MK22 Mod 0: The U.S. Marine Corps' New Sniper Rifle Is Ready a Year Early
What You Need to Know: The U.S. Marine Corps has achieved Fully Operational Capability (FOC) for the MK22 Mod 0 Advanced Sniper Rifle (ASR) a year ahead of schedule. This modular rifle replaces older bolt-action systems like the M40A6, offering extreme-range performance with interchangeable barrels in .338 Norma Magnum, .300 Norma Magnum, and 7.62x51 NATO.
-The MK22 improves operational efficiency with its lightweight design, ease of maintenance, and the M317 Precision Day Optic (PDO), a cutting-edge variable-powered optic.
-Developed via an inter-service partnership with SOCOM and the U.S. Army, the rifle enhances mission readiness for infantry and reconnaissance units.
U.S. Marine Corps' New MK22 Advanced Sniper Rifle Achieves Full Operational Capability
The U.S. Marine Corps has reached Fully Operational Capability (FOC) for its new MK22 Mod 0 Advanced Sniper Rifle (ASR), a year ahead of schedule. Replacing the M40A6 and other older systems, the modular MK22 offers extreme-range capabilities in three calibers—.338 Norma Magnum, .300 Norma Magnum, and 7.62x51 NATO.
The rifle is lighter, more adaptable, and easier to maintain, allowing barrel changes in the field. Developed through a partnership with SOCOM and the Army, the MK22 features the M317 Precision Day Optic, which significantly enhances accuracy and operational efficiency. This modernization lightens Marine loads and ensures mission readiness.
In 2020, the United States Marine Corps announced it would replace all of its bolt-action sniper rifles – notably its M40A6 that was used for decades – and that it would adopt the MK22 Mod 0 Advanced Sniper Rifle (ASR), a modular system that can be fielded in three different calibers including .338 Norma Magnum, .300 Norma Magnum, and 7.62x51 NATO. It promised to offer USMC snipers the ability to conduct a barrel change and select calibers based on their mission operating environment.
This month, the Marine Corps System Command announced it reached Fully Operational Capability (FOC) for the rifle, which helps the service modernize the sniper capabilities of reconnaissance and infantry units – but more impressively, it reached the goal a year ahead of schedule.
"Fully Operational Capability is achieved when all the Infantry and Reconnaissance units, as well as MOS-producing schools, have been fielded to and new equipment training is completed," explained Major Michael Billings, Weapons Team lead with the Marine Corps Systems Command.
"This collaboration accelerated the entire program, pushing us to FOC a full year ahead of schedulea significant win for the Marine Corps and our warfighters," added Billings.
Extreme Range Maintained
The MK22 still provides snipers with an extreme-range weapon system while being lighter than current sniper rifles. It also includes features that could help mask the sniper signature, which offers improved survivability.
As the USMC noted, the rifle came about from an inter-service "partnership" as it was initially introduced through a Special Operations Command (SOCOM) contract, and came to the Marine Corps via the "Special Operations Forces (SOF) to service" transition process.
That allowed the U.S. Army to take responsibility for contracting actions, which occurred in the spring of 2021. The United States Army Contracting Command has announced that it awarded a $49.9 million five-year contract to Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc. to field a replacement for the Army's M107 sniper and M2010 Enhanced Sniper rifle systems. The MK22 is an updated version of the Barrett Multi-Role Adaptive Design (MRAD) sniper rifle, which the DoD selected as its Advanced Sniper Rifle in 2019.
Easier to Maintain
While developed with three barrels, recon, and infantry units will be issued the .300 Winchester Magnum barrel, as well as a scout sniper tripod kit, and laser filter.
"The M317 Precision Day Optic (PDO) paired with the MKk22 is a game changer. The M317 PDO is a 7-35 Variable Powered Optic, a huge leap in capability over our previous sniper systems like the M40 and MK13," said Brian Nelson, MK22 project officer, Marine Corps Systems Command.
The service has also touted that the MK22 will help reduce maintenance times, as repairs can "be conducted at the organizational levelunlike the old sniper rifles, which required more time-consuming evacuation to an intermediate level for repairs." If one barrel fails, the rifle can be used with a different caliber, which can help ensure a unit maintains operational readiness.
"Marines like the ability to conduct caliber conversions at their level and the fact that they only have one rifle instead of the two it replaced," said Kevin Marion, a logistics management specialist with Marine Corps Systems Command. "This shift improves operational efficiency, reduces the logistical burden on units, and lightens the individual Marine's load."
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Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
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