Weapons: Silent Death
Four months after arriving in Afghanistan for evaluation, the U.S. Army’s new XM2010 sniper rifle has been so popular that production has been speeded up. Last December, American army snipers received 250 upgrade kits for their M24 bolt-action sniper rifles. These kits converts the M24s to the more powerful XM2010 sniper rifle. A major change is allowing 7.62mm M24 rifles to fire the .300 Winchester magnum (7.62x67). This is a more powerful round than the NATO 7.62x51 ammo currently used in the M24. The conversion kit includes a new receiver and barrel, a new scope, a new flash suppressor and a folding buttstock. The XM2010 weighs 8.5 kg (18.7 pounds) and is 1.33 meters (52.2 inches) with the flash suppressor. The conversion of all 3,600 existing M24s will take five years and cost about $7,800 per rifle. Yes, the XM2010 conversion kit is basically a new rifle. The idea of introducing it as a M24 upgrade kit was largely due to procurement politics (overcoming opposition to the XM2010 and budget disputes.) …