M21 Sniper Weapon System

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M21
M21 sniper rifle
Type	Sniper rifle
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1969–1988 (officially replaced by M24 SWS; remains in active service)
Production history
Designer	Army Weapons Command, Combat Development Command, Limited Warfare Agency
Designed	1969 (XM21; renamed M21 in 1975)
Variants	XM21, XM25/M25
Specifications
Weight	5.27 kg (11.6 lb)
Length	1,118 mm (44 in)
Barrel length	560 mm (22 in)

Cartridge	7.62 × 51 mm NATO
Caliber	7.62 mm (.308 in)
Action	Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	Semi-automatic
Muzzle velocity	853 m/s (2,800 ft/s)
Effective range	690 m (750 yd)
Feed system	5-, 10- or 20-round detachable box magazine
Sights	Front: National Match front blade .062 Rear: Match-grade hooded aperture with one-half minute adjustments for both windage and elevation. 26 3/4 in sight radius.

The M21 Sniper Weapon System (SWS) is the semi-automatic sniper rifle adaptation of the popular M14 rifle. It is chambered for the 7.62 × 51 mm NATO cartridge.

1 Overview
2 M25 Sniper Weapon System
3 Service
4 Photos
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Overview

The United States Army wanted an accurate sniper rifle during the Vietnam War. The M14 was selected because of its accuracy, reliability, and the ability for a quick second shot. As a result, in 1969, the Rock Island Arsenal converted 1,435 National Match (target grade) M14 rifles by adding a Leatherwood 3–9x Adjustable Ranging Telescope (ART) telescopic sight and furnishing National Match grade ammunition. It was designated the XM21 until 1975, when it became the M21 (although it had been unofficially called the M21 since December 1969).

The M21 remained the Army’s official sniper rifle until 1988, when it was replaced by the bolt-action M24 Sniper Weapon System.

[edit] M25 Sniper Weapon System

The XM25/M25 is an upgraded version of the M21 developed by 10th Special Forces Group's armorers for use by United States Army Special Forces and United States Navy SEALs in the late 1980s. It saw some use in Operation Desert Storm.

Action: A M14NM (National Match) action, same as the M21, except for the slightly modified gas piston for use with an OPS Inc. suppressor.
Stock: A McMillan M1A fiberglass stock, having the same pattern as the M14.
Optics: A Bausch & Lomb Tactical 10×40 scope, or sometimes Leupolds MK4 10x scopes.

In standard military use, the M21/M25 use the same 10- or 20-round box magazines as the other members of the M14 family, and weighs 5.27 kg without the scope. The U.S. military never officially authorized or purchased magazines in any other capacity, although 5-round magazines are commercially available.

[edit] Service

The M21 Sniper Weapon System was used by the US Army in the Vietnam War, and saw limited action in military conflicts and operations in the late 1960s until the late 1980s. The M21 is currently in use with various U.S. military units in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are limited numbers in some Army National Guard units and in a few specialized active units such as the OPFOR units of the Joint Readiness Training Center.^[1]

Springfield Armory, Inc. also manufactures variants of its M1A rifle called M21 Tactical Rifle and M25 White Feather™ Tactical/Carlos Hathcock rifle, which are based upon U.S. Armed Forces' M21 and M25 Sniper Weapons Systems but are slightly different, most notably they are fitted with a Picatinny rail to mount a scope^[2].

[edit] Photos

Right side of the M21 with main parts labelled	Right side of the M21	Members of the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry during joint South Korea/U.S. Exercise Team Spirit '84. The soldiers are armed with an M21 sniper rifle (left) and an M16 rifle with M203 grenade launcher (right)	Soldier from the 278th Regimental Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, patrols Balad Ruz, Iraq, with his M21 sniper rifle
M25 special forces sniper rifle	Close-up on the Bausch & Lomb Tactical scope and BPT Advanced Scope Mounting System mount on the M25 rifle