The link has several photos of the rifle.

https://www.militarytimes.com/...er-rifle-in-300-prc/

DoD just bought this formidable new sniper rifle in .300 PRC

By: Todd South   14 hours ago

LAS VEGAS — The company that made its name building .50-caliber long-range sniper rifles for the U.S. military has a smaller, but just as formidable, sniper rifle that recently won a defense contract.

Joel Miller, director of global military sales for Barrett Firearms, talked with Military Times at this year’s Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show here about both weapon systems and some changes to a venerable long-distance shooting platform.

Miller said that the MRAD contract for the Department of Defense, which is for an undisclosed number of rifles in .300 PRC, emerged from work on other government programs — the Precision Sniper Rifle and, later, the Advanced Sniper Rifle programs.

The ASR program asked industry to give the military a bolt-action sniper rifle that could be chambered in .338 Norma Magnum, .300 NM and 7.62mm NATO, with a platform for engagements beyond 1,500 meters.

The rounds give shooters different mission options, from anti-materiel to anti-personnel to training scenarios.

The MRAD has all three, changeable at the operator level, Miller said.

The contract award does not specify how many rifles the company will build or which entity within the Defense Department will be receiving them. Miller couldn’t provide any further details.

But the ASR program continues and will soon enter phase II testing, which could be within the next three months. That will replace existing SOCOM sniper rifles.

The .338 NM is quickly becoming a round of choice, as it’s also the caliber of lightweight medium machine gun that Special Operations Command is seeking from industry. Ballistics experts compare its range and lethality to that of the .50-caliber M2 machine gun but in a much lighter weapon and ammo package.

And as far as .50-caliber weapons go, none other than the Browning M2 has quite the recognizability factor as the Barrett sniper rifle, in service since the early 1990s.

But even that tech needs updating, which is what Barrett has done.

The company won an $8 million contact for the manufacture of M107A1, M107 and M82A1M, Caliber .50 Long Range Sniper Rifle systems with scopes, suppressors and spare parts kits, according to Barrett.

The upgraded rifle, M107A1, comes with the following features: Lightweight aluminum upper receiver with integral 23-inch, 27 MOA M1913 optics rail, 20-inch or 29-inch barrel with fully chrome-lined chamber and bore, 10-round steel magazine with cartridge witness indicators, and anti-corrosive coating.

Using the aluminum upper receiver, the newer version weighs in at 27 pounds, or 5 pounds lighter than the legacy system, Miller said.

They’ve also redesigned the muzzle brake from the legacy system so it can fit a suppressor.

Interesting article; thank you.

Sweet, I want one.

I heard about the 300 PRC cartridge a little while ago. Some of us who shoot factory ammo in ELR events hoped that Hornady would followup the 6.5 PRC cartridge with something with a 7mm bore -- essentially in the ballpark of a 7 SAUM. Word was that the 300 PRC would be next, as it had utility under military contracts. Gotta go where the money falls.

From an ELR competition standpoint, word is that the 300 PRC has enough oomph to push the heavy, high-BC bullets out to great distances. And evidently it's quite accurate. 300 PRC may eventually fill the rolls of both 300WM and 300 Norma Mag. Or maybe not.

If I were serious about ELR steel matches and wanted a .30-bore, 300 PRC would likely be the ticket. But I'm a wuss -- I don't want the recoil of a heavy 30-cal bullet with a bunch of powder behind it. Maybe one of these days a 7 PRC will come about.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:
If I were serious about ELR steel matches and wanted a .30-bore, 300 PRC would likely be the ticket. But I'm a wuss -- I don't want the recoil of a heavy 30-cal bullet with a bunch of powder behind it. Maybe one of these days a 7 PRC will come about.

I bet if your hypothetical 300 PRC rifle weighed 27 pounds like the one in the article, it wouldn't be especially unpleasant to shoot.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:
Word was that the 300 PRC would be next, as it had utility under military contracts.

Will the US military ever move away from .30 caliber cartridges for long range shooting? (I.e., smaller, not larger.)

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:
Maybe one of these days a 7 PRC will come about.

I talked to Dave Tooley about a 7 PRC. Zinging a Berger 195 at a easy 3000 with its G1 BC of .755 would be fun! Bad idea, not so good barrel life probably.

As a competitor shooter good to see our military adopt a cartridge like the 300PRC. The cartridge designer Dave Tooley has been shooting 1000yd BR in a version of the 300PRC since 2007 I believe. Frank Green of Bartlein barrels has posted up very good results shooting 1000yd F-Class with the 300PRC. A good friend is in the process having a 300PRC chambered on a Kelbly Black Bear action. Another friend has a 300 Norma Mag. Going to be fun to compare the two for accuracy. The 300 Norma Mag is extremely accurate pushing a Berger 215 Hybrid 3100+. Problem with the 300NM is very short barrel life, 800-1000rds max. 300PRC should be much better.

Dave Tooley is kind of well know as a 30 Cal guy. He's been shooting/competing with them for many years with the goal of accuracy. Another buddy who lives in Arizona has shot Tooley's 30-375 with excellent results. A wildcat very similar to the 300PRC.

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:
I bet if your hypothetical 300 PRC rifle weighed 27 pounds like the one in the article, it wouldn't be especially unpleasant to shoot.

With such a heavy rifle, plus a suppressor, recoil would be reasonable. Especially when shot from prone.

I've shot the NF Q-Creek ELR match in Wyoming, and so far it's exactly what I like about an ELR match. A 27-pound rifle would be OK for many of the stages, as the walk between them is pretty short. However, there are a few stages where humping such an anchor up and down hills -- along with pack, ammo, water, snacks, rain/sleet clothing, spotting equipment -- would truly suck.

quote:

Originally posted by offgrid:

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:
Maybe one of these days a 7 PRC will come about.

I talked to Dave Tooley about a 7 PRC. Zinging a Berger 195 at a easy 3000 with its G1 BC of .755 would be fun! Bad idea, not so good barrel life probably.

If a 7 PRC does arise, I hope its case capacity would be somewhere between that of the current 300 PRC and 6.5 PRC. Maybe along the lines of the 7 SAUM's case. Wishful thinking, by all means.

In the mean time I'll continue to poke along with my 6.5CM, lobbing pills at ELR steel like a mortar round.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:
I bet if your hypothetical 300 PRC rifle weighed 27 pounds like the one in the article, it wouldn't be especially unpleasant to shoot.

With such a heavy rifle, plus a suppressor, recoil would be reasonable. Especially when shot from prone.

I've shot the NF Q-Creek ELR match in Wyoming, and so far it's exactly what I like about an ELR match. A 27-pound rifle would be OK for many of the stages, as the walk between them is pretty short. However, there are a few stages where humping such an anchor up and down hills -- along with pack, ammo, water, snacks, rain/sleet clothing, spotting equipment -- would truly suck.

I wasn't recommending a rifle that heavy, I was just startled by the weight - not to mention the comment that the rifle it is replacing was five pounds heavier!

When I had my custom bolt gun built, I wanted to be able to shoot it in hunter-class silhouette matches (which I still have never actually done!), which means the unloaded rifle has to weigh less than 9 pounds. Mine is barely under, and a couple pounds over with a bipod and suppressor, and I don't love carrying it when I'm hunting.

I'm actually in the market for a new rifle. I haven't added to the collection in several years. I'm looking at something I can play with out at some range, and the .300 PRC is looking pretty good.

The MRAD seems to be getting good reviews. Per the Barrett website, you can't get one in .300 PRC, but they do have a kit that allows re-barreling and chambering. So two rifles in one.

I did look at the Ruger Precision Rifle, and I'm not overly impressed. Seems way too light. The MRAD appears to be taking the other approach at 27 pounds.

Now if I could find someplace that actually had it in stock so I could touch it before I buy.... (Location is Augusta GA area, but I'm not against the idea of a weekend road trip.)

quote:

Originally posted by IntrepidTraveler:
I'm looking at something I can play with out at some range, and the .300 PRC is looking pretty good.

Consider using a quality gunsmith to build the exact rifle you want. Pick your favorite stock/chassis, action, barrel, trigger, and DBM. The custom rifle can be the weight you prefer, sized for you, built for incredible precision.

And when you shoot out barrels, there will be no proprietary action/barrel that limits options.

Shooters who really demand performance from their ELR rifles rarely buy factory rifles.

I read that article as the 27lbs was referring to the redesigned M82 (M107), not the .300.

quote:

300 PRC may eventually fill the rolls of both 300WM and 300 Norma Mag.

The 300 Norma Mag has been virtually obsolete for several decades.

quote:

Originally posted by Bigboreshooter:

quote:

300 PRC may eventually fill the rolls of both 300WM and 300 Norma Mag.

The 300 Norma Mag has been virtually obsolete for several decades.

I believe you are confusing cartridges. The 308 Norma mag was introduced in 1960. The 300 Norma mag was introduced in 2012.

Yes, of course you're correct.

quote:

Originally posted by IntrepidTraveler:
I'm actually in the market for a new rifle. I haven't added to the collection in several years. I'm looking at something I can play with out at some range, and the .300 PRC is looking pretty good.

The MRAD seems to be getting good reviews. Per the Barrett website, you can't get one in .300 PRC, but they do have a kit that allows re-barreling and chambering. So two rifles in one.

I did look at the Ruger Precision Rifle, and I'm not overly impressed. Seems way too light. The MRAD appears to be taking the other approach at 27 pounds.

Now if I could find someplace that actually had it in stock so I could touch it before I buy.... (Location is Augusta GA area, but I'm not against the idea of a weekend road trip.)

Well if you're ever up in the Raleigh NC area - you can try out mine.
It's super fun to shoot! (.338LM)

Wait... Im confused

Wasn't the 6.8 supposed to be the DoD's next big caliber?

What about the 6.5?!?!

6.5, 6.8, whatever it takes....

I believe that SOCOM adopted 6.5 Creedmore for some of their precision rifles.