Designated Marksman and Sniper Support Rifle

[apod]

Everything ground to a halt awaiting CoDF...

Nope. Still being progressed in the background. Two units in the DFTC nominated as final user acceptance trials units starting soon. Contenders. On good authority. SCAR-PR/TPR. HK 417, LMT L129A1, HK G28.

[Tribunius]

My contenders would be the following;

From HK the G28

https://www.heckler-koch.com/en/products/military/precision-rifles/g28/g28/technical-data.html

From FN the Scar Mk20 (aka Scar 20S)

https://fnamerica.com/products/rifles/fn-mk20-ssr/

From LMT the L129A1

https://lmtdefense.com/product/lm308ssr/

From IWI the Tavor 7

https://iwi.net/iwi-tavor-rifle/tavor-7/

And as wild card from Desert Tec the MDRX

https://deserttech.com/mdr.php

All come in either 7.62x51 or 6.5 Creedmoor (except Tavor), and with a 16" or 20" barrel options.

Not the Tavor. It is painful to use a Tavor if you are used to a Steyr. The bolt release is in the same location as the Steyr mag release. It takes some serious effort to change that muscle memory to squeeze the tavor mag release at the front of the mag well and hit the bolt release after seating the mag.

[na grohmiti]

Everything ground to a halt awaiting CoDF...

[Rocinante]

Any movement?

[apod]

Nope.Still in play.

[Rocinante]

Has this gone the way of the Dodo?....it's not on etenders anymore...

[Zulu_00]

What's the source of this RFP? Any more gen on when it would be entering service etc?

[Rocinante]

My contenders would be the following;

From HK the G28
https://www.heckler-koch.com/en/prod...ical-data.html

From FN the Scar Mk20 (aka Scar 20S)
https://fnamerica.com/products/rifles/fn-mk20-ssr/

From LMT the L129A1
https://lmtdefense.com/product/lm308ssr/

From IWI the Tavor 7
https://iwi.net/iwi-tavor-rifle/tavor-7/

And as wild card from Desert Tec the MDRX
https://deserttech.com/mdr.php

All come in either 7.62x51 or 6.5 Creedmoor (except Tavor), and with a 16" or 20" barrel options.

The RFP states it has to be in use with 2 NATO/PFP countries, so that's the MDRX and Tavor out....and I think the SCAR is unlikely. There are SCARs floating around with people in the Curragh so I think they'll know.
So HK and LMT it is.

[EUFighter]

My contenders would be the following;

From HK the G28
https://www.heckler-koch.com/en/prod...ical-data.html

From FN the Scar Mk20 (aka Scar 20S)
https://fnamerica.com/products/rifles/fn-mk20-ssr/

From LMT the L129A1
https://lmtdefense.com/product/lm308ssr/

From IWI the Tavor 7
https://iwi.net/iwi-tavor-rifle/tavor-7/

And as wild card from Desert Tec the MDRX
https://deserttech.com/mdr.php

All come in either 7.62x51 or 6.5 Creedmoor (except Tavor), and with a 16" or 20" barrel options.

[X-RayOne]

I think not. Once it was accepted the 7.62 would remain the calibre of choice for the squad fire support, then having more than one weapon of that calibre was inevitable. Indeed, with the M203 you are dealing with 3 calibres in a section already.

Oh for a sarcasm highlight button

[EUFighter]

US Marines or Army (can't recall which) specified similar looking DMR weapon and fire controls for exactly these reasons in their most recent tender.

Having such a distinctive looking weapon as the AUG will always make soldiers stand out from others, if because the AUG looks completely different to most other armies AR type platforms or an AR platform makes ARW, etc. stand out against reg troops here.

It was the US Army with the Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper System which became the M110A1, (HK417, G28).

[na grohmiti]

US Marines or Army (can't recall which) specified similar looking DMR weapon and fire controls for exactly these reasons in their most recent tender.

Having such a distinctive looking weapon as the AUG will always make soldiers stand out from others, if because the AUG looks completely different to most other armies AR type platforms or an AR platform makes ARW, etc. stand out against reg troops here.

Is this the start of the re-introduction of 7.62 as the standard round

I think not. Once it was accepted the 7.62 would remain the calibre of choice for the squad fire support, then having more than one weapon of that calibre was inevitable. Indeed, with the M203 you are dealing with 3 calibres in a section already.

[X-RayOne]

Take the DMR role, the soldier who has the DMR will standout within any group of soldiers as the rest have the AUG, which looks very different from the majority of current DMR rifle, that makes them a key target. Secondly the fire controls on most conventional DMR rifles are very different from those of the AUG, this means that the muscle memory will be different. While with plenty of training this can be over-come if there was a common platform this would not be the case.

US Marines or Army (can't recall which) specified similar looking DMR weapon and fire controls for exactly these reasons in their most recent tender.

Having such a distinctive looking weapon as the AUG will always make soldiers stand out from others, if because the AUG looks completely different to most other armies AR type platforms or an AR platform makes ARW, etc. stand out against reg troops here.

Is this the start of the re-introduction of 7.62 as the standard round

[EUFighter]

Should this be a stand-alone tender? Should a DMR not be part of a wider modular weapons system to replace the FAL and AUG?

There has been a move for many years to modular weapons systems whereby a number of different weapons are based upon a common platform, usually the same layout, fire control group and receiver with different barrels and calibers been offered. Take the DMR role, the soldier who has the DMR will standout within any group of soldiers as the rest have the AUG, which looks very different from the majority of current DMR rifle, that makes them a key target. Secondly the fire controls on most conventional DMR rifles are very different from those of the AUG, this means that the muscle memory will be different. While with plenty of training this can be over-come if there was a common platform this would not be the case.

The combination of the HK416 and the HK417 as used by the ARW is just one example of the use of a platform system.

Of course what was left out of the BA trails was a 7.62 x 51 version of a bullpup, Tavor 7 and if they ever make a militerised version the MDR.

[spider]

In the UK 3 Soldiers per section are trained up on the Sharpshooter rifle but only one carries it. Usually decided by the top three shooters scores on PWT in each section

Seeing as we don't operate as permanently formed sections or Platoons on Island this could prove problematic to emulate.

Inf and Cav RECCE Dets are getting them too.

Trials already conducted. Most of the Rifles mentioned above were tested.

My eldest is hoping to get on a sharpshooter cadre this year. And a JNCO cadre in the autumn. Going to be a busy year and even busier next year.