[ Zastava M93 Black Arrow at the Range ]
Hi guys, thanks for tuning in to another video on ForgottenWeapons.com.
I'm Ian McCollum, and this
is the Zastava M93 Black Arrow.
Now yesterday we took a look at the details of the history and
how this is built on the desktop, and today we have it out at the range.
Now unfortunately I don't have a super-long range here, we're at about 100 yards.
But this was intended as an anti-materiel rifle perhaps more so than a sniper's rifle,
so I think this is perfectly suitable.
So I've got myself some good new-production .50 BMG.
We're going to load up a couple of rounds and we're going to do a little bit of shooting,
and see how this handles, how the muzzle brake works,
how the trigger is, how the stock is, all that good stuff.
I will start by pointing out that this thing very nicely balances right on the bipod legs,
which is kind of cool.
In fact it was kind of helpful for me to try to get an initial zero on the scope.
This came without a scope, so I have put this Zastava scope on it,
and I think I have it approximately boresighted right now.
So if we're lucky we can actually get some hits on paper,
and see what sort of group we can get with three rounds. ...
So let's get going here.
Alright, magazine's in.
Alright, get my ears nice and tight in there.
And here we go. Let's see if I do have it properly zeroed.
Alright, that is not the most pleasant .50 I have ever fired.
I don't think it's the most unpleasant.
And I have not actually yet fired anything in 14.5 Soviet.
But that's got some kick and some concussion to it.
The brake does some work, but it's still kind of ...
you'll know it when you touch that thing off.
I ... am not seeing ... a hole in the target.
So I'm going to shift my point of aim a little bit, try a second one.
I do know that the iron sights are zeroed on this,
so if we can't get the scope zeroed in within a couple of rounds,
we'll just switch to irons at that point.
Because, frankly, this ammo is pretty expensive, and this thing kind of hurts to shoot.
So we're not going to put a ton of rounds through it today.
Alright, here we go, try a little bit higher.
Yeah, I'm still not seeing anything.
So .50 cal shots are nice big holes that should be very easy to spot at 16x power at 100 yards,
and I'm not seeing anything, so we are going to shift this to iron sight time.
Especially since we're at relatively close range anyway.
Do have a quick-detach scope here.
I have 5 rounds left out of this box of 10.
You've seen a couple fired, we used a couple for high speed video,
and I will put 5 in the magazine there.
... That's a lot of firepower in one magazine.
As we talked about yesterday, this has iron sights just like the FR-F1.
So those should come back to me very naturally.
That said, they are not perfect iron sights,
these are definitely backups, not precision sights.
So let's see ... how I can actually do with let's say a 3 shot group, because they will hit the paper.
Alright, here we go.
Yeah, that's got concussion to it.
Cases look good, no issue with primer hits, no issue with bulging or anything.
Whoo!
Alright, one more.
Alright, let's go see how that looks on paper.
That is definitely better than I was expecting.
Certainly better than I was concerned about as I started walking up here,
and not seeing a lot in the target.
So I was aiming here, rifle's hitting a little high, I suppose that makes sense.
The irons, I probably should have checked exactly what range they're zeroed for,
but it's probably not 100 yards.
But I've got two shots actually touching there, and a third one right about an inch above.
That is not bad.
I would have been able to do quite well with the scope I'm sure,
if I could figure out exactly where it was pointing.
But I just don't have the recoil capacity or the ammunition supply
to spend a lot of time hunting down the zero on that.
Alright, there's 2 rounds left in the magazine, let's go ahead and finish them off.
Alright, so if I dry fire this (magazine out)
the trigger actually kind of reminds me of my FR-F1 trigger as well.
It's single stage,
but it's got kind of this mushy take up.
Frankly, it's a fairly heavy, mushy take-up.
And a kind of indistinct release, it's not really a very good trigger.
I am frankly kind of impressed with myself having been able to do that
3 round group with this trigger and these iron sights.
Which ... you want iron sights, especially the front, to be nice and crisp and square,
and this one's mostly that but not entirely.
The grip is not great, like it works, but it's got some edges on it.
The buttstock here could use some padding.
It's got a little bit on the back, but it could use a little bit on the cheek ... piece.
Like everything about this from a shooting perspective,
compared to some of the other .50s that I've fired, is a little so-so.
The question really is:
is the FR-F1 ... similarities and the fact that I actually did remarkably well with it.
Is that enough for me to overlook ... kind of some of the ... other mediocre aspects of the gun?
I mean, performance is king, right?
But man, it just is kind of unpleasant to shoot.
Alright, we got 2 rounds left here.
Man. ... You get the kick in the shoulder.
You get the concussion, the literal wind of concussion blast over you.
And I feel like there's also a high pressure - wham!
That I don't feel like I always get, like I shot a .50 Boys, .50 BMG,
actually it was a .55 Boys, and I don't recall getting that.
You got some impact in the shoulder, and that's fine,
but it's really the kind of ring in the head that's a little less pleasant.
Alright, very last round.
Hopefully you guys enjoyed the video.
Despite my potentially not glowing comments about this rifle,
I really appreciate Zastava USA sending me this for T&E, and to video, and to bring to you guys.
So ...
That's about all I got, hopefully you guys enjoyed the video.
Thanks for watching.
Man, I groan every time I pull the trigger.