Valmet M82

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For the sniper rifle, see M82 (rifle).

Valmet M82
Type	Assault rifle
Place of origin	Finland
Production history
Manufacturer	Valmet
Produced	1978—1986
Number built	~2,000
Specifications
Weight	3.3 kg
Length	710 mm
Barrel length	415 mm

Cartridge	5.56 x 45 mm, 7.62 x 39 mm
Action	Gas-operated, Rotating bolt
Rate of fire	750 rounds/min
Feed system	30-round detachable box magazine
Sights	Iron sights

The Valmet M82 (not to be confused with the American Barrett M82 .50BMG sniper rifle) is a bullpup assault rifle with a Valmet M76 internal design created by Finnish company Valmet.

It is chambered for 5.56 mm NATO caliber as model 255 470 and for 7.62 x 39 mm caliber as model 255 490. It has a steel frame, which is conventional AK-47/AKM design, constructed inside urethanestock [1]. Trigger of the weapon is polymer to prevent heat of the barrel conducting to it, as the trigger is mounted to the barrel of the gun.

The M82 was introduced in Finland in 1978 and discontinued production in 1986. Only ~ 2,000 M82 were manufactured, mostly as semi-automatic version in 5.56 mm NATO caliber for ODIN International ltd. in Alexandria, Virginia. Few samples were issued to the Finnish Army paratroopers, but rifle was found unsuitable as service weapon. One issue that cropped up during its short service life was, that the rear sight of an uncased rifle had a tendency to hit the lower face, nose, and cheekbones of the paratrooper during landing. Rifle is also ill-balanced, nearly all the weight is in the rear of the rifle and urethanestock is very prone to chipping and breaking.

The M82 feature dioptical iron sights, a mechanical version of a reflex sight, in which the shooter's right eye would be focused on the front sight while the left eye was focused on rear sight, positioned off the rifle's receiver. The two sights would overlap at certain ranges, providing excellent accuracy at a fixed range. However, due to the fixed nature of the offset sights, the weapon's accuracy at variable ranges suffered.

[edit] In fiction

The M82 (sniper rifle and assault rifle) feature in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield for the PC.
In The Terminator, the human resistance fighters, including hero Kyle Reese, tout the distinctive M82 bullpups as their TechCom Plasma Rifles.
The M82 was also featured in the game Hitman 2: Silent Assassin.