New Versatile and Adaptable Sniper Rifle

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The United States Marine Corps and Army have recently placed orders for a new sniper rifle designed for extreme versatility and accuracy. The Barett MRAD has been developed to be operated in a variety of conditions at different ranges and against different types of targets. Last year the United States Special Operations Command placed orders on the weapon, now the sniper rifle will replace older and heavier rifles used by many of the US Military’s ground forces.

The Barrett MRAD (Multi-Role Adaptive Design) is a bolt-action rifle built into a heavy duty metal chassis, as reported by Popularmechanics.com. The rifle fires rounds from a ten round magazine and when stripped of optics, bipod, and other accessories, the weapon weighs between 13 and 14.5 pounds. The rifle’s shoulder stock is foldable, thus shortening the weapon whenever it’s not in use, making it easy to carry the weapon.

The MRAD’s biggest selling point is its capability to grant snipers with the ability to swap barrels, making it possible to change the weapon’s caliber on the spot. It often requires a trained gunsmith to swap a high accuracy sniper rifle’s barrel, however with the new MRAD, all it takes is the use of a single tool.

The MRAD fires the traditional sniper caliber of .308 Winchester and .300 Winchester Magnum. The weapon’s barrel can be easily swapped to fire .338 Norma Magnum, 6.5 Creedmoor, .300 Norma and .300 PRC. These calibers all offer different performance at different ranges, making it possible for the sniper to match his weapon to the environment he’s in. For example, an .308 Winchester would be a useful round for an urban environment where the ranges are shorter and reduced visual and acoustic signatures are critical. Other rounds, such as the .338 Lapua Magnum offer greater firing distances making it possible to effectively hit targets 2 kilometers away.

In addition to the barrel swap capabilities, the MRAD comes with a fully adjustable stock. The stock is capable of being adjusted both vertically and horizontally making it possible for the shooter to adjust the stock for optimal accuracy.

The Marine Corps and the Army together have ordered a total of 768 MRAD rifles at a price tag of $14 million, according to Businessinsider.com. Each rifle is worth about $16,000 and includes a sound suppressor and scope. The new rifle is expected to replace the M2010 sniper rifle and the M107 heavy sniper rifle.