M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle

M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle

The M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle
Type Sniper rifle
Place of origin United States
Service history
In service 2011–present
Used by See Users
Production history
Designed 2010
Manufacturer Remington Arms
Produced 2010–2014[1]
No. built 2,558
Specifications
Weight 12.1 lb (5.5 kg)[1]
Length 46.5 in (1,180 mm)[1]
Barrel length 24 in (610 mm)[1]
Cartridge .300 Winchester Magnum[1]
Action Bolt-action[1]
Effective firing range 1,300 yd (1,200 m)[2]
Feed system 5-round detachable box magazine[1]

The M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle (ESR), formerly known as the XM2010 and M24 Reconfigured Sniper Weapon System, is a sniper rifle developed by PEO Soldier for the United States Army.[3] It is derived from the M24 Sniper Weapon System and replaced the existing M24s. After winning a competitive bidding process, Remington was awarded the production contract for up to 3,600 weapons. The Army had anticipated fielding upgraded weapons to deployed U.S. Army Snipers near the end of December 2010,[4][5] but later expected fielding would happen in January 2011.[2]

The M2010 system differs from the prior M24 Sniper Weapon System in that it fires .300 Winchester Magnum ammunition to provide approximately 50 percent additional effective range relative to the M24's 7.62×51mm NATO. This chambering to dimensionally larger cartridges is possible because the M24 Sniper Weapon System was designed to use the "long action" bolt version of the Remington 700 receiver for cartridges up to 3.34 inches (84.84 mm) in overall length.

The U.S. Army developed the system so that the additional effective range would help snipers in engagements in mountainous and desert terrain in which the War in Afghanistan was being fought.[6] The general penalties for using bigger, more powerful magnum rifle ammunition compared to smaller, standard rifle cartridges are increases in recoil, jump, flash, weight, and barrel wear.

History

The U.S. Army issued three XM2010s to snipers at the United States Army Sniper School on 18 January 2011[7] and began using the rifle in combat in Afghanistan in March 2011.[6][8] The XM2010's .300 Win Mag round extends the engagement range over the M24 from 800 meters to 1,200 meters, enhancing lethality and standoff. The Barrett M107 .50 caliber rifle can hit targets past 2,000 meters, but it is accurate to 2.5 MOA, meaning it would hit within a 25 in (640 mm) area at 1,000 meters. This was acceptable for material targets, but not individual personnel. The XM2010 addressed the problem and gave increased range over the M24 but maintained 1 MOA accuracy. Remington had been awarded a $28 million on 20 September 2010 to rebuild 3,600 M24 rifles, but only 250 had been ordered to be changed by the time the first XM2010s were fielded. Due to the success of the XM2010, Army officials considered a "pure fleet," meaning all 2,500 Army M24s would be upgraded to XM2010 standard.[9][10] Snipers in the field learned how to transition to the XM2010 and learn its use, maintenance, and capabilities during a three-day course. After the course, snipers had no difficulty hitting targets out to 1,000 meters from "ridgetop to ridgetop". In addition to the more powerful cartridge, the new optic enhances the rifle's ability to sight a target quickly without needing to do calculations of range estimation. All 250 XM2010 rifles were to be fielded in 8 Brigade Combat Teams by mid-May 2011.[11]

Based on the results and feedback from troops, the U.S. Army decided in May 2011 to replace its entire fleet of M24s, ordering a total of 2,558 M2010 rifles. By September 2012, the Army had fielded more than 1,400 systems as part of an urgent material release. The M2010 achieved Type Classification-Standard in July 2013 and Full Materiel Release in September 2013, supporting procurement for the balance of the Army requirement. On 25 April 2014, the 2,558th M2010 rifle was completed.[8][12][13]

Precision guided firearm testing

In March 2014, the company TrackingPoint revealed their smart scope was being integrated onto the M2010 sniper rifle. The Army purchased six systems in January 2014 for testing, and the networked scope and guided trigger had been added. The TrackingPoint system includes a computerized scope that marks a selected target, gathers and compensates for external factors, and uses a special trigger that does not pull until the system is sure the bullet will land where intended. TrackingPoint costs between $22,000 and $27,000 to be installed on a bolt-action rifle to achieve hits out to 1,250 yd (1,143 m), though it is not intended to replace sniping skills but be used by soldiers who need to take shots at longer sniping ranges.[14]

Design details

AN/PVS-29 Clip-on Sniper Night Sight

The M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle differs from 7.62×51mm NATO chambered M24 Sniper Weapon System in that M2010 sniper weapons are:[15][8]

According to Remington Arms each rifle is tested to meet (and typically exceeds) the requirement to fire ≤ 1 MOA/0.28 mrad (less than a 2-inch shot group at 200 yards) before being released for fielding.[21]

Ammunition

U.S. Army project manager for new weapons Colonel Douglas Tamilio with XM2010 in 2010

In 2009 the U.S. government purchased MK 248 MOD 1 .300 Winchester Magnum match-grade ammunition for use in .300 Winchester Magnum sniper rifles like the U.S. Navy Mk13 SWS or reconfigured M24 SWSs. This ammunition was developed as a .300 Winchester Magnum Match Product Improvement (PIP) and uses the 14.26 g (220 gr) Sierra MatchKing Hollow Point Boat Tail (HPBT) very-low-drag bullet fired at a nominal muzzle velocity of 869 m/s (2,850 ft/s) ± 15.2 m/s (50 ft/s). According to the U.S. Navy this ammunition should increase the maximum effective range of .300 Winchester Magnum sniper rifle systems to 1,370 m (1,500 yd), decrease wind deflection on bullets in flight and use a reduced muzzle flash propellant that remains temperature stable across an operational temperature range of -32 °C to 74 °C (-25 °F to 165 °F).[22][23][24] According to JBM Ballistics,[25] using the G7 ballistic coefficient provided by Bryan Litz, and a Weapon Employment Zone (WEZ) analysis of the XM2010 rifle with various .300 Winchester Magnum ammunition types by Bryan Litz, the MK 248 MOD 1 .300 Winchester Magnum cartridge, when fired at its nominal muzzle velocity of 869 m/s (2,850 ft/s), should have 1,286 to 1,289 m (1,406 to 1,410 yd) supersonic range under International Standard Atmosphere conditions at sea level (air density ρ = 1.225 kg/m3).[26]

In January 2014, the U.S. Department of Defense annual testing report found that the older A191 or MK 248 Mod 0 .300 Winchester Magnum service round loaded with aerodynamically less efficient 190 gr (12.32 g) Sierra MatchKing Hollow Point Boat Tail (HPBT) bullets fired from the XM2010 demonstrated adequate performance and lethality. Live fire tests were conducted in March 2013 against ballistics gelatin, light material barriers, and other targets to determine the projectile’s ability to perforate targets. This was the first time the Pentagon’s Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) tested the round, which can hit targets out to 1,200 m (1,312 yd).[27]

Civilian use

In March 2015 Remington Defense announced that they will start offering some of their products for sale on the civilian market. One of those products is the M2010 sniper rifle.[28]

Users

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Remington XM2010". Remington Defense. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  2. 1 2 Upgrade kits for M4 come in 2011 - Army.mil, 15 October 2010
  3. ↑ "XM2010". Retrieved 10 December 2010.
  4. 1 2 PEO Soldier (1 October 2010). "Army awards contract for upgraded sniper weapon system". Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  5. ↑ Fuller, Peter N.; Douglas A. Tamilio (18 May 2010). "Project Manager Soldier Weapons Briefing for NDIA" (PDF). PEO Soldier. United States Army. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  6. 1 2 "New rifles give Army snipers in Afghanistan needed range - USATODAY.com". Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Dan Lamothe (17 January 2011). "Corps fielding new semi-automatic sniper rifle". Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  8. 1 2 3 Sniper's Spring XM2010s Unleashed in Afghanistan by PEO Soldier, “Infantry Bugler” magazine, September 2011
  9. 1 2 Army's XM2010 sniper rifle gets full fielding - Armytimes.com, 25 April 2011
  10. ↑ Army Leaning Toward XM2010 for All - Kitup.Military.com, 15 April 2011
  11. ↑ XM2010 ‘Nailing Fellows’ in Afghanistan - Kitup.Military.com, 28 April 2011
  12. ↑ Remington Completes Its M2010 Contract - tactical-life.com, 14 May 2014
  13. ↑ Snipers Put Finishing Touches on the Last Sniper Rifle - peosoldier.armylive.dodlive.mil, 9 May 2014
  14. ↑ Army Testing Smart Scope on .300 Win Mag Sniper Rifle - Kitup.Military.com, 14 March 2014]
  15. ↑ "Remington Wins M24E1 Army Sniper Rifle Contract « Daily Bulletin". Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  16. ↑ Advanced Armament Corp. 240-SD Fast-Attach 7.62mm Silencer Archived 2010-12-02 at the Wayback Machine.
  17. ↑ "New 34mm-tube Mark 4 Scope with Horus Reticle for M24E1 « Daily Bulletin". Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  18. ↑ "Leupold Optics Mark 4 ER/T 6.5-20×50mm (30mm) M5 Front Focal -". Leupold Optics. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  19. ↑ "Clip-on Sniper Night Sight (Clip-on SNS), AN/PVS-29". PEO SOLDIER LIVE. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  20. ↑ "Equipment Piece of the Week: Clip-on Sniper Night Sight (Clip-on SNS), AN/PVS-30". PEO SOLDIER LIVE. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  21. ↑ XM2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle / M2010 ESR (USA)
  22. ↑ Detail Specification Cartridge, .300 Winchester Magnum Match, MK 248 MOD 1 DODIC AB43, NSN 1305-01-568-7504 Revision A 17 March 2009 Archived 22 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine..
  23. ↑ U.S. Navy Small Arms Ammunition Advancements.
  24. ↑ $49.9M US Contract for 300 Winchester Magnum Ammo.
  25. ↑ JBM Ballistics freeware online ballistic calculator Archived 2009-09-26 at the Wayback Machine..
  26. ↑ Weapon Employment Zone (WEZ) Analysis of the XM-2010 Rifle With Various Ammunition Types by Bryan Litz, Applied Ballistics LLC
  27. ↑ Pentagon’s Top Tester Gives Sniper Round Passing Grade - Kitup.Military.com, 31 January 2014
  28. ↑ News Remington Defense Offers Products to Civilians by Mel Ewing, 21 March 2015.

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