The Danger Close Precision Rifle or the DMR revisited

Danger Close: In close air support, artillery, mortar, and naval gunfire support fires, it is the term included in the method of engagement segment of a call for fire which indicates that friendly forces are within close proximity of the target, usually 600 meters however the close proximity distance can be determined by the weapon and munition fired.
Danger Close is a term ground pounders use when calling in supporting fire – be it mortars, larger artillery, or close air support. The margin of error for those munitions means that the troops calling in the strike may also be injured, and when calling danger close, everyone takes more time in calculating the round trajectories.
Why is this important?
As I teach in the Scout Course, based on what I learned as doctrine, the standard course of action when troops begin taking casualties is to call for indirect or supporting fire. While Hollywood depictions might make it seem like runnin’ n’ gunnin’ your way through a firefight is somehow realistic, in reality, it looks a lot more like the ambush scene from Forrest Gump. You usually have no idea where its coming from and by the time you do you’re screwed if your adversary is not completely retarded.
Camoflage, concealment, and competent terrain analysis. It wins fights.
Coupling that concept with a weapon capable of operating within that same Danger Close envelope then becomes imperative. It has a paralyzing effect on small unit fire and maneuver, tricking a foe into negating that which becomes their default option. It is one the Chechens adapted to their advantage in the first Chechen War. And it is that paradigm from which I teach. In the Scout Course we cover marksmanship on Day 1 getting the students out to at least 400m with their rifles – whatever they bring to class – in a simple and easily replicatable way.
There is an excellent discussion ongoing on the forum dealing with this very topic and revisiting some of the things previously written. But when you boil it down, take into account what most people are likely to actually have. Not some $5,000 tricked out setup, but a standard AR-15 with a 1-6 or 1-8 LPVO. Keep it simple, and it won’t fail you. Our own contributor American Yeoman chimed in with some excellent input:
My thoughts on the weapon itself if you are scratching one together?
Ar15. For all the same reasons it’s the universal American rifle of choice for defensive/offensive use-
1. Light weight 2. Accurate 3. Ergonomic 4. Support- ammo, mags, parts, gunsmithing knowledge base 5. Powerful enough 6. Light recoil 7. Reasonable Cost, rifle and ammo
Barrel length 16-18″- You don’t need anything longer, medium contour–nothing heavier. This ain’t Najaf and you ain’t Travis Haley, I don’t care how many times you watch the video…..
Chrome lined, Stainless, Nitrided….I don’t care as long as it meets the accuracy standard of 2.5 MOA (And yea, I made that crap up! BUT, at 5oo yards, that’s HALF of a mans chest roughly)
Free floated- buy a decent friggen handguard- I recommend the Larue- its cheap at $10 an inch and absolutely bombproof- they’ve used the same attachment systems since they began making quad rails- it works….
Ammo- High Quality M193 or better. Universally available…and Yea, that’s something of a Red Herring “high quality M193”— But, we all know that 1. There’s M193 and then theres’ M193- it’s NOT all the same. There’s a difference between RUAG M193 and Armscor M193….. 2. No two rifles shoot the same ammo exactly the same. Know your rifle. Buy a shit ton of it and stack it away, but it’s not something to just “have”- use it to train.
Mags- Aluminum or Plastic. Don’t care. Pick one. Don’t use 30 year old USGI Gunshow Special Mags. They are $10 apiece new for high quality mags. Buy 20 and call it good- be done with it.
Scope- Most any LPVO 1-6-8x- Primary Arms, Vortex Strike Eagle, Steiner P4XI etc….- You need magnified optics on a sniper rifle. No, they don’t make you shoot better technically but they will sure help you identify your target much easier and if they have a BDC reticle that is reasonably accurate, they will make you a better field marksman.
Mount- The Weaver Tactical Rings are fairly inexpensive and won’t move– $40 on the low end. There are plenty of other mounts etc…get something that is going to stay in place- spend a little money but you don’t need to spend $300 either…. Torque it TO THE PROPER SPECS AND LOC TITE IT!
Trigger- You can do lots of good work with at stock AR15 trigger. Simo Hayhas Mosin didn’t have a “match grade trigger”. If you want a better trigger- and that’s fine- an ALG is a reasonably priced and bomb proof unit. If you want something even more “precision” then again, check Larue, they had their match triggers at $80 forever when you bought a rail from them- a steal. They have since gone up but represent excellent value still.
Stock- What do you want? Fixed or retractable. Just make sure it’s reasonably tight if you go with a retractable- some of the cheaper Magpul units- the MOE etc…have a lot of slop in them. I like the B5 or the Magpul MOE SL on a good quality tube.
Bipod- On a rifle that’s a dedicated sniper rig, gotta have a bipod. Though the Tripod is preferred in many cases. Buy a Harris to start. I’ve seen two broken Magpuls so far….the Atlas is nice and you pay for it. The Chinky Harris knock offs are ok but the real thing isn’t that much more.
There’s your Guerilla Sniper rifle. It gives you capability that the Stalingrad Snipers etc….could only have DREAMED OF and looks an awful lot like 90% of the AR15’s most people are carrying around these days. That’s my thoughts on it….
You can fancy it up as much as you want- heavier/more precise ammo, expensive “Recce/SPR” barrels, $2500 Scopes, Gucci Triggers/Uppers/Lowers…….but the gains at some point are pretty small in real effectiveness in my opinion.
Can’t find fault with any of that – its sound advice that should be heeded, and is pretty darn close to what I’ve advocated in this role for many years now between the pieces I’ve written on the SPR and ‘The War of the Cutover’ addressing the realities of combat in the rural southeast. And it underscores the reality that you fight with what you have, not what you wished you had, and on that note what you can also source now.
And it also underscores the absolute need for competent, realistic training in actual tactics. There is nothing more important than taking that seriously, and now.

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About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

16 Comments

  1. Anonymous September 9, 2021 at 07:34

    5

  2. NC Sheepdog September 9, 2021 at 07:57

    Glad you published this now. I’m in the process of starting my SPR build. I know we chatted a bit about it before, but this absolutely helps out! And yes………I’m going to paint it!

    • NC Scout September 9, 2021 at 08:55

      Awesome!!!

    • wwes September 9, 2021 at 09:57

      Once you paint one, you’ll start painting them all :)

      • James September 9, 2021 at 13:51

        WWES,once you buy a rifle,many buy more.Sure,you just bought a upper you swap at times,finally decided it needed a lower,it’s own stock/sling/mags/buis/perhaps a optic,oh,and it’s own case,adds up fast but now your done,right?!
        Eh,perhaps one more different caliber upper,will just use on one of the two lowers and swap stuff around……..,uh huh!

        • wwes September 9, 2021 at 13:58

          Oh yeah, it’s like eating pringles. Painting them is the same way, once you do it, you start painting them all.

          • Ordinary Warrior September 10, 2021 at 15:21

            I hate the color black on all my guns! All the rifles get Duracoated as soon as I can. Pistols get Gun Skinned or the metal slide painted. FDE is the best basic color to have.

          • wwes September 10, 2021 at 15:35

            I like Rustoleum Khaki, followed by deep forest green, then earth brown.

  3. Anonymous September 9, 2021 at 07:58

    4.5

  4. boss21 September 9, 2021 at 10:26

    Good stuff. We have slicked everything down over the years. Scope , IR laser and sometimes bipod. Nothing else. ‘The Rifleman’s quarter mile’ as Fred from Appleseed would say. I use it hunting with a Grendel upper set up the same for continuous familiarity.

  5. Exring September 9, 2021 at 11:17

    A well put together article. I, personally, would emphasize bullet weight greater than 55 gr (preferably 69 gr or heavier, if you plan on some long shots), and lots and lots of time on the gun. One can never practice too much. I have no been in combat but expect that the entire world changes and not having to concentrate as much on firing of the weapon and more on what is happening makes sense.

  6. Jack Sparrow September 9, 2021 at 12:03

    Platoon had a good depiction of Danger Close and Dale Dye actually served and he is the officer on the radio!
    How long will external enemies wait before they move?
    When the abomination Whore of Babylon the Kamal gets in?
    Burning it all down and shelling the deplorable kulak untermenschen gets the Long Marchers excited and they can get rid of troops that know too much at the same time with Danger Close.
    BTW-did AM-PART get a DDOS attack the other day? It was inncessible for periods with some bizarre warning about it being a thoughtcrime page, just thought that you should know.

    • NC Scout September 9, 2021 at 13:16

      Yeah we did. We get hit several times a week.

  7. Ohio John September 9, 2021 at 13:53

    Here in NE Ohio I only wish I had a place to see let alone shoot out to 500 yards. Even in the fields I hunt groundhogs in they only get out to barely 300 yards. My AR has a red dot and a 50 / 200 zero. Basically put the dot on them anywhere I can see them which, around the home area, is only about 175 yds. It also doubles as my coyote and varmint gun.
    I got a Mantis X a few years ago to improve my dry fire practice. If you ever get a chance to try one, don’t pass it up.
    https://mantisx.com/

    • Brian Smith September 9, 2021 at 17:25

      Tusco Rifle club just South of New Philly has a 600 yard range. Sandusky County Sportsmen’s Club in Gibsonburg has a 500 yd range

  8. Russell G. September 9, 2021 at 18:52

    There are 4-groove bbls, 5-groove bbls, 6-groove bbls, etc.
    Which bbl above would yield greater concentricity in projectile engraving after the freebore jump?
    Which bbl above would produce less depth of land engraving on the projectile within the bbl?
    Which bbl above would produce less copper deposits on the edge of the lands with use. (I know, I know, LDS shooters have a different view on copper than benchrest people).
    How would the depth of land engraving affect external ballistics of a projectile in flight? (hmmmm…you say) How about on LDS deceleration under the sound barrier with a ragged projectile?
    Can you get a 120 buck AR bbl with 6-grooves? Damn right.
    Now, which flash hider or brake produces equivalent and consistent radial pressures on the exiting projectile? A cool looking tactical ninja muzzle brake with spikey things all over or a tank exit nozzles on the side to piss off the shooters next to you at the range, or a muzzle brake that has holes equally spaced around and along it’s longitudinal length? (read: Helical) You just answered that question.
    Can you reduce your average group diameter with the right muzzle brake/compensator by anywhere from 0.3 to 0.5 MOA? Damn right. Is an A2 flash hider one of those? Nope, it’s probably the worst.
    Moving on to the final questions…Do you have a 300 yard clear shot in your AO? I thought so. At 300 yards how large is your target size relative to your reticle line thickness or cross (assuming non FFP)–using one of those scope magnifications above?
    Long hours at the range people…I ain’t seeing any new faces at mine. Get there.

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