Infantry Weapons

PGW Timberwolf

Also known as
  • C14 Timberwolf
  • C14 Timberwolf MRSWS
  • C14 Medium Range Sniper Weapon System
  • C14 MRSWS
  • Medium Range Sniper Weapon System
  • MRSWS
  • Timberwolf 338 Lapua Sniper Weapons System
  • Timberwolf SWS
  • PGWDTI Timberwolf

The PGW Timberwolf, known in Canadian service as the C14 Medium Range Sniper Weapon System, is a Canadian .338 Lapua Magnum bolt-action rifle built for long-range precision fire. Canada ordered the 8.6 mm system from PGW in 2005 to replace the C3A1, and later announced C21 replacement rifles in 2022. The Yemen conflict record centers on imagery-based reporting of Timberwolf rifles with Houthi-aligned forces and Yemeni government or proxy forces.

PGW Timberwolf, .338 Lapua Magnum bolt-action sniper rifle, Infantry Weapons
Image source: Sniper Range RIMPAC 2018 Image

Role in Conflicts

2014 Yemen Civil War
Captured, Seized & RecoveredFire Support

PGW Timberwolf rifles are documented in Yemen on both sides: ARES identified likely Timberwolf rifles in Houthi possession after capture from Saudi troops, while Amnesty International Canada and Project Ploughshares cite imagery of Yemeni government or proxy forces with PGW Defence Technologies Timberwolf rifles. The record remains imagery-based and source-limited on exact custody chains.

Role details
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Canada
Type
.338 Lapua Magnum bolt-action sniper rifle
Service note
Canadian contract signed May 13, 2005; deliveries scheduled from August 2005; C21 replacement announced June 10, 2022; documented in Yemen-related imagery from 2015-2016
Designer
PGW Defence Technologies Inc.
Designed
Early 2000s
Unit cost
PGW listed the Gen 3 Timberwolf base price at CAD 6,300 for a commercial configuration in 2026.
Produced
2005-present
Number built
More than 3,000 Timberwolf rifle systems reported by PGW for military, law-enforcement, and civilian customers.

Specifications

Cartridge
8.6 mm / .338 Lapua Magnum
Action
Manually operated bolt action
Effective range
1,500 m listed by DND for the 2005 Canadian system and by PGW for current Timberwolf models
Magazine
5-round detachable box magazine
Barrel
26 in / 660 mm match-grade barrel
Barrel twist
1:10 in
Weight
About 6.78 kg / 14.9 lb for the legacy Timberwolf rifle; Gen 3 configurations vary by stock
Optics
Integral Picatinny rail for day or night optical sights
Canadian service package
2005 DND contract covered rifles, magazines, telescopic sights, ammunition, training, spare parts, carrying cases, and maintenance support
Variants

The Timberwolf page covers both the Canadian C14 service designation and PGW's current Timberwolf commercial and government rifle-system line.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Timberwolf Gen 3Current PGW configurable rifle package

PGW's Gen 3 package updates the stock and magazine system and lists .338 Lapua Magnum, .300 PRC, and .300 Norma Magnum chambering options.

Sources: Timberwolf Gen 3

Ammunition Fired

The Timberwolf page links to its documented cartridge family rather than treating ammunition as a separate conflict-use claim.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
.338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, 8.6 mm long-range centerfire rifle cartridge, Munitions.338 Lapua Magnum cartridge8.6 mm long-range rifle cartridge

PGW lists the Timberwolf as a .338 Lapua rifle system, and Canada's C14 contract described the system as an 8.6 mm medium-range sniper weapon.

Sources: Timberwolf, Canadian Forces Award Canadian Sniper Rifle Contract

Timeline

PGW Timberwolf Key Events

  1. Canadian sniper-rifle contract signed

    Canada signed a CAD 4.5 million contract with PGW Defence Technologies for a medium-range sniper weapon package that included rifles, optics, ammunition, training, spare parts, and support.

    Sources: Canadian Forces Award Canadian Sniper Rifle Contract

  2. Initial Canadian deliveries planned

    The Department of National Defence said the Canadian Forces would begin receiving the new 8.6 mm system in August 2005 for Regular Force infantry units in training and operations.

    Sources: Canadian Forces Award Canadian Sniper Rifle Contract

  3. Canada announces C21 replacement rifles

    National Defence announced 229 new C21 multi-calibre sniper rifles to replace the current C14 and C3A1 rifles, with deliveries expected by the end of 2022.

    Sources: Canadian Military Snipers Getting New Rifles

Media

PGW Timberwolf Videos

PGW Timberwolf Images

PGW Timberwolf, .338 Lapua Magnum bolt-action sniper rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 1
Source: PGWDTI Timberwolf Titanium Bolt Action Image
PGW Timberwolf, .338 Lapua Magnum bolt-action sniper rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 2
Source: PGW Timberwolf
Related Weapon Systems
.338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, 8.6 mm long-range centerfire rifle cartridge, MunitionsMunitions.338 Lapua Magnum cartridge8.6 mm long-range centerfire rifle cartridge.338 Lapua Magnum is a Finnish 8.6x70 mm centerfire rifle cartridge developed from .338/416 work into a long-range military, law-enforcement, and precision-rifle round. C.I.P. lists Finland as the country of origin, while Lapua and Nammo sources show current tactical, target, armor-piercing, hunting, and special-purpose load families. The linked rifle relationships stay limited to cataloged weapons whose sources document .338 Lapua chambering.
Heckler & Koch G36, 5.56 mm assault rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsHeckler & Koch G365.56 mm assault rifleThe Heckler & Koch G36 is a German 5.56 mm assault rifle built around a reinforced-polymer receiver, indirect gas operation, a rotating bolt head, folding stock, and modular rifle, carbine, compact, and export configurations. Its cataloged conflict record spans Mexican police firing during the 2014 Iguala operation, German support to Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting Islamic State in Iraq, and Saudi-licensed rifles diverted from Hadi-aligned forces into militant hands in Yemen.
M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle, Bolt-action sniper rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsM2010 Enhanced Sniper RifleBolt-action sniper rifleThe M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle is the U.S. Army's .300 Winchester Magnum rebuild of the M24 Sniper Weapon System, developed to give sniper teams longer reach in Afghanistan's mountainous terrain. Remington converted the long-action M24 into a suppressed, magazine-fed precision rifle with a folding adjustable chassis, extended-range optic, night-sight compatibility, and a 1,200-meter effective range; later imagery from 2014 Operation Inherent Resolve shows the rifle still serving in U.S. patrol overwatch in northeast Syria.

Sources

TimberwolfPublisher: PGW Defence Technologies Inc. | Note: Supports manufacturer background, .338 Lapua chambering, production/customer context, and legacy Timberwolf specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Timberwolf Gen 3Publisher: PGW Defence Technologies Inc. | Note: Supports current Timberwolf Gen 3 package features, chambering options, AICS magazine system, stock options, specifications, and commercial base-price context. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Canadian Forces Award Canadian Sniper Rifle ContractPublisher: Department of National Defence / Government of Canada | Note: Supports the 2005 Canadian Forces contract with PGW, the 8.6 mm/.338 medium-range role, 1,500 m range, replacement of the C3A1, and planned infantry-unit use. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Canadian Military Snipers Getting New RiflesPublisher: National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces | Note: Supports C21 replacement context for the current C14 and C3A1 sniper rifles, including 229 replacement rifles and expected completion of deliveries by the end of 2022. | Accessed: 2026-07-01PGW TimberwolfPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports background on the C14 designation, Canadian origin, design features, specifications, and public-domain Canadian Armed Forces image provenance. | Accessed: 2026-07-01North American Anti-Materiel Rifles with Houthi Forces in YemenPublisher: Armament Research Services | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War conflict use: a bolt-action rifle most likely a PGW Timberwolf was fielded by Houthi-aligned forces after being taken from Saudi troops, with the source noting image-based identification limits. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Yemeni Rebels' Winnipeg-Made Rifles Legally Sold to Saudi ArabiaPublisher: Winnipeg Free Press | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War conflict use: photos appeared to show PGW Timberwolf rifles fielded by Houthi fighters after the rifles were exported to Saudi Arabia and fell into rebel hands during fighting with Saudi border patrols. | Accessed: 2026-07-01No Credible Evidence - Canada's Flawed Analysis of Arms Exports to Saudi ArabiaPublisher: Amnesty International Canada / Project Ploughshares | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War conflict use: cites imagery alleging Yemeni armed forces Brig. Gen. Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Ajabi with a PGW Defence Technologies Timberwolf rifle and describes PGW sniper rifles photographed with Yemeni government or proxy forces. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Canadian-Made Weapons Allegedly Fuelling Yemen WarPublisher: Global News | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War conflict use by summarizing the Amnesty/Project Ploughshares report and noting imagery that appears to show a Yemeni armed forces brigadier general holding a PGW Defence Technologies Timberwolf rifle. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Sniper Range RIMPAC 2018 ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary C14 Timberwolf image, credited to Justin Spinello and marked public domain. | Accessed: 2026-07-01DVIDS Sniper Range RIMPAC 2018 Image 10Publisher: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | Note: Supports image provenance for a public-domain RIMPAC 2018 image showing a Canadian sniper assisting with a C14 Timberwolf medium range sniper weapon system sight. | Accessed: 2026-07-01PGWDTI Timberwolf Titanium Bolt Action ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the Timberwolf bolt/action image, licensed CC BY 3.0 by Francis Flinch. | Accessed: 2026-07-01