The XM3 – The Marine Corps and DARPA’s Forgotten Sniper Rifle

One frequent theme of militaries going to battle is that they’re by no means actually ready for it. The US and the World Battle On Terror have been no totally different. Learn Era Kill to see that even elite items weren’t prepared for the invasion of Iraq. Marine snipers deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq began to see the shortcomings of their beloved M40 rifles. This led to a reasonably fascinating partnership with DARPA and resulted within the XM3 sniper rifle collection. 

Marine Snipers should not a particular operations pressure and are connected to conventional typical items. Acquiring new weapons is a really lengthy course of, and Marine snipers wanted new rifles yesterday. A gaggle of officers and workers noncommissioned officers teamed up with DARPA to look at the shortcomings of the M40 collection and produce enhancements. The tip consequence grew to become often known as the short-lived XM3 sniper rifle.  

Shortcomings of the M40 

Whereas the M40 is a superb rifle, the GWOT was a brand new battle. The city, desert, and mountainous terrain of Iraq and Afghanistan confirmed some actual weaknesses of the M40 platform. The gun was too lengthy with its 25-inch lengthy barrel. Attaching suppressors wasn’t doable, and evening imaginative and prescient optics meant eradicating and reszeroing the daytime optic. The rifle is huge and heavy, which made it powerful to make use of in these extra dynamic environments, particularly in counter-sniper efforts. 

The Downside Fixing XM3 

DARPA, the Marine Corps, and customized rifle firm Iron Briagde Armory teamed as much as create a bolt-action sniper rifle that solved these points. The rifle system used the M40 collection as its core rifle however would make in depth modifications to the design. 

The XM3 trimmed the barrel to 18.5-inches general, which is a significant trim job to the lengthy M40 barrel. Predictably, the barrel was threaded and match with a mount to accommodate a Surefire suppressor. A ahead rail mount allowed using clip-on evening imaginative and prescient optics so the daytime scope by no means needed to be eliminated. 

The receiver’s rail was now comprised of titanium and chip-slotted. The rifles used customized McMillan A1 shares. Though two have been constructed with takedown inventory designs. The chambers have been recut to just accept M118LR ammo. The receiver’s inside threads have been opened as much as 1.07 inches to permit for an ideal alignment of the bolt face and bore dimension. 

The group took stainless stell field magazines and hand match and welded them to forestall any motion of the journal. The group used a titanium Devcon and Marine Tex to mattress the barreled actions. This elevated the lifespan of the gun and maintained the right torque. 

The rifles have been issued with Surefire suppressors, a Nightforce NXS 3.5-15×50 scope, a FLIN AN/PVS-22 UNS evening imaginative and prescient unit, a Harris bipod, an Eagle cheek relaxation, a Turner Saddlery sling, and a wide range of upkeep instruments. 

The XM3 In Service 

Fifty-two rifles have been produced for the Marine Corps and despatched to the world of Marine Snipers. The rifles made their strategy to the badlands of Iraq and Afghanistan. Nearly instantly, they have been hit with Marine Snipers. They have been shorter and lighter, a lot simpler to insert. 

The rifles proved to be correct and succesful. The flexibility to make use of suppressors and evening imaginative and prescient helped the snipers be simpler killers. The rifle obtained excessive marks from the Snipers Utilizing the rifle, in addition to sniper instructors and Marien Rifle Group members. They have been well-known for his or her accuracy, however the considerably shorter barrel didn’t appear to make a lot of a distinction in accuracy or ballistics. 

There are plenty of lifeless dangerous guys because of the XM3 rifle. Which may depart you questioning why we don’t hear a lot concerning the platform in the present day. It did serve effectively however was by no means an official program. There was by no means any coaching or correct tips issued for sustaining the rifles. Once they finally broke, they have been sidelined, and Marine Armroers weren’t allowed to repair them.

The optic additionally used MOA as an alternative of MIL changes. The Marine Corps had moved to MILs years again, and the youthful snipers weren’t educated in MOA. The scope additionally used an SFP reticle, so the elevation and windage measurements solely labored at most magnification. These rifles have been theater property, which meant that they have been handed from unit to unit abroad, so an incoming sniper was being issued a very new weapon system with out prior coaching. 

What Occurred to the XM3

The rifles have been nice, so why weren’t they refined and made an official M40 designation? Worth was doubtless one issue. They have been costly rifles. We additionally entered an period the place weapons just like the M110 have been coming into play. These rifles have been already arrange with suppressors and prepared for evening imaginative and prescient; plus, they have been lighter and supplied a semi-auto design. 

Options from the XM3 made their strategy to the M40A5, which included a suppressor-ready possibility and the power so as to add a clip-on optic. The Xm3 walked so later sniper rifles may run. For those who learn this text, it would appear to be many of the XM3 options at the moment are frequent with snipers. The gun supplied a working blueprint of how these options may work. It’s a small however essential step to sniper modernization. 

The XM3 rifles have been finally given to the Military, who gave them to the CMP, who later made a killing by auctioning the rifles to the market. For those who ever see one, be ready to spend machine gun cash on it.