The firearm thread

**Drunken Monkey** · 20th December 2010, 08:27

**The Pastor** · 20th December 2010, 08:48

anyone know where i can site my rifle in?

**jono035** · 20th December 2010, 21:32

Originally Posted by renegade master

anyone know where i can site my rifle in?

No luck with the Deerstalkers range on Sunday, then?

DM: Looks like it didn't fair much better than my wok from the last hurrah at the Onewhero Lunatic Asylum and Shooting Range.

**Drunken Monkey** · 20th December 2010, 22:03

Originally Posted by Wolf

It could be something to do at the new range when it's operational - ...

Originally Posted by renegade master

anyone know where i can sight my rifle in?

Is there any more progress on the Ararimu pistol/blackpowder/etc.... place, or has it all fallen through? Anyone got any up to date information?

**The Pastor** · 21st December 2010, 08:23

Originally Posted by jono035

No luck with the Deerstalkers range on Sunday, then?

DM: Looks like it didn't fair much better than my wok from the last hurrah at the Onewhero Lunatic Asylum and Shooting Range.

it pissed down.

**Swoop** · 21st December 2010, 13:47

20 December, 2010: The U.S. Army has delivered to troops in Afghanistan, 250 upgrade kits for their M24 bolt-action sniper rifles. These kids converts the M24s to the more powerful XM2010 sniper rifle. This main changed is allowing 7.62mm M24 rifles to fire the .300 Winchester magnum (7.62x67). This is a more powerful round than the NATO 7.62x51 round currently used in the M24. The conversion kit includes a new receiver and barrel, a new scope, a new flash suppressor and a folding buttstock. The XM2010 weighs 8.5 kg (18.7 pounds) and is 1.33 meters (52.2 inches) with the flash suppressor. The conversion of all 3,600 M24s will take five years and will cost about $7,800 per rifle.
Last year, the army ordered 38.4 million rounds of .300 Winchester magnum ammunition for its newly modified M24 sniper rifles, as well as similar SOCOMs Mk13 models. The new ammo costs about $1.30 per round. The .300 Winchester magnum ammo is ordered in minimum lots of 56,160 rounds (117 boxes of 480 rounds each). The entire 38.4 million rounds will last a while.

All this is in response to requests from snipers for a longer range weapon, but not one as bulky and heavy as the 13.6 kg (30 pound) .50 caliber/12.7mm rifle (which is good to about 2,000 meters). It was felt that the .300 Winchester Magnum gave the snipers all the additional range they needed, without requiring a much heavier rifle. SOCOM has been using this approach since the early 1990s.

The calls were loudest from snipers operating in Afghanistan, where U.S. Army and Marine Corps shooters wanted a sniper rifle that can consistently get kills out to 1,800 meters. The current 7.62mm round was good only to about 800 meters. The .300 Winchester magnum is a more powerful, but not much larger, round than the current 7.62mm one. An improved version of the magnum round is expected to extend that range another 200 meters or so.

There was another option, and that was to replace the barrel and receiver of the M24 sniper rifles to handle the .338 (8.6mm) Lapua Magnum round. Thus you still have a 7-9 kg sniper rifle, but with a round that can hit effectively out to 1,600 meters or more. British snipers in Iraq, and especially Afghanistan, have found the Lapua Magnum round does the job at twice the range of the standard 7.62x51mm round. The 8.6mm round entered use in the early 1990s, and became increasingly popular with police and military snipers. Dutch snipers have used this round in Afghanistan with much success, and have a decade of experience with these larger caliber rifles. British snipers in Afghanistan are also using the new round, having converted many of their 7.62mm sniper rifles. Recognizing the popularity of the 8.6mm round, Barrett, the pioneer in 12.7mm sniper rifles, came out with a 15.5 pound version of its rifle, chambered for the 8.6mm. But the U.S. preferred the lighter .300 Winchester magnum solution.

This is not the first time the U.S. Army has quickly responded to sniper needs. Two years ago, in response to requests from snipers operating in urban areas of Iraq, the U.S. Army began issuing the M110 SASS (Semi-Automatic Sniper System). Urban snipers often have multiple targets, at relatively short ranges. They needed a semiautomatic rifle. Previously, many snipers have had success using tuned up M-14s (from the 1960s) as sniper rifles. While semi-automatic and rugged, the M-14 wasn't designed to be a sniper rifle. The M110 was a better semi-automatic sniper rifle, since it is inherently more reliable and accurate. As far back as World War II, it was known that there were many situations where a semi-automatic sniper rifle would come in handy. But it's taken over half a century to solve the reliability and accuracy problems.

The M110 is a based on the AR-10 rifle. The U.S. Navy has been buying a similar weapon, the SR25. This is also known as the Mk11 Sniper Rifle System (SRS). These new semi-automatic sniper rifles are 7.62mm weapons based on the designs of M-16 creator, Gene Stoner. The basis for the M-16 was the AR-15, and a 7.62mm version of that weapon was called the AR-10. About half the parts in the SR25 are interchangeable with those in the M-16. The Stoner sniper rifle achieved its high accuracy partly by using a 20 inch heavy floating barrel. The "floating" means that the barrel is attached only to the main body of the rifle to reduce resonance (which throws off accuracy.)

The M110 weighs 7.9 kg (17.3 pounds) in combat, and about 32 kg (70 pounds) with all components of the system. The M110 can use a ten or twenty round magazine. The 128 cm (40.5 inch) long rifle can have a 15 cm (six inch) tube attached to the barrel, which reduces the noise and flash made when the rifle fires, and largely eliminates nearby dust rising into the air, which often gives away the snipers position.

The M110 will gradually replace some of the bolt-action M24s, while the remaining M24s will be converted to fire the .300 Winchester Magnum, for those snipers working somewhere, like Afghanistan, where more range is needed.

**sAsLEX** · 21st December 2010, 14:31

New receiver, new barrel, new scope, new butstock........ sounds like a whole new rifle to me and undoubtedly would of been cheaper to ship complete new weapons.

**Wolf** · 21st December 2010, 14:56

Originally Posted by Mr Merde

To all those members of the Onewhero Shooting Club.

On New Years Day it is my sons 20th birthday. His first in NZ

We are holding a party for him in the afternoon onwards.

You are all invited

Jono, Scott, Andrew, Alan (DM), Nigel, Wolf and anyone else whose names I havent mentioned.

BBQ for Jon's venison and nibble food will be laid on. Just bring booze. There is a couple of bunks available and I Have a large internal garage for those too pissed to travel.

Chris

I've organised the time off from minding kids, now I need a location as I'm going to have to organise how to get there - most likely by bus. I suspect I'll be availing myself of the garage as I've got to head up to North Shore the following afternoon.

Got to book the bus in the next couple of days - apparently there are still buses running on the 1st.

**The Pastor** · 21st December 2010, 15:15

Originally Posted by Swoop

The M110 weighs 7.9 kg (17.3 pounds) in combat, and about 32 kg (70 pounds) with all components of the system.

lol whut?

also

ipod+m110

**Indiana_Jones** · 21st December 2010, 15:18

Count me in aye. Been too long since last time.

-Indy

**The Pastor** · 21st December 2010, 15:20

Originally Posted by Indiana_Jones

Count me in aye. Been too long since last time.

-Indy

there talking about a pissup, not a cross-dressup......

**jono035** · 21st December 2010, 19:02

Originally Posted by renegade master

lol whut?

also

Yeah, those iPods turned ballistics computers are a pretty neat idea. From memory, Cheyenne Tactical do a similar setup for the Intervention.

Also, as for weight, they may be including ammo and mags, among other things...