Title: The M24 Sniper Weapon System
1The M24 Sniper Weapon System
2Intro
- The United States Armys M24 sniper weapon
system (SWS) is one of the best overall sniping
systems in use today. Based on Remington Arms
Company's venerable 700 action, the system is a
rugged, nearly indestructible means of
dispatching hostile threats from long distance.
Though some of the more recently designed sniper
systems feature technical advancements not
available on the M24, the Armys SWS is the
standard by which all current-issue systems are
compared.
3Background
- From the 1950s through the 1980s, the Army had
fielded primarily semi-automatic sniper rifles
first the M1C and M1D and by the mid-1960s, the
M21, a highly accurized M14 scoped with either
the ART 1 or 2 day telescopes. The reason, or
reasons, for using semi-automatic rifles is
unknown. Certainly, sniping was unappreciated in
the U.S. Army at this time and the logisticians
would not have wanted to add additional equipment
into the supply system M1s and M14s (the
platform for the M21) were in use by regular
soldiers. Possibly, as well, Army leadership was
concerned with U.S. snipers encountering mass
wave attacks such as those faced in Korea and
therefore preferred scoped, rapid-fire. - Whatever the reason, by the mid-1970s, Army
snipers (primarily those among special operations
forces (SOF)) were increasingly dissatisfied with
the M21. The wood stocks were prone to warpage,
the bedding would give way after one to two
thousand rounds, the scopes could not be depended
upon to retain zero, and the rifles accuracy
suffered when debris entered the gas system.
Consequently, maintenance costs for the M21, in
both time and money, were very high. By 1976, the
Army began consideration of new sniper rifles,
even testing some rifles at Aberdeen Proving
Ground. Unfortunately, the results were
inconclusive and the military made no decisions.
- At about the same time, the military was also
considering improvements in performance of the
match cartridge used in sniping, the M118,
through increased technical requirements. Hugo
Teufel, "Military Match Cartridges and Their Use
in Combat A Brief History, Part II" Tactical
Shooter (November, 1998). These increased
technical requirements were, at this time,
unsuccessful. - By the early 1980s, the military did develop a
new match cartridge, the M852, and also
redesignated the M118 Match Cartridge as a
Special Ball Cartridge. These actions were
temporary, pending the development of a new
sniper rifle and ammunition. Though work had
begun to acquire a new sniper rifle for the Army,
it would be several years until fruition. - At around this same time, a number of new units
were joining the SOF community. Sniping was
critical to these units missions and neither the
available equipment nor the available training
was up to the required tasks. SOF units were
using "bootlegged 7mm and 300 Winchester Magnum
weapons. - That the Army needed to replace its sniper rifle
was clear. What was unclear is what the new rifle
would like. The outcome of this issue would be
dependent upon the players involved in the
process, but critical to the decision would be
the views of one group of shooters the
instructors at the J.F.K. Special Warfare Center
(SWC), Special Operations Target Interdiction
Course (SOTIC) at Ft. Bragg. - In late 1984, SWC set forth requirements for the
sniper course, SOTIC. The first course ran in
early 1985 and was filled. One thing was apparent
with the conclusion of this course the M21 was
woefully inadequate. - SOTIC instructors began work on a new rifle for
SOF shooters. Though a number of the personnel
would be heavily involved with the development of
this rifle, two in particular are worth
mentioning the late Larry Freeman, NCOIC and
the late David Zavitz, instructor and gunsmith.
Along with Gale McMillan, the SOTIC instructors
would be the creative forces behind the Armys
new sniper rifle.
4Background Cont.
- The SOTIC instructors and SOF other shooters
many of whom had significant combat sniping
experience were inclined to return to a bolt
action rifle. In the mid-1980s, they took a
number of old, 1960s-era U.S. Air Force procured
Remington 700s with Redfield Accutrac day
telescopes. The stocks were pure walnut,
unbedded, and the barrels had a high number of
rounds through them. In their present condition,
the rifles were unsuitable. Working with Gale
McMillan, the SOTIC instructors had McMillan
install barrels and stocks, and scoped the rifles
with the new Leupold Stevens Ultra M3. - When the SOTIC instructors put together the
prototype rifles, they took them to Camp Butner,
North Carolina for testing on the 1000-yard
range. Importantly, General James Guest (who at
that time was in charge of the SWC) was in
attendance. General Guest shot an M21 first.
Though he had a low score on the 1000-yard NRA
bullseye target, he was unconvinced of the need
for a new sniper rifle for SOF shooters. The
instructors provided the General with one of the
new prototype rifles. Upon shooting an "X" with
the first shot, the General decreed "make it
happen." The new rifle of which approximately
15 would be built -- would be known as the
"Free-Zatz-Millan." As a side note, General Guest
would later testify to Congress on behalf of the
new sniper rifle and would further inform
Congress that the M21 was no longer necessary,
leading to the M24s adoption, the M21s
phase-out, the M25s unofficial adoption by a
number of SF and SEAL units, and the adoption by
some special operations units of the SR25. See
Hugo Teufel, "The M21 and M25 Sniper Weapon
Systems" Tactical Shooter ( 1998) Mike Wilson,
"The SR 25," Tactical Shooter (December, 1998). - The Generals approval made the possibility of a
new Army sniper rifle a reality. But his approval
would not remove all obstacles to its ultimate
approval and adoption. The Army is not
monolithic. In addition to the SOF snipers, there
are snipers in regular Army units, trained
primarily at Ft. Benning. The new rifle was no
longer to be solely an SOF project. Army shooters
from Benning would have involvement in the
process. - And then there are the Department of Defense
components involved in the development and
production of small arms. The two primary
government components would be the U.S. Army
Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Armament
Research, Development and Evaluation Center
(ARDEC) in Picatinny, New Jersey And The U.S.
Army Tank-Automotive And Armaments Command
Armament And Chemical Acquisition And Logistics
Activity (ACALA) in Rock Island, Illinois. ARDEC
would handle design issues and specifications,
ACALA would responsible for writing the manual,
establishing the assembly and disassembly
procedures, and determining the contents of the
deployment kit - The SOF shooters had in mind an off-the-shelf
rifle that they could deploy quickly. This
approach would be in sharp contrast to the
engineers and program types at ARDEC and ACALA.
Their approach, as described to me by a retired
SF NCO who participated in the selection process,
would take several years to develop the new
sniper system ("five years for the bullet, three
years for the barrel to match the bullet, and
another five years to develop the end product").
When hearing this response, one SOTIC instructor
became very upset. Throwing a Pelican case with
one of SOF prototype rifles in it across the
room, he commented, somewhat sarcastically, that
civilians could buy rifles meeting the SOF
shooters requirements on a daily basis and
off-the-shelf. As a result of this and other
meetings, the shooters were able to achieve their
goal of an off-the-shelf rifle. These "issues"
with ARDEC and ACALA would not be the only ones
the SOF shooters would face. - The most issue to confront all concerned would be
cartridge selection. The SOF shooters thought
that the 7.62 x 51-mm NATO cartridge should be
the primary chambering for the new sniper rifle.
Though overall an ideal round, the 7.62 mm NATO
round it has maximum effective range of 800
meters under the best of conditions, far less at
night, given the difficulty of reading wind in
the dark. Accordingly, the SOF shooters wanted
the ability to change over a limited number of
rifles to a medium range (900 to 1100 meters)
caliber, such s the .300 Win. Mag., until a new
sniper cartridge was adopted. - The SOF shooters were not the only "end-users"
involved. Regular Army snipers, represented by
Ft. Benning, wanted the ability to change over
all of the new rifles to a larger or more
powerful chambering. I should note that this
fight continues over 10 years later. - Further complicating the issue was the Armys
consideration of various calibers for medium and
long-range shooting. For example, the military
was considering the .338/.416 for longer ranges,
the .50 for hard targets from 800 to 1500 meters
and the 14.5-mm for targets past 1500 meters.
Again, this issue is still alive today. - The various parties to the selection process were
able to work out their differences and by
mid-1987, the Army was ready to seek bids. The
military issued its product description and held
a contractors conference, at which over 50
contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers
attended. Competing contractors would have 45
days to submit their proposals including
functioning weapon systems to Picatinny, New
Jersey, ARDECs location.
5Background Cont.
- The foundation for Remingtons entry would be the
700 action. Designed originally for hunting, the
Remington action in accurized form was the basis
of 40X target rifle first entering the market
in 1961 and the Marine Corps M40 first built
in 1996. (The M40 was, of course, the inspiration
for Remingtons introduction of the Varmint
Special, a heavy-barreled version of the 700.) - It would take more than just a good receiver to
win the contract critical to Remington's bid
would be a high-quality barrel. The company went
first to Boots Overmeyer, but he did not have the
capacity necessary, should Remington win the
contract. Remington next contacted Mike Rock.
Working very closely with Rock, Remington was
able to produce the needed barrels with the
distinctive Overmeyer 5R rifling in time to enter
the competition. Accompanying the barrel would be
an adjustable length of pull stock from HS
Precision. - Remington also needed to equip its entry with a
day telescope. At the time, only Unertl and
Leupold manufactured rugged tactical scopes,
suitable for military application. Remington
approached John Unertl first, but he told the
company that he was too busy building scopes for
the Marines. (Many have said that Unertl turned
down submitting his scopes for the M24 because
the Army had snubbed him some years back.)
Remington turned to Leupold Stevens. Leupold
had recently brought its Ultra (now, Mark IV)
line of scopes, mounts, and rings to the market.
Remington was impressed with the quality and
ruggedness of Leupold's gear and chose the
Oregon-based company as the optics subcontractor
for its submission. - Various manufacturers submitted their bid samples
and the competition ultimately narrowed to two
companies Remington and Steyr. There were three
criteria that the military was considering
ruggedness accuracy and cost. Cost was the
least important of the three criteria it was
also Remingtons weak point. - There were sixteen shooters involved in the
testing of the two entries eight from the Army
Marksmanship Unit four SOTIC instructors and
four Rangers. Though the Steyr entry was very
accurate, by the seventh round it was throwing
rounds, sufficient to cause misses at targets
past 600 meters. Remingtons submission did not
have this problem and was also built far more
ruggedly than Steyrs. - Remington won the contract to produce the Armys
next generation sniper rifle. Remington firmed up
arrangements for production, including bringing
barrel manufacture "in-house." - Much has been said about Remington's dropping
Mike Rock as a subcontractor for barrel
production, much of it untrue. When officials of
Remington first approached Rock they explained to
him that it was the company's intent to develop,
and later produce, the barrel for the M24, should
the company win the contract. After winning the
contract, Remington did bring barrel production
"in-house." The company resubmitted the weapon
systems with the Remington-produced barrels to
the military for first article testing and the
military accepted them. Importantly, the
Remington-produced barrels were approximately 25
more accurate than the Rock-produced barrels.
6Criticisms, Responses
- Almost immediately after the military adopted the
M24, criticism of the new sniper system erupted.
The HS Precision stock was not durable enough to
withstand field use. The Leupold M3A suffered
from elevation and windage knobs with
insufficiently positive clicks. The long action
was inappropriate for a .308 caliber rifle. But
the greatest criticism leveled against the M24
was that at 4,500, the system was too expensive.
Time and logic have addressed these and other
criticisms leveled against the system. - Starting first with the stock, a SOTIC instructor
has informed me that in the 10 years SF has used
M24 for instruction, he has only seen two stocks
break, on weapons that students dropped from over
500 feet above ground while jumping into an
exercise. In another well-known example of the
stocks and rifles toughness, is the story
of an encased M24 run over by a two-and-a-half
ton truck. The truck driver was unaware of the
weapons location and backed over it. When the
parties involved realized what had happened, they
found the weapons bolt sticking through the wall
of the gun case. Taken to the range, the M24 was
fired and found to be fully functional. (I hear
from my friend at SOTIC that this weapon is still
in use at SOTIC.) - It is true that the combination of the long
action and the 7.62 x 51-mm cartridge can be a
problem for a shooter the rifle is prone to jam.
This can be overcome through proper training in
the loading and use of the 700 long action. - The cost criticism is perhaps the most galling.
The high initial cost of the M24 is due to the
federal governments procurement policies.
Whenever a new weapon system is developed, he
manufacturer incurs certain development costs.
Normally, these costs are spread out over the
entire production run of the system. However, the
government may not normally incur monetary
obligations beyond the current fiscal year. Such
was the case with the M24. The federal government
required Remington to factor into its price for
the first year of production, the total cost of
development for the system, approximately
500,000. After the first year of the contract,
the price of M24s dropped to approximately 3,500
each
7The M24 SWS
- Though some old-timers may miss the "perfectly
good" M21, the M24 is a very capable system. The
M24 is not merely a rifle it is a system. When
complete, the system includes the following
equipment an M24 rifle with a 10 x 42 mm Leupold
Stevens Mk. IV M3A day telescope and Mk. IV
rings and base Redfield Palma rear sight and
"International" globe with interchangeable
inserts deployment, or "D", kit, complete with
cleaning kit, tools, and replacement parts M1907
sling and drag bag operators manual and
protective travel cases for the scope and
complete system. - The barrel of the M24 is unique. Remington
hammerforges the barrel with 416R stainless
steel, the bull barrel is 24" long, and its width
tapers down from 1.2" at the breech to
approximately .9". The 5-R rifling was designed
by Boots Overmeyer, is angled at 110 degrees, has
5 grooves, and a right hand twist of 1" in 11.2".
There are a number of advantages for the military
marksman with this barrel. The angled rifling
leads to less bullet deformation as the rifling
swages it. Some believe that this results in a
more even pressure curve as the bullet
accelerates through the barrel. As well, once the
barrel is broken in, the rifling lends itself to
reduced metallic fouling a longer, more accurate
lifespan because of reduced wear effect on
rifling cross-section, and higher bullet
velocities. The downsides to 5-R rifling are the
greater than normal metallic fouling of the bore
during the break-in period, and greater
difficulty in barrel production, resulting in a
more expensive barrel. - HS Precision makes the adjustable length-of-pull
stock, which is made of Kevlar-reinforced
fiberglass and has a full-length 7075-T6
aluminum-bedding block. The action is screwed
into the bedding block with two screws, both of
which are set to 65inch/pounds. The grip is fully
contoured and ambidextrous grip and highly rigid
fore-end. - There are conflicting stories behind the
adjustable stock and 24" barrel. Some (including
one SF NCO who was on the development team for
the M24) have attributed these two features to
the militarys desire to transport the sniper
system in the 1950s era paratroopers rifle
case. Others attribute these features to less
cynical reasons. When I asked John Rogers, he
stated that the choice of barrel length was
Remingtons, and was not dictated by the
military. Further, the specifications for the M24
relating to the requirement for adjustable length
of pull, MIL-R-71126 (AR) 4.6.6. refer to testing
procedures for the stock when the user is wearing
NBC and cold and warm weather gear. - Leupold Stevens manufacture the day telescope,
mount, and rings. The scope, the M3A, has a body
that is machined from a solid piece of 6061-T-6
aircraft aluminum. All lenses in the M3A are
treated with a proprietary anti-reflective
coating to increase the lenses light
transmission. The reticle is a mildot-pattern and
is etched into the glass lens. (This is the
primary difference between the commercially
available M3 and the Armys version the
commercial versions reticle is a more
traditional wire design.
8The M24 SWS Cont.
- Perhaps the best feature of the scope is its
combination elevation turret/bullet drop
compensator (BDC). Depending upon the caliber of
the rifle on which the scope is mounted, the
shooter selects the appropriate cam, sights in
the rifle, and then can dial in the range on the
BDC (though, of course, the shooter must still
take into account altitude, humidity,
temperature, etc., as they affect bullet drop).
Specific cams available for the scope are - ".308 Match," 168 gr. BTHP at 2,600 ft./sec. (BDC
increments in yards)
- "7.62 mm Military," 173 gr. BTFMJ at 2,600
ft./sec. (BDC increments in meters)
- ".300 Winchester Magnum," 220 gr. FMJ at 2,650
ft./sec. (BDC increments in meters)
- ". 30-06 Springfield," 180gr. FMJ at 2,700
ft./sec. (BDC increments in yards)
- ". 223 Rem. (5.56mm)," 55gr. FMJ at 3,200
ft./sec. (BDC increments in yards)
- It is my understanding that Leupold is working on
a cam for the new Federal Gold Medal Match and
M118 LR cartridges using the 175-gr. BTHP Sierra
MatchKing bullet. Importantly, all cams are built
around the constants of sea level and 59 degrees
Fahrenheit. Use of a cam in conditions other than
those will result in deviations from the intended
point of impact. - Each "click" on the M3A whichever cam is used
is equal to one MOA. Windage adjustments are in ½
MOA adjustments. The advantage to the 1 MOA
adjustment on a combat scope is that reduces to
one, the number of revolutions a shooter can make
with the elevation turret. This was very
important to the military as shooters in
stressful situations (such as combat) often are
off by a complete revolution when the time comes
to take the shot.
9Improvements, Accessories
- In September of 1992, the military rendered the
Military Specification for the M24 (MIL-R-71126
(AR)) inactive, except for use in replacement of
already issued sniper systems. Nevertheless,
there have been a number of improvements to the
system. To address the dangers of scope glint and
lasers on the battlefield, the military has added
to the system an antireflection device (ARD) and
external mount assembly (EMA) laser filter. The
ARD is the Tenebraex killFLASH and is threaded to
fit both the M3 day telescope and EMA laser
filter. The killFLASH is under 3" long with a
1.75" thick honeycomb filter that provides the
same glint shielding capability that a 27"
conventional tube. When properly installed,
however, the killFLASH will reduce the amount of
light the scope can gather by 15. - The number of non-eyesafe lasers on the
battlefield necessitates the EMA laser filter
today. Whether these lasers are used offensively
or for distance calculation, if snipers are to
continue to function effectively, they need
protection from high-intensity beams of directed
light. The EMA laser filter provides this
protection, but at some cost to the user. First,
the filter affects the colors the user sees,
potentially obscuring targets. Second, the filter
will shift the point of impact by as much as one
minute of angle. Third, the filter is very
reflective, and will give away a shooters
position, without installation of the killFLASH
ARD, of course. - The military also upgraded the spotting telescope
for the M24 system. The new scope, the M144, is a
variable-power straight day telescope.
Manufactured by Bausch Lomb and very similar to
its Model 61-1548P, Elite 15-45x60 Zoom
Telescope, the M144 provides magnification from
15 to 45 power, comes with a quick detachable
tripod, Tenebraex ARD and laser filter unit. My
understanding that the major difference between
the M144 and the Elite is quality of the seals
used in the M144 to keep out moisture. - The M24 also can be equipped with night vision.
Until recently, the night optical device (NOD) of
choice for shooters was the Simrad Optronics
Model KN250. The Simrad attaches to the day
telescope, allowing for no change of zero on the
system. - The second NOD found on the M24 is the AN/PVS-10
combination day/night optic device. This scope,
still in development, is intended to simplify
optics for the M24, while improving upon the
current Mk. IV M3A/Simrad combination for day and
night operations. The scope weights nearly 5
pounds, is fixed at 8.5 power with mildot
reticle, and can be adjusted for output
brightness and reticle illumination. A number of
shooters using the PVS-10, with whom I have
spoken, have been displeased with the scopes
performance, but with the issuance of a national
stock number, NSN 5855-01-410-8979, it is likely
that the scope will be made part of the M24
system.
10Other Agencies, Governments Fielding the M24
- The Army is not the only entity to use the M24.
The U.S. Parks Police and the New York Police
Department have equipped their snipers with the
system. The NYPD rifles are not stamped "U.S."
nor do they have U.S. Government serial numbers. - There are also a few foreign governments that
have purchased the rifle under the Foreign
Military Sales program. The Israeli government
recently purchased 890 M24s. Previously, Lebanon,
South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates had
purchased small quantities of the system. Perhaps
the most surprising sale was to Egypt, which
purchased the most M24s of any non-U.S.
Government entity 1000. Sadly, the Egyptian
military did not wish to use match cartridges
with the system. Moreover, that country's
military is not known for maintaining its weapon
systems -- whether an air defense network or an
SWS -- and it is unknown how the equipment has
fared. - Finally, Remington made a few "civilian" M24s for
commercial sales. In 1995-96, Remington built a
limited number of the M24 rifles (not the
complete system) and offered them to its Law
Enforcement wholesalers. The rifles sold for
2500 to 3000 dollars. Occasionally one sees
these rifles for sale and they are sure to be
collector's items.
11The Future?
- The Army has been fielding the M24 system for a
little over ten years now. The first M24s
produced for the Army in 1988 were sent to SOTIC.
Just this year, the Army changed them out. With
ten years of use, several new barrels and
approximately 75,000 rounds through them, the
rifles have performed well beyond the
expectations of those involved with the systems
development, in particular given that the rifles
are used for training and undergo significant
stresses. (By the way, only after ten years and
75,000 rounds did the extractors begin to fail on
these rifles.) The M24 will not be the last SWS
the U.S. Army purchases, however. - Remington and the U.S. Government are looking to
the future of sniping. In recent trials at Ft.
Benning for the upcoming Medium Range Sniper
System, Remington fielded a number of interesting
potential submissions. In addition to the
standard M24 in 7.62 x 51 mm and .300 Win. Mag.,
Remington tested the "SR8", a 700 action-based
rifle in .338 Lapua (using a Sako extractor), and
another rifle based on the 700 action chambered
for .30-338. Shooters firing these rifles were
hitting B-27 targets from 1900 yards. The rifles
were scoped with fixed ten and sixteen-power
Leupold Mk. IV day telescopes. - As well, Remington is looking into an "upgrade"
or "product improvement" of sorts of the M24, the
"M24 TC." The M24 TC is a concept rifle with a
twenty-six inch composite fiber barrel and
stainless steel barrel liner mated to a titanium
alloy receiver. The rifle is chamber for the
Remington 7mm Remington Ultra Long-Range Sniper
(ULRS) round, with an effective range of 1500
meters.
12Specifications for the M24
- Calibers7.62 x 51 mm, .300 Winchester Magnum
- OperationBolt Action
- Overall Length43
- Barrel, Length, TwistRemington hammer-forged,
416 R with 5R grooves, 24" (7.62 mm), 111.2 RH
- Weight12.1 lbs., unloaded without scope, 15 lbs.
Loaded with scope
- StockHS Precision
- SightsLeupold Mk. IV M3A scope, Redfield Palma,
International iron sights
- Effective Range (with day scope)800 meters
- Effective Range (with night scope)300 meters
- Magazine5- round, internal
13Contacts
- Leupold Stevens, Inc.
- PO Box 688,
- Beaverton, OR 97075-0688
- Ph. (503) 526-5195
- Remington Arms Co., Inc.
- P.O. Box 700
- Madison, NC 27025-0700
- Attn John Rogers
- Ph.
-
- Tenebræx Corporation
- 326 A Street
- Boston, MA 02210
- ph. (617) 574-9900
- Fax (617) 574-9998