Scope power on M24

[Travelor]

I am aware the M24 has a fixed Leupold Mk 4 10X scope, but was it ever issued or changed in the field for a higher power scope? My Club is establishing an issue sniper rifle class of competition. I have the Leuold Mk 4 10X but wondering about an acceptable higher power scope.

 

[Random Guy]

The rules used by the Quantico Shooting Club are a good guide for the match you are describing (3 categories: vintage/re-1953, Vietnam, and Modern). Scopes are limited to 10 or 12 power in the modern category, to the best of my knowledge.

https://quanticoshootingclub.com/sites/default/files/PDF%20FILES/RTB%20Vintage%20Sniper%20Team%20%20Bulletin-2018.pdf

As to your question: US Army (aka Big Army) M24s used 10x scopes circa 1988-2010.

SOCOM/Special Operations M24s may have used some different scopes like the super rare 4.5-14x Leupold FFP scope seen on an Army Ranger M24 with MIRS rail back in 2009, and some Leupold 3.5-10x scopes were used, but the Army didn’t move to the higher 6.5-20x magnification Leupold scope until they adopted the 300 WinMag via the XM2010 program - to the best of my knowledge. That said, could a Leupold 4.5-14x scope on the big Barnett 50 BMG rifle have been removed and installed on an M24 somewhere in Iraq or Afghanistan? Yes, as a ad hoc and/or temporary set-up, but they were not issued that way.

I strongly suggest the match rules limit magnification to 10x (or 12x for M40A5s) to keep guys from showing up with “fantasy sniper” rifles with huge 42x power NightForce scopes or other crazy stuff. The Quantico Shooting Club posted the rules I showed in that link b/c that’s what happened the first year. Guys brought out their 1000 yard F-class rifle to ‘compete’ against vintage sniper rifles with their correct(ish) 10x scopes...

 

[Travelor]

Thank you