SAM -R rifle and SDM -R rifle

SAM -R rifle and SDM -R rifle

Caliber:　5.56 × 45mm Mk.262

Currently, both the U.S. Army and Marine Corps are equipped with a dedicated precision shooting rifle at the squad level. Although the structure and performance are similar, they have different names. The U.S. Army's precision marksman rifle is officially known as the United States Army Squad Designated Marksman Rifle, or SDM-R, while the Marine Corps' equivalent weapon is officially known as the Squad Advanced Marksman Rifle. US Marine Corps Squad Advanced Marksman Rifle), referred to as SAM-R.

First, let’s understand what “SDM-R” is. Designated means "designated, assigned", and Marksman means "sharp shooter", plus the previous "Squad", that is to say, among the squad-level combat units, arrange for a combatant with particularly good marksmanship to use a A specialized rifle with relatively high accuracy, so literally translated, SDM-R means "Class Designated Marksman Rifle". In the final analysis, it is a sniper assigned to an infantry squad, but they are not professional snipers trained in a sniper school. , but only train ordinary soldiers into riflemen who have good shooting skills and use rifles with long-range scopes to directly support the team's tactical operations with precise firepower at a position slightly farther than the general combat distance. In addition, they also need to use scopes. Providing real-time information to support fires (such as machine gun teams and mortar teams) to better target or suppress enemy targets. So the Americans tried their best to come up with a name for these "non-professional" snipers at the squad level, which are the so-called "designated sharpshooters."

The specialized rifles of these "designated sharpshooters" only use combat rifles with higher accuracy, rather than professional sniper rifles. Since the name of this "class designated marksman rifle" is too long and too confusing to pronounce, I used to take its meaning and call it "precision shooting rifle". The literal meaning of Advanced is "advanced, advanced", and the so-called "advanced sharpshooter" refers to "special marksman", so although the names are different, the meanings of "SAM-R" and "SDM-R" are exactly the same. Therefore, this type of weapons, including "reconnaissance rifles", can actually be collectively referred to as "precision rifles" or "precision rifles" or simply use the more common English abbreviation DMR.

But in the final analysis, whether it is "SAM-R" or "SDM-R", their role and positioning are actually the same as the Russian SVD. They are both a type of sniper rifle - although in the eyes of professional snipers, they are not so Be professional. Therefore, the sharpshooters in the squad are actually part-time snipers at the squad level.

USMC SAM-R

The squad's senior marksman and his specialized weapon, the SAM-R, are the product of a large number of tests conducted by the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) as a squad-designated marksman. They were discovered during exercises and exercises and are used in small-scale units. Having a scoped rifle and a Marine with more shooting training will be of great benefit, and the optics can assist the squad leader in providing observation and target adjustment information for the fire support weapon. The concept of squad-designated sharpshooters was first used by the 4th Marine Expeditionary Group (Counterterrorism) and the Marine Corps Security Forces.

After testing, the MCWL armorers decided to use AR-15/M16-style weapons. This was to allow the sharpshooter's special rifle to use common ammunition with the standard rifles of other combatants. Originally the Marines were going to adopt the Marine Special Forces Mk . 11 Mod 0 sniper rifle, but later switched to the DMR rifle , a variant of the M14, but the DMR rifle is not compatible with the rest of the class's weapons and currently Used only by special forces, the SAM-R rifle is issued to regular troops.

The SAM-R is assembled in the Precision Weapons Section of the weapons training camp at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. The initial experimental model used the M16A2 with a stainless steel match-grade heavy-duty barrel, 1/7 twist rate, used KAC's M4 match/sniper free-floating RAS handguard, and used the M16A1 trigger group, capable of single-shot and continuous shooting. For shooting, a variety of white light sights were initially used, including Hensoldt Blitz, Leupold CQ/T, ACOG, Leupold TS-30 A1 and Leupold TS-30 A2, but the most common sight was the Leupold Mark 4 MR/T 2.5-8x36mm , this is standard equipment, there are also some using the old Mark 4 MR/T 3-9x36mm. The night vision scope in the test was the AN/PVS-17B, and now apparently Marine Corps combat units prefer to use the PVS-22.

The SAM-R currently in use is generally modified with M16A4, and the lower receiver is also a standard M16A4, so it can only fire single shots and 3-shot bursts. In order to improve accuracy, the SAM-R uses the M16A1 first-fire trigger. The SAM-R also has an extended bomb ramp. The barrel is a 20-inch long 1/7 twist match-grade stainless steel Krieger SS barrel produced by Compass Lake, with a standard A2-style flash hider installed on the front of the barrel.

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The SAM-R uses KAC's 600-meter flip-up rear sight. The first SAM-R uses a special Quantico gas hoop/bayonet protrusion with a Picatinny rail on the top of the gas hoop. A KAC flip-up front sight is mounted on the rail. During this period, some transitional models used independent gas hoops and attached bayonet protrusions to the barrel. Later rifles used KAC's special gas guide (currently not sold to civilians), and already had folding front sights and bayonet protrusions. The optical sight used is a TS-30 A2 (army designated Leupold Mk4 M3 3-9 x 36mm MR/T illuminated scope) fixed with an ARMS scope ring, the same as that used on the Mk 12 Mod 0/1 SPR . The AN/PVS-17B can be used in night combat.

Today's SAM-R still uses the KAC M4 sniper/match free-floating RAS (KAC part number 99266). The handguard can be equipped with a Harris bipod through the KAC bipod connector, and can also be installed with an AN/PEQ-2 infrared laser designator, tactical light, AN/PVS-14 monocular night vision goggles, etc., or only a RAS. Panels and foregrip.

Approximately 100 assembled SAM-R rifles have been sent to the 22nd, 24th, and 26th Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU) of the Second Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF), which are all deployed in East Asia. coastal. The SAM-R rifle of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) based on the West Coast is made of an M16A4 equipped with a KAC M5 RAS handguard, equipped with a TA31F ACOG and a bipod. They are called "West Coast SAM" Rifle” (West Coast SAM-R).

The number of SAM-R equipment is not too much. The Marine Corps is currently preparing to replace SAM-R with Mk12 SPR.

Marine Corps SAM-R

Before there was a dedicated SAM-R rifle, the Marine Corps directly installed a scope and bipod on the M16A4 to perform such tasks.

This is a photo of the 22nd MEU during an operation to hunt down the "Taliban" in Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan, on May 24, 2004. The sharpshooter on the left uses a SAM-R, and the soldier on the right uses an ordinary M16A4.

A Marine from the 22nd MEU is on guard duty with a SAM-R rifle.

A sharpshooter from the 22nd MEU in Afghanistan uses the scope of a SAM-R rifle to perform observation/security missions.

On August 22, 2003, two Marines from the 22nd MEU were discussing this M16A4 modified SAM-R rifle.

Marines from the 22nd MEU conduct the PHIBLEX amphibious landing exercise in Albania on March 11, 2004.

2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment uses a SAM-R during gunnery training on August 23, 2004.

On August 24, 2004, the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Marine Regiment was conducting shooting training. This shooter used a West Coast SAM-R rifle.

This SAM-R uses HK’s steel magazine

The British army is equipped with a small number of SAM rifles

USA SDM-R

When the U.S. Marine Corps, through extensive experimentation during Project Metropolis, developed the military function of squad marksman and clearly wanted to create a rifle for them, the U.S. Army also began to develop training for each squad. The job of a good marksman, called SDM, is to develop a specialized rifle, the SDM-R.

Like the Marine Corps' SAM-R, the Army's SDM-R is developed by the US Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU), which is similar to the positioning of the People's Liberation Army's Bayi Shooting Team, but they are also responsible for formulating the US Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU). The Army's shooting training teaching content) was modified from the M16A4 rifle, so this rifle is also informally called the "AMU rifle." The SDM-R program is to provide the squad with precision firepower and reconnaissance capabilities at a 600-meter engagement range, similar to the Mk 12 Mod 0/1 developed under USSOCOM and the Marine Corps, or the SEAL "Scout Rifle," and Marine Corps SAM-R.

From most reports, the rifle appears to be using an existing stock lower receiver. This means that the rifle uses an A2/A4-style lower receiver supplied by Colt or formerly FNMI, and installs a fixed A2-style stock. The upper receiver is flat-top. Unlike the Marine Corps' SAM-R rifle or SPR rifle, the Army's SDM-R does not have an extended feed ramp. The trigger was replaced with a KAC company's two-fire competition grade trigger, which can only fire semi-automatically.

The traditional 1/7 twist rate, 20-inch long barrel was replaced with a stainless steel Douglas 1/8 twist rate, 20-inch long match-grade barrel. The barrel surface has 12 grooves to reduce weight and speed up heat dissipation. . The front sight post is not changed to a folding type like the SDM-R, but four fixing screws are used instead of the original two fixing pins. The front end of the barrel retains the A2 style flash hider.

The scope supplied with the SDM-R rifle is 4×32 ACOG (TA31F, TA01, TA01B or TA01NSN). There is also a 600-meter backup sight provided by Matech Industries.

The SDM-R uses Daniel Defense’s M4 Rail 12.0 handguard, which looks similar to the KAC M5 RAS handguard, but locks onto the receiver with an octagonal steel ring. A Harris SL bipod or ARMS No. 17 rail mount mounts under the handguard. Since the handguard is free-floating and does not contact the barrel, any pressure from the bipod on the handguard will not affect the barrel.

Sergeant Rhoda D. Riley of Company G, 4th Battalion, 25th Artillery Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum, N.Y., graduated from the U.S. Army Sharpshooter Unit's class designated sharpshooter training course at Fort Benning. The first woman.

The U.S. Army's team sharpshooter in Iraq. Although the Army's SDM-R rifle is very similar to the ordinary M16A4, the octagonal fixing ring of the handguard is the main way to distinguish the two rifles.