Notes: The MSSR (Marine Scout/Sniper Rifle) is basically an M-16A1 on steroids. While 5.56mm NATO may not seem like the best round for sniper applications, in the MSSR’s role as a designated markman’s rifle for the Filipino Marine Landing Battalions, it works quite well. The heavy jungle present on most Philippine islands, as well as the limited budget the Filipinos have for such weapons, make the MSSR a good compromise between power and price.

To build the MSSR, the Filipino Marine armorers replace the M-16A1’s barrel with a DPMS heavy stainless steel match-quality barrel along with DPMS handguards and a DPMS upper. This results in an M-16A1 with a high-quality floating barrel, and in addition, the M-16A1’s facility for automatic fire is also removed. A Harris bipod is also added to the weapon, which is adjustable for height and cant. The scope uses is a Tasco armored 3-9x40 scope, not the best scope for sniper applications, but workable given the rifle’s role and the limited budget. The trigger is match quality.

The Gen III MSSR is further improved upon the standard MSSR; it uses an M-16A2-type pistol grip, a slightly better grade of DPMS barrel which is also 4 inches longer, three scope rings instead of two (allowing for greater stability for the scope as well as more flexibility in optics choice), and a Bushnell 3-9x scope with a mil-dot reticle (a better choice for sniper applications).

Twilight 2000 Notes: The Gen III MSSR does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.