U.S. Marine Corps Designated Marksman Rifle

The United States Marine Corps Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR, NSN

NATO Stock Number

A NATO Stock Number, or National Stock Number as it is known in the US, is a 13-digit numeric code, identifying all the 'standardized material items of supply' as they have been recognized by all NATO countries including United States Department of Defense...

1005-01-458-6235; more formally the United States Rifle, 7.62 mm, M14, DMR) is a semi-automatic

Semi-automatic firearm

A semi-automatic, or self-loading firearm is a weapon which performs all steps necessary to prepare the weapon to fire again after firing—assuming cartridges remain in the weapon's feed device or magazine...

, gas-operated

Gas-operated reloading

Gas-operation is a system of operation used to provide energy to operate autoloading firearms. In gas-operation, a portion of high pressure gas from the cartridge being fired is used to power a mechanism to extract the spent case and chamber a new cartridge. Energy from the gas is harnessed...

rifle

Rifle

A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...

chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge

Cartridge (firearms)

A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...

. It is a modified version of the M14 rifle

M14 rifle

The M14 rifle, formally the United States Rifle, 7.62 mm, M14, is an American selective fire automatic rifle firing 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition. It was the standard issue U.S. rifle from 1959 to 1970. The M14 was used for U.S...

formerly built and utilized by the United States Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

.

The DMR was issued with match-grade M118LR 175-grain Long Range ammunition. The "basic" DMR (i.e., without secondary sight, magazine

Magazine (firearm)

A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device within or attached to a repeating firearm. Magazines may be integral to the firearm or removable . The magazine functions by moving the cartridges stored in the magazine into a position where they may be loaded into the chamber by the action...

, sling, basic issue items, cleaning gear, suppressor

Suppressor

A suppressor, sound suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer, is a device attached to or part of the barrel of a firearm which reduces the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon....

and bipod

Bipod

A bipod is a support device that is similar to a tripod or monopod, but with two legs. It provides significant stability along two axes of motion .-Firearms:...

) weighs 11 pounds (5 kg) or less. The DMR design facilitates repairing or replacing of the sight mount, barrel

Gun barrel

A gun barrel is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion or rapid expansion of gases are released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at a high velocity....

, bolt

Bolt (firearm)

A bolt is a mechanical part of a firearm that blocks the rear of the chamber while the propellant burns.In manually-operated firearms, such as bolt-action, lever-action, and pump-action rifles and shotguns, the bolt is held fixed by its locking lugs during firing, forcing all the expanding gas...

, and other key assemblies at the third echelon maintenance level. The USMC Precision Weapons Shop at Marine Corps Base Quantico

Marine Corps Base Quantico

Marine Corps Base Quantico, sometimes abbreviated MCB Quantico, is a major United States Marine Corps training base located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly in southern Prince William County, northern Stafford County, and southeastern Fauquier County...

built all DMRs.

The Marine Corps replaced the DMR with the M39 Enhanced Marksman Rifle

M39 Enhanced Marksman Rifle

The M39 Enhanced Marksman Rifle is a semi-automatic, gas-operated rifle chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge. It is a modified and accurized version of the M14 rifle built and utilized solely by the United States Marine Corps...

and the Mk 11 Mod 0 on a one-for-one basis.

Specifications

There are several notable differences between the basic M14 and the DMR.

Barrel: A 22 inches (558.8 mm) stainless steel, match-grade
Match grade
Match grade frequently refers to firearm parts and ammunition that are suitable for a competitive match. Sometimes, it also refers to other devices and parts that are made with high precision in mind....

barrel by either Krieger Barrels, Inc. or Rock Creek Barrels, Inc. (Mike Rock Barrels).
Stock: McMillan Tactical M2A fiberglass stock
Stock (firearm)
A stock, also known as a buttstock or shoulder stock, is a part of a rifle or other firearm, to which the barrel and firing mechanism are attached, that is held against one's shoulder when firing the gun. Stocks are also found on crossbows though a crossbow stock is more properly referred to as a...

. This particular stock features a pistol grip
Pistol grip
On a firearm or other tool, the pistol grip is that portion of the mechanism that is held by the hand and orients the hand in a forward, vertical orientation, similar to the position one would take with a conventional pistol such as the M1911....

and a buttstock with adjustable saddle cheekpiece.
Optics: An over-action MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail
Picatinny rail
The Picatinny rail or MIL-STD-1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail or a "Tactical Rail" is a bracket used on some firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting platform. A similar system is the Weaver rail mount.-Description:...

sourced from either GG&G Armament Arizona or Smith Enterprise, Inc. allows for the use of any optic
Telescopic sight
A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, is a sighting device that is based on an optical refracting telescope. They are equipped with some form of graphic image pattern mounted in an optically appropriate position in their optical system to give an accurate aiming point...

compatible with the rail; this includes a rather large variety of military scopes and imaging devices. The most common scope used on the USMC DMR are TS-30.xx series Leupold Mark 4 day scopes, AN/PVS-10 or AN/PVS-17 night vision scopes, and Unertl M40 10× fixed power scopes.
Muzzle device: Most DMRs utilize the traditional M14 muzzle device, although since deployment in 2001, some DMRs are now equipped with the OPS, Inc. 2-port muzzle brake, which is threaded and collared to accept an OPS-Inc. 12th Model sound suppressor
Suppressor
A suppressor, sound suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer, is a device attached to or part of the barrel of a firearm which reduces the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon....

.
Bipod: A Harris S-L bipod is used on the USMC DMR.

Applications

A designated marksman

Designated marksman

The designated marksman is a military marksman role in a U.S. infantry squad. The term sniper was used in Soviet doctrine although the soldiers using the Dragunov were the first to use a specifically designed designated marksman's rifle. Sniper is also used in Russian doctrine...

primarily uses DMRs for enhanced accuracy and range. The DMR fills the need for a lightweight, accurate weapon system utilizing a cartridge more powerful than the M16A4's standard 5.56x45mm NATO

5.56x45mm NATO

5.56×45mm NATO is a rifle cartridge developed in the United States and originally chambered in the M16 rifle. Under STANAG 4172, it is a standard cartridge for NATO forces as well as many non-NATO countries. It is derived from, but not identical to, the .223 Remington cartridge...

—the 7.62x51mm NATO. Marine Corps Explosive Ordnance Disposal

Bomb disposal

Bomb disposal is 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 following fields:*Military:...

Teams, Scout Sniper

Scout Sniper

Scout Sniper is a secondary MOS designator of U.S. Marine Corps infantrymen and reconnaissance Marines that have successfully graduated from a USMC Scout Sniper School. Scout Snipers provide close reconnaissance and surveillance to the infantry battalion...

s and sniper spotters also used DMRs when the mission requires rapid, accurate fire at long range.

Specifications

Applications

See also