Posted on Aug 6, 2015
"More Powerful, Special-Ops Sniper Rifle Unlikely for Marine Snipers"
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From: Military.com
The U.S. Marine Corps is sticking with its Vietnam-era, M40 sniper rifle series, despite complaints from scout snipers who say they need the modern, longer-range weapons used by special-ops snipers.
Marine scout snipers are considered to be among the best snipers in the world, but many are frustrated at the limitations of the current M40A5 sniper rifle. The A5 is based on the Remington M700 short-action design that's chambered for 7.62x51mm NATO, like the original M40 Marines used in Vietnam.
Seasoned scout snipers are deadly accurate with the A5 out to 1,000 meters.
Elite special operations units use sniper rifles chambered in more potent calibers such as .338 Lapua Magnum, a round that allows snipers to reach out to 1,600 meters.
U.S. Special Operations Command is currently in the final stage of selecting its new Precision Sniper Rifle for all of its sniper teams. USSOCOM awarded contracts to Remington Defense and another company in 2013 to make two different versions of the PSR – a multi-caliber sniper rifle that allows operators to choose .338 Lapua Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum and 7.62mm NATO by simply changing barrels assemblies.
The U.S. Army has watched the PSR program, but for now, it is sticking with its Remington M2010 sniper rifle chambered for .300 Win. Mag., a round that allows snipers to engage enemy targets out to 1,200 meters.
Currently, only the most elite Army and Navy special operations units use the MK21 Precision Sniper Rifle chambered for .338 Lapua Magnum. In a July 24 story, The Washington Post quoted a Marine spokesman saying that the service is looking at several options for a new sniper rifle to include MK21.
But Marine officials who oversee the development, testing and selection of sniper rifles are currently planning to replace the M40A5 with the M40A6 -- a weapon that features a skeletonized stock to reduce the weight but still features the same action and fires the same 7.62mm NATO round as past M40 models, according to a source who preferred to remain anonymous but frequently works with the Marine Corps and special operations sniper communities.
Military.com contacted the office of the Deputy Commandant, Combat Development and Integration about this story. Maj. Anton Semelroth, a spokesman for the command, sent the following email response:
"We have made engineering changes to the M40A- series in order to modernize the weapon. Our efforts focused on maintaining its relevance. Within the next year, we plan to field the M40A6 which will incorporate a modular stock to improve portability and shooter ergonomics, an improved barrel and an upgrade of the ballistic calculator to reduce weight and improve accuracy."
"The Marine Corps does have a requirement for a precision engagement capability that exceeds the M40. We continue to pursue a common solution with the Army and USSOCOM and will explore all available options."
For the foreseeable future, however, Marine snipers will have to continue to make due with 7.62mm, the source said.
"The Marines Corps is going to stay with 7.62mm," the source said, describing the service's limited budget. "The .338 is an expensive round; 7.62mm is not."
The Marine Corps scout snipers are at the leading edge of the sniper community.
"They have pushed the 7.62mm round beyond what we thought it could do. … They consistently make shots at 1,000 meters on moving targets," the source said.
But special-operations snipers -- using higher calibers -- are taking longer shots in less time – a reality that has divided the Marine sniper community.
"The younger snipers are saying ‘I could do so much more with what SEAL Team Six snipers are shooting with'" the source said.
Meanwhile, the higher-ranking Marine sniper officials maintain that "the M40 has been doing it for us since Vietnam."
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/07/30/more-powerful-special-ops-sniper-rifle-unlikely-marine-snipers.html
The U.S. Marine Corps is sticking with its Vietnam-era, M40 sniper rifle series, despite complaints from scout snipers who say they need the modern, longer-range weapons used by special-ops snipers.
Marine scout snipers are considered to be among the best snipers in the world, but many are frustrated at the limitations of the current M40A5 sniper rifle. The A5 is based on the Remington M700 short-action design that's chambered for 7.62x51mm NATO, like the original M40 Marines used in Vietnam.
Seasoned scout snipers are deadly accurate with the A5 out to 1,000 meters.
Elite special operations units use sniper rifles chambered in more potent calibers such as .338 Lapua Magnum, a round that allows snipers to reach out to 1,600 meters.
U.S. Special Operations Command is currently in the final stage of selecting its new Precision Sniper Rifle for all of its sniper teams. USSOCOM awarded contracts to Remington Defense and another company in 2013 to make two different versions of the PSR – a multi-caliber sniper rifle that allows operators to choose .338 Lapua Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum and 7.62mm NATO by simply changing barrels assemblies.
The U.S. Army has watched the PSR program, but for now, it is sticking with its Remington M2010 sniper rifle chambered for .300 Win. Mag., a round that allows snipers to engage enemy targets out to 1,200 meters.
Currently, only the most elite Army and Navy special operations units use the MK21 Precision Sniper Rifle chambered for .338 Lapua Magnum. In a July 24 story, The Washington Post quoted a Marine spokesman saying that the service is looking at several options for a new sniper rifle to include MK21.
But Marine officials who oversee the development, testing and selection of sniper rifles are currently planning to replace the M40A5 with the M40A6 -- a weapon that features a skeletonized stock to reduce the weight but still features the same action and fires the same 7.62mm NATO round as past M40 models, according to a source who preferred to remain anonymous but frequently works with the Marine Corps and special operations sniper communities.
Military.com contacted the office of the Deputy Commandant, Combat Development and Integration about this story. Maj. Anton Semelroth, a spokesman for the command, sent the following email response:
"We have made engineering changes to the M40A- series in order to modernize the weapon. Our efforts focused on maintaining its relevance. Within the next year, we plan to field the M40A6 which will incorporate a modular stock to improve portability and shooter ergonomics, an improved barrel and an upgrade of the ballistic calculator to reduce weight and improve accuracy."
"The Marine Corps does have a requirement for a precision engagement capability that exceeds the M40. We continue to pursue a common solution with the Army and USSOCOM and will explore all available options."
For the foreseeable future, however, Marine snipers will have to continue to make due with 7.62mm, the source said.
"The Marines Corps is going to stay with 7.62mm," the source said, describing the service's limited budget. "The .338 is an expensive round; 7.62mm is not."
The Marine Corps scout snipers are at the leading edge of the sniper community.
"They have pushed the 7.62mm round beyond what we thought it could do. … They consistently make shots at 1,000 meters on moving targets," the source said.
But special-operations snipers -- using higher calibers -- are taking longer shots in less time – a reality that has divided the Marine sniper community.
"The younger snipers are saying ‘I could do so much more with what SEAL Team Six snipers are shooting with'" the source said.
Meanwhile, the higher-ranking Marine sniper officials maintain that "the M40 has been doing it for us since Vietnam."
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/07/30/more-powerful-special-ops-sniper-rifle-unlikely-marine-snipers.html
Posted in these groups: 
Marine Corps
Sniper
Marine Corps Sniper
Posted >1 y ago
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The M40 is an amazingly good platform. Yes, there are things we can't do with it, and things that can be done with .300 and .338, just like there are things that can be done with the SASR (.50). But we don't necessarily have a deficit, or more particularly the trade off may not gain us much.
But some of this is also coming down to "specialty philosophy." I realize I've been out of the game for a LONG LONG time, but (USMC) Snipers are an Intelligence asset. They're the only collection asset that a BN Intel Officer has under his direct control. As such, I view them as Reconnaissance as opposed to Operations.
Yes, being able to "reach out and touch someone" is important, but it is often not the "most important" reason I've got them out there.
But some of this is also coming down to "specialty philosophy." I realize I've been out of the game for a LONG LONG time, but (USMC) Snipers are an Intelligence asset. They're the only collection asset that a BN Intel Officer has under his direct control. As such, I view them as Reconnaissance as opposed to Operations.
Yes, being able to "reach out and touch someone" is important, but it is often not the "most important" reason I've got them out there.
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Capt Lance Gallardo
Again, Skipper the whole cost factor is limiting the Marines from fielding the Best Sniper rifle and the Best Battle Rifle. It is not just the training and the esprit de corps, that define an Elite Unit or branch of the Service- it is their equipment, uniforms, and combat arms, weapons as well. The Waffen SS had the best and only true "Assault rifle" of WWII firing a modern assault rifle round the 7.9mm Kurz , the STG 44 utilizing a 30 round detachable clip (The StG 44 (abbreviation of Sturmgewehr 44, "assault rifle 44") is a German selective-fire rifle developed during World War II that was the first of its kind to see major deployment and is considered to be the first modern assault rifle. It is also known under the designations MP 43 and MP 44 (Maschinenpistole 43, Maschinenpistole 44 respectively). The StG 44 was the first successful weapon of its class, and the concept had a major impact on modern infantry small arms development. By all accounts, the StG 44 fulfilled its role admirably, particularly on the Eastern Front, offering a greatly increased volume of fire compared to standard infantry rifles and greater range than submachine guns. In the end, it came too late to have a significant effect on the outcome of the war.[5])
The Idea that the Marine Corps cannot afford to purchase and field the best sniper rifle and best Battle Rifle (and Caliber and Ammunition) available due to cost is simply unacceptable to me as a former Marine and taxpayer. It is unacceptable, because we are all aware of the stupefying waste of hundreds of Billions of dollars (and cost overruns) by the Air Force on unproven technologies and its abandonment of the previously sacrosanct "Don't Buy before you Fly" principal. Yes I am talking about the ridiculous 412 million dollar a plane F-22 fighter plane, which up to now has seen very little combat, and no combat for the air superiority role it was designed for. While at the same time the Air Force is trying to kill the One Plane that the grunts love the best,the Close Air Support Expert, the Ugly subsonic A-10 Warthog. So you are going to tell Marine Snipers and the Marines on the ground in harms way, "sorry you go to war with 1960s tech, with what you got" (sound familiar? Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to US troops in Kuwait in Dec. 2004 who were complaining about the lack of armored transportation "You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time," Mr. Rumsfeld said in response. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/08/international/middleeast/08cnd-rumsfeld.html?_r=0) when anyone with access to the internet ( or access to Special Forces snipers) can see there are proven rifle technologies out there for both snipers and improved battle rifles, shooting superior calibers of ammunition to the almost sixty year old 5.56 Rounds.
I say you got to war with the weapons and gear that your military and civilian leadership had the foresight, wisdom and the knowledge to send you to war with, or not. The Weapons and gear that they were willing to spend the money on. Unfortunately the defense industry most effective lobbyists are not the small arms and equipment companies that equip our boots on the ground war fighters. No, they are the extremely wealthy and well represented on Capitol Hill Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and McDonald Douglass Air Craft Manufacturers. They even play this game of spreading around all of the subcontracting for these multibillion dollar, decades long, Job creating, defense contracts to all of the 50 states, so that the US Congressmen and Senators from these states will support these programs whether or not the Defense Department Civilian Leadership or the US Military Leaders want them. This is how we end up with 400 million dollar fighter jet like the f-22. And this partly why the Marine Corps cannot afford to buy the best sniper rifles for its snipers. Or field the best Battle Rifle for its Marines. Very depressing, I know.
"Two decades ago, the Pentagon planned to buy 648 F-22s for $139 million apiece. But the cost ultimately soared to $412 million, the Government Accountability Office said, making it the most expensive fighter jet ever.
Then-Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates ended the purchase in 2009 at 188 planes, saying production was too expensive. The Air Force received the last F-22 in 2012." http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-f-22-the-worlds-priciest-fighter-jet-finally-flies-in-combat-20140923-story.html
The Idea that the Marine Corps cannot afford to purchase and field the best sniper rifle and best Battle Rifle (and Caliber and Ammunition) available due to cost is simply unacceptable to me as a former Marine and taxpayer. It is unacceptable, because we are all aware of the stupefying waste of hundreds of Billions of dollars (and cost overruns) by the Air Force on unproven technologies and its abandonment of the previously sacrosanct "Don't Buy before you Fly" principal. Yes I am talking about the ridiculous 412 million dollar a plane F-22 fighter plane, which up to now has seen very little combat, and no combat for the air superiority role it was designed for. While at the same time the Air Force is trying to kill the One Plane that the grunts love the best,the Close Air Support Expert, the Ugly subsonic A-10 Warthog. So you are going to tell Marine Snipers and the Marines on the ground in harms way, "sorry you go to war with 1960s tech, with what you got" (sound familiar? Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to US troops in Kuwait in Dec. 2004 who were complaining about the lack of armored transportation "You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time," Mr. Rumsfeld said in response. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/08/international/middleeast/08cnd-rumsfeld.html?_r=0) when anyone with access to the internet ( or access to Special Forces snipers) can see there are proven rifle technologies out there for both snipers and improved battle rifles, shooting superior calibers of ammunition to the almost sixty year old 5.56 Rounds.
I say you got to war with the weapons and gear that your military and civilian leadership had the foresight, wisdom and the knowledge to send you to war with, or not. The Weapons and gear that they were willing to spend the money on. Unfortunately the defense industry most effective lobbyists are not the small arms and equipment companies that equip our boots on the ground war fighters. No, they are the extremely wealthy and well represented on Capitol Hill Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and McDonald Douglass Air Craft Manufacturers. They even play this game of spreading around all of the subcontracting for these multibillion dollar, decades long, Job creating, defense contracts to all of the 50 states, so that the US Congressmen and Senators from these states will support these programs whether or not the Defense Department Civilian Leadership or the US Military Leaders want them. This is how we end up with 400 million dollar fighter jet like the f-22. And this partly why the Marine Corps cannot afford to buy the best sniper rifles for its snipers. Or field the best Battle Rifle for its Marines. Very depressing, I know.
"Two decades ago, the Pentagon planned to buy 648 F-22s for $139 million apiece. But the cost ultimately soared to $412 million, the Government Accountability Office said, making it the most expensive fighter jet ever.
Then-Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates ended the purchase in 2009 at 188 planes, saying production was too expensive. The Air Force received the last F-22 in 2012." http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-f-22-the-worlds-priciest-fighter-jet-finally-flies-in-combat-20140923-story.html
The F-22, world's priciest fighter jet, finally flies in combat
After nearly a decade of being derided as dangerous to fly and an example of wasteful military spending, the radar-evading F-22 fighter jet flew in combat for the first time in this week’s U.S.-led airstrikes in Syria.
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I'll say it if no one else will. The Marine Corps is cheap. Always has been, always will be. We pride ourselves on doing more with less, sometimes for no reason other than to still be able to make the claim. It's stupid, I know. But sometimes that's just the Marine Corps way. The Corps's sniper program is going through changes so hopefully MARSOC will benefit from SOCOM efforts.
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