Marine Corps Designated marksman Rifle

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Hard Ball

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Marine Corps PR release on their Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR) concept

Weight: (Unloaded) 10-11 lbs.
Bore diameter: 7.62mm (.308 caliber)
Maximum effective range: 600-800 meters
Unit Replacement Cost: Information not available.

Features: The DMR will be a precision grade, 7.62mm, semi-automatic rifle. It will be equipped with a simple mounting system which will accommodate a day optical sighting scope, the AN/PVS-4 Starlight Scope, and other night/low level obscurant target engagement equipment common to, or in development for, the infantry battalion. The DMR will also have an operator attachable flash suppressor and will use both ten and twenty round magazines. It is anticipated that the
 
the rifle in question

I thought that the U.S. military already had a rifle that would meet the requirements as described, assuming that the sighting devices mentioned could be made to mount on the existing rifle. The rifle I refer to is sometimes known as the Match Grade M-14.

The military, as do other entities dreamed up by mankind, seems to have the tendency to keep re-inventing the wheel, but is this really necessary?
 
The Chandlers already wrote a scathing article about this gun in Tactical Shooter Magazine earlier. It's an M-14 with a pistol-grip stock and scope mount. I'll see if I can dig up a picture of the gun.
 
The biggest issue the Chandlers had is the rifle itself. In order to accurize it, it must be well taken care of. Parts are now aftermarket, and just getting it to the standards asked by the military is pretty difficult. Plus you now have to train armorers on a new weapon, I doubt there are many armorers left who know how to tune an M14. The article can be found in the Feburary 2000 issue of Tactical Shooter.
 
And what the Chandlers conspicuously forgot to mention, was that they had somewhat of a vested interest in pushing forward that flat top M16A2 concept, heehee!

The DMR has no more problem with respect to visual and sound signature than either the crew-served weapons, the M-24 and M-40 bolt action sniper systems already in the field, and the new Arms Tech. .300 Win Mag Interdiction rifle. (There's a logistical ammo nightmare, too!)

The DMR is a rehashed M14, that much is true, but the idea holds promise, namely, giving the troops something more substantial ballistically than the 5.56. As wonderful as the M16 was/is, the battles aren't always gonna fall into the close-range Vietnam jungle category. The Navy is still using the M14, albeit on a small scale, so se know armorers exist, as well as GSA parts channels.

As for training and re-training, I'm only 14 years into my own career in the Air Force, and continual retraining is a way of life. From the M-15 revolver, to the 1911A1, and now the M-9 Beretta, retraining happens. I don't think any of us are real keen on the idea of working on the old Zenith 150 TEMPEST computers, either, just because we didn't want to move on.
 
I cant see the ammo logistics, if match grade 7/62 is not avaliable just de-link it from the M-60. That7.62 ball ain't no slouch when fired from a good accurate rifle.
 
To paraphrase Jeff Cooper, the DMR is a solution in search of a problem. There simply aren't that many situations where the DMR would be useful that can't be handled by squad level 203- or SAW-gunners. It would be one thing if there were some potential enemy we had to face that issued weapons with greater effective range than ours, but everyone out there either uses 223 or calibers with even LESS range.
 
The whole idea of a sniping rifle is to give the sniper a ballistic advantage. In other words, giving the sniper a weapon system where he has the enemy within his effective range while being beyond the effective ranges of the enemy's battle rifle. Hard to believe nothing has been found better than the M-14 action, but if this is actually the case, and this new whiz bang whopper will score more hits than our current crop of issue, then get it! My question is, what is the spotter issued? It would make sense to have both of them carrying the same ammunition and maybe the spotting rifle equipped with an M203 or similar for emergencies.
 
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