LaRue Tactical Optimized Battle Rifle (OBR)

 

The LaRue Tactical OBR features the same rugged construction we’ve grown to expect from the company, and the performance to match.

By Steve Adelmann              

Austin Precision Products is not exactly a household name in the shooting industry. However the company’s more-familiar brand—LaRue Tactical—is well known in military, law enforcement, competition and basement-commando circles. Wear a LaRue hat for a few days, and you’ll be surprised at the diverse group of folks familiar with the name. I’ve had store clerks, doctors, teachers and even a Baptist minister recognize the LaRue brand. Over the past few years, shooters have come to expect three things from the capable and patriotic folks headquartered near Austin, TX: ingenuity, quality and products that are backed to the ends of the Earth.
 Like many military snipers, I became familiar with Mark LaRue’s work in the mid 1990s through his company’s Upchuck self-resetting targets. They made the cumbersome task of setting up steel for unknown-distance field shooting worth the pain of the inevitably bruised shins and smashed fingers.  Few shooters will complain about watching a hunk of freshly shot steel drop like a rock, then slowly rise, ready for more copper-jacketed lead thrashings.

                          

Several years ago, the U.S. Department of Defense became aware of lightweight, durable, tactical riflescope rings made by LaRue. Previously, only steel rings had been made to stand up to the rigors of combat while remaining reasonably sized. Steel is heavy. Heavy sucks when you live on your feet and survive by remaining mobile. The lucky recipients of LaRue’s rings were impressed with their sleek profile, high strength and requisite light weight. Several years and untold combat operations later, LaRue Tactical is a permanent fixture on the armaments map, with products ranging from simple mounting bases to complete rifles.

Though it looks like a mildly tacticalized AR-10 on the outside, the OBR sports a host of upgrades designed for the most demanding shooters.

When I heard LaRue was gearing up to build a 7.62 NATO sniper-grade rifle based on its 5.56 NATO platform, I began laying the groundwork to test one. Many firearm manufacturers hold back sample rifles from first production runs to ensure writers get to evaluate them. True to the company’s very dedicated missions to get a product right before releasing for sale and to ensure military and LE needs are taken care of first, LaRue’s new Optimized Battle Rifle (OBR) didn’t exactly jump into writers’ hands overnight. That was OK with me—I’ll wait as long as need be to ensure the folks laying their lives on the line get what they need before I ever see a sample.

My test rifle finally arrived in June 2010 in a padded hard case, complete with two of LaRue’s excellent 20-round magazines. I’ve already written about the high quality and reliability of these mags, and they continue to have an excellent track record with all .308 Win. ARs into which I feed them. One unique OBR mag feature is a nifty (and patent-pending) modification that aids in feeding.

Anyone who has unloaded high-capacity rifle magazines by hand knows it’s a pain and the larger the cartridge, the bigger the pain. AR .308 Win. mags have a nasty habit of grabbing cartridge rims in several places along the way as rounds are pushed forward, such as when feeding or stripping by hand. As near as I can tell, this is caused by the vertical ribs stamped into the magazine body.

Where a numbskull like me considers this a nuisance, a smart guy like LaRue knew this also somewhat retards cartridge feeding. His solution is a horizontal bridge between the two rearmost ribs at the top of the magazine, and the result is a much smoother feed and strip.

Part of the rifle light weight is attributed to the SureFire FH762 flash hider/suppressor adapter.

My sample gun wore an 18-inch barrel, although 16.1- and 20-inch variants are available. LaRue offers many OBR furniture options, mostly from Magpul. Mine arrived with a standard A2 stock and grip. Shooters familiar with LaRue products know it doesn’t build anything with light duty in mind.

The OBR remains true to this mindset—robust, rugged and yet very comfortable in hand. The free-floated fore-end is bolted to the company’s proprietary upper receiver, creating an ultra-rigid mounting platform that includes a continuous top rail running the length of the handguard. The rail has 20 MOA of slope built in to preserve enough adjustment to allow dialing in long ranges when using optics with limited internal elevation movement. The tube’s gripping surfaces are sleek and smooth. So smooth, the non-railed area refused to accept an adhesive hook-and-loop fastener when I tried to mount an ATPIAL tape switch. It wasn’t my rifle, so the usual blob of contact cement wasn’t an option.

Unlike most free-floated barrels, side rails are limited to a 3-inch section, located toward the front at the 3- and 9-o’clock positions. This makes sense to me, as most lights and lasers tend to be mounted forward, but some shooters may find it limits their options. Threaded holes along the bottom allow add-on modular rails with a 3-inch rail coming standard at the 6-o’clock position. The upper receiver has an ejection-port cover and integral brass deflector, but does not have a forward-assist assembly.

The gas block incorporates LaRue’s Port Selector Technology; using an easily adjustable, two-position regulator that allows normal gas flow for unsuppressed firing and a restricted setting for suppressor use. I’m a big believer in adjustable gas regulators. LaRue’s rifle uses an ingenious system to adjust gas flow. Instead of the usual method of opening or closing the gas pathway by impeding it with a screw or plug, the OBR has two gas ports. Setting the regulator to the left position opens both ports for unsuppressed firing while the right position closes one of the ports.

A very stout PRI M84 Gas Buster charging handle ensured easy manipulation of the chrome-plated bolt-carrier group, while directing some of the receiver gasses away from my face. The OBR’s stainless steel firing pin incorporates a captive spring, preventing firing pin/primer contact when a round is chambered or in the event of a hard impact at the muzzle.

PRI’s M84 Gas Buster charging handle eases operation of the bolt and directs gasses away from the shooter’s face.

Both receivers are CNC machined from 7075-T6 billet; the latter incorporating an integral trigger guard large enough to permit the use of gloves. Both the bolt and magazine releases are semi-shrouded to prevent inadvertent activation. The magazine well accepts Knight’s Armament, DPMS, Remington, Magpul, C Products and Brownells standard .308 Win. AR magazines.

I have never fired, tested, built or come into contact with an AR that has the OBR’s tight tolerances. The upper receiver tang doesn’t just fit into the lower’s rear tang slot, it mates with it. The rifle’s halves were harder to get apart than a pair of barnyard goats. In the gun world, that sort of fit is a good thing, on the farm…not so much.

Range Work

My initial firing impression of the OBR was it was a bit jumpy on the front end when fired prone. I attribute this partially to its light-for-caliber overall weight, as well as the SureFire FH762 flash hider/suppressor adapter. SureFire’s muzzle device tames flash effectively and helps manage recoil to a small degree. But it really shines in terms of both flash and recoil control when mated to a suppressor. For non-tactical shooters who prefer better
braking, but do not want the hassle of more ATF paperwork, the 5⁄8-24 threads of the OBR’s muzzle permit mounting a dedicated muzzle brake. I mounted a SureFire Scout light with a KM2 IR lens and an M93 throw-lever mount with an Insight Technology ATPIAL IR aiming laser on the front rails before assuming a good bipod-supported prone position. The Geissele Automatics Super Semi-Automatic, two-stage match trigger measured in at 2.5 pounds for the first stage and 2 pounds for the second stage, allowing a smooth pull and clean break for each shot.

Once I settled into the gun, the shooting session went very smoothly. The rifling’s slower rate of twist preferred lighter projectiles in the 150- to 168-grain range. The test target that accompanied my rifle showed a .735-inch five-shot group using Federal 168-grain ammo. My results largely mirrored this target, with averages slightly higher, but tighter groups with three out of the four loads tested. LaRue guarantees the OBR will shoot less than 1 MOA, and my test sample certainly exceeded that goal.

Overall, I put 205 rounds through the rifle with no hiccups. The machined, free-float tube remained cool throughout the test, in spite of the Carolina heat.

A chrome-plated bolt-carrier group enhances reliability by minimizing the effects of fouling.

LaRue Tactical has turned out a well-engineered, finely crafted implement. The OBR will fit into several categories, depending on barrel and stock configuration. Whether intended as a carbine-length battle rifle, a designated marksman platform, a hunting partner or a long-range tool, LaRue’s .308 ought to hold up its end of the bargain in terms of accuracy and reliability. Knowing the quality of this company’s work, I feel safe in predicting anyone in possession of an OBR can count on handing it down for generations.

For a look at the OBR in action, click here.

Manufacturer: LaRue Tactical; (512) 259-1585
Caliber: 7.62 NATO
Action Type: Semi-automatic, direct-gas-impingement system
Capacity: 10 or 20 rounds
Barrel: 16.1 inches, 18 inches (tested) and 20 inches; LW50 blackened steel
Sights: None; continuous Picatinny rail for mounting optics
Rifling: 4 grooves; 1:11.25-inch RH twist
Stock: A2-style buttstock and pistol grip (tested), numerous other options
Trigger Pull: Two-stage; 2.5 pounds first stage; 2 pounds second stage
Overall Length: 37.5 inches
Weight: 9 pounds, 11 ounces
Accessories: Two, 20-round magazines, hard case
MSRP: $2,995 (with A2 flash hider)

Remington Debuts 2020 Digital Scope

 

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by CTD Woody
    

Looking for a new rifle optic that immediately improves your accuracy? The Remington 2020 Digital Optic System may be your answer. This system bundles numerous devices and technologies together in a single device allowing you to accurately fire in any conditions at distances of up to 500 yards.

Looking through the Remington 2020 Digital Optic System, you see a Heads-Up Display (HUD) over your field of view. The HUD visualizes system information as well as variables effecting accuracy.

 

Created in collaboration between Remington Arms and TrackingPoint, an applied technology company in Austin, Texas, the Remington 2020 Digital Optic System revolutionizes long-range accuracy by combining digital optics and target tracking technology into a seamlessly integrated shooting system.

The Remington 2020 Digital Optic System allows you to designate the location of a shot and have an internal ballistic calculator generate a firing solution that accounts for range, ammunition, and all environmental and system factors. You can then adjusts your point of aim to bring the reticle on target. This is accomplished through a shooting sequence referred to as Tag, Track and React (TTR).

 

The sequence begins by aligning the dot in the HUD with the target and pressing the “Tag” button located atop the scope, which locks a digital tag on the target up to 500 yards away.

 

The ballistic computer calculates a firing solution—Tracks—for all the factors effecting that shot and the blue reticle instantaneously offsets to indicate actual point-of-impact for that shot. This firing solution is updated 54 times per second, which allows accuracy even on moving targets.

 

When the blue reticle is aligned with the tag, it will turn red, indicating the point of aim is on-target. The shooter can now make the shot, or React.

 

 

 

From the moment the “Tag” is placed until a preset time after the shot is taken, the 2020 records both audio and video, through a built-in microphone, to internal memory. This generates an mp4 file, which can be downloaded via Wi-Fi to any Apple iOS and Android tablet and smartphone.

 

The system’s integrated Wi-Fi server that allows for streaming of the HUD to any Apple iOS and Android tablet and smartphone. This provides opportunities for spotters to guide, teach, coach or simply see what the shooter is seeing and doing.

The firing solution accounts for a number of inputs and an unprecedented number of factors affecting the bullet’s flight and eliminates the need to adjust turrets, estimate holdover for range, wind, or lead on moving targets.

 

The 2020’s hardware houses a number of elements that automate the process. The only information that is manually input by the shooter is wind.

 

Toggle controls allow adjustments to zoom, focus and move from advanced mode to traditional mode if that is preferred. There are two batteries providing up to three hours of continuous use that can be changed without powering down the unit.

 

The Remington 2020 Digital Optic System is currently available in 30-06 SPRG, 308 WIN, 223 Remington.

Camo Basics

A Former SOF Sniper teaches how to conceal yourself

                               

By Steve Adelmann          
                                           

Military snipers are taught the main “target indicators” that will get them noticed in any environment are unnatural movements, sounds, smells and poor camouflage. These same indicators cause the many “Busted!” moments that seem to frequent our hunting excursions each season. While good shooting skills and equipment are vital to hitting your intended point(s) of aim, avoiding these target indicators will get you into position to take those shots in the first place. Proper camo is probably the least understood skillset when it comes to remaining hidden in the field. It also happens to be an area that evolves rapidly with technology and lessons-learned. I routinely apply the lessons of proper camouflage from my own sniper/reconnaissance-heavy Army career to my hunting today.

                                                      

Whether you are on the hoof or in a static position, the key to visually blending in with your surroundings is to break up your outline with colors, shading and shapes that appear natural. Use a backdrop such as a large tree trunk, rock or dense thicket whenever sitting in one position. Snipers sometimes use Ghillie suits to blend in, but these are not the ridiculously shaggy outfits commonly seen in movies and hunting catalogues. An effective Ghillie relies heavily on natural vegetation from the area being hunted, along with a few shredded burlap strips (jute) and a camouflage base material, such as an old set of camo coveralls or fatigues. Unfortunately, even simple Ghillies are bulky and tend to get tangled up in heavy vegetation. Walking to a treestand in one may prove more troublesome than it is worth. Commercial leafy wear-type products effectively bridge the gap between regular clothing and Ghillies. Being conservative with the amount of things hanging off of your clothing and gear is usually a safe bet.

An effective paint job blends color, adds shadow and diminishes a gun’s high points.

Fortunately, camouflage clothing has come a long way since the days when Maj. Robert Rogers and his Rangers dyed their buckskins green during the French and Indian War. The best patterns use subtle, shadow-like effects and multiple natural color combinations. No one pattern works in all environments, so having different blends from which to choose helps. Striped patterns tend to work better in reeds and areas with dense, vertical undergrowth, while blotched and speckled patterns are more suitable for leafy or sparse areas that get sunlight.

Don’t forget about your other equipment: every year I see hunters decked out from head to toe in good camo patterns while carrying semi-gloss stocked rifles and shotguns with lustrous blued barrels.

Gun camo isn’t new, but since many companies use a “one color fits all” approach, be prepared to break up the color scheme when you suddenly realize your flat dark earth rifle doesn’t blend into an autumnal landscape. Here are a few tips for camouflaging yourself as well as guns and equipment:

• 

  Camo colors and shades should match the environment as much as possible. Large, natural objects make excellent backdrops for static positions, eliminating the skyline effect.
  Eliminate shiny surfaces and unnatural colors wherever possible.
• Break up a gun’s long axis by painting or taping lines perpendicular to the barrel and stocks.
• Airbrush starter kits are cheap, but a few cans of earth-tone spray-paint will do the trick, too. Remove oils and grease from all surfaces you intend to paint. Plug your muzzle and close the action before applying the paint.
• When painting optics, tape around all joints and cover all lenses. Check to ensure you aren’t voiding your scope’s warranty by painting it.
• Camouflage tape is a temporary and changeable way to break up a gun’s color and shape effectively.
• Use dark colors to dampen the high points (brass deflector, bolt handle, etc.) and light colors to brighten shadowed spots.
• Remember, unconcealed faces and hands stand out in the woods (ask a turkey hunter).
• Wear white on the lower body and vegetation colors on top when in the woods when there’s snow on the ground.
• Don’t confuse concealment with cover. The former hides you, while the latter protects you from incoming fire. Unless you hunt jihadist whitetail, concealment ought to be the main focus of your efforts to hide in plain sight.

We strive to ensure our shooting skills and tools are up to the task of making clean kills, but effective hunting involves more than just pulling the trigger. Hunting any quarry successfully depends on your ability to move stealthily into an area, observe and identify targets without being detected and then shoot well. Employ camouflage that is as close to your natural environment as possible while avoiding the other target indicators, and you will stand a much better chance of success.

Advances in U.S. Sniping Ammunition: From Vietnam to Afghanistan

	The long-range capability of American military snipers has saved the lives of many service personnel on the battlefield. Developments in rifles and optics are only part of the story. There has also been a revolution in the accuracy and performance of the ammunition they use. By John L. Plaster (RSS) September 12, 2013

If you served as a U.S. sniper in the Vietnam War, no doubt you had high regard for that era’s sniping load: 7.62x51 mm, M118 Special Ball. Incorporating a purpose-designed, 173-gr. bullet, it offered snipers superior accuracy and lethality compared to the standard 7.62x51 mm NATO ball, which had a 147-gr. projectile.

The M118 round, however, was not the most accurate 7.62 mm load then available. That distinction went to civilian ammunition with match-grade bullets, especially the .30-cal., 168-gr. Sierra MatchKing. That open-tip bullet—labeled a “hollow point”—was thought to violate the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 because such projectiles “expand and flatten easily,” causing “unnecessary suffering.” Despite superior accuracy, the open-tip match bullet could not be employed by military snipers.

The M118 cartridge remained the standard U.S. military sniping load long after Vietnam until, in 1985, the Defense Department’s Chief Judge Advocate General for International Law, U.S. Marine Col. W. Hays Parks, took a closer look at match-grade projectiles. An accomplished shooter and handloader, Col. Parks understood that despite its open tip, a match bullet is not a true “hollow point,” which mushrooms upon impact. Actually, as his studies demonstrated, the bullet’s “hollow point” results from the manufacturing process and it impacts much like ordinary ball bullets. Further, he found, the match bullet’s superior precision significantly reduces collateral danger to non-combatants, a fundamental goal of the Hague Conventions. Col. Parks’ findings became U.S. Navy policy, authorizing the combat employment of Federal’s 168-gr. Gold Medal Match round, officially designated the M852 Open Tip Match (OTM) cartridge. Hardly noticed at the time, this was the first step in the remarkable evolution of U.S. sniping ammunition.

Five years later, during Operation Desert Storm, despite the U.S. Army having also authorized the open-tipped M852, few JAG officers knew of Col. Park’s findings. Erring on the side of caution, they forbade its use in combat, citing International Law.

Within a few years, the M852’s legality finally was recognized across the Armed Forces. The more this bullet was fired, however, the more its shortcomings became apparent. Originally designed for 300-meter Olympic competition, the 168-gr. Sierra MatchKing projectile goes subsonic at around 800 meters, degrading its accuracy—a major issue, given the likelihood of future long-range sniping in the Middle East’s deserts. Working together, the Marine Corps, the Army’s Picatinny Arsenal, Lake City Army Ammunition Plant and Sierra Bullets developed a new 7.62 mm load. Designated the M118 Long Range (M118LR) to distinguish it from the earlier sniper load, its 175-gr. streamlined MatchKing bullet—7 grs. heavier than the M852—boosted the ballistic coefficient to .500, which means the round was better able to overcome air resistance, thus retaining velocity and energy at longer ranges.

Other refinements included a match-grade primer, modified case taper and more precise forming and loading procedures. The new M118LR cartridge proved especially accurate, and when fired from the Marine Corps’ M40A3 rifle and the Army’s M24 Sniper Weapon System, grouped one minute-of-angle (m.o.a.) or less—or no more than 10 inches at 1,000 meters. In 1997, Col. Parks’ JAG office reviewed the new cartridge and soon afterward it was approved for combat throughout the U.S. military.

Match Loads Go To War

By the time U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, the M118LR cartridge and its 175-gr. bullet had become the standard sniper round. Praised for its accuracy, the M118LR set new records for 7.62 mm long-range kills in Iraq, with U.S. Army sniper Jim Gilliland taking out a terrorist sniper at a documented 1,375 yds. and close behind, U.S. Marine Corps sniper Matt Orth killing an insurgent at 1,256 yds.

Their shots proved quite exceptional, however, and reports soon emerged of the M118LR suffering from decreased accuracy. Extensively testing the 175-gr. load, the U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Ind.,found “inconsistencies” between lots. One industry authority attributed it to accelerated wartime production and hurried quality inspections—a claim I could not confirm.

Part of the fix was tightening inspection standards, but that also proved an opportunity to re-examine the entire load. Enter Jeff Hoffman, president of Black Hills Ammunition who’s also a seasoned SWAT sniper. Having previously worked alongside the Navy Surface Warfare Center and aware of the need to improve the M118LR round, Hoffman initiated his own research at no cost to the government. One area for improvement, he believed, was the propellant’s temperature sensitivity.

The searing heat of Middle Eastern deserts and bitter cold of Afghanistan’s mountains had to affect burn rates, causing wide variances in muzzle velocity, which would skew ballistic tables and trajectory-synchronized bullet drop compensators.

Firing cartridges heated to 165 degrees, and others cooled to 25 below zero, his ballistics lab found a muzzle velocity variance of 227 f.p.s.; each degree of temperature change caused a 11/2-f.p.s. change of muzzle velocity. At 800 meters that meant a trajectory variance of 58 inches. Hoffman and the Navy evaluated more than 20 propellants and blends to find a temperature-stabilized propellant that varied only 21 f.p.s. between those temperature extremes. In addition, calcium carbonate was added to reduce muzzle flash. When Federal Cartridge began producing the updated 175-gr. load—now called the Mk 316 Mod 0 due to being a Navy development—the Crane Center test-fired five lots at 300 yds.; they grouped an impressive 1.75 inches, or 0.58 m.o.a.

Enter The Magnums

American 7.62 mm sniping ammunition reached a new zenith with the Mk 316 Mod 0 cartridge—but it still wasn’t enough. In mountainous Afghanistan, the Taliban rarely engaged at conventional small arms range, safely firing from more than 1,000 meters and withdrawing before air support could arrive. As expressed by G.I.’s in Afghanistan, U.S. snipers needed “ridge-to-ridge” capability—which meant a longer-range round than the Mk 316 Mod 0.

Both U.S. Army Special Forces and Navy Special Warfare units already had a decade’s experience with a 190-gr., .300 Win. Mag. round, developed by the Navy Surface Warfare Center. Designated the Mk 248 Mod 0, the load increased useful range to 1,200 yds.; however, the U.S. Army’s new requirement called for a round effective to 1,500 yds. to replace the M118LR. The Army planned to mate the cartridge with a new sniper rifle, then in development.

Initial focus was on the .338 Lapua Mag., a robust cartridge widely respected for its long-range performance. In Rapid City, S.D., however, Hoffman was taking another look at the .300 Win. Mag. cartridge. In November 2006, he sent a letter to the Navy’s Crane Center, offering at his own expense to examine how it might be improved. “If we were to load a Sierra 220-gr. projectile at 2800 feet-per-second,” Hoffman theorized, “the supersonic range would be increased to about 1,500 yards.”

Further, he suggested, a different propellant could offer temperature stability as demonstrated on the updated M118LR. As well, an additive could reduce muzzle flash.

He acquired a variety of propellants for testing. His Head Ballistician, Glen Hoffman, tested them at temperature extremes of minus 40 to 160° F. Eventually, Hoffman and his Black Hills staff found the right combination of propellant and additives to push a 220-gr. Sierra MatchKing bullet to a muzzle velocity of 2850 f.p.s. with impressive accuracy.

After government testing, that load—the Mk 248 Mod 1—became the new Army sniping round. And true to Hoffman’s estimate, the new round is supersonic to 1,500 yds., where it impacts with 712 ft.-lbs. of energy, just 25 ft.-lbs. less than the .338 Lapua Mag. 250-gr. bullet. The bottom line: the new 220-gr., .300 Win. Mag. load delivers more than double the energy of the M118LR and boosts a sniper’s maximum effective range by 50 percent.

Of significance to the Army, the .300 Win. Mag. load offers “significant cost savings” over the .338 Lapua Mag., while the cartridge is compatible with existing long-action, bolt guns. Thus, the Army’s XM2010 sniper rifle could incorporate the Remington Model 700 action, as it had for the M24 Sniper Weapon System.

Obtaining a batch of Black Hills prototype 220-gr. cartridges, I was able to test this load extensively.

Using a Savage 110BA rifle—which offers the same 1:10-inch rate-of-twist and barrel length as the Army’s XM2010—I fired five-round groups at distances of 700, 800 and 900 yds. It performed consistently and impressively. All groups were sub-minute-of-angle, with a 900-yd., five-round vertical spread of just 5.2 inches.

Federal Cartridge won the competitive bid to produce the Mk 248 Mod 1 round and, despite some requests, Black Hills is not planning to offer this load commercially because it exceeds SAAMI standards for overall length and maximum chamber pressure. The first Remington XM2010 sniper rifles and Mk 248 Mod 1 cartridges were delivered to U.S. forces in Afghanistan in January 2011. Thus far, feedback has been excellent.

.338 Lapua Mag. Sniping Ammunition

The .338 Lapua Mag. has seen limited service with U.S. Special Operations snipers since 1993, and was adopted by the British Army in 2007 for its new L115A1 sniper rifle. British sniper Craig Harrison used this combination of rifle and cartridge for his world record sniper kill in 2009, taking out several Taliban at 2,707 yds. in Afghanistan. Typically weighing about 20 lbs., .338 Lapua Mag.-chambered rifles offer less weight and bulk than those in .50 BMG, but still pack considerable terminal energy, especially against materiel targets and barriers. The U.S. Army’s new 220-gr., .300 Win. Mag. load performs nearly as effectively as the .338 Lapua Mag.’s 250-gr. round.

Because there is no “standard” U.S. or NATO .338 Lapua Mag. load, I test-fired a variety of American and European ammunition for accuracy and terminal effect, which included: Finnish Lapua 250-gr. and 300-gr. Match; Swiss RUAG 250-gr. ball, and 250- and 300-gr. Match loads, along with a glass-penetrating cartridge and 260-gr. armor-piercing round; U.S.-made Black Hills 250-gr. and 300-gr. Match loads; and Hornady 250-gr. and 278-gr. ammunition.

All of the 250-gr. loads consistently printed five-shot groups of less than one m.o.a. when fired in my Savage 110BA rifle, with its 1:9-inch rate-of-twist; the 300-gr. groups opened noticeably, suggesting they prefer a different twist-rate. Of particular note, I fired all five RUAG loads at one target as individual shots; except for the ball round, they grouped less than one m.o.a., meaning a single zero could serve these four different loads.

Testing for barrier penetration, all 11 loads breached a sandbag wall at 400 yds. Reflecting their tremendous kinetic energy, when fired at 90 degrees all of the 250-gr. match bullets—which are open-tipped lead-alloy-core projectiles—punctured 0.4 inches of soft steel at 300 yds. And the RUAG AP round’s tungsten-carbide core readily punched through a 1.4-inch steel plate at 100 yds.
Whether fired for accuracy or for terminal effect, the .338 Lapua Mag. rounds performed impressively; although not destined to be the U.S. Army’s new sniper cartridge, it was this 250-gr. load that set the standard for the .300 Win. Mag, Mk 248 Mod 1 load. With the U.S. Marine Corps looking for a new sniper rifle of its own, the .300 Win. Mag. quite likely is in their snipers’ future, too.

FNH USA A5 M Special Police Rifle

 

When I first picked up FNH USA’s FN A5 M Special Police Rifle (SPR), my mind flashed back to the last time I went to the gym, which was a long time ago.

By Ed Friedman                    

Weighing in at close to 12 pounds without a scope, this is not a rifle I’d want to hump up a mountain. But, as its name implies, this rifle was designed for law enforcement use, which means elevators or short trips up a few flights of stairs rather than extended hikes through rough terrain. And for that—or any use where the rifle won’t be carried for long periods—it excels in both form and function. (For more detailed photos of the FNH USA A5 M Special Police Rifle, go here.)
 Part of FNH USA’s SPR family, which includes four platforms in a variety of finishes, barrel lengths and chamberings, the A5 M SPR is the most tricked out of the bunch. It has a McMillan matte-black fiberglass stock with an adjustable cheekpiece, an almost vertical grip profile, extreme texturing on the gripping surfaces and a wide, tapered fore-end with a flat underside for easy shooting off a rest. If range bags or benchrests aren’t in your plans, there is a steel bipod-mounting stud that looks like a traditional sling swivel stud—it isn’t. Well, it is, but the stock has four flush-mounted sling attachment points (two on each side of the buttstock and fore-end). This is quite simply the finest precision-style stock I have come across, which is hardly surprising given the source.

 

The A5 M’s action is based on the pre-1964 Winchester Model 70. If you’re not into hunting rifles, that is the equivalent of a song based on pre-Sammy Hagar Van Halen. In other words, it’s based on what many consider the finest bolt-action ever designed prior to the company’s fateful decision to alter it for the worse by bringing in a guy known primarily for his solo work and singing about speed limits. Perhaps I’m mixing metaphors, but the pre-’64 Model 70 is a fine thing upon which to base a bolt gun. Among the kept pre-’64 features are a claw extractor and controlled-round feeding. Blade ejection allows the shooter to control where his spent brass lands, which is great for reloaders.

Made from forged steel, the receiver has a flat surface on the bottom, which provides added surface area for bedding and increased rigidity. A mil-std 1913 rail with a built-in 20-MOA cant is mounted on top for mounting optics. Since the A5 M is available in .308 Win. and .300 WSM, the receiver and action are short-magnum-length models. A very Model 70-esque three-position safety is located where it would be on…a Model 70. The trigger is a two-stage, adjustable variant—my .308 Win. test rifle had a pull-weight of just more than 5 pounds, so I didn’t see any reason for adjustment.

The rifle’s fire controls are very easy to operate.

The rifle feeds via a detachable, four-, five- or 10-round box magazine in .308 Win. and a hinged-floorplate magazine holding three rounds in .300 WSM. The five- and 10-round variants are known as the Tactical Box Magazine (TBM) and will not fit in the four-round (DBM) model’s bottom metal assembly owing to a different latching mechanism. I found the TBM magazine difficult to load at first, but it got easier after a few tries.

Running the bolt is effortless, thanks to fine craftsmanship and a knurled bolt knob which was easy to grab, even with sweaty hands induced by high temperatures when I tested the SPR. FNH USA is offering the A5 M with either a 20- or 24-inch hammer-forged, fluted, free-floated barrel with a recessed muzzle crown and hard-chromed bore.

You may be noticing a pattern in the features described above. Everything on this rifle was included and designed with one thing in mind: accuracy. The law enforcement sniper may not need to take out an RPG-wielding jihadist from several kilometers, but failing to precisely place a shot could very easily cost innocent lives—perhaps more so than for a military marksman. Therefore, FNH USA’s attention to detail on the SPR is vital for the rifle’s ability to fulfill its mission.

The author found loading the TBM magazine a bit difficult at first, but it became easier with practice.

And the A5 M SPR did not disappoint. I took the rifle to the range with loads from DoubleTap, Hornady and Nosler Custom. The 24-inch barrel seemed to prefer heavier weight bullets, turning in its best averages with 168-grain offerings. Lightweight Hornady TAP bullets shot—for the most part—sub-MOA groups and achieved extremely fast velocities.

No matter the tested load, the rifle performed better than the shooter on a blistering, humid day.

For a role where accuracy is everything, the SPR is supremely able. Matched with a quality scope and a well-trained marksman, it will easily deliver groups beyond what most shooters—myself included—are capable of replicating. Such precision comes at a price, however, with the A5 M running from $2,895 in the DBM configuration, to $3,049 for a 20-inch-barreled TBM model to $3,149 for a TMB with a 24-inch barrel. While that is certainly a chunk of change for a bolt gun, it is actually on the low end for high-quality sniper-style rifles. My one complaint is the $154 price difference between the DBM and TBM models and the $100 difference between the two TBM offerings. That seems like a lot of money for one to six rounds and four inches of barrel, respectively.

My advice would be to splurge on the DBM model and recognize that you won’t need a 10-round mag because your target will fall on the first shot from this hyper-accurate rifle.



Manufacturer: FNH USA; (703) 288-1292
Action Type: Bolt-action
Caliber: .308 Win. (tested), .300 WSM
Capacity: Four, five (tested) or 10 rounds
Barrel: 20 or 24 inches (tested); fluted, free-floating; hard-chromed bore
Rifling: 4 grooves; 1:12-inch RH twist
Finish: Matte black
Stock: McMillan A5 with adjustable cheekpiece, and vertical pistol grip
Trigger Pull Weight: 5 pounds, 3 ounces
Length: 40 inches (20-inch barrel); 43.5 to 45 inches (24-inch barrel)
Weight: 11 pounds, 5 ounces (20-inch barrel); 11 pounds, 13 ounces (24-inch barrel)
Accessories: One magazine, manual, safety lock, record book
MSRP: $2,895 (DBM), $3,049 (TBM and 20-inch barrel), $3,149 (TBM and 24-inch barrel; tested)

Sniper Motivational Poster

It has been a while since I posted something just for fun, so here you go!

Why Such an Emphasis on Accuracy?

   

Sniper prepares to fire on a hostage taker. Steyr SSG08 shown.

According to the surveys I’ve read, the average distance for police sniper shots in the US is just under 60 yards, and median is closer to 35 yards. At 60 yards, even a ratty AK47 with surplus ball will produce a group not much greater than two inches. A two inch group means dispersion of only one inch from the point of aim at fifty yards. So why is everyone obsessing about sub-MOA accuracy in sniper rifles?

Cranio-ocular cavity outlined: this is the instant turn-off zone from the front.

The reasons are several. First, average and median numbers are no comfort for those snipers who get the less common but not altogether rare longer-range cases. Second, police snipers are working to much tighter standards than so military snipers. It’s not enough to score a hit, it’s usually necessary to hit the brainstem and completely shut down any voluntary or spasmatic movement, such as pulling the trigger on a hostage. The instant turn-off zones on a human are tiny, about five inches wide by two high from the front and roughly a two inch square from the side. Third, all deviations from the desired point of impact may add up — the errors in range estimation, the movement of the target, the imprecision of the sniper’s aim and the dispersion inherent in the firearm can all contribute to the point of impact being off by far more than the inch or so induced by the 4MOA limitation alone. This is also why higher-velocity rounds are preferred for most police sniping, to reduce the impact of any errors in range estimation as well as to limit over-penetration. A one-MOA rifle adds at most a quarter inch of error to the shot at fifty yards. Since the desired result is not an abstract group but a very precise match to the moving, bobbing target, that quarter inch minimizes the chance of the cumulative error growing beyond acceptable value. Other ways to reduce that error include getting closer, using a steady support, waiting for the perpetrator to become stationary and having multiple snipers fire on cue.

RR-900: Rapid Engagement of Multiple Targets at Variable Distances

by David Reeder on April 5, 2012 ·

Speed in a fight isn’t just about ‘going faster.’ That’s what I was taught anyway. It’s the reduction of unnecessary movement. Or, as Bruce Lee put it “It’s not daily increase but decrease – hack away the unessential!”
Pride Fowler Industries (PFI) has incorporated this idea into their Rapid Reticle systems, to speed up target acquisition and engagement with long range optics. They hack away the unnecessary by eliminating the need to dial in adjustments from target to target. The most recent example of this is the RR-900.
Note to trolls: I’m not saying Bruce Lee was a sniper. I’m just making a point.

Kit Up! LRS Range Day with PFI Optics: Action-4, RR-CQLR-1, RR-900-4, SOPS-Compact

The primary feature of this optic is the reticle. It was developed with the idea in mind that the average skull we might want to shoot at is approximately a 9” target (not counting turban, qaraqul or pakol). Likewise the shoulder width is going to be approximately 18”. They used this as a foundation to develop the “integrated head and shoulders ranging system”(Rapid Reticle).

PFI was contracted by the Army’s REF (Rapid Equipping Force) to build an optic for the M14 that would allow rapid engagement of multiple targets at various distance. The RR-900 is the result. It is not a traditional sniper scope though it can be used as one.
“This isn’t built for ‘precision sniping’, so to speak,” Richard Nguyen of PFI told me. He made a few minutes to talk to me while waiting for a flight home to CA from Atlanta after spending some time at Ft. Benning. “This wasn’t built to punch the center out of a dime at a thousand yards, though it could do so in the right hands. This was made specifically for the kind of fight Squad Designated Marksmen are in right now in Afghanistan.”
The optic is also built to be very intuitive so there’s a very short learning curve. A Sergeant Major at Ft. Benning two desk clerks just in from BMT, shooters who had never shot past the 300, and in approximately 15 minutes had them engaging targets out to 800m. Admittedly, that’s not on a two-way range in bad conditions, but think about what they could have done if they’d been given two or three days to learn how to exploit the optic to its fullest advantage, to compensate for wind and environmental conditions.
Not to be ghoulish, but the RR-900 is also designed with simplicity so it’s less personalized and can be more easily moved from one shooter to another. If an SDM is unable to continue a mission, another shooter can get behind the glass and quickly go to work.




The RR-900 has been in the field in Afghanistan, has been tested and evaluated at Ft. Irwin, Ft. Benning, JRTC and other places, including Camp Phoenix. The reticle compensates for up to 10mph wind, and provides half MOA on elevation and windage.
Though it is designed to shoot from 100 to 1,000m, they have confirmed target hits at 1,200m.
“I’m sure it will shoot farther than that, properly dialed in,” Richard told me, “but it’s made for one hundred to a thousand, and we only have confirmation right now of hits at twelve hundred.”
The tube is black anodized 6061 T6 aluminum tubing, it uses Japanese glass and it retains the adjustment turrets of its predecessors.

To give you an example of the difference in speed between a Rapid Reticle 900 and a traditional sniper scope, an evaluating agency took ten proficient shooters out to the range with two identical long guns. On with a standard issued sniper scope (I do not know which one, though I’ll try to find out) and one RR-900. The shooters took turns engaging 10 targets from 250m to 650m, using first one then the other. The fastest time with the traditional sniper scope to hit all 10 targets: 37 seconds. The fastest time with the RR-900 was 17 seconds. (You can contact PFI for test data and AARs if your agency or unit require it.)
There is no NSN for the RR-900 yet, though they’re working on it. They’re hoping to have GSA approval within the next couple of weeks. There are limited numbers of demo models available for T&E.
Though the RR-900 will function on any 7.62 rifle, one thing to be aware of is the ammo requirement. The optic was designed to work with 175 grain 118LR. You could also get away with 168 grain, but if you’re using 147 grain or something similar the reticle will not be accurate as intended.
For more information contact Pride Fowler Industries and ask for Richard Nguyen.

Ghost Snipers

Attitude!

Awesome Shot!

Sniper War in Afghanistan

Today’s generation of snipers is the finest and most capable we’ve ever fielded.

By Maj. John Plaster

Nearly the size of Texas, Afghanistan’s expansive deserts, wide valleys and towering mountains offer seemingly unlimited visibility—visibility well beyond the effective range of America’s 5.56x45 mm NATO service rifles. Thus, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda usually avoid close-range engagements, preferring to fire at long range with mortars, heavy machine guns and RPGs, and then withdraw before U.S. artillery or close air support can respond. “Ninety-five percent of our firefights average 500 to 600 meters,” a veteran of Afghanistan recently told me, a figure supported by a U.S. Army study that found more than half of the war’s small arms engagements have been beyond 500 meters.
Understandably, then, thousands of M14s have come out of storage to be rebuilt and accurized by the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps as Designated Marksman rifles. Topped with riflescopes, these updated 7.62x51 mm NATO rifles can be found in the hands of squad- and platoon-designated marksmen who support the soldiers and Marines around them. Fully qualified, school-trained snipers are found at battalion and higher levels, armed with purpose-built sniper rifles, mostly bolt-actions, but also some semi-automatics, all of them firing the 7.62x51 mm NATO cartridge. These snipers are tasked to support subordinate units, meaning that for the first time in U.S. military history, precision riflemen are assigned or attached at all levels of combat maneuver units.

The primary cartridge fired by these snipers and precision marksmen is the 7.62 mm, M118 Long Range, a 175-grain match load developed especially for sniping. Not only does the projectile experience one-third less wind drift than a 62-grain, 5.56 mm bullet, it delivers more than four times the energy at extended ranges. For instance, at 650 yards the M118LR packs as much energy—1,000 ft.-lbs.—as the 5.56 mm round at 100 yards. An Army sniper veteran of Afghanistan, Sgt. Jonathan Holmes, strongly favors the M118LR cartridge telling me it’s “accurate, dependable and hard-hitting.”

Long-Range Successes

American sniper teams go wherever U.S. infantrymen go, operating primarily in support of their fellow soldiers and Marines, usually from overwatch positions or by scouting to the front or flanks. Typically they engage enemy forces at 600 to 750 meters, where the Taliban like to hover, just beyond the range of 5.56 mm rifles.
These sniper teams also sometimes operate independently, whether lying in wait for terrorists planting improvised explosive devices (IEDs), searching for targets of opportunity, or acting on intelligence to intercept and ambush Taliban fighters. Such was the case for Sgt. Holmes, an 82nd Airborne Division sniper, when his team waited for a Taliban IED team in Kandahar Province. Eyeing several Taliban peering from a distant wadi, Holmes discerned which was in command and fired a single shot, dropping him at more than 700 yards. Intelligence later determined he had eliminated an enemy battalion commander and IED cell chief, for which Holmes was awarded the Army Commendation Medal.
Holmes also reports that suppressed sniper rifles have proven very effective at confusing and deceiving the enemy. During another operation he carried a suppressed M110 semi-automatic sniper rifle, also firing M118LR ammunition. Detecting three Taliban fighters across a river nearly 1,200 yards away, he fired one round that failed to connect. “The targets had no idea I fired the first round,” he recalled. His second shot struck the first Taliban, causing the other two to stand and look around, trying to determine where the shot had come from. That gave Holmes the chance to shoot a second Taliban, after which the third fighter fled. The young paratrooper eventually scored 10 enemy KIA with his suppressed rifle.
After Holmes and his fellow snipers utterly destroyed another IED team, U.S. radio monitors noted “chatter” in the form of pleas for Allah’s protection from the deadly American “Ghosts.” “I would say we struck fear in their hearts,” Holmes said.
The very effectiveness of American sniper teams has given rise to enemy counter-measures to detect and destroy them. In some areas the Taliban equip farmers and children with walkie-talkies and have them wander in search of hidden sniper teams, knowing the Americans would not harm such non-combatants. Once alerted, Taliban forces sneak in and plant IEDs or mines along the snipers’ likely withdrawal routes. Taliban fighters also sometimes swarm sniper teams.
That’s what happened to a U.S. Army National Guard sniper team that was supporting a 10-man U.S. Army Special Forces team. With no warning, some 50 Taliban suddenly opened fire, attempting to rush the snipers and Green Berets. However, the Americans maintained their composure, beating off the attack with well-aimed shots, killing 20 enemy. “They just kept coming and coming and coming,” reported one sniper, S/Sgt. Jason Fincher. The three snipers—S/Sgt. Fincher, Sgt. Anthony Sandoval and PFC Justo Baltasar—were each awarded the Bronze Star for Valor.

Afghanistan Sniper Foes

Afghans are renowned for excellent fieldcraft, displaying a native cunning that twice repelled British invaders in the 19th century and more recently defeated the Soviet Red Army. “Their [snipers’] accuracy wasn’t as impressive as their fieldcraft,” Army Spc. Garrett Taylor told the “New York Times.” “I mean, their ability to conceal themselves, distract us and displace to locations we didn’t expect.”
Although the 19th century Afghan tribesman’s long-barreled Jezail rifle—similar to the Kentucky longrifle—may have rained death upon past enemies, that marksmanship tradition has not continued into the 21st century. Canadian sniper Robert Furlong heard of Taliban snipers during his 2002 Afghan tour of duty, but no one he knew actually encountered any. Indeed, the rate of Americans lost to sniper fire in Afghanistan is dramatically lower than in Iraq. Why? Afghanistan suffers from one of the world’s worst illiteracy rates—some 57 percent of adult males cannot read or write, according to CIA figures. In this education vacuum, would-be snipers cannot master trajectory tables, ballistics, and a host of technical subjects required for effective long-range shooting. According to one British officer serving in Afghanistan, most enemy snipers simply, “fire and run,” and hope they hit something. As for enemy sniper armament, it runs the gamut from rusty old Lee-Enfield bolt-actions with open sights to scoped Russian SVDs and modern hunting rifles.
The quality of enemy snipers, however, is gradually improving. When U.S. forces advanced into the Taliban strongholds of Kandahar and Helmand Provinces in 2010, they were met with accurate rifle fire, especially during the Marine attack on the town of Marjah. Firing from “murder holes” punched through mud-brick walls, enemy snipers achieved a number of one-shot kills. USMC Lance Corporal Andrew Koenig took a sniper’s round directly into his helmet, just above his eyes. Knocked off his feet, he was otherwise uninjured. “Compared to last year,” he told a Reuters reporter, enemy snipers “seem to be much better.”
The best of these new shooters are thought to be foreign mercenaries—especially Chechens and Iraqi sniper veterans, plus volunteers from Egypt and Pakistan—drawn by bounties of tens of thousands of dollars for each killed American. The Taliban can certainly afford it; in 2007 the CIA estimates the Taliban made $300 million from heroin sales. As well, an Al-Qaeda sniper recruiting video is tapping into religious zeal, quoting the Koran: “Fight them and Allah will punish them by your hands, lay them low, and cover them with shame.” One Taliban commander claims a sniper training school already exists, its founding assisted by “Arab fighters, who have joined us.” There are many volunteers, he says.

Some enemy sniper teams have proven themselves dangerously effective. Two sniper teams—thought to be foreign mercenaries—roamed Hellmand Province for five months last year, killing and wounding British and American troops. Operating as two-man teams, they killed soldiers as far as 650 yards away, including four U.S. Marines and 10 Brits. The enemy snipers’ most amazing shot placed a round into a 9-inch parapet loophole to kill British soldier Darren Foster, aged 20. Another victim, a British sniper, was killed by a single shot to the head. During an 11-day period, elite British Special Air Service and U.S. Army Special Forces partnered to track down the two teams, finally cornering them in Hellmand Province’s Sangin Valley. In an anti-climatic finish, the barricaded enemy sniper teams were eliminated by precision bombs dropped by U.S. Air Force F-16s.

New Rifles, New Ammunition

It is with Afghanistan in mind that the U.S. is making significant advances in sniper rifles and long-range sniper ammunition. The Army’s 25-year-old M24 Sniper Weapon System, a .308-Win. rifle based on the Remington 700 action, is being replaced by a dramatically updated version, the XM2010, a Remington-built chassis rifle chambered for a new .300 Win. Mag. load. The new load, developed by Black Hills ammunition, pushes a 220-grain Sierra MatchKing bullet at 2,860 fps. Army tests found that the new load approximates the energy and accuracy of a .250-grain .338 Lapua Mag. load out to 1,500 yards, which is considered the new effective range for U.S. Army snipers.
This new .300 Win. Mag. load, the MK 248 MOD 1, also features a new propellant with an additive to reduce muzzle flash and a stabilized burn rate across a wide temperature range—from 25 below zero to 65 degrees F—a significant consideration for Afghanistan’s harsh climate and dramatic elevation variances. I’ve found that muzzle velocity can vary up to 300 fps due to the effect of extreme temperature changes on gunpowder.
However, the trusty old 7.62x51 mm NATO sniper round has not been forgotten. Its new load, developed at the Navy’s Crane Surface Warfare Center, incorporates a similar temperature-stabilized propellant and a muzzle-flash-reducing additive. Dubbed the Mk 316 MOD 0, the 175-grain load is being produced on contract by Federal Cartridge.These new rifles and ammunition already are reaching the hands of American snipers in Afghanistan, where they’re being employed to regularly take out enemy forces at distances that were unheard of in World War II, Korea or Vietnam. Supported by state-of-the-art training and combat-experienced instructors, as demonstrated in Afghanistan, today’s generation of snipers is the finest and most capable we’ve ever fielded.