Ranges on Fort Benning aren't long enough for Army's new sniper rifle

Yahoo

2 days ago

The Army is updating its sniper training range at Fort Benning, Georgia to accommodate its newest sniper rifle, which can accurately hit targets nearly a mile away.
The MK22 Precision Sniper Rifle is a multi-caliber bolt-action sniper rifle that was designed to replace the Army's M2010, M110 and M107 rifles, according to the Army's Program Executive Office Soldier, which is in charge of new weapon development.
The Army's current generation of sniper rifles have 'an effective range' of nearly 1,000 meters, but the new MK22 can reach targets between 1,500 to 1,800 meters away, said Shane Duncanson, Fort Benning range planner, in an Army release. As a result, he said, the sniper rifle 'requires a whole different range design.'
Will Brugge, a spokesperson for Fort Benning, said that the range upgrades will allow soldiers to use the MK22 to the fullest extent, which helps them train specific sniper skills like calculating ballistics, estimating distances and actually hitting targets.
'Firing at targets with the weapon system's maximum effective range requires snipers to be absolutely precise with their ballistic calculations to accommodate for atmospheric conditions, primarily wind speed and temperature. It also requires snipers to be absolute with their range estimation skills. Further engagements also challenge the sniper's ability to detect targets and apply target recognition skills,' Brugge said. 'Snipers who do this successfully gain experience and confidence in using the weapon system.'
The MK22 rifle can swap between three different barrels to use three types of ammunition: the typical 7.62mm, and two new calibers, .300 and .338 Norma Magnum rounds, which can be switched out depending on the type of mission.
With the shortest barrel, the rifle can use standard 7.62 rounds for targets as far as 1000 meters. Two longer barrels accommodate the .300NM's regular ball round and the .338NM's armor-piercing round for shots up to 1,500 meters, according to an Army fact sheet on the system.
An Army marksmanship instructor at one of the largest bases told Task & Purpose that some soldiers with the new MK22 have not yet received the .300NM and .338NM ammunition. Unlike 7.62 rounds, which the Army has used for decades in other weapons, both of the new sniper rounds have been developed specifically for the rifle. The Army signed a $157 million contract with Sig Sauer to produce .300NM and .338NM ammunition in June 2022. Sig Sauer told Task & Purpose that all of the ammunition ordered by the Army had been delivered.
The Army fielded the MK22 to special operations soldiers in 2021. According to PEO Soldier officials, the sniper rifles are still being distributed to conventional units that have sniper-trained soldiers assigned to them, such as infantry battalions. Officials declined to give additional details on what units have so far received the MK22 or which might soon.
The sniper rifle is also being adopted by the Marine Corps, which announced in November 2024 that it had been fielded to all of its infantry and reconnaissance units and training schools. The new rifles arrive amid a Marine Corps-wide overhaul of its marksmanship training, which includes building new ranges at major training centers.
Fort Benning's largest firing range, the Burroughs Range, was completed in 1976 and was originally designed for heavy sniper training with armored targets and a moving target rail system 800 meters from shooters.
To make room for the MK22, the range will now initially be upgraded for soldiers to practice with targets at distances between 800 and 1,100 meters. Further work will extend that distance to 1,200 meters away in the coming years.
However, as part of the range upgrades, the Army is removing a 225-meter berm and tracks, which will give soldiers an additional line of sight to distant targets and an area to install new trackless moving targets.
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