The U.S. Army Has a Deadly New Sniper Rifle Of course the writer did not provide a correct picture of the rifle. This is the rifle.
Whew! I bet very expensive. Strange that it's only a 16" barrel, thought it would be at least 18" but it did say "Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper System (CSASS)"
I like the 45 degree open sights. My 3-gun rifle has a red dot at 45 degrees and works well for changing from right to left
Cool! Cost is about right too. Remember, cost includes spares, hand fit and tuned mags, multiple optics and mounts, supressors, and armory support for the life of the platform. You would cringe at the actual cost of a serious rifle like the Accuracy International, or a Cobb bolt action with all the a pair parts and such! Back when we had the M21s the unit cost per copy was over 5k!!!
The H&K 417 has been issue here for a few years now, it replaced the Knights Armament SR25. The new US rifle has lots more bells and whistles. Heckler and Koch HK417 and suppressor | Australian Army
If that happened I would strongly object - to the fact that I probably wouldn't have the room or the money to procure more than just a few.
For us poor monkeys, we can have the cheaper 5.56. Heckler & Koch MR556A1 Competition, Semi-automatic, 5.56x45mm, Heckler & Koch MR556A1 Competition, Semi-automatic, 5.56x45mm, Centerfire, 30 Round Capacity, 30 Round Capacity - 644543, Semi-Automatic at Sportsman's Guide Details & Specs Model: CR556A1 UPC: 642230251892 Model: CR556A1 UPC: 642230251892 Heckler & Koch® MR556A1 Competition Semi-automatic 5.56 NATO AR Rifle. Created with input from special forces. Perfected for the 3-gun match shooter! From the innovative OSS flash hider to the Magpul® CTR collapsible stock, the MR556A1 Competition Rifle represents the finest quality and craftsmanship available to civilians today! Quality-built from premium U.S. and German components in HK's Newington, New Hampshire manufacturing facility, the MR556A1 represents the new benchmark for AR rifle design. And it all starts with the gas piston operating system, which utilizes a piston and a solid operating "pusher" rod in place of the gas tube normally found in AR15 / M16 / M4-style firearms. This method of operation virtually eliminates malfunctions that are common to direct impingement gas systems since hot carbon fouling and waste gases do not enter the receiver area. Add in a premium German-made, cold-hammer-forged barrel, a free-floating modular rail system, and exceptional two-stage trigger, and you're looking at a true match-grade performer. Why settle for less? H&K MR556A1 Competition Semi-automatic Rifle special features: MRS 14" Modular Rail System allows you to add accessory rails where you need them and provides a more comfortable handguard German-made 16.5" heavy-contour barrel is made with HK's famous cold hammer forging process with the highest-quality steel to produce a barrel that provides superior accuracy and long service life Unchromed barrel has an internal profile of 6 lands and grooves with a 1:7" twist; it is also moderately "swagged" with a slightly smaller internal diameter at the muzzle end than the chamber end, upping bullet accuracy and velocity A precise enhanced two-stage trigger significantly enhances accuracy Used with the HK Free Floating Rail System, the barrel does not touch the handguard, ensuring the barrel is truly free-floating for maximum accuracy HK Free Floating Rail System (FFRS) handguard has four MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rails and allows all current accessories, sights, lights, and aimers used on M4 / M16-type arms to be fitted to the MR Series Extended latch charging handle makes operating the rifle with a telescopic sight easier Retractable buttstock can be locked into a solid, non-moving position by tightening an Allen screw in the bottom of the stock Special target rifle takedown pins ensure the upper and lower receivers are firmly mated for accurate performance Operator Suppressor System (OSS) flash hider controls sound and flash better Includes one 30-rd. polymer magazine; will accept most standard AR / M4 / M16 mags. Specifications: Caliber: 5.56 x 45mm / .223 Remington® Action: Semi-automatic Capacity: 30 Barrel length: 16.5" Barrel material: High-grade cold hammer-forged steel Barrel twist: 1:7" Stock: Magpul CTR adjustable Sights (front / rear): Optics-ready (no sights) Handguard: MRS 14" Modular Rail System Flash hider: Operator Suppressor System flash hider Overall length: 33.75"-37" Overall weight: 8.81 lbs.
417 variants come with 12in 16in 20in 16.5in plus 13in barrels for .mil use the MR308 variant is available on the civilian market n the length is subject to BATFE regs
For those who really have to have one, but cannot see spending that much cash, you could build an AR with short stroke gas system, see 3M-T3As threads on the new ARe and take the best aspects of every thing now available for the AR AT and go for it! Just for chits and giggles, i priced out a pretty awesome build, and found it can be done for under 2k barely, but that gets you into the same playing field as this new HK
Nope, they will be scrapped here. They are (like the H&K replacing them) a supplemental DMR rifle as opposed to a true sniping rifle, for those purposes the ADF issue SR98s, AW50s (both of those Accuracy International rifles) and Blasers in .338LM. The Barrett M107 is also used (more so than the AW50 in fact). In all honesty the SR25s were always a bit of a POS, accurate enough but tough to keep working in the field from what I understand. They were part of the original 7.62 rifle trial in the 90s that a very close friend of mine was on (he was a sniper assigned to trial the rifles in the field) and bombed out early due to parts (mostly extractors) breakage. When the urgent push came (thanks to Iraq and Arsecrackestan) for a semi automatic 7.62 DMR the SR25 was about the only off the shelf option. With more time and consideration the move to the H&K came about.
I'm not sure my Adams AR308 is far off the mark with the exception of the supressor. The short stroke used by Adams is very similar to the HK, the difference is that the HK system vents the gasses forward and is somewhat self regulating, where the Adams vents to the rear and needs to be set to suppressed mode at the gas block. I prefer the HK system for it's self regulation, but it's not worth the extra cost. For the same price I'd buy the HK every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Other differences are pretty insignificant. I would expect the HK to outshoot the Adams out of the box, but for a reasonable investment the Adams could be brought up to par if needed. Mine ran ~ $10,700 less than the HK so there is a lot of room. I have not spent enough range time with the Adams to know if it's limitations exceed my own or vice versa. These are MAYBE 1,000 yard rifles and only if the improvements in match grade 7.62x51 result in a supersonic bullet to that range out of a 16" barrel as well as rifle specific load development. I'd bet that @BTPost 's AR10 will outshoot the HK, but it's a dedicated long range/sniper rifle with rifle specific loads and each rifle is a set of compromises.
Give me a samle Weapon, and I can charactorize the Barrel, and come up with the beginings of a Loadout, for specific Ranges, with specific Projectiles... All it takes is time, and patients... and a set of ReLoading Dies, and Powder... 16 Inch barrel is just a bit short for a Sniper Rifle, especial if it is one of those skinny ones, that keep the weight, down...