U.S. Secret Service Seeking 6.5 Creedmoor Rifles
BY Herschel Smith
3 days, 12 hours ago
The United States Secret Service, which is in charge of protecting President Donald Trump, the vice president, and other important VIPs and dignitaries, is eyeing a new weapon – specifically, a 6.5 Creedmoor rifle.
The Secret Service has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to seek candidates or vendors who can provide a number of 6.5 Creedmoor rifles. The rifles should be equipped with semi-automatic firing capability, for use in all environments, as per the RFI.
The current RFI mentions an order quantity somewhere in the 50-150 unit range, alongside the associated equipment and documentation. However, the Secret Service will publish a final revision with the correct order quantity sometime this year when it releases the solicitation plan.
The Secret Service finds a need to replace its existing inventory of M110 SASS rifles. It believes that the update is needed to better meet the requirements of the agency for operational and training needs.
The statement of work (SOW) for the 6.5 Creedmoor rifle mentions a lot of details about the wanted features.
It states that the weapon should be operable without modification by a right-handed or a left-handed individual. The external metal parts of the weapon should have a “dark subdued, rust/corrosion resistant finish,” which should remain unaffected by commercially available gun-cleaning solvents.
Further, “the weapon shall be chambered in accordance with current SAAMI Specifications in 6.5 Creedmoor, and function with assorted ammunition ranging in weight from 130-145 grain (to include all common SAAMI-spec and Mil-Spec ammunition).”
The height of the Creedmoor rifle should be no taller than 7.75 inches without accessories or magazines. The weight, including the suppressor and excluding other accessories, should be not more than 9.5 pounds, and the overall length with the stock fully collapsed should be 40 inches.
The SOW also mentions that the minimum-maximum length of the barrel of the weapon should be 15.5 to 16.5 inches. Moreover, the barrel should have a minimum service life of 3,500 rounds – and the weapon systems will be tested to 5,000 rounds.
The weapon shall utilize a direct-impingement gas-operated system or a short-stroke gas piston system. It should be semi-automatic in nature.
As per a report by The War Zone, the Secret Service is of the opinion that a 6.5 Creedmoor rifle would offer better accuracy and more range to the firer – as compared to the similar 7.62x51mm types NATO-standard rounds.
In the past, US agencies had said that rifles chambered in 6.5mm Creedmoor could double a shooter’s probability of scoring a hit on targets up to 3,280 feet away (1,000 meters).
The US Secret Service was also looking to source a new sniper rifle for its operatives in the recent past. Currently, the agency’s operatives use 7.62x51mm M110 designated marksman rifles and a .300 Winchester Magnum bolt-action type as the primary sniper rifle.
Interesting. It’s true that the 6.5CM is a flatter shooting round, and it’s also true that they recovery to eye box will be quicker with 6.5CM than for 7.62mm.
I suppose they’re looking at this as a designated marksman rifle rather than a sniper rifle (which is fulfilled with the bolt action rifles they have). I’m not certain why they wouldn’t choose to replace their bolt action rifles with 7mm PRC.
Anyway, it’s beyond me why they would choose a 16″ barrel if this will be employed as a DM rifle. I would have thought 18″ would be the sweet spot. In fact, I know it is.
I would guess they’ll be entertaining submissions from KAC (which would be fine), Daniel Defense (which would be great – I can vouch for that), H&K (oh brother), Sig (oh brother), and maybe other manufacturers.
I certainly wouldn’t choose a piston-driven rifle for the additional weight and bulk it would add. But that’s just my opinion.
|
|
On March 25, 2025 at 8:12 pm, Dan said:
More “me too” tax funded envy. In reality the Secret Service is MORE than adequately armed for the mission. The money would be far better spent on better training and on recruiting better quality applicants .
On March 25, 2025 at 10:34 pm, Archer said:
Stop me if I’m wrong, but in that size range, 9.5 pounds would be a boat anchor, wouldn’t it? I would think a manufacturer could meet those specs with a 7.5-8 pound rifle, with a full 30-round magazine (which may or may not be considered “other accessories”).
On March 25, 2025 at 10:51 pm, Herschel Smith said:
@Archer,
Oh absolutely. They only gave those gracious weight restrictions for piston-driven systems.
On March 26, 2025 at 1:30 am, Rick said:
An AK chambered in 6.5 Creed, just to mess with them.
I agree money is better spent on training. Wanting a flatter bullet, is this like reducing marksmanship standards?
1,000 yds? What does SS have in mind?
On March 26, 2025 at 12:28 pm, Don W Curton said:
Am I reading that correctly? A 3500 round service life?
On March 26, 2025 at 3:33 pm, Latigo Morgan said:
They don’t use the ones they have now, why switch to something different? Did they specify it has to work on a sloped roof?
On March 26, 2025 at 4:54 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
Re: “More “me too” tax funded envy. In reality the Secret Service is MORE than adequately armed for the mission. The money would be far better spent on better training and on recruiting better quality applicants .”
Yes, big thumbs-up on that one….
Why does the USSS need 1,000 yard-capable SLRs in 6.5 CM when it is already using 7mm Rem-Mag bolt-action rifles which are more than capable of such shots?
As far as tasks/missions requiring an SLR, the M110SASS in 7.62x51mm is more-than-capable of handling whatever it is they are facing, and unlike 6.5 CM, it has a wealth of pre-existing dope, a plethora of on-the-shelf ammunition choices for different jobs.
Inside 350-400 yards, the .308 hits harder than 6.5 CM. Though the M110 does not shoot as flat or as-efficiently as the 6.5 CM, its bullets can go as heavy as 190-grains quite easily, in contrast to 6.5mm, whose projectiles top out around 150-grains. When firing special-purpose ammo such as loads designed to defeat barriers, throw weight matters.
I’m not blind to the advantages offered by 6.5 CM; I just don’t see that they justify the kind of trouble/expense to the taxpayer likely to be involved. Especially when the data seem to indicate that they are not as well-trained as they could be using existing equipment.
Long-distance shooting doesn’t seem to be the problem at the USSS, anyway; the fiasco surrounding the attempts on then candidate Trump show positively abysmal handling of their sidearms by a number of (female) agents. If the new management of the agency is looking for a place to start, that would seem to be one of them.
On March 26, 2025 at 9:17 pm, X said:
Hey, when they’re not busy banging Colombian prostitutes or putting DEI hires in command who allow assassins within 150 yards of a president, they have to spend your taxpayer dollars on the latest cool and trendy range toys like the 6.5 Jesus.
King’s men, and all of that.
On March 28, 2025 at 12:46 pm, Grunt said:
Easy to spend other peoples money.