Top 3 US Army Sniper Rifles:
While the stand-off fight against near-peer competitors will involve over-the-horizon capabilities with missiles, the individual American sniper is also a powerful asset in ground warfare stand-off combat. But which Army sniper rifle is best?
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The U.S. Army has three sniper rifles they favor and wouldn’t leave behind: the M24, the Mk-22, and the M110.
M24 Has a Colorful History
No Army sniper would earn his spurs without firing the M24 at some point during his career.
The M24 is a great all-around rifle. It’s based on the nearly 60-year-old Remington Model 700 that civilian hunters and target shooters know well.
Four million Model 700s have been sold over the years. The M24 has been in the hands of Army snipers since 1988.
The M24 chambers the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge. The free-floating barrel measures 24-inches. The barrel has increased velocity and resists heat build-up. The rifle is topped off with a potent Leupold Mark IV 10x scope and a bipod.
The bolt-action M24 is center-fired with a five-round magazine. Bolt-action rifles usually do not jam, misfeed, or malfunction like semi-automatic rifles can. The rifle weighs 15-pounds when loaded. The M24 has a range of 800 meters.
To show you how powerful the M24 is: a U.S. Army sniper named Staff Sergeant Jim Gilliland hit a bad guy with his M24 in 2005 at a range of 1,249 meters, or seven-tenths of a mile.
Image: Creative Commons.
Barrett Mk-22 Is the Most Versatile for Multi-Mission Success
Next up on the Army sniper hit list is the Barrett MRAD Mk-22. Well-liked Barrett won the Army $49.9 million five-year contract to build 2,800 rifles just a few years back.
MRAD stands for Multi-Role Adaptive Design which explains how it can be used for different missions. This is the latest Army sniper weapon.
The Mk-22 modular system has three calibers: 7.62 x 51mm NATO, .300 Norma Magnum, and .338 Norma Magnum. These are good for a range of over 1,000 meters. Users can swap out three different barrels and bolts and it has a large suppressor to better hide the sniper after he fires. There is also a full-length M1913 Picatinny top rail.
The Mk-22 has low-weight fluted barrels that make it slightly more manageable to carry compared to the M24. It features a folding stock for better portability. And it has different adjustable points such as the cheek-rest which fits different arm lengths. This adjustability and compact size are great for soldiers who jump out of airplanes for a living.
Image Credit: U.S. Army
M110 Has Semi-Automatic Speed
Coming up in third is the M110. This is based on the original AR-10 improved with aspects of the AR-15. It was designed with the urban sniper in mind. Used in Afghanistan and Iraq, The M110 fires the .308 (7.62 x 51 mm NATO) round. It can also fire the more powerful 6.5 mm Creedmoor. The muzzle velocity is 783 meters per second. It weighs 17.3 pounds with the suppressor and has a range of 800 meters.
The M110 is semi-automatic so snipers can send many rounds down-range with quicker follow-on shots. The maximum effective range can go up to 1,000 meters. The suppressor offers more concealment for shooters. The barrel is only 20-inches long – a little longer than the M24 – although both rifles are of similar weight.
It usually has the variable-power Leupold Mk4 3.5-10x40mm scope with easy-to-control knobs and illuminated reticle. There is an optional night-vision sight as well. The M110 has a full rail to enable sights to be switched out.
Since it is similar to the M16 and M4, regular infantry units can designate a marksman to be outfitted with the M110. This gives a unit better range than the carbine.
Image: U.S. Army Flickr.
Which Is The Best US Army Sniper Rifle?
While these rifles are ranked one to three in this article, it’s really difficult for me to choose which one is the Army sniper’s top choice.
The M24 is the most tried and true with the best overall reliability and record-setting shots.
The Mk-22 is made by Barrett, which is becoming a stronger sniper-rifle manufacturer each year it is in business.
The M110’s familiar design makes it easy to train new users. You really can’t go wrong when choosing among the three.
Dragunov sniper rifle. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Hawaii (July 6, 2022) U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Darrel Ebaugh, a scout sniper with Weapons Company, Battalion Land Team, 3d Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, Marine Air-Ground Task Force 7 (MAGFT-7), sights in on a target during a live-fire sniper range in support of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022, on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, July 6, 2022. Twenty-six nations, 38 ships, four submarines, more than 170 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 29 to Aug. 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationship among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2022 is the 28th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brayden Daniel)
M40 Sniper Rifle. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
U.S Army Sgt. Matthew Fiore, a UH-60 Black Hawk crew chief representing the Marietta-based 78th Aviation Troop Command, Georgia National Guard, engages targets with the M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle at the sniper event during the 2022 Georgia National Guard Best Warrior Competition at Fort Stewart, Ga., March 21, 2022. The Best Warrior Competition tests the readiness and adaptiveness of our forces, preparing our Georgia Guardsmen to meet today’s unpredictable challenges. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class R.J. Lannom Jr.)
VKS Sniper Rifle. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Now serving as 1945’s Defense and National Security Editor, Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood.
Sam
December 18, 2021 at 7:26 pm
It’s about army sniper rifles but the first picture is of a Marine.
W.W. Brock
December 19, 2021 at 8:29 am
6.5 Creedmore is more powerful than the 7.62×51 NATO? Has the author ever fired a rifle?
Mike11C
December 19, 2021 at 9:10 am
A former Infantry Officer thinks the 6.5 Creedmoor is more powerful than 7.62 NATO? The 6.5 may stay supersonic for a few more meters but, the 7.62 will hit the target harder. So, tell me again how the 6.5 is more powerful. I’m also curious how the M110’s 20″ barrel is “slightly longer” than the M24’s 24″ barrel. You must be counting the suppressor.
John Bigboutay
December 19, 2021 at 9:32 am
Can I get paid by 19forty-five to write a low-effort click bait listicle of obvious and unremarkable technical details on a subject I clearly know almost nothing about, and sourced off Wikipedia?
Kent Gardner
December 19, 2021 at 7:02 pm
Yeah. Who are the people writing these articles? It sounds like a 14 yr old book report on call of duty.