Rock Island Arsenal M21 Sniper Weapon System (SWS)

History

The M21 was developed from the standard M14 rifle, itself an evolution of the very successful WWII-era M1 Garand. The Garand is a clip-action semi-automatic rifle, while the M14 is operated from a detachable 20-round magazine and provides selective fire. The original M1 Garand proved to be a godsend for the Allies, becoming a rifle known for its accuracy and great handling.

So it was natural to refine the Garand's design, resulting in the M14 rifle. The m14 proved to be just as accurate and reliable as its predecessor, eventually paving the way for its use as an equally effective sniper system.

With the Vietnam War in full swing, the U.S. Army found itself in the market for quality sniper rifles. These qualities were inherent to the M14 rifle, and it soon adapted well to the special modifications of the gunsmiths at Rock Island Arsenal. The M14 rifle has been upgraded to this new form, delivering the same high-caliber strike as the M14, while adding some subtle extras - in the form of scopes - to improve accuracy.

The new system was named the XM21, and about 1,435 rifles were retrofitted in this way for the U.S. Army. The weapon was mainly in service in the Vietnam War and performed well.

In 1975, the weapon system was renamed the better known M21 Sniper Weapon System (SWS). This rifle remained in service with the U.S. Armed Forces until the late 1980s when it was replaced by the popular M24 Sniper Weapon System (SWS), a rifle based on the famous Remington 700 series (the U.S. Marine Corps in a similar form ). referred to as M40).

The selection of M24 inherits the automatic characteristics of M21 and selects the bolt action operation. The M21 was later refined into the M25 for use by U.S. special forces, although these were of limited use and production.

The core of the M21 is that it retains many of the inherent qualities of the M14 rifle and therefore also has advantages. It features an integrated McMillan M1A fiberglass stock with handle and trigger assembly, variable scope mount and removable straight ammo box (same as the M14 rifle base). The weapon fires the standard 7.56x51mm NATO cartridge using a 5, 10 or 20 round magazine, although the 20 round quantity is the most common.

The action of the weapon comes from the M14NM (National Competition). Sights include the above sights (Bausch & Lomb Tactical 10x40 or Leupold MK4 10x) as well as standard front blade and rear adjustable baffle with hood.

The muzzle velocity is reported to be 2,800 feet per second and the effective range is up to 750 yards.

The M21 served in the U.S. Armed Forces from 1969 to 1988. The weapon is still in service with some U.S. National Guard troops on the ground in Iraq.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes