In the modern era, the armor of tanks and other vehicles increased, making it difficult for. Saboted light armor penetrator ammunition have also seen use during Desert Storm.ДЄnti-materiel guns were used during World War I and World War II to penetrate the armor of tanks. The purpose of this round was to penetrate non-armored vehicles and burst into flames on impact. These weapons were used with rounds such as armor piercing incendiary rounds (API) which were effective against such targets as buildings, trucks, and parked aircraft. The US Marine Corps initially purchased around 125 M82 rifles orders from the Army and Air Force followed. The M82 rifle first saw action in the 1990s during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. This weapon was sold by the United States to Swedish forces during the Cold War. The weapon was quite heavy at 109В lb (49В kg) and had an 88-inch (220В cm) barrel, and it carried the nickname 'the elephant gun'.Дuring the Cold War the Barrett M82 rifle was produced by the United States, and was chambered to fire a. Some argued that the smaller cartridge travelled faster and could penetrate deeper into the armor, while some believed that the higher caliber rounds would cause greater damage. There was debate over which was more effective at piercing armor. One version was designed to fire a 13.2В mm cartridge and another a 20В mm cartridge. Another weapon used was the Lahti L-39 rifle, an anti-materiel rifle designed by the Finns. 303 calibre ammunition used by its infantry. 55 calibre anti-tank rifle was a significant advance on the usual. The rifle fired a steel core armor-piercing round specifically designed for the purpose of being used with this rifle.Дuring World War II, anti-materiel guns were widely used. The recoil of this weapon was so high that it was known to break collar bones and dislocate shoulders. This weapon had a two-man crew: one to load and the other to fire the weapon, although they often switched roles. The rifle weighed 41В lb (19В kg) when loaded, fired a 13.2В mm round weighing 55.5В g (1.96В oz), and had an effective range of about 1,600В ft (500В m). The rifle was designed to penetrate the thick armor of the British tanks.

Later, the Germans developed the T-Gewehr anti-tank rifle, which can be credited with being the first anti-materiel rifle. As a counter, the Germans first used вЂњdirect fire mortarsвЂќ which were mortars aimed at low angles pointing towards enemy tanks. The Mark I could cross ditches up to nine-foot (2.7В m) wide, which made it a major threat to infantry in trench defenses.

The need for Anti-tank rifles was first encountered by the Germans when faced with the British Mark 1 tank. The history of anti-materiel rifles dates back to use during the First World War.

This photograph is evidence of how quickly military technology had to evolve during World War I. New Zealand Officers of the British Expeditionary Force with a captured German anti-tank rifle in Second Battle of Bapaume, France, during World War I. ДЄnti-materiel rifles can also be used in non-offensive rolesВ вЂ“ for example, for safely destroying unexploded ordnance. The offensive use of anti-materiel rifles or special application scoped rifles (SASR) is termed hard target interdiction (HTI) by the United States military. Anti-materiel rifles can also penetrate most obstacles and building materials, making them viable for dispatching targets behind cover that is usually hard enough to stop rifle-caliber cartridges. Their value lies in their ability to precisely target and disable enemy assets from long range at relatively low cost.Дespite having been designed to be used against equipment, anti-materiel rifles have also been used for killing soldiers from distances that are beyond the effective range of rifle-caliber cartridges. They can also be used against stationary enemy aircraft, missile launchers, radar equipment, small watercraft, communications equipment, crew served weapons and similar targets. While modern tanks and most other armored vehicles are too well protected to be affected by anti-materiel rifles, the guns are still effective for attacking unarmored or lightly armored vehicles. The origins of the anti-materiel rifle go back to the First World War, during which the first anti-tank rifles appeared.

Anti material rifle fallout