New Marksman Rifles

U.S. Army Squads Getting New Marksman Rifles

The new rifle is the same weapon issued to army snipers.

By Kyle Mizokami

 HECKLER AND KOCH

The U.S. Army has chosen a new rifle designed to allow infantry squads to hit targets at greater ranges. The Heckler and Koch G28 designated marksman rifle will give infantrymen a weapon guaranteed to penetrate enemy body armor at longer ranges than existing M4 carbines. The move is an acknowledgement that the Army could someday fight enemies equipped with advanced body armor, which is part of the Army’s reorientation to the world of conflicts between large powers.


Shortly after the invasion of Iraq, U.S. Navy SEALs began deploying to the country armed with the “new” M14 Enhanced Battle Rifle. The M14 EBR was an older M14 battle rifle accurized, fitted with a new chassis, and equipped with a bipod and long-range scope. The EBR was designed to provide long-range fire where M4 carbine-type rifles fell short.

The U.S. Army later jumped on the bandwagon, fielding EBRs in Iraq and Afghanistan. The rifles were generally issued to soldiers with a higher level of marksman training, who could provide security as the rest of their unit went about their business or pick out and eliminate specific threats.


M14 Enhanced Battle Rifle
U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY STAFF SGT. KATIE GRAY

The EBR was a stopgap solution. It was ergonomically unfriendly, being front-heavy, and its antiquated operating system made it difficult for shooters to maintain accuracy. The Army has been looking for a new rifle, a Designated Marksman Rifle, to replace the EBR and maintain a nine man infantry squad’s ability to shoot beyond the effective range of the M4. Another concern is that while Iraqi and Afghan insurgents didn’t have battle armor, potential enemies such as Russian and Chinese infantrymen do.

The Army picked the Heckler and Koch G28 semi-automatic rifle in 2016 as a compact weapon to equip sniper units. The G28 is basically a Heckler and Koch 416 infantry automatic rifle used by the U.S. Marine Corps scaled upward for the 7.62x51 cartridge. The weapon, designated the M110A1 in Army use features a 16.5-inch barrel, a 20-round translucent magazine, and weighs 15 lbs. It also features a Schmidt & Bender 3-20×50 PMII Ultra Short telescopic sight and a Harris bipod for precision shooting.


U.S. Marine Corps M38 Designated Marksman Rifle, based on the H&K 416.
U.S. MARINE CORPS PHOTO BY LANCE CPL. MICHAELA R. GREGORY

Heckler and Koch claims the rifle is accurate to within 1.5 minute of angle out to 600 meters. In other words, three well-aimed shots from the rifle will fall within a 1.5 inch diameter circle at 100 meters, and within a 9-inch circle at 600 meters. The average human male is eighteen inches wide at the shoulders, making the rifle more than capable of shots to the rough center of torso at that range. H&K further claims the G28 is capable of suppressive fire out to 800 meters.

As a sniper rifle equipping snipers, the G28 will be deadly effective at long ranges. As a designated marksman’s rifle it will be potentially just as lethal, though issued with less accurate ammunition and issued to soldiers not trained to sniper standards. Designated marksmen will probably be an infantry squad’s best shooter, but they won’t be capable of—or asked to score—sniper-style shots.

The U.S. Army plans to purchase up to 5,000 G28 rifles to function in the DMR role, in addition to up to 3,643 rifles in the sniper role. In 2016, the cost per M110A1 was quoted as approximately $12,000 each, with the price tag of the Schmidt and Bender scope easily a third of that.