Shed some light on Spec Ops battle rifle

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I'm not military or LE so I defer to Spec Ops personnel about what is the "best" battle rifle (or a collection of the best).

For example, I have never heard nor seen or read of Spec Ops using the XCR but have seen a pic (in the latest Special Operations publication) of a SEAL using the SCAR-H.

Why do I differ to spec ops? Because I figure they use their weapons the most and put them through the most rigorous challenges AND they get their choice of weapons, if I'm not mistaken. Please correct me if I'm wrong. (I think Marine spec ops don't, but SEALs, Army SF, and certain foreign SF do..)

Anyway, guns are just a hobby for me at this point in my life but I have a never ending curiosity with what the latest and greatest warriors are using as their battle rifle.

Anyone know of SF using the XCR?
 
i prefer a mini nuke......

i can relate a little. When i first got into Battle weapons i was also looking at the similar "Best of the best/tacti-cool" rifles for one of my future purchases but as i thought about it, i learned that these rifles are battle proven. meaning that these are coverd in dirt,mud, just pushed to the brink FOR Spec ops use IMO those Spec op/combat rifes are useless to me in any scenario i can think of for myself. i dont think i will be swimming through the jungles on a raft with 6 other guys and a A-10 at my disposal anytime soon. Although it would be fun to have one if you WERENT in CA like i am......to me my super best awsome gun is my mossberg 500
 
Look at the Seals, they can pretty much buy whatever weapons they want. AFAIK they are still using M4's and Sig226's.
 
A guy who works for the same company was with Special Forces in Iraq during Desert Storm. We had a Very Short chat on a EWR hotel shuttle one night.

He told me that in some situations they picked up Iraqi AKs, because their Army-issued rifles were not dependable. We quickly arrived at the Courtyard (Eliz.) hotel and never found out what situation he referred to.

I can call Rick's local friends and try to discretely furnish his cell phone number if requested. He is based in Detroit (DTW).
 
Look at the Seals, they can pretty much buy whatever weapons they want. AFAIK they are still using M4's and Sig226's.
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People need to keep in mind that SOF units get some latitude on what they carry at an organizational not an individual level. Taking your own privately owned weapon downrange is bad juju, and I know several guys who had their long tabs pulled for doing so -- and that was back in the Wild West days in '02-03.
 
US Socom uses...

5.56x45mm M-4A1 carbine
5.56x45mm Mk 12 Mod 1 SPR
5.56x45mm Mk 16 Mod 0 SCAR
5.56x45mm Mk 18 Mod 0 CQBR
5.56x45mm Mk 46 Mod 0 SAW
7.62x51mm Mk 11 Mod 0 SASS
7.62x51mm Mk 14 Mod 0 EBR
7.62x51mm Mk 17 Mod 0 SCAR
7.62x51mm Mk 48 Mod 0 SAW
 
A special ops weapon and a battle rifle (main battle rifle to provide superior fire power) are not necessairily the same thing. Consider a Ford F150 as a battle rifle, special ops could use anything from a bicycle to a Ferrari on an as needed basis. I guess the ultimae special ops weapon would be a special forces puff system in a 747 Boeing.

blindhari
 
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US Socom uses...
Click to expand...

And garden variety M249 SAWs.

I never saw anybody carrying EBRs (though AFSOC guys on one training event had some M14s for OPFOR, and some frankenrifle GAU-5s), but I'm sure someone can scare up a picture to prove me wrong from some other neck of the woods under the SOCOM umbrella (SEALs, for instance -- never worked with them).
 
I live near Lejeune and was briefly acquainted with a Marine in one of the Force Reconnaissance units, and my sister and I had the privilege of shooting with him at a civilian range in Wilmington once. As I recall, his primary weapon was an M4. I *think* his secondary was some flavor of 1911, but I am not positive about that. Lights were Surefires, I think.
 
My old team/squad leader is in 5th group and deployed in Afghanistan currently. He carries, and loves, his MK18 carbine. Thats a 10.5 inch barrelled M4. He even told me he hasnt even seen a SCAR yet.
 
People need to keep in mind that SOF units get some latitude on what they carry at an organizational not an individual level. Taking your own privately owned weapon downrange is bad juju, and I know several guys who had their long tabs pulled for doing so -- and that was back in the Wild West days in '02-03.

That's an interesting point. I imagine an A-team chooses weapons for their own 12 man team. I read about a team that had special purpose weapons for very specific detail - like a weird looking sub-machine gun, akin to an MP5, but with a magazine on the side. The team used the weapon for driver's defense - I imagine the sideways magazine made it more maneuverable for a driver to use in a humvee.
 
I never heard of a specially built SMG for that role, but I know that the JOS Warehouse at Bragg issued out a bunch of Sterling SMGs that drivers in ODAs were using for close range defense while driving for the same reason.
 
I have shot 2 sterling SMG's with a certain SF Group my last time in Iraq. I found out that even with the magazine sticking out the side it was more controllable than the MP5 and was 100% reliable. The arms rooms that I saw had a complete gamut of different weapons for different applications including an old M79 grenade launcher.
 
I never heard of a specially built SMG for that role, but I know that the JOS Warehouse at Bragg issued out a bunch of Sterling SMGs that drivers in ODAs were using for close range defense while driving for the same reason.

It wasn't specially built. Didn't mean to mislead you.

Now that you mention it, I think it was a Sterling SMG, but I can't recall for sure. I read the article a while ago.
 
People need to keep in mind that SOF units get some latitude on what they carry at an organizational not an individual level. Taking your own privately owned weapon downrange is bad juju, and I know several guys who had their long tabs pulled for doing so -- and that was back in the Wild West days in '02-03.
Click to expand...

Ding ding ding--Folks, we have a winner. Those units generally have a larger toolbox to draw from because of the many different types of operations that those guys are called on to perform.

FYI--no one uses the term 'Spec Ops,' except for Wilson Combat.
 
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