Private Military Contractor International April 2014 | Page 5

THE ARMOURY NEMO ARMS - OMEN “The felt recoil of the OMEN when compared to bolt action rifles firing the identical round, is reduced by a whopping 350%!” OMEN MATCH 2.0 Spec Ops Tiger .300 Win Mag AR effective range limitation of 800 meters - and the enemy knows it. Every version of the OMEN system exceeds that by a long shot. Pun intended! Some might argue that 338 Lapua sniper rifles could fill that void. Clint Walker asserts, “The Ballistic Coefficient (BC) of the 300 Win Mag with a 230 grain Berger OTM round is superior to that of most 338 Lapua rounds.” He goes on to say, “The U.S. military already has the 300 Win Mag ammunition in their logistics supply system so their snipers are trained and accustomed to using this caliber” and of course, as we know, the Lapua is bolt-action. One could easily argue that semi-auto will make a huge improvement in subsequent acquisition and re-engagement times. Although the OMEN is configured much like all AR platforms, the charging handle is not at center of mass on top of the receiver group. Technically, that would have resulted in a longer rifle, with a longer charging handle and the potential for broken handles. It also would have discharged some of the gases directly into the shooter’s face through the opening required by the charging handle. This is no small issue when talking about such large calibers. By placing it on the side rather than center top, all of the gas discharges out the right side. A longer charging handle would have necessitated an unacceptably long Length of Pull (LOP). Without significantly extending the stock, long sniper scopes would have had the potential to obstruct the cheek adjuster. Additionally, by positioning the charging handle on the side, it doubles as an effective forward assist, which is a requirement the sniper community cannot live without. This definitely passes the common sense test and intelligently applies the “KISS principal”. NEMO’s claim that re-engagement times are faster than bolt rifles is predicated in large measure by their assertion that recoil and muzzle flip is significantly less. Energy from recoil is traditionally measured factoring the weight of the equipment with the caliber and weight (grain) of the round. So it would seem that a lighter weight rifle with all else being equal, i.e. the caliber and bullet weight, would make the OMEN kick like a mule. A somewhat mitigating factor is that the OMEN is a semi-auto and gas pressures are dissipated as they are applied to the momentum of cycling the action. But even with this consideration, the shooter would expect to be in a hurt pretty quickly while firing this bad boy. As Clint Walker observes, “We usually think of recoil energy being most impacted by caliber, but in the case of the OMEN, recoil energy is most impacted by the system.” The OMEN changes to traditional equations used to determine “felt recoil”.” His claim is bolstered by the OMEN’s unique bolt design. On a semi-auto rifle, when fired, the bolt travels rearward to the point where it will inevitably collide with the buffer creating a great deal