--- title: "SOCOM is looking for a new multi-caliber sniper rifle" description: "In a significant departure from traditional sniper rifles in the military inventory, the new Advanced Sniper Rifle needs to be capable of shooting 7.62 NATO, .300NM, and 338NM with the use of a conversion kit." date: "2017-04-10" modified: "2017-04-10" authors: - name: "Marty Skovlund Jr." job_title: "Former Editior-in-Chief" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/marty-skovlund-jr/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/tech-tactics/socom-multi-caliber-sniper-rifle/" categories: - "Army" - "Around the World" - "Guns" - "Marine Corps" - "Military Branches" - "Navy" - "News" - "Tech & Tactics" - "United States" - "Weapons" tags: - "special operations command" --- # SOCOM is looking for a new multi-caliber sniper rifle ![special forces sniper u.s. army]() *A U.S. Army Special Operation Soldier with 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) fires a M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle during Integrated Training Exercise 3-19 at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms (MCAGCC). (Lance Cpl. William Chockey/U.S. Marine Corps).* On April 6, U.S. Special Operations Command released a sources sought notice asking for companies who are capable of producing the next generation of sniper rifles. In a significant departure from traditional sniper rifles in the military inventory, the new Advanced Sniper Rifle needs to be capable of shooting 7.62 NATO, .300NM, and 338NM with the use of a conversion kit. It also needs to be extremely accurate, with the desired outcome being a rifle that can hit .5 minute of angle (MOA) at 300 meters for the 7.62 and .300, and 1.5 MOA at 300 meters for the .338. The document also calls for the sniper rifle to be no heavier than 13 pounds and no longer than 40 inches. It will also need to come with a light and sound suppressor, which means three different suppressors would be needed — one for each caliber. This notice is interesting considering the [Army just announced last year ]()that Heckler & Koch is replacing the M110 SASS and its predecessor the SR-25, which both shoot 7.62 NATO. Additionally, in March 2013, [SOCOM awarded]() a nearly $80 million contract to Remington for 5,150 Mk-21 Precision Sniper Rifles. The Mk-21, like the specs given in the notice for the ASR, is a modular rifle system capable of shooting 7.62 NATO, .300WM, and .338 Lapua. [**Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today**]()**. Get the latest military news and culture in your inbox daily.** SOCOM is an organization that rapidly evolves with current and future threats, and is known for adapting its equipment to suit the next mission, not the last one. It’s possible the Remington’s Mk-21 has not performed well in the field, forcing commanders to reconsider the organization’s preferred sniper platform. It also might be due to the increased defense spending that is expected under the Trump administration, which may allow the special operations community to upgrade their rifles more than what they were able to in 2013. The document, which was [first reported]() by Soldier Systems, is not a request for proposal, and will only be used for market research and planning, but may result in some companies being invited for an open discussion with the government at some point in the future. With a deadline of April 24 to submit a response to the inquiry, it’s unlikely that anyone other than the major players inside the military weapons circle will be able to meet that deadline with all the information requested. ***The latest on Task & Purpose*** - **Marines** [**fire two Parris Island leaders**]() **in charge of recruit training** - **‘They were just being good pilots’ — Inside the Osprey crash that** [**killed 5 Marines**]() - [**Court martial**]() **begins for Marine drill instructor in ‘Crucible’ death of recruit** - **Navy cargo ship** [**runs aground**]() **in Bahrain** - **U.S. Soldier ditched a flight home,** [**ran across DMZ**]() **into North Korea, is now detained** ## Author Marty Skovlund Jr. is the former editor-in-chief of Task & Purpose and author of ["Send Me: The True Story of a Mother at War."]() He is a veteran of the U.S. Army and an experienced conflict reporter with assignments to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Ukraine in addition to embedding with the US military around the world. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Instagram]()