{"id":38232,"date":"2018-02-23T22:02:07","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T22:02:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/02\/23\/marine-raiders-dont-want-any-m27s\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:29:13","slug":"marine-raiders-dont-want-any-m27s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/2018\/02\/23\/marine-raiders-dont-want-any-m27s\/","title":{"rendered":"Marine Raiders don\u2019t want any M27s"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While thousands of grunts across the Marine Corps will soon be scrapping their M4s for the new, more powerful M27<\/a> rifles, don\u2019t expect the Raiders to follow suit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command <\/a>is taking a pass on the M27 after reviewing the new automatic rifle during its initial development. Simply put, the elite Marines were not impressed with the rifle\u2019s ability plug any existing gaps in fire power and they found the weapon\u2019s 16-inch barrel too long. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs of right now, the M27<\/a> doesn\u2019t provide an additional capability or advantage over the M4A1 with SOCOM upper receiver group as the standard rifle carried by Raiders,\u201d Maj. Nicholas Mannweiler, a Marine Corps Special Operations Command spokesman, told Marine Corps Times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The development comes as Gen. Robert B. Neller, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, is pushing to replace the M4 with the M27 within the infantry forces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The M27, also known as the infantry automatic rifle, or IAR, was originally developed to replace the heavy, belt-fed M249 squad automatic weapon, or SAW, with a lighter, more portable automatic weapon system for the infantry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, the Marines\u2019 use of the M27 is expanding to replace the M4 as the standard issued rifle to be carried by grunts because many Marine Corps officials believe the M27\u2019s long barrel affords longer range and better accuracy than the M4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Corporal Jared Ingerson, rifleman, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, 7th Marine Regiment, fires his M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle at a target during the Designated Marksman Course\u2019s culminating event at Range 113, Jan. 28, 2016. (Official Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Levi Schultz\/Released)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But the Raiders won\u2019t be using it at all. That\u2019s in part due to the difference in mission sets between the grunts and Marines with Special Operations Command. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The M27 isn\u2019t compatible with the Raiders\u2019 need to field a shorter barrel and the IAR\u2019s volume of fire isn\u2019t suitable to how MARSOC employs its Raiders on the battlefield. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGiven the smaller size of our operational units, the M249\u2032s volume of fire provides a greater tactical benefit than the advantages provided by the M27,\u201d Mannweiler said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And concerns about the barrel length is partly about tactics and how Raiders operate in confined urban environments or tight ship corridors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe maneuverability and handling of the weapon in a confined space like a ship during VBSS [visit, board, search and seizure], or a tight building is benefited greatly with the shorter barrel,\u201d a former Raider told Marine Corps Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHave to think of the added five inches you get with a suppressor, which has become and will continue to be SOP [standard operating procedure] for the foreseeable future. You throw a six-inch suppressor on the end of a 16-inch IAR, and you pretty much have a medieval pike.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marine special operators have a wide variety of mission sets beyond maritime ship interdictions and close quarters battle. That means the Marine commandos need a flexible carbine that can match specific operations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently Raiders use an M4 lower receiver, which is the trigger and housing, attached to a SOCOM-issued upper receiver, or barrel and bolt. This allows operators to mix and match their weapon system to meet various mission needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we need to do shorter suppressed barrels, that\u2019s an option. If we need to have a certain number of weapons within a team or company configured for designated marksman duties, we can do that too,\u201d Mannweiler explained. \u201cBut the incompatibility issues between the SOCOM upper receiver group and the M27 lower receiver present an obstacle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Corps is starting to designate one \u00adMarine in each infantry squad as a \u201cmarksman\u201d and providing that Marine with an M38 rifle. (Lance Cpl. Michaela Gregory\/Marine Corps)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On top of that, the Raiders are already rocking relatively new equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The upper receivers are only a few years old and are replaced regularly, according to a former Raider. And the commando unit is fielding a 7.62 mm caliber version of the SAW called the Mk48 \u201cthat is brand new and no one is looking to replace, plus we have a surrogate or partner nation force with us to increase fire capacity to go with CAS [close air support].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, not all is lost. The Raiders are interested in the M38, which is the designated marksman version of the M27. The M38 was borne out of M27 as the Corps was looking for a rifle that could hit targets at distances of 600 yards or more, a lesson learned from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. <\/p>\n\n\n\t