The M39 Enhanced Marksman Rifle (EMR; formally Rifle, Caliber 7.62 mm, M39 Enhanced Marksman Rifle; NSN 1005-01-553-5196) is a semi-automatic,

gas-operated Gas-operation is a system of operation used to provide energy to operate locked breech, autoloading firearms. In gas-operation, a portion of high-pressure gas from the cartridge being fired is used to power a mechanism to dispose of the spent ...

designated marksman rifle A designated marksman rifle (DMR) is a modern scoped high-precision rifle used by infantrymen in the designated marksman (DM) role. It generally fills the engagement range gap between a service rifle and a dedicated sniper rifle, at around . ...

chambered for the

7.62×51mm NATO The 7.62×51mm NATO (official NATO nomenclature 7.62 NATO) is a rimless, bottlenecked rifle cartridge. It is a standard for small arms among NATO countries. First developed in the 1950s, the cartridge had first been introduced in U.S. service fo ...

cartridge. It is a modified and accurized version of the

M14 rifle The M14 rifle, officially the United States Rifle, Caliber 7.62 mm, M14, is an American selective fire battle rifle chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO (.308 in) cartridge. It became the standard-issue rifle for the U.S. military in 1959, re ...

used by the United States military, in a similar vein to the Mk 14 Enhanced Battle Rifle. It is based on the

United States Marine Corps Designated Marksman Rifle The United States Marine Corps Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR, NSN 1005-01-458-6235; more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber 7.62 mm, M14, DMR) is a semi-automatic, gas-operated rifle chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. It ...

(DMR), which it replaced. It is manufactured by Sage International and maintained by the USMC's Precision Weapons Section. The rifle is currently issued with match-grade M118LR 175-

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legume ...

long range ammunition. The "basic" EMR (without

telescopic sight A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope informally, is an optical sighting device based on a refracting telescope. It is equipped with some form of a referencing pattern – known as a ''reticle'' – mounted in a focally appropriate po ...

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinati ...

, sling, basic issue items, cleaning gear,

suppressor A silencer, also known as a sound suppressor, suppressor, or sound moderator, is a muzzle device that reduces the acoustic intensity of the muzzle report (sound of a gunshot) and muzzle rise when a gun (firearm or air gun) is discharged, ...

and

bipod A bipod is a V-shaped portable attachment that helps support and steady a device, usually a weapon such as a long gun or a mortar. The term comes from the Latin prefix ''bi-'' and Greek root ''pod'', meaning "two" and "foot" respectively. Bipod ...

) weighs or less.

History

In November 1992,

Marine Corps Systems Command Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) is the acquisition command of the United States Marine Corps, made up of Marines, sailors, civilians and contractors. As the only systems command in the Marine Corps, MCSC serves as Head of Contracting Authority ...

drafted a mission needs statement for an enhanced sniper support team weapon (SSTW). It called for a weapon to support the M40A1 sniper rifle in a

Scout Sniper United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper ( MOS 0317, formerly 8541) is a secondary MOS ( Military Occupational Specialty) designator of U.S. Marine Corps infantrymen and reconnaissance Marines that have graduated from a U.S. Marine Corps Scout Sn ...

team for close-range engagements and to lay down rapid semiautomatic suppressive fire. At the time, the role was filled by the

M16A2 The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of service rifle, military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States Armed Forces, United States military. The original M16 rifle was a ...

, which could not mount optics or night vision sights and used M855

5.56×45mm NATO The 5.56×45mm NATO (official NATO nomenclature 5.56 NATO, but often pronounced "five-five-six") is a rimless bottlenecked intermediate cartridge family developed in the late 1970s in Belgium by FN Herstal. It consists of the SS109, L110, a ...

ammunition, which was too inaccurate for the role. A previous designated marksman weapon effort attempted to use the M14 for the role, but it was not as accurate as bolt-action rifles and could not fit into the Fleet Marine Forces logistics system. The enhanced SSTW had to engage targets out to 600 meters, use ammunition interchangeable with the M40A1, be able to mount a sound suppressor and optics, and be supportable. Even though the M14 was not initially suitable, rifle equipment builders continued to refine it and produced versions as "interim measures". They eventually became a program unto themselves and culminated as the M39 Enhanced Marksman Rifle.Knight’s Armament M110: The New Breed of Sniper Rifle
- SAdefensejournal.com, 5 January 2012

Specifications

There are several differences between the DMR and EMR. *Stock: the metal

stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...

is adjustable in length and in height to provide a more precise cheek weld. The

pistol grip On a firearm or other tools, a pistol grip is a distinctly protruded handle underneath the main mechanism, to be held by the user's hand at a more vertical (and thus more ergonomic) angle, similar to the how one would hold a conventional pis ...

is modified for a better grip. *Optics: the

Picatinny rail The Picatinny rail ( or ), or Pic rail for short, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, 1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail (cancelled), is a military standard rail interface system that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It was or ...

allows for the use of any optic compatible with the rail; this includes a large variety of military scopes and imaging devices. The M8541 Scout Sniper Day Scope (SSDS), originally designed for the M40A3, is issued with the rifle as a set. *Bipod: a Harris S-L bipod is used on the USMC DMR, but a modified version designed to be more durable is used on the EMR.

Applications

The EMR is primarily used by a

designated marksman A designated marksman (DM), squad advanced marksman (AD) or squad designated marksman (SDM) is a military marksman role in an infantry squad. The term ''sniper'' was used in Soviet doctrine although the soldiers using the Dragunov SVD were the f ...

, to provide precision fire for units that do not rate a

scout sniper United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper ( MOS 0317, formerly 8541) is a secondary MOS ( Military Occupational Specialty) designator of U.S. Marine Corps infantrymen and reconnaissance Marines that have graduated from a U.S. Marine Corps Scout Sn ...

. As a replacement for the DMR, the EMR fills the need for a lightweight, accurate weapon system utilizing a cartridge more powerful than the M16A4's standard 5.56×45mm NATO—the 7.62×51mm NATO. The EMR is also used by Marine scout snipers when the mission requires rapid accurate fire and by Marine Corps

explosive ordnance disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milita ...

teams. In early 2012, the Marine Corps began replacing the M39 with the

M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System The M110 Semi Automatic Sniper System (M110 SASS) is an American semi-automatic precision rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO round. It is manufactured by Knight's Armament Company, developed from the Knight's Armament Company SR- ...

, originally developed for the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

, on a one-for-one basis, with the designation of Mk 11 Mod 2. The M110 better fills the requirements of the SSTW, being able to mount suppressors and night vision systems while maintaining zero, and having M16 training and supply commonality.

Components

References

limited access

External links