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Designated marksman rifle

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A designated marksman rifle (DMR) is the weapon used by soldiers in the designated marksman role. The DM role fills the gap between a regular infantryman and a sniper and DMRs have been developed with this middle ground in mind.

These rifles have to be effective, in terms of accuracy and terminal ballistics, at ranges exceeding those of ordinary assault rifles (typically up to 500 metres (550 yd)*) but do not require the extended range of a dedicated sniper rifle (typically up to 1,000 metres (1,100 yd)*).

DMRs, however, often share some basic characteristics with sniper rifles in difference to the weapons carried by others in the DMs unit. DMRs may have an attached telescopic sight, quickly-deployed stabilizing bipod to allow accuracy in temporarily fixed situations or an adjustable stock.

They will, though, generally retain semi-automatic firing capability (more rapid than bolt-action sniper rifles) and a larger magazine capacity of 10, 20, or 30 rounds depending on the firearm in question.

Designated marksman rifles compared to sniper rifles, battle rifles, and assault rifles

Soldiers of the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq. The soldier on the right is armed with an M4 carbine. The soldier on the left is armed with an SDM-R.

Most designated marksman rifles are based on an assault rifle that is currently issued by a nation's military, or on a battle rifle that was formerly issued. A battle rifle is a semi-automatic or full-automatic rifle that fires 7.62mm NATO or similar full-power rounds. Classic examples include the M14, FN FAL, AR-10 and Heckler & Koch G3. These rifles were largely replaced by assault rifles firing the 5.56mm NATO cartridge during the 1970s and 1980s.

Some nations have also built rifles that were designed for the designated marksman from the ground up.

Sights

All designated marksman rifles will have some type of optical sight with a higher magnification level than the standard issue rifle. For example, the SDM-R issued to the United States Army is fitted with a Trijicon 4x ACOG, while the standard-issue M4 carbine is equipped with an unmagnified Aimpoint CompM2 or CompM4. Sometimes, the sighting system will be the only difference between the standard rifle and the designated marksman rifle, as is the case with the F88S DMR issued to the Australian Army.

Sniper rifles often have even greater magnification than designated marksman rifles, for example, the M110 SASS used by the United States Army, is equipped with a Leupold 3.5-10x variable-power scope. However, some designated marksman rifles, such as the Mk 12 Special Purpose Rifle or the USMC Squad Advanced Marksman Rifle are fitted with scopes with similar magnification.

Barrels

In some cases, the designated marksman rifle will have a longer barrel than the standard issued rifle. However, this is not universally true. In fact, the M16A4 rifle is still standard issue to the United States Marine Corps. The barrel on the Mk 12 Special Purpose Rifle, the current rifle used by the squad designated marksman in the USMC, is only 18 inches long - two inches shorter than the barrel on the standard rifle. Also, some rifles, such as the F88S Austeyr, have a barrel that is the same length as the standard service rifle.

Most sniper rifles, such as the Accuracy International Arctic Warfare have a barrel with a length of 24 inches or greater. Only the SVD and similar designated marksman rifles have a barrel of this length. The designated marksman rifles based on the M14 have barrels 18-22 inches long.

Ammunition

In most cases, the designated marksman rifle fires the same ammunition and uses the same magazines as the standard assault rifle. In the U.S. military, designated marksman rifles chambered for 5.56mm NATO ammunition have a special load known as Mk 262 Mod 0/1 available to them. This load has a 77 grain match-grade bullet (compared to 62 grain for standard SS109), which increases the maximum range of the rifle to roughly 700 meters. Designated marksman rifles developed from battle rifles fire the 7.62mm NATO round, either standard ball ammunition, or special match-grade loads, such as M118LR in the United States.

The smallest caliber sniper rifles are usually chambered for 7.62mm NATO or 7.62x54mmR, with .338 Lapua Magnum and larger not being unheard of. In 2007, Craig Harrison, a Corporal of Horse in the Household Cavalry used a sniper rifle chambered for .338 Lapua Magnum to set the record for longest confirmed sniper kill in combat, at 2,475 meters.

Action

All designated marksman rifles in use today use a semi-automatic action, with some also being able to fire in full-automatic mode.

Some sniper rifles are semi-automatic, though the vast majority are bolt-action.

Designated marksman rifles by nation

  • French FAMAS rifle with optic
    French FAMAS rifle with optic
  • HK G3 rifle, marksman variant used by Germany in Afghanistan.
    HK G3 rifle, marksman variant used by Germany in Afghanistan.
  • SVD rifle in Iraqi service..
    SVD rifle in Iraqi service..
  • Marksman variant of the Israeli TAR-21 Tavor rifle in service with the Guatemalan Navy.
    Marksman variant of the Israeli TAR-21 Tavor rifle in service with the Guatemalan Navy.
  • U.S. Marine firing the M14 DMR
    U.S. Marine firing the M14 DMR
  • Mk 12 Mod 1 Special Purpose Rifle.
    Mk 12 Mod 1 Special Purpose Rifle.

References

  1. ^ Muir, Tom (01 Feb 2010). "Land Force: Army's broad fire capabilities key to mission success | ADM Feb 2010". Australian Defence Magazine. Retrieved 9 June 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ Wellfare, John (14/04/2011). "Shooting for modern combat". Army News (Australia). Retrieved 9 June 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Pratt, Anthony. "COMBAT SHOOTING,   A NEW PERSPECTIVE". Australian Army Journal. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); no-break space character in |title= at position 17 (help)
  4. ^ "Contract Notice View - CN352591". AusTender. Australian Government. December 14, 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  5. ^ Hetherington, Andrew (03/02/2011). "Extreme Peril". Army News (Australia). Retrieved 9 June 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ http://coltcanada.com/ct-page.htm
  7. ^ http://www.pmulcahy.com/assault_rifles/french_assault_rifles.htm
  8. ^ http://www.operacional.pt/hk-417-calibre-762x51mm-nato/
  9. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pomD16sAV5s
  10. ^ http://www.mil.no/hv/start/article.jhtml?articleID=140199K
  11. ^ http://www.israel-weapon.com/?catid={5BFF4796-19A2-422C-8C88-ADDC0BEA8DFA}
  12. ^ https://peosoldier.army.mil/newpeo/Equipment/Temp.asp?id=IW_M14
  13. ^ http://www.americanspecialops.com/special-ops-weapons/m39-emr.php
  14. ^ http://www.fbodaily.com/archive/2008/08-August/03-Aug-2008/FBO-01629550.htm
  15. ^ Bryant and Bryant, Weapons of the US Army Rangers. Copyright 2005, Zenith Press.

See also

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