RIA-338 SASR

The **RIA-338 SASR** is a Panamoan semi-automatic sniper rifle manufactured by Rubicon Corporation, chambered for the 8.6×70mm cartridge and based on the venerable AR556 platform used by the MK16. In fact, this magnum caliber AR-platform rifle has FAR more precision than a typical 7.62mm rifle and even 12.7mm big ones!

## History

The success of the MK-308 SPR Mod 0 in the mid-2010s had been the motivation for Sergei Rubicon to create a new semi automatic precision rifle, which he officially named as the RIA-338 RSASS (Rubicon Semi Automatic Sniper System). It was about time that the public and the Panamoan military made Rubicon manufacture semi automatic sniper rifles. The RIA-338 SASR's official prototype was not unveiled until November 16th, in the year of 2013. Due to Sergio Rubicon being a genius firearm designer, Rubicon Corporation's dominance in the world of military firearms are so great that they can come up with new designs in less than a month, and exhibit mass production and wide scale testing afterwards. Nicholas Wolfgang Bale didn't refuse to allow mass production of the weapon.

The Amphibious Panamoan Marine Corps had ordered 15,000 SASRs in 2017, mainly testing them as a new dedicated sniper rifle for quicker follow up shots, compensation and longevity due to a larger magazine capacity. While highly praised by most users who tested it, it didn't completely replace their current/older sniper rifles, mainly the MK40A3 and the predecessor the MK24. Rubicon then proceeded to manufacture their own telescopic sight exclusive to their sniper rifles, the RIA Accupoint 5-25x50.

However during the attack on Chroma City in 2020, a large amount of SASRs have been stolen by the Panamoan terrorist organisation, the Pegasus Rising United. Because they stole so many for their snipers, Sergio Rubicon prompted the Panamoan and Glaz'Ik military forces to *recover* all stolen weapons from them, such as the MK-17, MK-17 DMR, MK9 Vendetta and the MSG-800. Amidst the destruction of the PRU, all aforementioned weapons are successfully recovered. According to file, the stolen rifles are nearly two hundred thousand.

### Black Pegasus

It is mainly used by PRU insurgents, and is always equipped with a bipod and a cosmetic sleeve wrapped on the stock, similar to the MK16A4's sleeve. The vanilla RIA-338 SASRs are mostly found on APMC marines, and some Glaz'Ik soldiers, implying that they also started to use the rifle. In all missions they all have telescopic sights. It's damage output in the campaign is roughly equivalent to the MK408 Interceptor anti material rifle. In most missions they are always painted in MK81 Woodland camouflage or the APMC standard Digital Woodland (MK03).

Certain RIA-338 SASRs are equipped with a fixed buttstock, identical to the MK-308 SPR, which gives the player zero idle sway when using telescopic sights, giving a good advantage in sniping.

## Design

The RIA-338 SASR's design is vaguely similar to the MK308 SASR, but it is notably more bulkier, heavier, longer and more ruggedised in terms of exterior design; It had a long, heavy duty 27.2" inch, free floated barrel that uniquely uses polygonal rifling. It utilises a proprietary piston gas system; Making the interior parts wear out slower, a setback on common AR556/AR-15 pattern rifles and carbines that utilizes the standard direct impingement system.

The Upper and lower receivers are constructed with a mishmash of aluminized Nevium and 9090 Titanium Alloys, which marginally reduced the overall weight of the rifle, but the barrel and it's ammunition regrettably takes 67% of it's weight, but it surprisingly weighs less than 6.75 kilograms, and it was proven to withstand almost any kind of punishment; especially explosives. The match grade barrel allows it to strike targets with deadly force at exactly 0.5 MoA precision at 1200 meters.

An RIS handguard allows for multiple customisation options, such as AN-PEQ2/A laser designators, Bipods, Rail covers and vertical/angled foregrips. The flat top receiver comes with flip up sights by default, and can be folded down to make way for high powered telescopic sights. The charging handle is mounted on the left side, in a similar way on the Lugere rifle. The SS85 flash hider acts both as a compensator and a flash hider, lessening the detection of the user, when using the rifle unsuppressed.

### Specifications

* Length: 1,096mm
* Caliber: **8.6x70mm Magnum**
* Effective Range: 1500 Meters
* Weight: **16.55** Pounds (Fully Loaded)

## Attachments

### Rail

* AAI MKIII
* Epzayne MKIII
* ACOG TA31RCO
* RIA Accupoint 5-25x56
* RIA Accupoint 10-50x112
* RIA Accupoint 20-100x224
* RIA Accupoint 40-200x448

### Underbarrel

* Foldable Bipod
* Foregrip
* Angled Foregrip

### Magazine

* 5-Round Magazine (Training Purposes)
* Extended Mags
* Dual Mags

## APMC Remarks

### Various

* "Highly modular precision semi automatic rifle; Like the modern iterations and variants of the AR556 family, it can be easily customized thanks to it's flat top receiver and an RIS handguard, that both can be used to mount optics, high powered scopes, laser designators, foregrips, bipods and the like.The RIA-338 SASR maybe complex to disassemble like the AR556 family of rifles, but it is easy to maintain it's reliability and the components when you get used to it."
* ".338 semi automatic sniper rifle of death!"
* "The Scout's long range weapon of choice, reliable, precise, deadly and modular."
* "Rubicon Industries made another master piece! I bet MJ Holt is jealous about the success of the RIA-338 SASR!"
* "The RIA-338 SASR is a great weapon for a dedicated sniper. It's semi automatic action allows faster follow up shots with pinpoint accuracy and impressive stopping power. Oh, it utilized polygonal rifling.

### Rachelle Palmer

* "This Sniper rifle is very precise and deadly for a semi automatic, which gets the job the done in providing long range support when a bolt action rifle is not fast enough to keep on piling the pressure on the enemy."
* "Performs as good as it looks. Rubicon Corporation never disappoints when it comes to firearms."

## Panamoan Army remarks

### Various Soldiers

* "A hard hitting precise semi automatic sniper rifle. They deliver pinpoint accuracy for up to 1500 meters, and can get the job done if it reliably hits targets most of the time.
* "Performs as good as it looks. 338 caliber sniper rifle made by the private corporation Rubicon Industries."
* "No need for strict set of specifications for this sniper rifle. It's all good by default."
* "This may sound off-topic but it's the weapon of choice for professional hitmen, which is very suitable for long range sniping."
* "The RIA-338 SASR is a state-of-the-art .338 caliber sniper rifle that strikes death into it's targets at extreme distances with rapid succession thanks to it's self loading operation (semi auto), but retains a pinpoint accuracy thanks it's free floated, heavy-duty 27.2" barrel that uniquely utilises polygonal rifling."
* "The only rifles that can match its accuracy are the bolt action rifles sporting the same caliber."

## Trivia

### General

* The upper and lower receivers of the rifle is made from mishmashed aluminised 9090 Titanium Alloys and Skaguan Nevium, making it marginally lighter, but considerably durable, heat resilient and lesser chance to cause frost bite on the unprotected hands of the user when exposed in arctic environments.
* The RIA-338 rifle's accuracy/precision is unrivalled on semi automatic sniper rifles; The rifle's price in dollars in about $15000.
* The Pegasus Rising United has been notorious for stealing more than 100,000 rifles in Rubicon Industries' manufacturing factory in Chroma city. It is popular among APMC marines when they ordered 15000 units of the rifle, but they seem to keep their MK40A3's for over a decade.
* The side mounted charging handle does not reciprocate when firing the rifle.
* In original field manuals it is called the "RIA-338 RSAR", RSAR standing for Rubicon Semi Automatic Rifle. Also in the manual, it is shown to have it's lower receiver a more serrated design.
* The weapon itself can be used as a club with relative ease.