P1010655

The U.S. armed forces have been using the M-110 Semi-Auto Sniper System, designed and manufactured by Cape Canaveral-based Knights Armament Corp, for the last eight years. The concept behind the platform makes sense in modern warfare: giving designated marksmen and snipers the ability to rapidly engage multiple targets while enjoying some signature reduction benefits from the attached suppressor. That’s great on paper, but when placed into combat in the dusty and dirty environments of the Middle East the M-110 exhibited serious reliability issues. The military went back to gun manufacturers looking for a replacement, and it appears that H&K has come out on top . . .

From Soldier Systems:

It’s beyond rumor at this point. According to multiple sources familiar with various aspects of the program, H&K’s entry for the Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper System (CSASS) program was selected earlier this week for procurement by the United States Army. Other finalists were LMT and FNH USA.

The entry, named the G28E1, was displayed at SHOT Show in H&K’s booth. Interestingly, it incorporates an OSS Suppressor.

The rifle manufacturer selected isn’t that much of a surprise. H&K has been producing firearms for the U.S. military and special forces units for decades and their latest and greatest semi-auto AR-style firearms have definitely been a hit.

The real surprise here is the choice of silencer manufacturer. OSS is an extremely new player in the silencer industry, and their design is a radical departure from most of those in the industry. Instead of capturing the expanding gasses with a series of chambers, their design instead routes the gasses around the can much like a jet engine’s turbine, slowing them down and cooling them in the process. This reduces back pressure, which in turn slows down the cyclic rate and improves the reliability and durability of the firearm. In theory. This should be interesting.

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38 COMMENTS

    • Recoil pushes KeyMod attachments toward the shooter. I think HK may be one of the few (if only) companies that has it right.

      • I do understand that recoil works both ways. First, the pressure that accelerates the bullet out the muzzle also accelerates the gun backward. Then the gun decelerates when it hits your shoulder.

        However, the first event would seem to generate more G force, tending to push any attachments toward the muzzle. I don’t think every other keymod hand guard in the world is made wrong.

        I don’t care. I use M-Lok.
        🙂

        • It’s not so much that the attachments are pushed forward as the rifle is pushed rearward with the attachments coming for the ride. Sane result though: that picture would be backward.

          I don’t have keymod, but I have to figure with the right torque it shouldn’t matter in either direction.

      • Actually, they get it wrong. The initial recoil impulse is sharper on firing causing attached items to move forward and unless you have the stock against a stone wall or tree that does not move the arresting of that impulse is always going to be softer and slower. Of course you should tighten your attachments so they don’t come loose either way.

    • HK did their own version of Keymod, unofficially dubbed “HKmod”. Yes, they have it “backwards”, but that’s the way HK wanted it. No, Keymod stuff will not fit on “HKmod”.

      • “No, Keymod stuff will not fit on “HKmod”.”

        Good to know. Even if it did fit, it would point the wrong. way. You would blind yourself with your own flashlight.

      • And, as backwards keymods are considered evil features, only government sanctioned operators can have them on their guns. Everybody else must orient their keymods the right way.

    • There are other manufacturers that also place their keymod in a ‘reverse’ manner. The reason given for this is that any impact from forward movement on a mounted device would only serve to keep the device mounted.

  4. I just purchased a OSS for my M16 due to its greatly decreased back pressure. Still waiting to receive it.

    The more interesting piece of the story is that OSS’s President has most of the sales staff have left the company.

    • I was planning on getting one until I read what happened. Now it’s questionable if the accusations prove valid.

  5. HK still won’t admit the keymod slots are backwards. Backwards bullets in advertising , backwards keymod in rail, backwards customer servive.

    • ^^ This guy’s knows. H&K is fine for militaries, but they could give a shit about their customers. This is the same sort of behavior that drive Colt into receivership.

  6. Should have made them piston-driven in the first place, which would still be the cheaper option.

  7. The silencer selection has a lot to do with the fact that shooters are kind of tired of getting cancer.

    • Silencers cause cancer? I know how we can get the dems on board with taking the silencers off the list……..

  8. April fools jokes are a stupid concept. The Internet is already information overload. Filtering though lame jokes on top of endless scrolling past TTAG’s click bait makes this site sadly less and less appealing for gun news.

  9. “when placed into combat in the dusty and dirty environments of the Middle East the M-110 exhibited serious reliability issues.”

    Please elaborate?

    • The whole point of this contract was that the M110s were to big. Not that they were unreliable. That wanted a smaller weapon. Larue who everyone wanted in SOCOM to run, dropped out due to relatively smart financial reasons.

      • That makes more sense. Let’s say your DM has to quickly engage 10 targets at 600 meters, are they saying he can’t get through half a mag? That would be worse than a semi-auto .22. I thought the AR platform is what is it is: finicky but decently reliable if you give it what it wants and almost bolt-gun accurate.

        • The idea that ARs are finicky is crap. Badly built ARs are finicky. ARs that are not maintained like the miliary’s are finicky(just like every other gun including AKs). If you have a well built gun such a Colt or FN or any reputable manufacturer. And actually understand maintenance doesnt mean cleaning. The guns are world class.

  10. I have been very disappointed with H & K Quality control in the last few years. They’re G 36 Assault rifle That they tried to sell the German police department and army Was a total disaster. Their new VP line of polymer pistols Striker Fired Are junk I have sold A dozen or so out of our store 3 have come back with major Catastrophic failures where the slide locks half way back After one magazine of 9 millimeter through it and you have to disassemble the entire gun To fix the problem. Shit for parts put in these guns To save money And in turn will end up costing lives. I’ve heard a lot of problems with H&K here in the last 3 years All quality control issues and cheap Manufacturing Another big company trying to live off their name in America and rip people off.

  11. I got a spankin new IAR / M27 during the second half of my contract and I loved every bit of it. Beefy buttstock gives good cheek weld, fat grip, about as accurate as a battle rifle is going to get with green tips and it has a giggle switch which I found is only effective out to about 100-150 meters prone.

    Someone is thinking clearly when they gave the contract to HK, Id love to see the HK762 model ported over.

  13. I like .308, and own several, but the DMR concept in 6.5 Creedmoor makes a whole lot more sense to me. The increase in BC decreases wind drift and drop, which increases hit probability. Inside 600 yards, I’d rather have the power of the .308, but after that the 6.5 would be a sweet shooter. Most military 7.62 is loaded pretty soft. I understand logistics, I’d just rather have a better long range caliber on a long range platform, especially if I’m taking fire. And I’d outfit troops with Mk 262 on a more regular basis as well.

    My next AR-10 is an 18″ stainless Aero Precision upper that will fulfill a similar hunting role as the DMR concept.

    • If you think selecting a rifle is a nightmare circus, you cannot imagine the hell that is involved in selecting a new cartridge. It takes 10 years or better to do a NATO wide cartridge change.

  15. Between this and M27 IAR, how soon before they switch to H&K 416 as the main infantry rifle? Make your bets.

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