The Marine Corps has officially hit full operational capability on its new sniper rifle a year ahead of schedule.
The Corps chose the Mk22 Mod 0 Advanced Sniper Rifle, manufactured by Barrett Firearms, a company widely known for their groundbreaking work in developing the .50 caliber sniper rifle, as a changeable, multi-barrel rifle to replace two existing long rifles and give shooters three caliber options within their main shooting platform.
Those caliber options include the standard 7.62mm, the .300 Norma Magnum and .338 Norma Magnum. The caliber diversity allows shooters to select a munition for specific missions that might require more distance or more penetrating power. The rifle uses a 10-round magazine.
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Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Virginia, announced the milestone on Nov. 19, according to a release. The designation means that all Marine infantry and reconnaissance units, as well as associated schools, have been outfitted with the new rifle and received new equipment training on the system, officials said.
The bolt-action precision rifle, meanwhile, is one part of a system that includes a bipod, sound and muzzle flash suppressor, as well as a caliber agnostic 7×35 Precision Day Optic.
“Marines like the ability to conduct caliber conversions at their level, and the fact that they only have one rifle instead of the two it replaced,” said Kevin Marion, a logistics management specialist with Marine Corps Systems Command. “This shift improves operational efficiency, reduces the logistical burden on units and lightens the individual Marine’s load.”
The additional barrels and design of the rifle also allow for less maintenance time spent on weapons repairs, experts said in the release.
“[Replacing a barrel] was impossible with previous systems, where a condemned barrel would render the weapon unusable, directly affecting mission readiness,” said Brian Nelson, Mk22 project officer, Marine Corps Systems Command. “Now, the Mk22 ensures that even if a barrel fails, Marines are still mission ready.”
The rifle replaces both the Mk13 Mod 7 and the M40A6 sniper rifles currently in use. The Marine Corps noted in budget request documents at the inception of the program that they intended to purchase 250 Mk22 Mod 0 rifles.
The Army announced in 2021 that it would also replace its M107 sniper rifle and M2010 enhanced sniper rifle with the Mk22 Mod 0. At the time, the Army sought to purchase 2,800 Mk22 Mod 0 rifles by 2026.
The M40A6 is a heavily modified version of the original M40, which fires a 7.62mm round and was first fielded during the Vietnam War. The A6 model began fielding in 2016.
The Corps selected the legacy, Accuracy International/Remington Arms-manufactured Mk13 Mod 7 in 2018, chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum. U.S. Special Operations Command fielded an earlier variant.
The Mk22 traces its origins to a SOCOM program aimed at improving sniper rifle options for individual shooters. SOCOM officials first reported seeking a new precision sniper rifle in a late-2009 announcement. The command awarded the contract for the Mk22 Mod 0 in 2019.
The Mk22 weighs 15.2 pounds, according to the company website. The Mk13 Mod 7 and M40A6 weigh 11.4 pounds and 16.5 pounds, respectively. Both use a five-round magazine.
The Mk22′s effective firing range is 1,500 meters, while the effective firing ranges of the M40A6 and Mk13 Mod 7 are 800 meters and 1,300 meters, respectively.
All three legacy rifles are bolt-action.
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
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