Goodbye M40, Hello Mk 13 Mod 7: Marine Snipers to Get New Rifles

marines mk 13 mod 7 m40 sniper rifle aerial training — Cpl. Zachary Buren, a scout sniper with Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, takes aim aboard a MH-60S Seahawk helicopter during aerial sniper training above the Pacific Ocean, Oct. 22, 2016.

marines mk 13 mod 7 m40 sniper rifle ground training — U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Brandon Hernandez with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Scout Sniper Platoon, fires an M40 A5 on an unknown distance (UKD) rifle range during the Integrated Training Exercise (ITX) 3-16 on Marine Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Ca., May 1, 2016. The Scout Snipers practiced UKD during ITX 3-16 to prepare for upcoming deployments.

marines mk 13 mod 7 m40 sniper rifle qualification — U.S. Marines attached to Scout Sniper Platoon, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion 3rd Marine Regiment conduct Unknown Distance Qualification with M40-A5 Sniper Rifles on Range 8S during Lava Viper aboard Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii, May 24, 2015. Unknown Distance Qual is a training objective Snipers conduct while at Lava Viper.

marines mk 13 mod 7 m40 sniper rifle mountain shooting — Lance Cpl. Taymullah B. Ameen sights in down range using a M40 A5 bolt action sniper rifle in part of an unknown distance qualification range August 18 at Bradshaw Field Training Area, Northern Territory, Australia, during Exercise Koolendong 14. The range focused on increasing scout sniper’s long range precision firing capabilities. The Marines challenged themselves with the M40 A5, M110 SASS and the M107 SASR. The Marines are with Scout Sniper Platoon, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment and are currently deployed in part of the Marine Rotational Force Darwin. The rotational deployment of U.S. Marines affords an unprecedented combined training opportunity with our Australian allies, and improves interoperability with our forces. Ameen, a Chicago, Illinois native, is a mortarman assigned with the platoon.

The U.S. Marine Corps is set to replace its M40 sniper rifle system with the new Mk 13 Mod 7, USMC spokesperson Capt. Christopher Harrison confirmed to Marine Corps Times earlier this week.

From M40 to Mk 13 Mod 7

The M40 system is based around the Remington 700 bolt-action. First introduced back in 1966, the rifle has since undergone a series of upgrades, with the latest configuration being the M40A6.

But while the 7.62x51mm M40 has been in service since the Vietnam War, many felt it lacked the suitable range to get the job done in modern conflicts like Afghanistan and Iraq. Indeed, the M40’s near-1,000-yard range is well behind the Army’s M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle, which can hit targets at 1,300 yards.

That’s where the Mk 13 Mod 7 comes in. According to the Times, the rifle—which is chambered in .300 Win. Mag. — “pushes beyond 1,000 yards.”

News of the Corps’ decision to adopt the Mk 13 Mod 7 rifle has been given the thumbs up, with one sniper telling the Times the move was a “long time coming.”

The USMC’s FY19 budget justification book shows that the service intends on buying 356 Mk 13 Mod 7 rifles at a total cost of $4.287 million. That means the per unit cost will be $12,042.13. The contractor is Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane division in Crane, Indiana. First delivery is set for May 2018.

Other Procurements

Meanwhile, the USMC might also be procuring a new optic to go along with the Mk 13 Mod 7. The budget justification book earmarks money for “the MK 13 Rifle with associated optic.” That optic could be the Nightforce ATACR scope. There’s been no confirmation, but photos have surfaced showing Marines firing the Mk 13 with that riflescope.

The Mk 13 Mod 7 isn’t the only infantry weapon the Corps has its sights set on. The “Family of Infantry Weapons” section in the FY19 budget justification book also confirms the service is procuring 7,995 Infantry Automatic Rifles; 623 M320 Missile Grenade Launchers; 116 Compact Semi-Auto Sniper System (CSASS) rifles; and 35,000 Modular Handgun System pistols. The total cost of all this, including accessories, is $28.292 million.

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