The Anti-Materiel Rifle (AMR): Part I by Mike

3 weeks into the collapse, and you’re standing guard duty at the gate to your subdivision. You’re on watch with your next-door neighbor, AR-15s slung across your chests as you man the ECP (Entry Control Point). Suddenly you hear the “SNAP SNAP SNAP” of bullets flying past your heads, you’re under attack! The local gang chapter apparently wants the gardens and stockpiled supplies in your subdivision. You take cover and begin returning fire while your neighbor calls the QRF on his radio. You place a well-aimed controlled pair into one gang-banger’s chest and continue laying down enough accurate fire that the rest have to take cover behind trees.
As you pause to reload, your eye catches movement and you hear the growl of a diesel engine. You look up and see an up-armored military humvee approaching the ECP! Where the heck did that come from? Several gang-bangers are crouched behind it, using it as cover to get closer to your foxhole. Your neighbor panics and fires 7 shots at the vehicle which all ping harmlessly off the armor. Your stomach turns as you realize that it will reach your foxhole in less than a minute. You can’t destroy it, and you can’t leave your foxhole because you will be shot instantly.
BOOM! SMACK! Suddenly a large hole appears in the humvee’s windshield. You exhale in relief, the QRF has arrived and they brought the .50 Cal! Having lost its driver, the vehicle falters and rolls into a ditch. Demoralized at the loss of their biggest asset, the gang-bangers turn tail and retreat. The QRF cautiously bounds forward and inspects the abandoned humvee. Apart from its windshield, the vehicle is completely serviceable. Thanks to the accuracy of your Anti-Materiel sniper, you can now use it as part of your QRF.
This scenario was inspired by a news article I read yesterday. Earlier this week an up-armored HMMWV was stolen from a National Guard armory in California and it has NOT been recovered. Want to guess who has it and what they want with an armored vehicle?
The possibility of you encountering an armored vehicle during any sort of collapse are higher than you might think. Cartels in Mexico openly flaunt their fleet of armored vehicles as a show of force. National Guard, SWAT, and even private citizens have had their armored vehicles stolen from them in recent history. And it is not very hard to buy surplus MRAPS and APCs at auctions. Furthermore, you don’t know who is going to grab their welding tools and make Kildozer II. In every possible type of collapse scenario, it won’t take too long for whatever groups have these vehicles to become emboldened enough to start them up and use them.
Now that we’re aware of the threat, we have to consider how we can counter it. The most effective way to deal with armored vehicles is with a rocket launcher, but (sadly) they tend to be a little hard to come by. Enter the Anti-Materiel Rifle, or AMR.
An AMR is a large-caliber rifle that fires a powerful cartridge with a heavy projectile. Essentially, .338 Lapua, .50 BMG, and up. These rifles, with the right ammunition, provide a very potent counter to lightly armored vehicles in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing. Just ask the YPG Kurds who are making these rifles out of captured heavy machine-gun barrels and using them right now.
For the American Partisan, the obvious choice is the 50 BMG, due largely to the fact that 50 BMG ammo is somewhat common and available in some rather spicy flavors. If you know where to look, you can even get API (Armor-Piercing Incendiary) ammo cheaper than standard ball ammo at about $2.80 a shot.
As far as the rifle itself, there are several options to choose from. At the most expensive end, you can drop 11k on a semi-automatic Barrett M82. At the other end you have the single-shot break action Serbu RN-50 for under $1200 (the downside being that it takes 13 seconds to reload). In the middle there are a couple dozen decent bolt-action options. Also consider the weight of the rifle, especially if you will have to carry it long distances. Figure out your budget and choose what’s best for your team, and don’t forget a rugged bipod and a good scope!
Once you get your AMR, get your entire team up to speed with it. Teach everyone how it works, how to maintain and clean it, and where to aim on armored vehicles to get the best use out of whatever ammunition you have. Familiarize everyone with the scope and the aiming reticle. Practice running drills with a spotter calling targets.
In summary, armored vehicles are a very real threat that you may have to face. If you run into one and find yourself caught without an effective way to counter it, you’ll be forced to withdraw or at least heavily modify your tactics to avoid it. However, if you have an AMR with armor-piercing ammunition, you greatly enhance your lethality and your options on the battlefield. You won’t be taking down tanks anytime soon, but at least your team won’t have to pop smoke at first sight of an MRAP.
In Part II of this article, I will briefly cover how to effectively employ an AMR against armored and unarmored vehicles. I will also include a few additional tips and tactics for using the AMR offensively. Stay tuned!
 
Heads on a swivel, boys.
-Mike

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About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at brushbeater@tutanota.com or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

37 Comments

  1. Anonymous January 26, 2021 at 06:09

    4.5

  2. Rucksack Rob January 26, 2021 at 07:40

    I must be getting real, real old… I remember when Barrett’s were around $3k (’83-’88). Stupid Inflation…. Oh and FYI, they recovered that Humvee few days later in the L.A. canal somewhere outside of the city. I believe they said it had run out of ‘gas’ (at least that’s what the news said and we all know we can believe every thing that comes from our news services…

    • Tator January 26, 2021 at 22:13

      Looks like they aren’t even available now at any price. They were setting at around $7k without glass for some time. One of the worse feelings in the world watching UPS ship it to your FFL praying it doesn’t go missing somewhere alone the way.

  3. Teddy January 26, 2021 at 07:52

    Don’t forget to include in your story that your team member takes a gun shot to the gut and is screaming in pain during initial contact as you shit yourself because you have diarrhea caused by a can of bad spam. Also, you banged your knee and elbow pretty hard when you hit the deck and can’t focus on your shot placement because of the pain, the screaming and the shit. Plus your fucking knife fell out of its sheath.

    • NC Scout January 26, 2021 at 08:10

      Hahahaha…all true stories.

      • SOG January 26, 2021 at 08:58

        https://serbu.com/rifles/ gents FL made 50 bolt and or mag fed, the bolt action is under 3k
        also if the FB eye is on the case that means that HUMVEE is on loan to antifa

        • NC Scout January 26, 2021 at 09:29

          Yup!

        • vyt1az January 26, 2021 at 10:14

          Isn’t his RN-50 a production version of a Royal Nonesuch design they worked on? I could have sworn I saw them building something like that before YT banned their videos.
          Serbu is also the unofficial patron of DIY gun builders, he definitely deserves the money.
          I wouldn’t put it past him to drop liberator kits from a helicopter if the feds ban firearms.

        • Badger January 26, 2021 at 11:57

          Have fired that BFG-50 SS bolt gun several times; nice. Could be a very doable solution for a group that is willing to pool relatively little together & do the waiting. Ammo is still out there, as its still a rather niche thing.
          (Can’t find my MRAP cutaway drawing showing where the hydraulic lines are… dang.)

  4. wwes January 26, 2021 at 07:57

    Another nice option if it were easier to get would be the Anzio Ironworks 20mm, it fires the Vulcan cannon round, and comes in a mag fed and single shot version. The two big problems with it is that it is classified as a destructive device, and it was around $13k the last time I looked a few years ago. Ammo is also pricey and hard to get ahold of.

    • Mike January 26, 2021 at 15:03

      For that matter, if you’re getting a destructive device go for a 40mm grenade launcher. Wide variety of uses, more lightweight and easy to carry, plus you are far more likely to capture ammunition. Bonus point, 40mm HEDP rounds are pretty effective against armored vehicles.

      • wwes January 26, 2021 at 15:35

        The ammo supply issue is definitely in favor of the 40mm, 20mm percussion primed ammo isn’t that common. It’s also expensive. 40mm stuff isn’t as hard to get, or as pricey.

  5. 2Knives January 26, 2021 at 09:01

    Possible other caliber is the venerable 45.70. If using the correct ammo, it is a formable weapon at closer ranges. Something to think about as a squad weapon. Twelve gauge slugs also stop engine blocks. Luck finding ammo these days.

    • NC Scout January 26, 2021 at 09:29

      The 45-70 is an incredibly damaging round.

  6. Anonymous January 26, 2021 at 10:20

    3.5

  7. Mike January 26, 2021 at 10:23

    Another huge reason to have an AMR that I forgot to mention is the psychological effect on your team. Throughout history, the mere presence of an armored vehicle has demoralized opposing troops. You may remember the event last year when some bubbas were standing armed outside a bar in Texas that was open despite lockdown orders. As soon as the local sheriff’s department showed up with their MRAP the “security detail” put their hands up and complied. Granted, those clowns didn’t have any sort of cohesion or plan, but the example stands.
    If, however, your team knows that they have a counter to an armored threat, they are less likely to abandon their positions when one shows up.

  8. Luddite January 26, 2021 at 11:42

    I have a 8mm Mauser and 100+ surplus AP rounds: I have cleanly shot through a 1/4 inch steel with it before. Do you think this would suffice as an AMR?

    • Mike January 26, 2021 at 12:38

      Steel core 8mm Mauser can punch through a lot, but won’t penetrate MRAP armor. It’s a potent rifle, but not quite powerful enough to fill the AMR role. However, you could definitely use it as a designated marksman rifle (DMR) to punch through barricades that enemies are using as cover. I cover tactics and employment more thoroughly in Part II.

      • Matt January 26, 2021 at 17:29

        Can I assume that M2AP would be similar to the 8mm AP?
        Matt

        • NC Scout January 26, 2021 at 18:50

          It’d be close enough in performance.

    • Wallace the Reptilian Overlord January 26, 2021 at 12:52

      Probably not. Maybe some improvised armored vehicles, depending on if said improvised armor was applied competently. But even in the realm of improvised armor, narco tanks have been documented to have 2″ steel plating as armor. And Killdozer’s was a 1′ thick sandwich of Quikrete and tool steel, and even his cameras were shielded by 3″ of Lexan. Somehow I doubt 8mm AP would cut it in that case. If a local gang just Bubba’d some random metal to a technical, maybe.

    • Otto January 26, 2021 at 14:29

      Reload your surplus AP rounds, I have a whole case of German WWII AP rounds which everyone the primer was a dud except for 3. Pulled and reloaded and now confident in all especially since they are now hotter. Mauser 98 actions can handle a lot of pressure.

    • Brick January 26, 2021 at 17:59

      I have the same in 30-06 and it penetrates 3/8″ AR-500 steel.
      Enough for the windshield?

      • Mike January 26, 2021 at 19:54

        Definitely enough for the windshield. Black tip .308 reliably penetrates armored HMMWV windshields, so definitely 30.06.

        • wwes January 27, 2021 at 07:41

          Do you by chance know if the old Bulgarian/Russian 7.62×54 LPS ammo would penetrate the windshield?

          • NC Scout January 27, 2021 at 08:32

            On modern armored glass it likely won’t. I say likely because I’ve seen the glass on MAT-Vs get shattered from lesser impacts (not penetrated though, and sometimes shattering armored class is a better course of action).
            The old FRAG-5 glass on our Humvees though? An SVD heavy ball round will punch through it.

  9. Ralph k January 26, 2021 at 12:16

    I seem to remember reading an article about disabling an mrap, methods included obscuring the windshield with paint, or flammable substances, cannot see, cannot move forward and someone has to expose themselves to remedy the issue. Incendiary devices also were discussed as well as using the terrain and the vehicles high center of gravity with large pits or holes camouflaged, that will tip over or sink the vehicle down too far for maneuvering, or toppling trees or poles in the path and behind to hem it in, or narrow areas where the large turning radius impedes movement. Also were guidelines about the hydraulic lines exposed near the wheels that could be attacked by explosives or thermite or simply cutting with bolt cutters. I am not aware of whether any of these ideas are legitmate as I have no experience of these concepts in reality, but put them forth nonetheless for discussion.

    • Mike January 26, 2021 at 14:58

      Valid techniques, but with one problem. I don’t always want to get that close to a manned, hostile vehicle. When properly used armored vehicles will be accompanied by dismounted infantry. I’d rather be able to disable the vehicle from 800m than 20m.
      That said, if you’re gonna use a molotov cocktail on an armored vehicle, throw it underneath. Heat and flames rise, so molotovs underneath a vehicle will heat/burn it up a lot more effectively than molotovs on the roof.

  10. Zorost January 26, 2021 at 12:41

    I’m a fan of post-apoc literature, especially yours, but some things have really started to bug me. It’s always conservatives sitting on what is theirs, defending it against obviously evil, obviously aggressive bad guys. What happens when a sheriff’s deputy shows up and says, “we need X amount of food or the entire 100 person dept plus 300 recently deputized militia will show up to kill everyone here. And not by stupid frontal assaults in broad daylight as is always the case in p-a fiction, but in an intelligent manner led by combat vets.”
    What happens when a US army captain shows up and says, “laws have been passed legally and with due process that say you have to give up X food. If you do not comply artillery will blow up every building and infantry will move in to kill all of you secessionist nazi white supremacist evil people.”
    What bothers me is that this conservative mentality of sitting back defensively to protect your pile is why we are in this situation where an apocalypse is the only hope we have. Apparently even an apocalypse won’t change that flaw.

    • Otto January 26, 2021 at 14:55

      1000% correct, even in WWII armies foraged supplies from the local populace and occupied buildings not just the opposing population but the allies. Look at at all the rapes in England and France not just Germany too. Anytime a military force is near by and garrison towns can confirm, there is a higher crime due to the natural reflection of society and constant supply of money. Foraged food was sometimes given a check for redeeming money but what good is money if you can’t eat it or what if that side loses. Also check out the “burned out district” during the civil war Guerilla war in Missouri.

    • NC Scout January 26, 2021 at 16:38

      “Be the change you wanna see”

  11. Anonymous January 26, 2021 at 16:35

    5

  12. Dirk January 26, 2021 at 21:21

    In 2006, while working a small rural SO, I was issued a Barrett, Fifty, bolt rifle.. Nice rifle. I shot roughly five to seven hundred roumds thru it. The rifle was outstanding, however the ammo, issued, ” Korean War” Ma Duce stuff, sucked. I could not get the rifle to preform, I had some friends on the Oregon coast who are building and selling match grade fifty ammo, for the mil. I called Pete, told him the issue.
    Took the rifle to the companies range, were we fired much of their ammo, attempting to sort the rifle out. No dice. Pete produced their McIllian and shot sub MOA at four hundred. The SO would not replace the rifle, or the barrel. Did the next best thing, I had a 338 lm, built. . With commands authorization.
    The initial problem was we were way north eastern Calif,with lots and lots of cartel grows. On raids my shots were often ranging out at 900/1000 yards. Not bad really, the problem was, “still is” early morning the wind works up the canyon, second half of the day the wind often 40 mph reverses and works down canyon. No way I could punch a .308 or a .300 WM, no way to quarter the shot up.
    The solution was the 338lm. Zero problems making that shot, IF, you did your TRIG right.
    Still have the rifle, third barrel. My targets are AR500 from four hundred yards out to 1800 ish. No matter how hot I loaded my ammo, I never once punched the ar.500. ” I’m Leary of the claims above” I’ve shot lots and lots of 250g 300g, and some home spun bullets, alledged to be in the 400g range. Nothing tangable in support of the bullet weight. I have a few AP roumds, not enough to test with.
    I will share this observation. Even at 1500/1800, when the 338lm hit at those distance it routinely pushed a AR-500 plate, roughly 40/50 pounds of steel, almost straight back on the hanging chains or rubber conveyor belt.
    I recently was able to test drive a 408 ChyTac, impressive, very very very impressive. Those rounds had zero issues punching my ar-500 steel, at distance. Impressive roumd My 2021 build will be the 408.
    My go to rifle continues to be the 338lm, a capable round in any situation. In fact, if I could only have one L/R rifle would be the 338lm. I’m fortunate I have several very high end sniper rigs with very very good glass.
    50 VS 408, I was truly saddened with the 50 spoken of earlier. I worked hard to square that Mc Millian away, I called all my old instructors, spoke with SEAL and SF active snipers, nada zilch, I failed. The buck stops here, believe a rebarrel would solve the problems. During routine bore scoping the barrel, fire cracks, micro cracks were noted the length of the barre.
    Hoping this is helpful.
    Carole’s Husband

  13. PB January 27, 2021 at 13:11

    While not up to the larger caliber capabilities, loading .308 pulled bullets kinda hot in a flavor of 300 Magnum makes a respectable poor man’s anti material rifle (Bullets can be sourced from 7.62AP or better yet M2AP from .30-06 loads of the past, which are still around now and then,)
    Just sayin…
    PB

  14. Heavy Metal Thunder January 27, 2021 at 15:25

    Remember, diversity is our readiness you creepy ass cracka.
    Be of good cheer and think of all the free mint condition gear.

  15. BRUTHA JOHN! February 1, 2021 at 15:10

    Just focus on who the people really are. Pilot, crew member, drone operator The best jet, tank chopper, drone. AIN”T shit without that human. Sooner or later that human will eat sleep shit go home or on R&R. Be there. The mob made their point for years with mere 22LR, 38 SPL. Toss in some 12 gauge here and there. Fast forward to 2021 and beyond, its old school USMC sniper meets Mob hitter. Add NV, 300 BO, camcorders with crazy optical zoom. My my. This country has roads on top of roads, not the place to be the enemy at. Work in 4 hour shifts. (The Four Hour Work Week) Can you spare 4 hours a week in the county you live in? Speaking of counties there are 3143 in America. The liberal media says Biden won 477. That leaves all the rest for President Trump. There is a problem with the liberal media math. There are 168 counties missing. The liberal media says President Trump got 2974 counties. 477 plus 2974 does not add up to 3143 counties. So whew are the missing 168 counties? Texas has the most counties, Delaware has 3 counties. Start counting with Delaware and keep going up that list until you have 168 counties. That is a lot of states. They could be any where. So all all 50 states need to verify did all their counties get counted. Then there is the matter of counting and verifying only the legally registered voters votes. As Suzie Orman says people first, then things. Our enemies are just people. No Supermen. No mad ninja skills. Nationally ranked powerlifters didn’t pull this shit on us. Just regular hidden basement dwellers lying low in this country and around the world. Remove their security dudes and they are screwed. Why do they want us disarmed? Because they can’t take us in a one on one street fight. Mark Zuckerberg stands 5 foot 7 inches, 140 pounds. Does his face look like he has spent any time in a Golden Gloves ring? Enough of my 60 year old rants.

  16. robert william orians February 1, 2021 at 22:59

    The anti-material classification would probably include the Rusky 7.62x54R especially in the silver tip heavy ball . Damn it hits hard .

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