Super detailed article from Michael Haugen
http://www.snipershide.com/m24-sniper-weapons-system/
A considerable amount has been written about the M24 Sniper Weapons System (SWS) over the years (some of from me), but much of the information has focused on specific aspects such as its history, exceptional feats accomplished, etc. The thought occurred to me that many of the nuances of the rifle and system over its life are not well known and there seems to be a genuine interest in these things.
This article will attempt to address a variety of things unique to the M24 SWS that people seem to ask about or in some cases pontificate on incorrectly. The source of my information comes from two sources; my decade plus experience as a sniper and sniper instructor and my twelve plus years working for Remington (Military Products Division/Remington Defense). I will say up front that there are some aspects of this system (specifically its early development) that are slightly ambiguous and fraught with numerous variations of the events, therefore I will skirt many of these for the time being and rather focus on hard information that might be of interest.
OVERVIEW OF THE SYSTEM
As has been written about extensively, is the fact that the M24 SWS was developed as a result of a concerted effort by the US Army to acquire a new sniper rifle. The Army went to lengths to identify exactly what it wanted its snipers to get and thus spent some time talking to the end users and developing a requirements document from which a solicitation could be developed.
The resulting solicitation specified a robust “system” that would support all conceivable types of operations in all environments. The Army desired a bolt action system that was user maintainable that delivered consistent repeatable accuracy. They wanted this system to provide the sniper with everything he needed (there were no female snipers in the Army in the late 80s) to ensure the weapon remained operational despite possible breakages and issues. Subsequently, the M24 SWS was offered by Remington and as most know comprised a 700 based action in a composite stock with an aluminum bedding block, state-of-the-art optics, target iron sights, all provided in a robust case capable of being air dropped.
THE RIFLE
The heart of the system of course is the rifle itself and a lot of information has been printed about it. At the risk of being redundant I will provide the basic specs here;
http://www.snipershide.com/m24-sniper-weapons-system/
A considerable amount has been written about the M24 Sniper Weapons System (SWS) over the years (some of from me), but much of the information has focused on specific aspects such as its history, exceptional feats accomplished, etc. The thought occurred to me that many of the nuances of the rifle and system over its life are not well known and there seems to be a genuine interest in these things.
This article will attempt to address a variety of things unique to the M24 SWS that people seem to ask about or in some cases pontificate on incorrectly. The source of my information comes from two sources; my decade plus experience as a sniper and sniper instructor and my twelve plus years working for Remington (Military Products Division/Remington Defense). I will say up front that there are some aspects of this system (specifically its early development) that are slightly ambiguous and fraught with numerous variations of the events, therefore I will skirt many of these for the time being and rather focus on hard information that might be of interest.
OVERVIEW OF THE SYSTEM
As has been written about extensively, is the fact that the M24 SWS was developed as a result of a concerted effort by the US Army to acquire a new sniper rifle. The Army went to lengths to identify exactly what it wanted its snipers to get and thus spent some time talking to the end users and developing a requirements document from which a solicitation could be developed.
The resulting solicitation specified a robust “system” that would support all conceivable types of operations in all environments. The Army desired a bolt action system that was user maintainable that delivered consistent repeatable accuracy. They wanted this system to provide the sniper with everything he needed (there were no female snipers in the Army in the late 80s) to ensure the weapon remained operational despite possible breakages and issues. Subsequently, the M24 SWS was offered by Remington and as most know comprised a 700 based action in a composite stock with an aluminum bedding block, state-of-the-art optics, target iron sights, all provided in a robust case capable of being air dropped.
THE RIFLE
The heart of the system of course is the rifle itself and a lot of information has been printed about it. At the risk of being redundant I will provide the basic specs here;
- Remington Model 700 long action
- 24” cold hammer forged 1:11.25 416R stainless steel barrel with 5R rifling
- M24 fire control (trigger)
- Front and rear iron sight bases
- Picatinny 1913 top rail/s
- HS Precision composite / Aramid fiber stock that features an aluminum bedding block, wide forearm with dual sling studs and an adjustable length of pull
- Leupold Mark IV M3A Ultra fixed 10X optics with a Bullet Drop Compensator (BDC)
- Micrometer rear target sight, globe front target sight with replaceable inserts
- Deployment kit containing tools to remove the optics and barreled action, a variety of replacement screws, replacement dials for the optics, and sectional cleaning kit with chamber brush
- M1907 leather sling
- Operator manual
- Optics hard case
- System hard case
