From The Arkhives – B226 Marine Sniper Smock

From The Arkhives – B226 Marine Sniper Smock 

We’re celebrating our 35th anniversary this year! To do that, we’re getting nostalgic and digging deep into The Arktis Archive’s (The Arkhives) room to show you some of our past items and projects that may have never been seen. This is also a chance to show you some of our classic items… 

This week we are taking a look at the B226 Marine Sniper smock, a heavily modified version of the classic Arktis smock. Originally designed for the Dutch Marines, it has also seen action with Belgian units. As these were designed for a specific European units, you’ll only find examples of this smock in M81 Woodland, US 3 Colour Desert (Patterns of Netherlands Marine Korps), Dutch DPM, & Belgian Jigsaw… So far.  

The smock features our standard front 4 box pocket configuration with an additional two at the side, and zipped rear pocket. The shoulder and elbows are padded with two layers of impact foam, which the user can use to alter how much padding is needed, and even remove completely if needed. Much like our other sniper smocks, it is lined with a windproof liner to cut out windchill. 

You can start to see the different tastes in design and function in custom items like this. It’s a slicker appearance with concealment in mind. Covered buttons, and blanking plates to cover up Velcro loop when not in use. Depending on the use, they were also made with and without the elasticated loops for ghillie materials. 

A unique feature to this smock is the addition of metal ‘sniper hook’ which allow for slings to be hooked into it. It can also be used to stop the the sling sliding off your shoulder. This is especially useful when you need to climb and traverse over rough terrain quickly. They can be removed and positioned for both left and right-handed shooters. 

With the Netherlands new ‘NFP’ Camo on the way, we’re excited for future projects. We’re already working to develop products in this camo for Dutch forces. 

We’ll catch you in the next one!