Features
M21
Caliber :7.62 mm.
Length :total, 1.12 m;
barrel , 0.55 m.
Weight :loaded, 5.550 kg.
Initial speed speed:853 m/s.
Magazine capacity:20 rounds.
practical range 800m
When the American forces decided in the 1960s to change the regulation caliber of their infantry armament from 7.62 mm x 51 to 5.56 mm x 45, the command still agreed that the ammunition should be retained. higher caliber for sniper weapons. Indeed, the 5.56 mm x 51, although having a superior performance at short range, quickly loses its possibilities at more than 500 m, a distance beyond which the "snipers" often have the opportunity to " work ". This therefore explains the retention of the 7.62 mm x 51 caliber for the M14 National Match precision weapon, better known as the M21.
It is in fact a a special version of the M14 which was for many years the regulation weapon of the American G.I. It retains the look and basic mechanism of the original model, but some changes have occurred in the construction of the weapon itself. The trigger system has been hand assembled and worked to give a plush release. A walnut stock was mounted in place of the original, after having received a surface treatment based on epoxy resin. The gas recovery system has also been the subject of careful attention to ensure fault-free operation. Automatic fire is possible with the M21 but the usual mode is semi-automatic.
The biggest change was the adaptation of a magnification scope ranging from x 3 to x 9 As with most sight optics, this is calibrated to the average height of the human figure, allowing the shooter to estimate the distance to the target and make corrections accordingly. Using this optic, the M21 can place ten rounds in a 152 mm diameter circle at a distance of 300 m. This weapon can, moreover, be equipped with a sound attenuator. It is not strictly speaking a silencer, but a succession of decomposition chambers which reduce the speed of the projectile until it is lower than that of sound. This produces a detonation which is not identifiable and which makes it impossible to locate the shooter.