America's Special Forces Want a Better Sniper Rifle

USSOCOM Wants a Better Sniper Rifle - The United States military has set its sights on finding a better sniper rifle for its special operations forces. Last month, the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) (or more commonly known as special forces) issued a new "Sources Sought" notice for an ELR-SR (Extreme Long Range – Sniper Rifle) to replace its older anti-material and anti-personnel rifles, including the M107 and MK15.

The Department of Defense (DoD) has sought to ensure that the U.S. snipers are able to maintain superiority against their Russian and Chinese counterparts.

USSOCOM has called for a rifle that will have a precision fire capability of 2,500 meters. The USSOCOM notice was published on December 19, 2023, and required a response by this week – but it is unclear if any companies have stepped up.

According to the notice, USSOCOM called for the ELR-SR to be a modular, magazine-fed, multi-caliber capable system that will include barrel configurations with required bolts and barrels of each caliber, required magazines of each caliber, stock, receiver, sound suppressor, ballistic computer, operator manual, cleaning kit, tool kit, bipod, and Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) approved locking hard carrying case.

In addition, the primary caliber of the system needs to be sub-sonic and supersonic capable. It noted that if the primary system caliber is not a current Pentagon-approved munitions system it shall be capable of transitioning to a current .300 Norma Magnum DoD-approved munition with a quick-change kit (T). Such a quick-change kit shall be able to switch calibers within 5 minutes.

"The ELR-SR shall have an overall length of no more than 56 inches, no more than 50 inches, less suppressor, and the length of pull set to 14.5 inches," the notice added. "The ELR-SR shall weigh no more than 22 lbs. with barrel, empty magazine, no more than 18 lbs."

Out With the Old Sniper Rifles 

A modular, multi-caliber rifle would replace the current two primary "sniper" systems employed by the U.S. military. These include the M107 and MK15.

The M107 is the U.S. military's designation of the 12.7x99mm (.50 BMG) Barrett M82 semi-automatic rifle. Often referred to as the Barrett "Light Fifty," it has been in service for more than three decades.

The MK15 is the United States Navy SEALs designation of the McMillan TAC-50 long-range anti-materiel rifle, which from May 2017 to November 2023 held the record for the longest confirmed sniper kill. It is also chambered for .50 BMG.

The U.S. Army and United States Marine Corps had previously announced plans to field another Barrett rifle, the MK22 MRAD, in 2021 to replace the M107. MK22 was seen to offer greater versatility for the U.S. Army. It is also a modular system that could be fielded in three different calibers including .338 Norma Magnum, .300 Norma Magnum, and 7.62x51 NATO. Army snipers will have the ability to conduct a barrel change and select calibers based on their mission operating environment.

Going Long

As reported by Military.com, the DoD has been worried about a sniper gap with Russia, in particular, for the better part of a decade.

A 2016 Army report on the evolution of Russian tactics following the 2014 annexation of Crimea warned that Russian snipers have become "far more advanced than the precision shooters U.S. formations have encountered over the last 15 years" during the U.S. military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, primarily because Russian sniper teams have access to "sophisticated weapons comparable to rifles in the U.S. inventory."

The MK22 MRAD is accurate up to 1,500 meters, and the ELR-SR could offer an even greater range. While it may not set any distance records for sniper kills, it could allow U.S. snipers to reach the enemy more consistently at far greater distances than current sniper systems.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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