During my time as a sniper in 3rd Ranger Battalion, the weapon/sniper rifle of choice was the SR-25 or the .300 WIN MAG in an AI chassis.  The M110 SASS (Semi-Automatic Sniper System) was something that we had in our arsenal, but many of us flat-out didn’t like it.

The SASS did have a few nice features, but the bad seemed to outweigh the good. Despite what we thought about the weapon system, one cannot argue with how nice the SASS or the SR would have been if it came in a compact form.

The US Army has released a statement seeking weapons manufacturers to produce a Compact Semi Auto Sniper System, with a contract that could earn the winner of the contract $44.5 million dollars. Whoever the winner may be, the United States Army will purchase 3,600 of these Compact Semi-Auto Sniper Systems and has until this October to do so.

Check out some of the new CSASS Specs:

• The maximum overall assembled length of the rifle shall be not greater than 36 inches with the stock at its shortest position and no sound suppressor mounted. The stock shall be in the unfolded position if a folding stock is present. The length of the barrel shall be no less than 16 inches.
• The rifle shall incorporate a muzzle brake or combination flash hider/muzzle brake.
• The unloaded rifle with forward rails for concurrent mounting of required accessories but without suppressor, magazines, accessories, and/or optics shall weigh no more than 9.0 pounds.

The widely-used semi-automatic sniper rifle currently being employed by the Army, the M110, comes in at 15.3lb with scope, bi-pod and a loaded 20-round detachable box magazine, with an effective range of 875 yds on a point target. I’m sure the Compact Semi Auto Sniper System will have no problem hitting its mark at just under 900 yards, but how will it hold up on the battlefield?

This article was originally published on the Loadout Room and written by Nick Irving