It's now October, and soon enough it's gonna be Christmas again. This means it's time for me to dream of what Santa can give in my Christmas wishlist, and as always, it's about airsoft. I have written about some exciting real steel guns and conversion kits that can be made for airsoft, and even sniper rifles that can be fabricated for our needs. What I need right now is another bullpup sniper rifle, in the tradition of the AMP-DSR1 that Ares Airsoft had made before.

It didn't take long to find one, as I remembered about a Utah-based company making one. Desert Tactical Arms (DTA) has been developing a bullpup rifle for some time now and it is one that can be used for law enforcement and special operations purposes. The Stealth Recon Scout (SRS) is an easily configurable sniper rifle that can take in .243 WIN, .308 WIN, .300 WIN and the .338 Lapua, with the last being the preferred round as it has enough power but doesn't add more weight, unlike the .50BMG seen in the Barrett rifles.

One of the reasons that DTA went for a bullpup configuration is the low profile that a bullpup rifle can provide. This is a valuable feature since it gives the user of the rifle more stealth and in the case of 21st Century warfare, with Iraq being the prime example, that many battles are fought in MOUT areas. A bullpup sniper rifle can be very much useful for such situations, and allow the user to change positions in tighter areas without getting tangled much. The SRS is as long as an M16A2 but then packs a punch and longer range, being a sniper rifle.

I mentioned law-enforcement for the same reason as above. Police or SWAT snipers need a rifle that they can easily use and is shorter in profile to use in urban areas. The German AMP-DSR1 comes to mind and the SRS follows ithis tradition.

Another advantage of the bullpup configuration for sniper roles is that the operator can make easy magazine changes with no movement for the right hand and it stays put in the pistol grip with the left hand doing the magazine change. This also helps in maintaing the sights on the target. Unfortunately, the SRS is not an ambidextrous one and DTA is working on it to accommodate the needs of left handed shooters.

Bullpup weapons are noted for their accuracy and range, and the SRS is no exception. It is said to be one of the most accurate sniper rifles in the market. With the MIL-STD-1913 full length rail, you can easily mount more optics such as larger scopes, magnifiers, and night vision accessories.

What airsoft company can make this? So far, only one airsoft manufacturer can lay to claim to having an experience to such bullpup sniper rifle configuration: Ares Airsoft. A quick glance at the SRS would immediately remind you of the AMP-DSR1, but with a simpler design. If an airsoft version will be made, then it is most likely the design approach to the AMP-DSR1 airsoft replica that will be followed.