received theirs, making do with the standard MSG-90.

Notes: The PSG-1 is a semiautomatic sniper rifle meant for use by military and police forces alike. It uses Heckler & Koch’s famous roller-locking system, and claims of accuracy are superb. A special system provides for silent bolt operation (though not a silenced shot). The scope mount is designed specifically for use on the PSG-1; and essentially makes the telescopic sight (now typically a 10x42 Hensoldt, though earlier models used a 6x42) an integral part of the rifle. The length and height of the stock, and the drop of the butt are all adjustable. The trigger is not adjustable, but has a variable width. The barrels are described as being "greater than match-quality," are heavy almost to the point of being bull barrels, and have a polygonal cross-section, with a 25.6-inch length. Instead of a bipod, the PSG-1 normally uses a precision miniature tripod (though it can also use a variety of bipods). In many ways, the PSG-1 is a highly reworked and accurized G-3 battle rifle. The PSG-1 has been in service for nearly as long as the G-3 itself, but is today thought to be too heavy for a military sniper’s weapon of its caliber, despite the great accuracy of which it is capable and the rock-solid platform which that weight provides.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Though a lot of newer sniper rifles were available to the German Army in the Twilight War, over 75% of sniper rifle kills by the German Army were still made by the PSG-1.

Merc 2000 Notes: As newer weapons became available to the German Army, PSG-1s began flooding the police and military markets.

Notes: This Heckler and Koch-made suppressed sniper rifle is based on the civilian SL-8 rifle (itself a version of the G-36, redesigned to comply with the 1994 Brady Crime Bill in the US). Heckler and Koch decided to design new ammunition from scratch instead of attempting to use a silencer with bullet wipes to slow the bullet, since this leads to rapid wear of the silencer. The cartridge is a hollowpoint 7.62x37mm subsonic round, and the weapon is redesigned for this larger-caliber round. Noise from this rifle is Class III noise as defined in Merc: 2000. The SL-9SD has an adjustable stock, adjustable cheekpiece, and adjustable trigger. By 2002, the SL-9SD was still considered a developmental weapon, and distribution was in very small numbers, ostensibly for combat testing only.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This weapon is not available in the Twilight 2000 World.

Merc 2000 Notes: As Notes, but there are many more reports of its usage.

Mauser SP-66

Notes: This is a German sniper rifle found alongside the PSG-1 in German service and in the service of 12 other countries. The SP-66 is a commercial Mauser match rifle (the Model 66S Super Match) equipped with a very effective flash hider, adjustable stock, and a night sight mount. The SP-66 is built to a pattern normally used with target rifles, including a short action, and the lack of a bipod. The stock is made of fine, sealed walnut and has a thick recoil pad. The telescopic sight normally issued with the SP-66 is a Zeiss Diavari ZA 1.5-6x.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This weapon was very common in the Twilight War, especially in Central America, South America, and Africa; in Europe, they made mostly been replaced by more modern weapons.

Merc 2000 Notes: As Notes, but most European militaries and police departments had replaced them with more modern weapons.

Mauser M-86

Notes: The Mauser M-86 was developed as an alternative to the SP-66. It uses the same short-throw bolt, and a different stock that is ventilated to dissipate heat from the barrel. The Model 86 also features a large detachable box magazine, a useful feature for law enforcement (change from high penetration to low penetration rounds quickly) and military snipers (rapid reloads). The trigger is fully adjustable, and the stock’s length and cheekpiece are more adjustable. The barrel is 28 inches long, plus a muzzle brake nearly an inch long, and the barrel is fluted to decrease weight and increase cooling. The Model 86 is a little longer, and a little lighter than the SP-66, and comes in both wooden and synthetic stocks; the synthetic stocks are of the thumbhole-type, while wooden stocks use a deep pistol-grip-type wrist. Backup iron sights are an option, but not standard equipment. Two other variants are available: the Mauser M-86M, which fires .300 Winchester Magnum ammunition, and the M-86SR (Specialty Rifle), which uses a suppressed barrel and fires 7.62mm ammunition.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This was another common weapon in the Twilight War, found in many parts of the world.

Notes: This is a bit of a mystery weapon; very few German examples survived World War 2, and only a few were ever built in the first place. There are few written records of them, and even fewer design notes. It is not even certain where they were manufactured, for the surviving examples have very little markings of any sort. The SS-41 is noted for its unusual mechanism; it is a bullpup bolt-action design where the entire pistol grip and trigger group are used as the charging handle. The mechanism is very complicated and was apparently very difficult to manufacture, but was quite effective in lowering weight and the length of the rifle. It is also very vulnerable to dirt in the mechanism. The SS-41 fired the 7.92mm Patronen round, which was in very limited manufacture and even more limited issue.

Notes: A fairly-new development from Germany, the TPG-1 is primarily designed for police use, but is quite suitable for military use.

One of the interesting features of the TPG-1 is its modular construction. Stocks can be interchanged with a number of stocks, from wood furniture to highly-configurable synthetic stocks, (The standard stock is synthetic with a pistol grip, a monopod to support the butt, and a bipod adjustable for height and cant ad the end of the fore-end.) Barrels are 26 inches (with the exception of the .338 Lapua chambering, which uses a 27.6-inch barrel), and they may be tipped by a flash suppressor, a muzzle brake, or use an integrally-silenced barrel (assuming the appropriate ammunition). The barrels are also quick-change barrels (within their caliber; the TPG-1 has no provision for easily changing calibers). They are fluted to save weight. The buttstock, barrel, and fore-end can be removed for transport. The receiver is built primarily from thick, aircraft-quality aluminum, with a steel barrel and operating parts. The trigger is adjustable for pull weight and pull length; the stock is adjustable for length of pull by spacers. The stock also has a cheekpiece adjustable for height and angle. The butt has a thick, crescent-shaped recoil pad.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The TPG-1 is not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Walther WA-2000

Notes: This is a German-built rifle originally designed a purpose-built sniper’s weapon, particularly those snipers requiring a compact, concealable weapon. It is an unusual design for a sniper rifle, using a bullpup configuration.

The WA-2000 uses a fluted free-floating barrel 25.59 inches long. The barrel is not enclosed, but instead attached to the rest of the weapon using brackets. This design allows the recoil forces to be delivered straight to the shooter’s shoulder, lowering barrel climb. The stock is a combination of hardwood and composites, with an adjustable buttplate (with a rubber pad) and an adjustable cheekpiece. The barrel is threaded; it is normally equipped with a long flash suppressor, but can have a muzzle brake which is designed for the specific caliber used, or even a suppressor. The sight mount on early models is a claw-type, but the mounts can also be used to attach a variety of different fixtures, including a MIL-STD-1913 rail. The sheer amounts of adjustments that can be made in the rifle is staggering, making every weapon virtually individual for each sniper. These adjustments include the aforementioned cheekpiece and buttplate (adjustable for length of pull, height, and to a small extent, angle), and a trigger which is minutely adjustable for length of pull, pull weight, angle, and length of takeup. The bipod is adjustable for height and cant, and attached above the barrel on a rail.

There are effectively two versions of the WA-2000. The 1^st generation rifles were available only in 7.62mm NATO and 7.5mm Swiss calibers. 2^nd Generation rifles features a more robust gas system, a different flash suppressor, and added some more calibers.

The Achilles’ Heel of the WA-2000 is it’s real-life cost (especially in it’s native .300 Winchester Magnum caliber), and production stopped after 4 years and about 75-200 rifles (sources and publications differ wildly in the number of WA-2000s produced). Another sore point is the weight of the WA-2000.