Here’s Everything You Need To Know About The Army’s Lethal New Rifle

The M1101A1 HK CSASS is a lightweight killing machine.

H&K Army Sniper rifle
US Army/Wikimedia

H&K sniper rifle
An infantryman firing the M110 Semi Automatic Sniper System.

The Army held its yearly conference and expo in DC this week and naturally there was weaponry to display. Most notably, reports Task & Purpose, the new Heckler & Koch M110A1 7.62mm semi-automatic sniper rifle.

T&P reports the rifle was selected to use in the Army’s CSASS program—CSASS stands for Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper System.

H&K M110A1
H&K’s M110A1 7.62mm semi-automatic.

More from T&P on why this firearm was eminently well-suited to the Army’s purposes:

At just 16 inches long and 8.7 pounds with an empty magazine, the HK certainly meets the Army’s CSASS requirements size and weight requirements. It boasts a Schmidt & Bender 3-20X50 PMII Ultra Short Scope for improved optics and accuracy.

And with a similar look and feel to the standard M4 and M16 assault rifles, the M1101 will also be familiar to infantry soldiers who may end up wielding it downrange: In September, the branch announced plans to field a modified version specifically for regular infantrymen serving in a designated marksman role.

Army Times was first aware of the rifle’s selection in 2016 when it was spotted on a Federal website detailing government business opportunities.

This is yet another sign the American military is serious about keeping soldiers well-equipped and up-to-date in the field, after the introduction early in 2017 of the first new combat pistol in years.

T&P reports that there’s no well-defined timeline for putting the M1101A1 in the field, but it looks as though the needs of snipers in the field well be well-met by such a potent weapon.

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