Fabryka Broni of Poland is eyeing more than just the 5.56mm market with its new MSBS rifle; the arms maker just announced a new, larger variant of the rifle chambered for the more powerful 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge, called MSBS-7.62. Both assault and designated marksman rifle variants are planned, with the rifles reportedly being ready for showing in Fall of 2016 at the International Defense Industry Exhibition MSPO. Altair.com reports (below is a somewhat rocky machine translation of the original Polish, Polish readers should follow the link and read it in its original form):

Weapon Factory started work on prototypes of 7.62-mm rifle MSBS-7.62. Weapons will be shown publicly for the first time in the fall, at the International Defence Industry Exhibition.

The Weapon Factory started construction of prototypes rifles MSBS-7.62 in the superb varieties (above, planned by Archer as the successor worn-SWD) and automatic (for rapid response units). Fighting in the basic variant are to have the representatives of Torun course snipers (snipers school), which is to allow the placing on the target structure comments, arising from the experience of combat users of the Polish Army / Drawing: Weapons Factory

As learned REPORT-wto in Radom archer work began, financed from its own funds, the complete: prototypes rifles MSBS-7.62 for ammunition 7.62 mm x 51 NATO. Manufactured already the most important element, forgings barrels with the chambers nabojowymi and other parts of the firearm. Some of them will be interchangeable with family MSBS-5,56-powered cartridge 5.56 mm x 45 (firstMSBS-5.56 for MON, 2015-09-05). Weapon Factory intends to specialize in the production of barrels of small arms, and therefore the barrel of Radom have eventually getting into sniper produced at ZM Tarnów (WP ordered another Bory from Tarnow, 2014-06-07).

The designers of the Weapons Factory in an interview with REPORT-wto confirmed that the 7.62-mm rifle will be kept the same arrangement of manipulators – tensioning handle, switch the type of fire, magazine release button, release lever from the rear breech position – as models caliber 5, 56 mm. All this so that you can in the same way to handle a gun without changing habits.

The new rifle MSBS-7.62 uprising so far only in a variation of the classic, with ejection scales on the right side. The weapon will be developed in two versions: samoczynno-samopowtarzalna (automatic) and samopowtarzalna elections. As learned REPORT-wto both models to be shown in public for the first time as early as this year, the Prime Minister will be in the first weeks of September at the International Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce.

The first variant rifle MSBS-7.62 is to have 406-mm barrel, folding to the side controlled the flask and be adapted to fire a single and continuous fire. The need for such a structure consisted arms and aeromobilne paratrooper units. The second version will be a semi-automatic firearm with a long, precise 508-mm barrel. It was reported by Archer to technical dialogue, as the successor to the obsolete Russian sniper rifle SWD to the cartridge 7.62 mm x 54R ( Successor SWD in HR , 2015-04-29). Will be adjusted only to firing a single, equipped with precise trigger mechanism and a permanent flask with adjustable foot and cheek pad and the components are assembled with a telescopic sight.

The MSBS-7.62 is one of the first new patterns of rifles set to compete directly with the FN SCAR-H for military contracts as a modular dual-purpose assault/marksman’s rifle in 7.62x51mm NATO caliber (another being the heavier AR-15-based HK 417). The MSBS family itself is patterned after the US Magpul Masada design, later bought by Remington and produced as the Bushmaster ACR. The Polish design, however, incorporates a number of improvements, both mechanical and ergonomic, including the ability to adapt the rifle via a kit to the bullpup configuration – the only production rifle in the world designed to have this capability. Interestingly, the MSBS-7.62 is not the first, or even second 7.62x51mm NATO caliber descendant of the original Masada design, as that company developed its own 7.62mm derivative, the Massoud, which was later adapted further by Kinetic Research Group as the KRG FOX-42 Precision Rifle.

It’s a sound bet that Fabryka Broni may also be eyeing the US civilian market with the MSBS-7.62. FB representatives showed great enthusiasm in bringing the 5.56mm MSBS to America at SHOT Show 2015, including plans to build rifle receivers in Texas.