XM2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle

M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle
The M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle
Type	Sniper rifle
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	2011–present
Used by	See Users
Production history
Designed	2010
Manufacturer	Remington Arms
Produced	2010–2014
No. built	2,558
Specifications
Weight	12.1 lb (5.5 kg)
Length	46.5 in (1,180 mm)
Barrel length	24 in (610 mm)
Cartridge	.300 Winchester Magnum
Action	Bolt-action
Effective firing range	1,300 yd (1,200 m)
Feed system	5-round detachable box magazine

The M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle (ESR), formerly known as the XM2010 and M24 Reconfigured Sniper Weapon System, is a sniper rifle developed by PEO Soldier for the United States Army. It is derived from the M24 Sniper Weapon System and replaced the existing M24s. After winning a competitive bidding process, Remington was awarded the production contract for up to 3,600 weapons. The Army had anticipated fielding upgraded weapons to deployed U.S. Army Snipers near the end of December 2010, but later expected fielding would happen in January 2011.

The M2010 system differs from the prior M24 Sniper Weapon System in that it fires .300 Winchester Magnum ammunition to provide approximately 50 percent additional effective range relative to the M24's 7.62×51mm NATO. This chambering to dimensionally larger cartridges is possible because the M24 Sniper Weapon System was designed to use the "long action" bolt version of the Remington 700 receiver for cartridges up to 3.34 inches (84.84 mm) in overall length.

The U.S. Army developed the system so that the additional effective range would help snipers in engagements in mountainous and desert terrain in which the War in Afghanistan was being fought. The general penalties for using bigger, more powerful magnum rifle ammunition compared to smaller, standard rifle cartridges are increases in recoil, jump, flash, weight, and barrel wear.

The U.S. Army issued three XM2010s to snipers at the United States Army Sniper School on 18 January 2011 and began using the rifle in combat in Afghanistan in March 2011. The XM2010's .300 Win Mag round extends the engagement range over the M24 from 800 meters to 1,200 meters, enhancing lethality and standoff. The Barrett M107 .50 caliber rifle can hit targets past 2,000 meters, but it is accurate to 2.5 MOA, meaning it would hit within a 25 in (640 mm) area at 1,000 meters. This was acceptable for material targets, but not individual personnel. The XM2010 addressed the problem and gave increased range over the M24 but maintained 1 MOA accuracy. Remington had been awarded a $28 million on 20 September 2010 to rebuild 3,600 M24 rifles, but only 250 had been ordered to be changed by the time the first XM2010s were fielded. Due to the success of the XM2010, Army officials considered a "pure fleet," meaning all 2,500 Army M24s would be upgraded to XM2010 standard. Snipers in the field learned how to transition to the XM2010 and learn its use, maintenance, and capabilities during a three-day course. After the course, snipers had no difficulty hitting targets out to 1,000 meters from "ridgetop to ridgetop". In addition to the more powerful cartridge, the new optic enhances the rifle's ability to sight a target quickly without needing to do calculations of range estimation. All 250 XM2010 rifles were to be fielded in 8 Brigade Combat Teams by mid-May 2011.