Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc., Christiana, Tennessee, was awarded a $49,977,196 firm-fixed-price contract for procurement of Multi-Role Adaptive Rifle/MK22 Advanced Sniper Rifles, spare parts, accessories, tools, and conversion kits. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. It has not been specified which calibre will be the primary chambering of the Army’s new sniper rifles (.338 Norma Magnum, .300 Norma Magnum and 7.62×51 NATO). Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 29, 2026. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.
In 2019, the U.S. Special Operations Command awarded Barrett Manufacturing a $50,000,000 contract, ordering the Barrett MRAD chambered in .338 Norma Magnum for the Advanced Sniper Rifle project as the Mk 22 ASR. The issued rifle kit includes swappable barrels and bolts chambered in .308 Winchester, .300 Norma Magnum and .338 Norma Magnum. As part of their fiscal year 2021 budget requests, both the Army and Marine Corps included requests to adopt the MRAD themselves as their primary sniper systems of choice. In 2021, delivery of a total of 2,800 Mk. 22 rifles for the Army was initiated.
The Barrett MRAD (Multi-role Adaptive Design) is a bolt-action sniper rifle designed by Barrett to meet the requirements of the SOCOM PSR. The MRAD is based on the Barrett 98B and includes a number of modifications and improvements. The Barrett MRAD was named the 2012 Rifle of the Year by the NRA. Barrett delivered the first rifles to SOCOM earlier this year and the US Army announced the selection of the Leupold Mark 5HD as the optic to be paired with the PSR back in March 2020. The MRAD has also entered service with a number of other militaries around the world, including New Zealand.
Designed with both precision and modularity in mind, the MRAD is equally at home on the range or on duty. Its monolithic upper receiver is machined from 7000-series aluminum, including a full-length M1913 Picatinny top rail with built-in taper for long range precision. Contained within the lower receiver is a fully adjustable match-grade trigger module, allowing the user to easily set their ideal pull. The use of ambidextrous paddle-style magazine release, left/right swappable thumb safety and AR15/M16 pistol grips makes the MRAD perfect for both right and left handed shooters. From competition to combat, the Barrett MRAD does it all.
