GHC Know your Weapon #4 : M24 Sniper Rifle

The M24 Sniper Weapon System (SWS) is the military and police version of the Remington 700 rifle, M24 being the model name assigned by the United States Army after adoption as their standard sniper rifle in 1988. It is also used by the Israeli Defence Forces. The M24 is referred to as a "weapons system" because it consists of not only a rifle, but also a detachable telescopic sight and other accessories.

The M24 was designed to use the "long-action" version of the Remington M700 BDL. This was chosen because the designers originally wished to use the powerful but militarily obsolete .30-06 Springfield (7.62x63mm) cartridge, as it was still in procurement channels. This was later replaced with the shorter 7.62x51mm NATO-standard cartridge. The action in the original model reportedly caused feeding problems if the 7.62mm ammunition wasn't seated firmly towards the back of the internal magazine.

It originally came tapped for the Leupold Ultra M3 10x40mm fixed-power scope, which came with a circle-shaped etched-glass reticle. This was later replaced in 1998 by the cheaper Leupold Mk.4 LR/T M3 10x40mm front-focal fixed-power scope with a mil-dot reticle.
N.B.: The first number is the scope's magnification (10) and the second number in millimeters (40mm) is the diameter of the objective lens. A fixed power scope has only one magnification (e.g., 10x) and a variable power scope can be adjusted to focus between a range of magnifications (e.g., 3-9x is adjustable from a minimum power of 3x to a maximum power of 9x).

It comes with a detachable Harris 6-9" BRM-S swivel bipod unit.

The M24 SWS is to be replaced with the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System, a contract awarded to Knight's Armament Company. However, the Army still continued to acquire M24s from Remington until February 2010.

Specifications
Weight 5.4 kg (11.88 lbs) empty, w/. sling, without scope (M24)
7.3 kg (16 lbs) max weight with day optical sigh, sling swivels, carrying strap, fully loaded magazine5.6 kg (12.32 lbs) empty, w/. sling, without scope (M24A3).
Length 1,092 mm (43 in) (M24A1, M24A2);
(46.5 in) (M24A3)
Barrel length 660.4 mm (24 in)(M24A1, M24A2)

(29 in) (M24A3)
Cartridge 7.62x51mm NATO (M24A2)

.300 Winchester Magnum (M24A1)

.338 Lapua Magnum (M24A3)
Action - Bolt-action
Rate of fire @20 rpm
Muzzle velocity 2,580 ft/s (790 m/s) w/M118LR Sniper load (175 gr.)
Effective range up to 800 metres (875 yd)[2]
Feed system 5-round internal magazine (M24A1),
10-round detachable box magazine (M24A2),
5-round detachable box magazine (M24A3)
Sights Telescopic; detachable backup iron sights