Navy Seal Rifle - After photos of Virginia SEALs training went viral, people wanted to know about the custom rifles they had. Here's what we found.
Yesterday we published some incredible shots of Navy SEALs and SWCC working with Army Night Stalkers on the coast near Dam Neck, Virginia. You can see those pictures here. It didn't take long for our mailboxes to fill up with inquiries about what rifles SEALs carry from SEAL Team Six to the inevitable small arms arsenal conducting their training missions aboard a highly modified MH ship. -6 Small Birds and MH-60 Black Hawk. So, we did some research and here's what we found—these are truly unique, at least when it comes to US military and AR-15/M4/M16 model rifles.
Navy Seal Rifle
From what we can tell from footage captured by aviation photographer Raven Harris, the rifle uppers come from highly respected AR-15 maker Novesque in Grants Pass, Oregon. Novesque has a reputation that borders on mythology in the firearms community, and it's no surprise that SEAL Team Six's notoriously efficient armor reached out to him to fill some of the team's needs. Between 2007 and 2020, the U.S. Navy awarded Novesk multiple contracts worth a total of $4.9 million, according to records obtained through the federal procurement database system. Those contracts came through various offices within the service, including the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division in Indiana, which over the years has built a variety of specialized small arms for the Naval Special Warfare Command.
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The entire upper assembly of the rifle consisting of the barrel, gas block and tube, handguard/rail system, upper receiver, charging handle, forward assist, dust cover and bolt carrier group is identical to Novesque's 10.5″ Gen III. Shorty Upper, which you can check out on their website here. Specifications include a high-end and machined billet upper receiver and one of Novesque's highly regarded stainless steel barrels, which have a reputation for extreme accuracy.
- 10.5" stainless steel or cold hammer forged with 5.56 1/7 twist or stainless steel 300BLK with 1/7 twist
The 10.5" barrel length is typical for SEALs, and particularly SEAL Team Six, who serve in counterterrorism roles with operations taking place in urban terrain, on ships, and in underground structures. What are the Navy's special warfare community requirements? 18, this is Close Quarters Battle with a 10.3" barrel. Also known as receiver (CQBR). Other U.S. Special operations forces units, as well as other elements of the Navy and Coast Guard, also adopted those guns.
The HK 416s used by SEAL Team Six in the bin Laden operation that made the guns famous used 10.4" barrels. Unlike those weapons, which used a piston system to drive the action, the Novesk setup uses a direct impingement (DI) system, an original design by Eugene Stoner. And similar to its successors, the M16, CAR-15, and M4 You can read more about the piston vs. DI debate for AR-15 style rifles here.
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Where things go a little differently is the low receiver. These weapons appear to lack Novesque's billet design, instead having a more traditional forged receiver. They may still be Novesque, but they don't make the typical adjustable billet upper-lower receiver sets we see on the commercial market. Regardless, there is no reason to combine a billet upper and a forged lower. SEAL Armors will likely mount their own custom-tuned, fully built-out lowers over the Novesk, which includes a custom trigger and fire control group.
Regardless, the lower receivers are set up with ambidextrous bolt assist/release and flared/extended trigger guard. The second of which is a general feature that makes it easier for users to wear gloves. Below is a Magpul SL finished with a carbine stock and a Lancer Systems clear 30-round magazine, some of which are designed for blue rail-safe type simulations, and similar non-lethal simulated training ammunition loaded into the mag well.
A Sandman Novesque stainless steel barrel of a dead air silencer is attached. The laser pointer/illuminator system on the front upper handrail is the L3Harris AN/PEQ-15 Advanced Target Pointer Illuminator Aiming Laser (ATPIAL). The top of the flattop receiver looks like an Aimpoint Micro T2 red dot optic mounted on a Scalarworks lip mount. Other operators are met with EOTech XPS holographic sights Beyond that, there are subtle differences between groups of rifles, with vertical muzzles and INFORCE WML weapon lights attached to some SEAL weapons. There is also a different stock, some do not have the improved bolt assist/release, the primary grips vary with the HK416 and Hogue over-mold styles. These variations may be due to personal preference of the operator, but overall, the operator's primary weapons are relatively uniform among the groups of seals seen in the photo.
So, how much does this SEAL-approved rifle cost? Well, if you add up one of the list prices, it runs about $5,500.
File:us Navy Seals With Laser Designator Closeup.jpg
Not cheap, but a bargain for those who use this stuff in really high threat environments and in the most extreme situations imaginable. The M4A1 carbine is the primary weapon used by SEAL operators. The M16A2 is a smaller, more compact version of the rifle, primarily used by the US Army. Designed for special operations forces. In 1994, the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the Navy Special Operations Peculiar (SOPMOD) developed the M4A1 accessory kit to make this weapon exceptional in versatility, lethality, and effectiveness. The M4A1 is a high-tech, multi-use assault rifle that can be configured by the operator with multiple combinations of advanced optics, lasers and illumination systems for rapid and accurate target acquisition, day or night. It fires in both semi and automatic modes and is useful for both close engagements and long-range targets. The M4A1 excels in close quarter combat and counter terrorist operations. It fires high-velocity 5.56mm rounds, essential when taking out terrorists wearing body armor or bullet-proof vests. This rifle can be quickly and easily converted to a grenade launcher or shotgun.
2005-2010 Integrated Carbine - SOPMOD Block 3 upgrade resulted in a more streamlined version of the M4A1 carbine, designated the Integrated Carbine. It incorporates all of the refinements of the M4A1 carbine into the weapon, removing the optics and lasers from the weapon and providing a thermal sight. Mode switches and buttons for activating laser, thermal and other sights and visible lights are integrated into the vertical grip. The thermal observation unit may be able to interface with the Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS).
This unique modification and accessory kit allows operators to tailor their weapons to specific missions or operational conditions. These include optical sights, night vision devices, laser sighting devices and/or lights that can be mounted on the top or side rails of the weapon. The kit also includes a barrel assembly to convert the weapon into a grenade launcher or shotgun.
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