Saarim? Sarem? Sarim? A Mauser Sniper by any other name…
How about this Yemeni “Saarim” (also seen as “Sarem”) copy of the 98 Mauser sniper rifle making the rounds in the (attributed) hands of a Houthi rebel, with a very Insurgency Sandstorm/Far Cry 6 vibe.
Note the box magazine, pistol grip, garage-made suppressor (which, if nothing else, serves as a flash hider to help with counter-sniper fire), super-high mount (possibly to help overcome the 8mm Mauser’s rainbow ballistics), and relatively low-power optic.
For those curious, Sarim / Sarem (صارم) means: brave, resolute, sharp, or a sharp sword, all fitting names for a would-be sniper rifle.
As far as I can tell, the type first showed up in a 2017 Hoplite piece by Yuri Lyamin (Craft-produced anti-materiel rifles and light cannon in Yemen).
At the time, they appeared to be 8mm 98Ks or Yugoslavian M48s, fitted with 6x24mm POSP optical sights and a wildly optimistic 1,600-meter range.
The typical drop of an 8mm Mauser (7.92x57mm) at 1,600 meters is something like 1,360.86 inches (or 113.4 feet / 34.56 meters), assuming a standard European-spec 198-grain (12.8g) bullet. That’s one hell of a holdover. Even at 500 yards, you are looking at a 50-60 inch drop and falling below 1,000 ft./lbs of energy– the latter the minimum benchmark for medium game like deer and sheep.
Still, “Despite their age, these rifles may continue to pose a threat in experienced hands, particularly when fitted with an optic,” noted Lyamin.
Plus, the country has serious generational experience with the rifle.
Yemen has been awash in Mausers for something like 140 years.
A Yemeni man with a modded Mauser Oberndorf M1887 Ottoman Turkish long rifle in Sanaa, via Al Jazeera.
As noted by Rob Krott back in a 2006 Small Arms Review piece after traveling the country extensively:
Mausers and Mauser variations are among the most common weapons in Yemen. Some are in the hands of youths whose parents have acquired more modern weapons. As the owner’s first token of manhood they are often prized possessions. The Mausers in Yemen today are nearly all Ottoman Empire in origin and represent the continuous re-equipment of the Ottoman forces throughout their occupation of Yemen, though there is also a large number of World War II era German 98K Mausers fielded in Yemen. It’s possible these 98Ks were from captured stocks provided by the Soviets as aid in the 1960s. While visiting a Bedouin encampment in the Hawdramawt, I fired probably a half-dozen Mauser 98Ks over the course of three days in impromptu shooting competitions. All were well maintained and serviceable.
While, sure, the Sarim is kinda hokey-looking, if it is zeroed and holds point of aim/impact, and the user understands its dope, I wouldn’t want to be downrange of it under any circumstances.