Parker Hale M82

The Parker-Hale M82 was developed from British target-rifle experience into a conventional bolt-action sniper rifle. Modern Firearms notes service with Australian, New Zealand, Canadian, and some British police or military users. Its practical appeal came from adapting proven sporting and target-shooting features into a military-acceptable precision rifle before more specialized chassis systems became common.

Technically, the M82 is a manual bolt-action rifle chambered in 7.62x51 mm NATO. It uses a Mauser-type action, cold-hammer-forged free-floating barrel, adjustable trigger, wooden or later upgraded stocks, and telescopic sighting. Canadian C3/C3A1 versions show how the platform could be bedded, scoped, and modernized while retaining the core Parker-Hale action and barrel concept.

Operationally, the M82 and Canadian C3/C3A1 variants filled the standard precision-rifle role for several Commonwealth forces. They provided reliable long-range fire with familiar 7.62 mm ammunition and conventional maintenance. Over time, modern rifles with better stocks, optics mounting, magazines, and modular accessory support replaced them, but the M82 remains significant in Commonwealth sniper history.