Army’s XM2010 sniper rifle gets full fielding

The XM2010 sniper rifle is making a name for itself in Afghanistan. Officials won’t say how many are there or where they are...No matter how many are there, this is clear: The weapon’s performance has been strong enough to warrant full fielding... While the XM2010 is technically an upgraded M24 sniper rifle, the upgrades are so significant that the weapon warranted a new designator. Notably, the XM2010 transitioned from the 7.62mm NATO caliber (.308 Winchester) to a .300 Winchester Magnum. This increased a sniper’s effective range from 800 to 1,200 meters.Improvements to lethality and standoff distance were in response to feedback from Afghanistan, where snipers needed long-range capabilities...In addition to greater reach, the rifle comes with the Advanced Armament Corp. Titan-QD Fast-Attach suppressor. The 10-inch suppressor eliminates 98 percent of muzzle flash and 60 percent of recoil and reduces sound by 32 decibels, according to AAC, which recently was acquired by Remington...
----Full report at Army Times----
This bridges the gap between 7.62 NATO and .50BMG, being a bolt-action slows follow-up shots (and is, admit it, old technology, a glorified Mauser at heart), and without the recoil-reducing effect of the new suppressor, the vicious kick of the .300 WM can induce the flinch effect in the rifleman using it. Despite this, according to this report, the rifle has fans in the Stan'...(S9)