Horizon Lord, Longest Sniper Kill Record Holder, Unveils New Generation .57 HL Rifle

Ukrainian defense manufacturer Horizon Lord has completed field testing of its latest sniper rifle chambered in .57 HL, developed as part of an integrated “rifle + cartridge” system.

According to a statement released by the company on its official Facebook page, the compact, multi-caliber rifle demonstrated consistent accuracy below 0.5 MOA, with an initial bullet energy reaching up to 8,000 joules.

The rifle features an integrated sound moderator and is equipped with 14.5mm match-grade barrels produced by Bartlein, incorporating compensatory porting. In conjunction with the rifle, specially designed subsonic .57 HL cartridges with solid copper projectiles weighing between 63 and 85 grams were developed.

For testing, bullets were produced by Baltic Bullets specifically for the rifle’s requirements. Developers claim that due to the combination of these elements, no existing acoustic counter-sniper system is capable of detecting the shot. However, the rifle also supports armor-piercing ammunition when engaging protected targets.

To enable long-range precision shooting, the rifle is designed for a quick caliber conversion to .416 Barrett by swapping the barrel.

During testing, snipers from various military units provided feedback on certain ergonomic aspects of the rifle, which will be addressed before serial production.

Separately, Horizon Lord has initiated the production of polymer-cased ammunition for its 12.7×114 HL sniper rifle. The cartridge features a .50 BMG-caliber bullet fitted into a resized 14.5×114mm machine gun case, with a total length of 160mm.

Earlier, the capabilities of Horizon Lord rifles were demonstrated on November 18, 2023, when Ukraine set a new world record for the longest confirmed sniper kill. Using a Ukrainian-made Horizons Lord rifle, 58-year-old Vyacheslav Kovalskiy eliminated a target at 3,800 meters (2.36 miles), surpassing the previous record held by a Canadian sniper.

The shot was executed with custom-developed Ukrainian ammunition, approximately 6.2 inches long, positioned between a .50 caliber and a 20mm cannon shell in size.