Accuracy International AWP
- Category
- Sniper Rifle
- Barrel
- 609 mm
- Weight, empty
- 6.50 kg
- Introduced
- 1990
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Accuracy International AWP (Arctic Warfare Police) is a British bolt-action sniper rifle, the law-enforcement-oriented member of the Arctic Warfare family. Chambered primarily in .308 Winchester (7.62x51mm NATO), with .243 Winchester also offered, it pairs the proven AW flat-bottom steel action and full-length aluminium chassis with a shorter 609 mm barrel tuned for the shorter engagement distances typical of police marksman work. Like the rest of the AW line it uses hollow polymer stock sides over an aluminium bedding block, a crisp two-stage trigger, backup iron sights, and delivers sub-minute-of-angle accuracy with match ammunition.
Accuracy International was founded in 1978 by a group of British target shooters and engineers led by Olympic gold-medal smallbore shooter Malcolm Cooper. The Arctic Warfare family grew out of the L96A1 that won the British Army's sniper trials in the 1980s, and the AWP was spun off to give police and tactical teams the same accuracy in a shorter, handier package.
The AWP shares the AW action and chassis but is fitted with a shorter barrel and a plain matte-black finish rather than the green military furniture, reflecting its police tactical role.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Accuracy International
- Category
- Sniper Rifle
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1990
- Variant of
- Police
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 609 mm
- Overall length
- 1270 mm
- Weight, empty
- 6.50 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 6.90 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Two stage
- Trigger pull
- 15.0 N
- Capacity
- 10
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Aluminum alloy
- Barrel
- Stainless steel
- Stock
- Aluminum chassis polymer furniture
- Finish
- Matte black
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 850 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3441 J
- Effective range
- 800 m
- Maximum range
- 3700 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Free floating barrel
Aluminum bedding block
Backup iron sights
Integral bipod mount
Adjustable cheek piece
Accessory rail
Flat bottom action
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 95 .308 Winchester sniper rifles | 6.50 kg | 5.20 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 95 .308 Winchester sniper rifles | 1270 mm | 1130 mm | Among the longest tenth |
| Barrel lengthAmong 95 .308 Winchester sniper rifles | 609 mm | 610 mm | Near the median |
| Magazine capacityAmong 95 .308 Winchester sniper rifles | 10 | 7 | Holds more rounds than about 80% |
Answers
Questions about the Accuracy International AWP
How much does the Accuracy International AWP weigh?
The Accuracy International AWP weighs 6.50 kg (14.33 lb) empty and 6.90 kg (15.21 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Accuracy International AWP?
The Accuracy International AWP is chambered in .308 Winchester and .243 Winchester.
How many rounds does the Accuracy International AWP hold?
The Accuracy International AWP holds 10 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Accuracy International AWP?
The Accuracy International AWP is 1270 mm (50.0 in) long overall, with a 609 mm (24.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Accuracy International AWP?
The Accuracy International AWP is made by Accuracy International (United Kingdom). It was designed by Malcolm Cooper.
When was the Accuracy International AWP introduced?
The Accuracy International AWP was introduced in 1990.
How does the Accuracy International AWP operate?
The Accuracy International AWP uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is striker fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- German Federal Police
- Germany
- Belgian Federal Police
- Belgium
- New Zealand Police
- New Zealand
Provenance
Confidence in this record
78%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/accuracy-international-awp' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "accuracy-international-awp", "name": "Accuracy International AWP", "manufacturer": { "id": "accuracy-international", "name": "Accuracy International", "countryCode": "GB", "foundedYear": 1978, "website": "https://www.accuracyinternational.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:34", "version": "866df02489fa366bae9eb49362c9e929d73f7a1c5456d99b5727d9c049063c47" }, "category": { "id": "sniper-rifle", "name": "Sniper Rifle", "description": "Precision rifles optimized for long-range accuracy" }, "country_of_origin": "GB", "year_introduced": 1990, "barrel_length_mm": 609, "weight_empty_g": 6500, "action_type": "bolt_action"}