The RX Helix success story

posted on 15/09/2011: 107 views

Hunting has moved on in the 21st Century; it has become faster, more versatile and more exciting. The ideal hunting gun has to adapt to modern hunting. This demands better gun ergonomics: an ideal combination of responsiveness, speed and accuracy. The hunt does not begin on the hunting grounds nowadays, but starts instead with the preparation for the journey to the hunt. A reassuring feeling of safety is essential here; the ideal firearm will combine the best safety technologies available.

His Highness Sheikh Hamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan's yearning for enhancing the ever evolving hunting environment and its challenges led to the development of the RX Helix, the hunting rifle for the 21st Century.

As an accomplished expert in hunting rifles who has always been keen to bolster the hunting experience from a rifle performance perspective, particularly the technical, operational and mechanical one, it was only natural for Sheikh Hamed to be at the heart of what has proven to be "The Best Hunting Rifle, 2011".

The RX.HELIX epic began in late 2007 when Sheikh Hamed contacted Tawazun's management to discuss his new rifle concept. He already had to his credit a ground-breaking concept for a rifle that, after its development, carried his name (The R 93 Duo Model Hamed). That rifle was based on an existing technology, but this time, his idea was totally unique. If it could be developed successfully, it would represent something completely new - a hunting rifle for the 21st Century he believes.

Sheikh Hamed had a clear vision of what he wanted. As he described it to Tawazun: "The new rifle should have a straight-pull bolt action together with a removable magazine to allow for more rapid fire; it should have a choice of barrels that could be changed quickly and smoothly. Improved safety features were essential; to allow for easy transport, it should have a rapid and easy dismantling and reassembly mechanism, without the need for any tool to be used, a unique feature for rifles of this type, and of course, it should be light, safe, practical and reliable, as well as being affordable - a rifle for the ordinary hunter."

Sheikh Hamed's insights and ideas for the rifle were shared with Tawazun's senior management, who saw potential of the concept and engaged their German Gun making subsidiary Merkel GmbH to further validate the concept of the rifle and its suitability for the international market.

Engineers from Merkel first visited Abu Dhabi for detailed discussions with Sheikh Hamed and then returned to Suhl and gathered in a hunting lodge in Thuringia with other engineers and experienced hunters to discuss two tasks. First, they had to see whether the ideas were technically viable. Then they had to carry out market research to see whether there was a demand for the new features that were being proposed.

Results were promising as findings of the research confirmed that Sheikh Hamed's concept could be translated in to what would prove to be a revolutionary rifle in terms of speed, safety and practicality.

Following that preliminary study, the new rifle development started by a team of five well experienced engineers - supervised by Sheikh Hamed - where the marriage of his vision and Merkel's skills was to prove an ideal match. Three years of development followed, involving further intensive discussions in Germany between Sheikh Hamed and Merkel engineers and Tawazun's project team. Best practice processes were used to produce several prototypes, each being intensively tested. Test firing was undertaken with over 3,500 shots by over 600 experienced hunters and the final result, the RX.HELIX, is a rifle that is genuinely revolutionary in terms of speed, safety and practicality.

While impressed with the elements of precision, accuracy, speed and overall performance of the rifle, the hunting experts were particularly overwhelmed by the Take-Down solution, vehemently emphasised by Sheikh Hamed.

Take-down' is a quick and simple wholly-manual procedure that allows the rifle to be rapidly dismantled down to its packing dimensions and reassembled within a few seconds, hence enabling it to be transported safely, securely and discreetly.

It's truly a very special rifle. Indeed, three patents have already been granted, recognising the technological innovations that make the RX.HELIX stand out as something that is completely new. These include the patented hammer system, a manual cocking lever and a solid bolt head with six locking lugs, linked to the true straight-pull bolt action. The breech is helical (thus providing the rifle's name - Helix'), to increase the bolt action speed and is sealed at the rear, to improve safety. With the movement taking place only within the system, nothing gets in the way of the hunter's eye, which can remain focused on the target. The rifle comes with the option of interchangeable barrels, magazines and bolts, for ammunition in a range of three calibres, Mini, Standard and Magnum.

For Sheikh Hamed, it is the end of four years of meticulous and dedicated work. "The outcome of that mission to produce this splendid rifle has, by far exceeded everyone's expectations and I am proud to present it to the hunting world." he says.

"I believe Merkel did a very good job in meeting all the objectives of this project successfully. I want to thank their creativity and ingenuity, especially the way they used new and clever solutions such as the straight-pull bolt action and the way of changing the bolt head. I think this rifle is what every hunter needs." After a well received soft launch in Europe, the Abu Dhabi international Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX 2011) has been chosen as the ideal venue to tell the story of this rifle of the 21st century. - Emirates News Agency, WAM

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