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Field Ethos
Guest
By Chad Adams
It’s been credited as the precision weapon that killed more enemy combatants than any other. With approximately 15 years of martial service across two theaters of battle, the Mk 12 Special Purpose Rifle became the most formidable evolution of Eugene Stoner’s masterpiece. In the hands of Marines, SEALs, Rangers and more, it proved a lethal designated marksman rifle, wreaking havoc on the enemy.
In real time, the Mk 12 most assuredly fulfilled the decades of natural tinkering and improvements from many different sources. From Camp Perry matches to elite SOCOM units, everyone was constantly making the M16 platform better, more accurate, and more mission capable. Then Mark Westrom of Armalite fame proposed something specifically suited for combat.
The Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division then finally codified the DMR variant just in time for the War on Terror. The resulting Mk 12 MOD 0, MOD 1 and MOD H then dominated the battlefield from overwatch to mountain patrols across Iraq and Afghanistan.
The weapon system fulfilled a very unique niche—filling the void between the M4 platform and the larger dedicated sniper systems like the SR-25. In the hands of America’s best, it then became legend.
Bravo Company Mk 12 Complete Upper
BCM Mk 12 Complete Upper Receiver Group Mod 0-Bravo (PRI Black).
We recently hit the range with Bravo Company’s take on the martial MOD-0 SPR. It features a PRI Gen III 12-inch carbon fiber handguard, PRI folding front sight base, and an 18-inch stainless barrel with a DLC black finish. The full rifle-length gas system made this one soft-shooting DMR.
Bravo Company offers a whole host of optional features, ranging from full Picatinny rail sections to multiple muzzle devices. You can get everything from a traditional A2 flash hider to multiple SureFire Warcomp Flash Hider variants. Bravo Company offers options on charging handles as well.
Bravo also currently offers eight different renditions of the Mk 12 upper build. The subtle differences put some color on the venerable DMR, delivering different aesthetic takes, but all rooted in the martial weapon system.
Regardless of how you might finish this one out, the upper turns your rifle into a special purpose tack driver, one dripping with patriotic reverence forged on multiple battlefields fighting for freedom.
Price: Complete upper (our test version) starts at $1,556.40, but options vary.
Pros: This non-FFL item turns your complete lower (given it’s a solid build) into an absolute laser. Your boys on the range will be jealous when you hit the bench with the most lethal AR variant to ever grace the battlefield.
Cons: Too much America? I guess you could complain about the price, but you might be a Commie bastard if you do.
The post MK 12 SPR—America’s Most Lethal Weapon appeared first on Field Ethos.
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