The operation of the RAI Model 500 gun was of manual bolt-action and feeding of the cartridges was by way of a five-round detachable box magazine inserted into a well in the usual way (ahead of the trigger group). The shoulder stock was collapsible for compactness and arranged as "skeletal" for a weight-savings measure. The stock was customizable to an extent by the shooter and included a cheek rest. The barrel was free-floating, the assembly not touching the forend of the stock at any point, and constructed to a heavy precision-based tolerance for absolute accuracy at range. A telescopic scope (removable) was fitted over the receiver for ranged firing. A folding bipod was affixed to a short forend section located under the barrel assembly to aid in prone-based firing. Beyond customization of the shoulder stock component, the trigger was also fully-adjustable to suit the firer's pull requirements. The lightweight nature of the gun's construction, and the ability for it to be broken down quickly, aided in the weapon's travel profile considerably.
Overall weight of the system (sans its scope) was 5.7 kilograms and the barrel assembly measured 610mm in length. Muzzle velocity of the outgoing bullet reached 800 meters-per-second and effective range was out to 1,300-2,000 meters. A trained shooter could expect to land the round within a space of a "small" window or box at even extreme ranges, such was the accuracy of this weapon.
The RAI rifle was also used to trial the experimental 8.58x71mm cartridge which, later, became the popular .338 Lapua Magnum round in widespread circulation today.
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