XM2010 arrives in Afghanistan

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Dennis Long, a mechanic with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls, and a native of Williamsburg, Iowa, fires an XM2010 Sniper Rifle on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, April 8. The XM2010 is a new Army-purchased weapon being distributed to sniper teams operating in Afghanistan.

(Story and photos by Sgt. Grant Matthes)   BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Sniper instructors displayed the new XM2010 Sniper Rifle at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, April 9 to allow service members to look at, shoot and familiarize themselves with the weapon system.

The XM2010 is a .30 caliber bolt-action rifle with a folding stock, a rail system capable of mounting multiple weapon accessories and uses box magazines that house five rounds.

“They are currently being distributed one per sniper team,” said U.S. Army Maj. Tracy Kreuser, Intelligence and Sustainment Company, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 101st Airborne Division force management chief and the division chemical officer. “You don’t want the enemy to know you’re a sniper, so they added the folding butt stock to make it look more like a regular rifle.”

The XM2010 is a rebuild of the M24 Sniper Rifle and is a good addition to the sniper’s arsenal, said Kreuser, a native of Kenosha, Wis.

“They listened to snipers when they built it, so they took everything into effect,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. David Dickson, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment sniper instructor, and a native of Southern Pines, N.C. “You can shoot a 10-inch shot group from 1,000 meters.”

The XM2010 will be assigned to sniper teams in Afghanistan before it is distributed to the rest of the Army.

“It is very smooth when shooting the rifle, the scope makes it really easy to accurately hit the target,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Dennis Long, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls, and a native of Williamsburg, Iowa.

“It’s a good system and I am very pleased it was able to be distributed so quickly,” said Kreuser. “It’s another system that will help us push the enemy back.”

U.S. Army Maj. Tracy Kreuser, Intelligence and Sustainment Company, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 101st Airborne Division force management chief, and a native of Kenosha, Wis., fires an XM2010 Sniper Rifle on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, April 8. The Army is distributing the newly purchased weapon to sniper teams operating in Afghanistan.

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