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Story and photo by Pfc. Chris Stump, 17th Public Affairs Det.
for Hawaii Army Weekly Most targets more than a mile away would be relatively safe from rifle fire, unless the rifle is the Barrett Model 107, a .50 caliber sniper rifle being carried by Tropic Lightning snipers in Iraq and those going to Afghanistan. The M107 is a semiautomatic with a Leupold UARI-X III 4.5 x 14 long range tactical scope that delivers considerably more punch to a target than the snipers' current rifle, the Model 24, a 7.62mm bolt-action. The M107, with optics, weighs in at just over 28 pounds and holds 10 rounds in a detachable box magazine. What it lacks in lightness, it makes up for in power, distance and accuracy. Variations of this weapon have been in military service for about four years, but this is the most advanced model, said Staff Sgt. Danny Whitmore, 3rd Brigade Master Gunner. The M107 is now incorporated into scout platoons Army-wide. "This rifle doesn't replace any current rifle, it augments what the snipers already carry," said Whitmore. The M107 reaches distances in excess of 2,000 meters, almost one and a quarter miles, surpassing the maximum range of the M24. Where the M24 is anti-personnel, the M107 can take out anything from personnel to light armor and material. It is also an excellent weapon for counter-sniper roles, said Whitmore. "An enemy sniper behind a cinder-block wall isn't even safe," said Cal Herring, a training specialist from Fort Benning. The .50-caliber round will easily punch through buildings and light vehicles and wound personnel just by coming close. "This weapon is an excellent force multiplier," said Herring. And there are few snipers in the world who have a weapon like the M107 to carry into combat. "It's a powerful rifle," said Pvt. Mark Miller, a Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion 35 Infantry Regiment sniper. "This rifle has more power and distance than the M24, and allows me to stay further away from a target." With a fierce bark, long range, massive stopping power and skilled marksmen behind their triggers, the M107s being fielded by snipers of the 25th should provide them with much needed survivability and lethality as they prepare for their year-long deployment to Afghanistan. |
