The SEAL Recon Rifle, built in-house by U.S. Navy SEAL Team armorers, and later by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, was developed to provide SEAL snipers with a portable, lightweight, accurate weapon with greater lethality than a standard M4 carbine. The SEAL Recon Rifle is sometimes referred to as the "Recce Rifle". When production of this rifle was turned over to NSWC-Crane, U.S. Army funding and concepts were apparently incorporated into the program. The SEAL Teams were apparently disappointed with the performance of the resulting Mk 12 Special Purpose Rifle, and convinced the program managers at Crane to return to the original specifications. Production of Recon rifle on the original pattern is progressing now according to several sources. It must be noted, duly, that the Recce rifle's existence was more so a conceptualization of an accurized rifle that shares the same ammo as the standard infantrymen's rifle, with enhanced capabilities, than it is a specification in itself. However, as rifle technologies advanced throughout the 21st Century, the specifications begins to blend or blur tremendously.
Specifications
The SEAL Recon Rifle was initially built in-house with the only specifications being the ability to shoot any 5.56×45mm cartridge in inventory, and that the rifle have a barrel 16 inches in length. The barrel blanks have a 1:8 in twist and are stainless steel with a unique heavy barrel profile, starting with 0.980 in in diameter for the first 2.60 in of length, then narrowing down to 0.850 in diameter, 0.750 in in diameter underneath the front sight block, and 0.725 in in diameter to the muzzle. The barrels have the Ops Inc 12th model suppressors with the specified muzzle brake to mount the suppressor. A carbine-length gas system is used. These barrels were mated to flat top upper receivers, and back up iron sights from KAC. Beyond this, exact specifications vary. Since they were built in house, they seem to have been accessorized to personal preferences, with fixed and retractable butt-stocks. Recon rifles built by Crane are reportedly all fitted with a free-float handguard system, the most popular being the Knight's Armament Co. M4 Match RAS and the LaRue free-float handguards in the longer lengths. Knights Armament Corp free floated rails were most oftenly used by the time of Global War on Terror, which was the basis for the Mk. 12 mod. 1 rifle. Barrels were a mix of stainless Lijia or Douglas and SOCOM heavy profile barrels, the former offered exceptional accuracy whilst the latter offer as much accuracy but with better barrel life.. Some operators reportedly use various back-up iron sights by Knight's, ARMS Inc, and Troy Industries, while others do not. The range of optics used on Recon rifles is wide, with various models by Trijicon, Leupold, and Nightforce in use.
