Modern Firearms LMT L-129A1 Sniper Rifle

The standard barrel length for the L-129A1 will be 20 inches, though options include a 16-inch and 12-inch barrel.  As the L129A1 is designed almost entirely to the needs of snipers in Afghanistan, the 20-inch barrel will be the mostcommon barrel length used. The barrel is a heavy match-quality barrel which is free-floating. The barrels are normally tipped with a flash suppressor, though the flash suppressor can be removed and replaced with a silencer. The L-129A1 sniper rifle is essentially a much-modified and refined version of the AR-10, and as such has a great deal of AR-type features.

Atop the receiver is a MIL-STD-1913 rail running from the back of the receiver almost to the front of the handguard; this top rail is 21.25 inches long. Both the upper and lower receiver are built of light alloy, and the upper receiver’s MIL-STD-1913 rail is machined as part of the receiver though it joins with a MILSTD-1913 rail atop the handguard to form a single length of rail atop the rifle. The amount of light alloy used mean that the weight of the L-129A1 remains quite low for its type of rifle. At the rear of the receiver and the front over the gas block are flip-up backup iron sights. The handguards have three more MIL-STD-1913 rails, and these run almost the entire length of the handguards. Parts such as the handguards and pistol grip, as well as the stock, are finished in desert tan, while the rest of the rifle is finished in a  dark gray color (not black; true black is actually a very rare color in nature.

The handguards themselves are of aluminum with a polymer coating. The lower receiver is essentially the same as that of the standard LW-308MWS, but the stock is an LMT SOPMOD stock, which is also a popular replacement stock on many weapons used by US SOCOM units. This is a sliding stock which looks in many ways similar to the stock of an M-4 carbine, but is much more adjustable for lengthan has compartments for the storage of batteries and cleaning equipment. If desired, a sniper can request his unit armorer to replace the issue stock with a fixed AR-15A2-type stock, also desert tan in color. (if a fixed stock is used, subtract $20 from the price and use the higher of the Bulk figures.) All control are ambidextrous, and the ejection port has a machined-in brass deflector behind it to ensure that ejected cases to not go down a left-handed shooter’s shirt, as on an M-16A2 and its descendants.

The trigger pack is a two-stage matchquality trigger Some sources state that LMT uses its standard finish on the L-129A1; LMT’s standard finish is tough enough, but other sources state that a new finish wasdeveloped for the L-129A1 which is even more weatherproof and offers more lubrication qualities. The L-129A1 does not normally mount a bipod, though of course one could beadded to thebottom MIL-STD-1913 rail.  No civilian versions of the L-129A1 are expected to be built by LMT, and it is not expected to be sold on the export market, even to Britain’s allies.

The British Ministry of Defense contacted a British company, Law Enforcement International, about their need for a new rifle for use by Sharpshooters (equivalent to Designated Marksmen in US units) and for use by the second member of a sniper team, when the first member is armed with a heavier, bolt-action rifle.  This contact and the subsequent evaluations were done in a very secretive manner, but testing was done by every level of troops from armorers and engineers down to the snipers that would actually be using the rifle.

Considerable input was supposedly also gained from US Ma at Quantico and the US Army Marksmanship Unit. One thing that became clear to LEI early on was that theyrifle themselves, and several possible rifles were already available that required a minimum of modification requirements; other candidates included versions of the FNH SCAR-17 and the HK-417.  However, it wasLewis Machine & Tool’s LW-308MWS that won out in this competition, and was type-standardized in earlyThe resulting version of the LW-308MWS differs in several areas from the civilian LW-308MWS, as well asentered in the SASS competition that was eventually won by a version of the Stoner SR-25. 

LMT emphasizesnot necessarily better than the LW-308MWS, but it does have a number or refinements not present on thethat were not used on their SASS candidate; the L-129A1 is, in fact, almost entirely manufactured on the308MWS.