M k.12 SPR
M k.12 SPR
Caliber: 5.56 × 45mm M k.262
The U.S. Navy's Mk . 12 Special Purpose Rifle (SPR) has been used by special forces of the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. SPR originally meant Special Purpose Receiver (Special Purpose Receiver). This replaceable upper receiver is part of the SOPMOD upgrade plan, but when an M4 carbine is replaced with this receiver, it becomes another type of receiver. A standalone weapon system, not just one of SOPMOD's accessories. Therefore SPR also stands for Special Purpose Rifle. The SPR has been designated the Mk . 12 by the Navy, and the SEALs began receiving the weapon in 2002, but Army Special Forces also use this designation.
The SPR program is to provide the U.S. Army and Navy Special Forces (NAVSPECWAR) with a lightweight sniper rifle that has a longer effective range than the M4 carbine and is shorter than the standard M16A2/A4. The weapons system was originally planned by Mark Westrom, then working at Rock Island Arsenal and now chairman of Armalite. But the SPR program appears to have been canceled along with the planned SOPMOD Block 4 and SEAL "reconnaissance rifle." The reason is that special forces don't seem to be too interested in this "light sniper rifle". On a foreign firearms forum, a Navy SEAL with the ID of FROGMAN once replied that the SPR "they suck", referring to its "power is too weak, the range is too close, and it is not suitable for sniper missions." In fact, the SPR is the same as the Army's SDM-R and the Marine Corps' SAM-R. Perhaps the assault operations of the special forces emphasize fast in and fast out, and are not interested in fighting. The combatants responsible for surveillance or flank security prefer to wear scopes. assault rifle; and if it is a mission that requires the use of a semi-automatic sniper rifle, they already have the Mk11 Mod 0 , which is lightweight, long-range and accurate , so "intermediate" sniper rifles like the SPR that are neither high nor low are simply not available. Use (the above analysis is purely personal speculation).
Although the SPR rifle has a bleak future, it has been spotted in photos in Iraq recently. In the private sector, imitations of SPR rifles (both complete guns and modified parts, commonly known as "SPR clones") have also become popular among many target gun shooters and collectors in the United States, making the AR-15 itself very popular. A high-precision rifle popular among gun shooters, after being converted to SPR, it not only further improves accuracy, but also looks cool.
.jpg)
There is a consensus among observers and small arms historians that different forms of SPR were deployed in different US military units. The evidence includes photos released by the U.S. Department of Defense and privately released photos showing U.S. Army Special Forces using the SPR Mk 12 Mod 0, while NAVSPECWAR personnel used the Mk 12 Mod 1. However, the number of Mk12s used in the army is small, and everyone still prefers the " Recce rifle " assembled by themselves.
Upper receiver: The upper receiver was originally supplied by Colt, with some parts coming from Dimaco (when Colt acquired Dimaco in February 2005, it let the Canadian company outsource some parts). However, there are also some opinions that the upper receiver is provided by Armalite. So is it true that both Armalite and Colt/Dimaco supply Mk12 receivers at the same time? In short, these upper receivers are of the flat-top type, but some have been found to have old-style oval auxiliary pusher handles, and others have new-style round auxiliary pusher handles. But in other respects, the details are basically the same.
Lower receiver: During the SPR development period, Crane only used the lower receiver of the M16A1 or M4A1 to assemble the prototype gun. It is unclear what developments occurred during the development process, and there is some debate. As the Navy model was being finalized, PRI (Precision Reflex Incorporated) began assembling their own finished gun. There were many options for the final product, but it was initially decided that the standard lower receiver would use KAC’s two-stage fire trigger.
Barrel: 18-inch (457mm), 1:7 twist rate, match-grade free-floating stainless steel heavy-duty barrel, fitted with an OPS muzzle brake and sleeve (also includes OPS Type 12 suppressor) on the barrel. The weight of the barrel has been optimized to ensure maximum accuracy while minimizing weight, and is produced by Douglas Barrels. These barrels are designed to fire the new 77-grain (5g) Mk 262 bullet.
Stock: Various types of SPR have used M16A1 fixed stock, M16A2 fixed stock, M4 telescopic stock, and improved Crane stock.
Handguard: All models use a free-floating front stock. The handguard does not contact the barrel to eliminate irregular vibrations of the barrel and increase shooting accuracy. The first SPR uses PRI Gen I or Gen II carbon fiber floating tubular handguards; the SPR/A, SPR/B and Mk 12 Mod 1 all use KAC M4 Match floating RAS; the Mk 12 Mod 0 uses PRI Gen III floating tubulars Handguard.
Mechanical sights: The original SPR used the early PRI flip-up front sight with a height adjustment dial, while the current Mk 12 Mod 0 only uses the PRI flip-up front sight. The SPR/A, SPR/B and Mk 12 Mod 1 use a KAC rail flip-up front sight. The SPR and Mk 12 Mod 0 use the ARMS #40 flip up rear sight. Other models use a KAC 600m flip-up rear sight.
Optical sight: Due to its modularity, the optical sight (and almost every other accessory) can be installed according to the preferences of the individual shooter. Currently, this weapon system is often seen using the 3.5 ~ 10× 40mm Leupold LR M3 (SPR /A), 2.5 ~ 9× 36mm TS-30 (SPR/B), or 3 ~ 9× 36mm TS-30 A2 (Mk 12 Mod 0/1) and other medium-range/illuminated white light sights (civilian type Commonly installed Leupold Mark 4 MR/T 3 ~ 9× 36). Night vision scopes can also be installed. These scopes usually come with dust caps and KillFlash ’s honeycomb anti-reflective device.
Scope mount: The early model produced by ARMS uses a long rail, called a SWAN mount (ARMS SPR MOD, or ARMS #38 SPR PEQ-2-3), which extends from the front end of the handguard to the rear end of the upper receiver. Both SPR/A and SPR/B use KAC M4 Match FF RAS. Generally, two ARMS #22 Throwlever 30mm steel rings are used to mount the white light sight. SPR/A, SPR/B and Mk 12 Mod 1 use ARMS #22 high ring, SPR and Mk 12 Mod 1 use ARMS #22 mid ring. Install the ARMS #32 Throwlever bipod mount under the handguard, a Harris bipod that can be quickly attached/detached.
Muffler: The silencer is screwed onto the muzzle brake of OPS Company. This is the Type 12 SPR Muzzle Brake Suppressor (MBS) of OPS Company.
Ammunition: The SPR is not equipped with standard 62-grain (4g) M855 ordinary bullets or M856 tracer bullets, but uses the more accurate Mark 262 Open Tip Match (OTM). The ammunition is produced by Black Hills. The first batch of military products has been finalized as Mk 262 Mod 0, using Sierra's 77-grain (5g) Hollow Point Boat Tail (HPBT) warhead. Later, Black Hills produced a similar 77-grain OTM warhead, and later Nosler supplied a warhead similar to the Sierra but with improvements, which was named Mk 262 Mod 1. Recently, Sierra has also been willing to produce Nosler's improved warhead, which will replace the Nosler warhead in the current Mk 262 Mod 1.
To put it simply, the original impression was that 77-grain ammunition was not used (probably referring to Mk262). At that time, all 77-grain ammunition was sent to the battlefield, so they used green-tipped bullets in the rear (probably referring to M855 ) to test SPR. In the 2003 test, they were unable to obtain a stable distribution. Some people thought it was a problem with the LEUPOLD sight, and some thought it was the silencer. Because they were about to be dispatched and had no time to find the real reason, some team members simply handed the SPR back, while others kept it. After arriving in the Persian Gulf, he used 77 Gao Lin ammunition to shoot, and the accuracy of the SPR surprised him. He didn't know whether the original problem was due to the use of a batch of problematic green-tipped ammunition. He still has reservations about the reliability of SPR due to previous events, but has changed.
He was seriously injured during a mission. At that time, he was carrying an M4 CQBR with a 10-inch upper receiver and a Mk11 that was disassembled and put into a backpack. During the recovery period in his hometown, he recalled the mission and came to the conclusion: If he was more familiar with the Mk12 at the time, he might have concluded that he only needed to carry one Mk12. After returning to the team, he began to train and use the Mk12 with all his strength. Sniping with 5.56mm requires more skill than 7.62mm, but it is not impossible.
Because the SPR is so light, it can be quickly converted to target close range targets (but he still wishes the barrel could be lighter). In a battle, he and another team member used SPR to fight from a distance of 25 meters to 925 meters, killing many people but not himself. All of his shots during the battle were suppressed. Since then, he has a higher appreciation for the reliability of SPR - he completely likes SPR and even built another one for training. The Mk12 SPR went from his least favorite gun to his favorite. In other posts on this BBS, he mentioned that SEALs' SPR uses KAC's FF RAS. His own gun is equipped with an M16A1 stock, and some other team members use CRANE stocks instead.
Also according to the information provided, the Marine Corps is replacing the SAM-R with the Mk12 SPR. FR has been using SPR as early as 2004.
Comments
Post a Comment