The Guns of James Bond: Roger Moore. Mel if you are interested in the history in detail of Sniping in Viet Nam, check out a book called “The Long-Range War” by Peter R. Senich. There were over 1300 XM21s used during the Vietnam conflict and while there were some failures, the rifles held up extremely well and served with distinction and great effect out to 900 meters. M21 Sniper Rifle Scopes and Optics. Bolt action airsoft sniper rifles have to be cocked before each shot, much like a real rifle. We provide a history of the XM21 and M21 system here. The M21 accuracy is about 750 yards and uses the US match grade M118 NATO 7.62 cartridges in five-round or 20-round magazines. This adds a realistic feel to the guns, but it also makes them more challenging to use until you get used to them. The M21 is a classic sniper rifle built during, and for, the Vietnam war where it served with great distinction. They did recognize that the one major disadvantage was the flying brass that was ejected and could be a target identifier, but this was considered to be acceptable when compared to the advantages. Of course, all of the fancy auto-ranging ability of the ART system would do no good if the rifle could not perform adequately as well. i like to buy this one, good to have this one at home.. […] M25 is similar to the M21 in many regards, it is a National Match M14 glass bedded in a McMillan fiberglass stock, uses a […], Very informative site and well done as far as accuracy of info o the XM21/M21 platforms. Selected rifles received match grade barrels, unitized gas systems, trimmed handguards, reamed flash suppressors, triggers … An offshoot of a straight competition rifle, the US Army sniper program benefited directly from technology developed by the ‘yellow glasses’. Then the Vietnam conflict broke out and the US found itself in a guerrilla style war with a huge demand for qualified snipers and sniper rifles. In 1964 James Leatherwood came up with a clever design for a mounting system that would allow a scope to be automatically adjusted when the zoom ring was changed. Stock liner was removed to provide 1/8” of bedding compound in the recoil areas. $119.99 $ 119. (NSN: 1005-937-8777, 'M14 NM Rifle with M84 scope') Right side: Left side: Left side optics: The below pic shows 40 … I am rebuilding it as close as possible using an accurized M1A with a original AR TEL scope. In standard military use, the M21 uses a 20-round box magazine as the other members of the M14 family and weighs 11 pounds (5.27 kg) without the scope. The XM21 served from 1969 to 1975, and the M21 officially served as the main Army sniper rifle from 1975 to 1988 until the introduction of the M24, which had supplanted the M21 in Ranger Battalions by 1990. Price: $3,349.95 *MUST ship to FFL (Hows does this work?) Finally in February of 1969 the XM21 was fully funded by the US Army and larger production began and the XM21’s were deployed in large numbers, about 50 per week being built to the exacting specs already mentioned. How the writer recreated the Army's first semi-automatic sniper rifle from a Springfield M1A. Sponsored Post. When he was based at Ft. Benning Georgia in 1965 the concept was presented to the Limited Warfare Laboratory (LWL) and a project was started to design a system that would work on a sniper rifle. It was called the Adjustable Ranging Telescope (ART) and was combined with a Redfield Accu-range 3-9x40mm commercial scope. Tough to find items…. E-co 3/187th 101st A/B . M21 - 7.62×51mm NATO, in real life. FN Awarded U.S. Army Contract for the M249 SAW . Though the M21 still lives on having spawned some very successful offspring such as the XM25 and EBR. The M25 is similar in many ways to the M21. [5] It is chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. You will enjoy the content I think. It was used by the U.S. Army Rangers during the Invasion of Grenada in 1983. Every U.S. military action since that time has required the special talent of such men. The ART scope, designed by 2nd Lieutenant James Leatherwood (U.S. Army), combined rangefinding and bullet drop compensation. [8] "The conflict in Vietnam revived the need for snipers. The M21 rifle is a rifle based on the M14 rifle and was the primary Army sniper rifle for the Vietnam War till it got replaced by the bolt action M24 Sniper Weapon system in 1988. Loved the M21 system. It has a National Match M14 barrel in a McMillan glass bedded fiberglass stock, uses a special gas piston, a National Match spring guide and a Brookfield Precision Tool Advanced Scope Mounting System. After Vietnam, the sniping program in the US Army went dormant, again, until some interest was rekindled in 1976. So they continued with the program. Since the reticle was located on the 2nd focal plane and did not grow and shrink with the power setting, it could be used to provide range estimation from 300-900 meters. The cams were made to match specific cartridges and there were three different cams that could be switched out, one each for the M118 Match, M80 Ball and M2 50 BMG ammo. Brief M21 description and history from the U.S. Army. Range Life. Springfield Armory M1A M21 SNIPER RIFLE with SCOPE and BIPOD. There are limited numbers in some Army National Guard units and in a few specialized active units such as the OPFOR units of the Joint Readiness Training Center. You will probably recognize that this is the same scope the USMC adopted for their M40s during the same time. WTS M1c M14 M21 sniper rifle G&H scope mount, M84 scope, bracket. The M21 was the US Army's primary sniper rifle from 1969 to 1988. Required fields are marked *, Specially tuned 4 1/2 pound match two-stage military trigger, Rotating bolt, gas operated, air cooled, semi-automatic magazine fed rifle Consider supporting us via Patreon! Range Life. Another advantage of airsoft sniper rifles is that they can have a much further range over other air guns. The innovation came just in time as the U.S. military found itself losing servicemen to Viet Cong snipers who had the home field advantage in terrain that was, to say the least, difficult. Once the official Sniper program was adopted by the Army in 1988, the M21 was replaced by a new bolt action sniper rifle known as the M24. Headquarters, Department of the Army, April 1974, p. 178, Note: During the Vietnam War, a U.S. Army Division was designated by the shoulder patch worn on the left shoulder, such as the Screaming Eagle patch of the, https://gundigest.com/gun-reviews/optics-reviews/leatherwood-art-scope-m1000-review, http://world.guns.ru/sniper/sniper-rifles/usa/m21-e.html, "U.S. Army M21 & XM21 Sniper Weapon System", "Infantry Weapons of the Salvadoran Forces", U.S. Army Field Manual 23–10, Appendix B: M21 Sniper Weapon System. The M21 Sniper Weapon System, abbreviated as the M21 SWS or simply M21, is a marksman rifle adaptation of the M14, designed in 1969.The United States Military chose the M14 for its reliability, accuracy, and the power of the 7.62mm cartridge to become its primary marksman rifle following the Vietnam war. Latest. "[9] As a result U.S. Army snipers were trained in country in South Vietnam at Division[10] During the Vietnam War, U.S. Marines were issued bolt-action hunting rifles, U.S. The gun is in excellent condition EXCEPT where the bipod legs hit the stock and left some marks. The Archangel stock is fully adjustable and adds several accessory mount-points no included in stock Springfield rifles. The M21 was tested against the M40A1, M82, AR10, and some others and the M21 more than held its own and the Army elected to hold on to it as is. The M21 was criticized by an internal Fort Benning publication in 1989 warning that "The M21...cannot be maintained under field conditions, and its inflexible design makes it highly susceptible to malfunctions" due to the scope not being easily removable if needed and the glass bedded action that made disassembly in the field problematic. The prevailing military attitude then envisioned any future conflict as nuclear with defeat or victory decided in hours. The M21 remained the Army’s primary sniper rifle until 1988, when it was replaced by the M24 Sniper Weapon System; some M21s were later re-issued and used in the Iraq War. The newly designated M21 saw limited actions during military operations after the Vietnam War ended in 1975. Home > M14 / M1A > Rifles > Fulton Armory M21 Enhanced Sniper Rifle * Fulton Armory M21 Enhanced Sniper Rifle * Part #: FA-M14-M21. Officially the name remained the XM21 up until 1972 when the Army officially adopted it as the sniping standard and it became the M21. I used an M21 in VN with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in the Central Highlands. It fires the 7.62x51mm cartridge, this is so because the M21 is a modified M14. The Rock Island Arsenal converted 1,435 National Match (target grade) M14s by adding a 3-9x Redfield Adjustable Ranging Telescope (ART) and provided National Match grade (7.62 Lake City Long Range XM-118) ammunition. So while they had gone through the effort and cost during WWII to first field the stop gap M1903A4 sniper rifle, and then develop and field the M1C and M1D sniper rifles, once the war ended, those rifles were stockpiled and packed away. 4.4 out of 5 stars 733. The M21 sniper rifle itself though was little more than a M14 built to National Match specifications topped with a scope. However, "this program was short-lived because of the lack of understanding and appreciation for the v… In standard military use, the M21 uses a 20-round box magazine as the other members of the M14 family and weighs 11 pounds (5.27 kg) without the scope. Hand guard was cleared of the stock and anchored to the band, Gas cylinder lock was indexed to be finger tight at the six o’clock position, A new operating spring guide was installed, Cams, corners, and bearing surfaces throughout the mechanism were modified to provide smoother operation and uniform return of all moving parts, Rifles were then tested for accuracy and the ART mounted and zeroed. Though the M21 … But the National Match version of the M14 with M118 match grade ammo proved adequate and worthy of further development. It is a converted National Match rifle that has been fitted with a 3-9x scope and fires match grade ammunition. This was done until a suitable permanent replacement system could be developed for the Army sniper program. Gun Reviews. U.S. M25 & XM25 SNIPER WEAPON SYSTEM - Sniper Central, Barrels were selected for straightness and uniformity, Barrels were installed with minimum headspace on the chambers, Area of contact for the rod guide was knurled to prevent the guide from rotating on the barrel, Gas cylinder and band were screwed together as an assembly and internally polished to reduce carbon build-up, Flash suppressor was reamed out to specifications shown to provide best accuracy with M118, Barrel and flash suppressor were machined for a perfect alignment. U.S. M21 Sniper Rifle (Accurized M14/M1a) | IMI .308 168gr Match Hey guys, we’re looking at the M21 rifle. [11], This version, was designated as the XM21, had a specially selected walnut stock and was first fielded in the second half of 1969. Quote Reply Topic: Springfield M21 - best scope? At about this same time the 9th infantry division requested help from the USAMTU in setting up a sniping program so in 1968 the AMTU sent over 10 instructors and then later sent over the first XM21 rifles for use with the 9th ID. The rifles were tested with both M80 and M118 match ammo, but the results were not very positive. Im Jahr 1988 wurde das M21 als Scharfschützengewehr in der US Army offiziell vom M24 SWS abgelöst. Selection of the M24 passed on the automatic qualities of the M21 and settled to a bolt-action operation. This gun comes with a Springfield Armory 4 X 14 Power Scope and a steel M2 Bipod. Soldiers were issued XM21 rifles. Standard Features. These men were trained at Army Division Base Camps; if a unit in country was a Brigade, Battalion, or smaller, and that unit requested snipers for their units, the requesting unit could send their sniper applicant to the next closest Division, such as Camp Eagle, 101st (Airmobile) Airborne Division, if that requesting unit was located in I Corps (Military Region 1), Republic of South Vietnam. Comes with aluminum scope container case, and a regular M14 stock with cleaning kit inside, two ammo pouches , five 20 round clips, and 80 rounds 7.62 x 51 ammo with tracer rounds included. M21 Sniper Rifle Leatherwood 3X-9X Adjustable Ranging Telescope (ART). The scope of choice at the time was the Auto Ranging Telescope. Because of the pressing need for sniper rifles in Vietnam, the Army actually deployed a good number of standard M14s with M84 scopes mounted in various different ways. Something unique. In Standard military use the M21 uses a 20 round magazine, though 5 and 10 round magazines are available. Has pistol grip sniper stock with flip down front hand hold. Fitted with US Rifle M2 Bipod. The scope is an early original M-84, serial number 5750 on the data plate. "[6] From 1955–1956, the United States Army Marksmanship Training Unit undertook a program to "reiterate the lessons learned" from past wars. FREE Shipping by Amazon. The XM21 Sniper Weapon System was used by the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War, and the M21 saw limited action in military conflicts and operations in the late 1960s until the late 1980s. It was boasted that from July of 1970 to and through July of 1971, our company consisting of recon snipers mortar and radar had more confirmed kills than any like company in our Battalion, Your email address will not be published. By Robert A. Sadowski. However, units could train and deploy snipers on a limited basis depending upon...requirements. Every U.S. military action since that time has required the special talent of such men. The USAMTU is where all of the competitive shooters for the Army are stationed and they came up with an extensive list of modifications performed on a National Match M14 rifle that included the following: As you might imagine, these rifles were very accurate. … An all-aluminum system was subsequently designed and then tested in 1967. It was the US Army standard sniper rifle until the introduction of the M24 SWS. All these rifles were chambered in .30-’06, also. The M21 Sniper Rifle was equipped with a Leatherwood 3X-9X Adjustable Ranging Telescope (ART). As you can see from the comments below, the M21 holds a dear spot in many U.S. Army snipers hearts (me included), and rightfully so. Then the stock was placed in an oven to cure for 3 days. 5% coupon applied at checkout Save 5% with coupon. The sniper would just zoom in until the marks on the vertical crosshairs would cover 30 inches, typically the belt line to the top of the head, and then look at the marks on the power ring to determine the range. Every sniper rifle needs a scope and the Silent Sniper System is no different. "The use of "sharpshooters" (or snipers) can be traced in U.S. military history from the time of the Revolutionary War of 1775–1781. The Sentry 12: A New Kind of Shotgun. Das Gewehr wurde jetzt als M14 „USAMTU Accurized National Match“ bezeichnet; im Sommer 1969 wurde die Gewehr-Zielfernrohr-Kombination vorläufig als „XM21 Sniper Weapon System“ eingeführt. There are still some M21’s in Army vaults around the country, but none are in wide spread use by the US Army today. The M21 is a sniper rifle that was based on the M14. There are still some M21’s in Army vaults around the country, but none are in wide spread use by the US Army today. 1972 fiel das „X“ weg. "[4] The M21 uses a "commercially procured" 3–9× variable power telescopic sight, modified for use with the sniper rifle. Once the official Sniper program was adopted by the Army in 1988, the M21 was replaced by a new bolt action sniper rifle known as the M24. Pinty Rifle Scope 4-16X50 Illuminated Optics Sight Green Laser, Reflex Holographic Dot Sight, Riser Mount 14 Slots 1 inch High Riser Mount. The ART telescope featured adjustable ranging between 300m and 900m. The US Army dabbled with scoped M-16s with very little luck, so finally a serious effort was made to develop and adopt a proper sniper rifle. I would love to get an ART setup as well at some point. The rifle was designated the XM21 The Army then sent 10 of these original XM21’s to Vietnam in 1967 for evaluation. Description: This ad features the pictured Springfield Armory M21 Sniper Version of the M1A Rifle. The rifle served with US forces up until the late 1980's to which it was replaced by the favored M24 Sniper Weapon System (SWS), a rifle based on the renowned Remington Model 700 series (the US Marine Corps uses this Remington model in a similar guise designated as the M40). USSOCCOM was dubbing the rifle the “Light Sniper Rifle”, and its also known as the “Sniper Security System” and “Product Improved M21”. Some say that for this purpose, it would be more practical to use the similar M14 rifle, as it has a larger magazine and less idle sway. Bottom: U.S. Army 'Improvised National Match M14 sniper rifle' w/ 2.2x M84 scope and Army Weapons Command (AWC) scope mount, circa 1967 to the end of the Vietnam War. The M21 was tested against the M40A1, M82, AR10, and some others and the M21 more than held its own and the Army elected to hold on to it as is. However, "this program was short-lived because of the lack of understanding and appreciation for the value of a sniper throughout the United States Army. The M21 sniper weapon system is equipped with National Match rear sights, normally replaced by the telescope. Redfield/Leatherwood 3-9x Automatic Ranging Telescope (ART). Posted: March/23/2008 at 21:12: I have been researching on this site for a few months now and I need a little help from you experienced guys. As I continue the pre-retirement thinning of the herd, I'm offering for sale my Griffin and Howe M1c WWII blued scope mount, M-84 scope and M-14 bracket. But some maintain that the low recoil compared to the M14 makes it more suitable for a medium range rifle. The National Match M14 rifle and its scope makeup the M21 sniper weapon system. [13][15], Type of Sniper rifle/Designated Marksman Rifle, FM 23-8, "M14 and M14A1 Rifles and Rifle Marksmanship". Sniper-grade accuracy meets military-grade tactical toughness in our legendary M24 platform, engineered to deliver extended-range precision and ultimate operator adjustability. "[7], "With the adoption of the M14 service rifle no provision was made for an M14 sniper rifle, [and] the designation of a sniper in the rifle squad was discontinued. They first tried using the M84 scopes from the old M1D sniper rifles and mounting them on top of a M14 with a modified swing over mounting system. I am fairly new to long distance shooting, but so far I very much enjoy shooting my Springfield M21 Tactical rifle. More Buying Choices $104.32 (2 used & new offers) CVLIFE 2.5-10x40e Red & Green Illuminated Scope with 20mm Mount. It was used by the U.S. Army Rangers during the Invasion of Grenada in 1983. The US Army began its search in the same year that the USMC did, 1966, but the US Army did not go the route of a bolt action sniper rifle like the Marines, instead, they were believers in the semi-automatic and they started with modifying the M14. As is common knowledge, the military forces in the 20th century had a very bad habit of disbanding sniper units and training between the major conflicts and after WWII it was no different for the US Army. Although semiautomatic, the M21 was less accurate and required more maintenance than most sniper rifles. The M1C/D rifles made an appearance briefly in the Korean conflict, but they were never widely used and after those hostilities came to a cease fire, the M1C/D rifles were again packed away. They performed tests where they were getting 10 round groups at 900 meters that measured under 10”. There were several weaknesses found, but overall they were satisfied with the system as a whole. The LWL contacted the United States Army Marksmanship Training Unit (USAMTU) to have them put together an accurized M14 for use with the ART. I have an incomplete AR TEL mount, I have the lower but it is missing the Base and rings with spring. When fitted with an ACOG Scope, the M21 is the most suitable sniper rifle for close quarters combat. Also, in early 1969 the AMTU sent over a batch of Sionics M14 suppressors for test and evaluation at the 9th ID sniper school with great success. The M21, based on the M14 battle rifle, dated to the Vietnam War. If any of you have any info on where I might be able to find the missing parts, or may be selling a complete mount, I would very much appreciate your feed back! M1D sniper rifle with M84 scope, .30-’06 Springfield. A number of sporting rifles and scopes were also assembled and sent into service by the Marines. It was considered the best scope on the civilian market at the time. "The use of "sharpshooters" (or snipers) can be traced in U.S. military history from the time of the Revolutionary Warof 1775–1781. In standard military use, the M21 uses a 20 round box magazine as the other members of the M14 family and weighs 11 pounds (5.27 kg) without the scope. [14], The XM21 Sniper Weapon System was issued to U.S. Army snipers during the Vietnam War, along with a commercially available sniper scope for day use, and a PVS-2 starlight scope for night operations. "[8] Snipers became optional and no table of organization and equipment (TOE) authorized sniper organizations [units]." The finish is near mint, and it is crystal clear, with perfect cross hair and none of the black … The U.S. military never officially authorized or purchased magazines in any other capacity, although 5- and 10-round magazines are available. After the war sniping became a lost art." Now compared to what the M14 market offers, this particular rifle is far closer to an issued M21 than the current status quo. The M14 itself was an adaption of the original M1 but chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO (308 Win) and fitted with a detachable box magazine (DBM). http://www.patreon.com/9HoleReviewsAn M21 that has been customized by CW3 (ret) Ken Corcoran to U.S. XM25 specs. The XM21 served from 1969 to 1975, and the M21 officially served from 1975 to 1988 … The M21 remained the Army’s primary sniper rifle until 1988, when it was replaced by the M24 Sniper Weapon System; some M21s were later re-issued and used in the Iraq War. This … Description: USGI M14 sniper rifle with Vietnam AR-TEL 7.62MM-M-118NM sniper scope. The M21 is accurized … 3rd from top: U.S. Army XM21/'early' M21 sniper rifle w/ 3-9x AR-TEL scope, circa 1969 to early 1980s. This was done via a cam system that would physically tilt the scope forward as the zoom power was increased. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=M21_Sniper_Weapon_System&oldid=999504706, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Maximum effective range 460 meters/ maximum effective range with 3–9× scope 900 yards/maximum range 3,725 meters, This page was last edited on 10 January 2021, at 14:51. At the same time, the cam would actually already be raising, or lowering, the scope to automatically compensate for the range at that distance. Receiver: Fulton Armory Receiver (Meets All USGI Material, Heat Treat & Geometry Specifications) Scope Mount: Fulton Armory, Picatinny Rail, Professionally Fitted & Installed To … Everything you see is included, plus 3 Thermold Magazines to round it off! An improved version with a fiberglass stock was designated the M21 in 1975. Building a Vietnam-Era M21 Sniper Rifle. M21 7.62mm Sniper Weapon System. November 8, 2017. I have the Springfield government 6x40 scope on it with the Springfield scope mount. 99 $129.99 $129.99. The M25 is a modernized M14 that was developed for Special Forces use alongside the M24 SWS. This time around, the M1D rifles that were still around were not only old and out dated, but their 30-06 chambering was no longer the standard and the M1 Garand rifles were no longer in service. The Army also considered bolt action rifles but elected to go with a semi-auto because it provided the ability to perform rapid follow up shots, rapidly engage multiple targets, allowed the sniper to better defend themselves and the M14 already was setup for night vision capability. There are limited numbers in some Army National Guard units and in a few specialized active units such as the OPFOR units of the Joint Readiness Training Center. Served from July 1970 til July 1971. At the same time some M16s were being tested as sniping systems as well, but the smaller 5.56 cartridge could not match the long range capability of the XM21. The M25 is similar to the M21 in many regards, it is a National Match M14 glass bedded in a McMillan fiberglass stock, uses a special gas piston, a National Match spring guide and a Brookfield Precision Tool Advanced Scope Mounting System (ASMS). The US Army had the scopes made without the tombstone ranging mechanism inside the reticle and instead had the scopes installed with a reticle that had marks on the stadia that covered 30 inches at 300 meters on the vertical and 60 inches at 300 meters on the horizontal. The M21 Sniper Weapon System (SWS) "in the US Army is a national match grade M14 rifle, selected for accuracy, and renamed the M21 rifle.