Yes.XM-3 was research project, looked at 20in + supressed format rifles.
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DARPA XM-3
The DARPA XM-3 was an improved variant of the M40A3 sniper rifle designed by DARPA in collaboration with Iron Brigade Armory Ltd. in 2005 and built by the Marine Corps Precision Weapons Shop in 2006. An experimental project that was never official, the XM-3 attempted to solve all the...guns.fandom.com
But they went from M40A3/5 with 25’’ to M40A6/7 with 20’’.
The XM-3 was dead at arrival it seems. Its 18.5’’ barrel showed it had lethality at some range..
But they wanted a more compact (folding buttstock) rifle and accepted a 20’’ barrel as sufficient for the ranges their snipers would expect to engage.
So 25’’ barrel was just a hangover from old days, and took time to change?
Anybody remeber in their heads what the 5’’ of extra barrel gained in MIL Wind/Drop at 1000yards?
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