DMR

Designated Marksman Rifle Build and Gear Setup

A good optic is an important aspect of every well done DMR Setup. Selecting the right one, however, can feel overwhelming. It is fair to say that everyone in our group would recommend any variation of a Trijacon Credo. Still, there are many options fitting a range of budgets that work well for DMR setups. On the high end, the vortex razor gen 3 is an excellent MOA and MIL reticle with superior clarity. It's price point is higher, but its performance aims to match it in full. On the budget side, the Primary Arms 1x8 and 3x18 are still great contenders. These are both ACSS reticles which are great range finding tools that help determine bullet drop at the same time. We love a good range finding bdc reticle like the ACSS. These are just some of the many good reticles we recommend. There is a wide range of good optic choices and when you get down to the discipline of shooting, a good optic is more important than the rifle itself.

Rifle Builds

As with all things there is a give and take with rifle builds. The more stuff added to the rifle equals more weight; more weight equals more restrictions. It is important to remember, when you increase the range of your rifle by increasing the weight of your rifle, you decrease your capabilities with movement and near engagements.

The Builds

The following is three hypothetical rifle/optic setups with three different max effective ranges:

Max range point target 600 yards:

14.5/16 inch barrel - bcm with Trijicon Credo 1x6 bdc or 1x8 mil reticle, blue force sling and MRDS side optic.

Max range point target 750 yards:

18/20 inch barrel 5.56 Seekins, BCM, or DD with Trijicon Credo 2 x 10, or 2.5 x 15 mil optic, Harris bipod, vtac padded sling with a MRDS side mounted optic.

Max range point target 1000 yards:

18/20 inch AR 10 in 308 or 6.5 CM, RRA, DD, Seekens, or Aero Precision; Trijicon Credo 2.5x15, Leupold MK 5 3.6 x18, Bushnell Elite dmr II 2.5x21, and a primary arms glx 2.5x10. Top mounted MRDS with a Harris bipod and a padded vtac sling.

Slings - Blue Force and Vtac

Bipod - Harris, Atlas, and Tier one

MRDS - Trijicon and Holosun

Spotting scopes - leupold, vortex, bushnell, and Athlon. Spotting scopes are one of those things that, in my opinion, fall into the "you get what you pay for" category. When you get into the very low end of spotting scopes, you get just that. It would be better to get a higher piece of quality gear in another area IE range finder or binos

Binoculars - Burris, Vortex Diamondback, or higher, leupold and many more. We also like the Vortex Recon RT for this job.

Range finder- it appears that Sig Sauer is blowing everyone out of the water on range finders.

Weapon light - Modlight OKW, and Cloud Defensive Rein.

Mounts - Warne, Arisaka, PRI, AERO and many more!

My personal DMR:

5.56 18 inch Rainier Arms Ultramatch Barrel with a grey ghost upper and lower,

Geissele 2 stage trigger,

Geissele MK4 rail,

Leupold MK 5 with CCH reticle 3.6 x 18,

Holosun 509t with Arisaka Mount,

Tier one bipod (the tall one),

69 gr hpbt ammo,

Vtac padded sling,

Modlite OKW weapon mounted light

Other gear in my personal pack:

Water- nalgene bottles and water bottles - bladders leak

Binos - Burris HD 12 x 50

Range finder - sig kilo 2200

Tripod - Leupold Carbon fiber

Spotting scope- Leopold MK 4

Shooting bag- Whiskey Hotel stock+aid

Dope book - write in the rain cards, range cards, pens, and markers

VS 17 panel and chem lights

I also carry a good deal of sustainment in my ruck

Water

Food

Socks

T shirt

Batteries

Red lens flashlight

Camo netting

100 mph tape

550 cord

Poncho

Blanket

As always, you can take a small mission specific assault pack so you can hide your pack and carry a more specific lighter load.

Tac gear:

There are many good options for chest rigs, battle belts, and many other ways to carry gear. I love Esstac and Snake Eater Tactical for mag pouches. I like the AC1 plate carrier from Trex Arms, the Spiritus Systems chest rig, and the Mayflower chest rig from Velocity Systems.

This is a great site for more info:

https://www.everydaymarksman.co/equipment/lets-talk-about-load-carriage/

Don't forget a good PT plan and training plan. Shooting competitions are a good way to get out and practice.

As it pertains to gear it would be better to have 3 or 4 high quality items than to have 10 low grade pieces of gear. I would start with a rifle ( aero lower BCM upper) and an optic (trijicon) . Then, I would move to LRF and binos. Next would be a spotting scope and a tripod. I believe every rifle needs a sling and flashlight - don't skimp on this gear. You never want to shoot at something you can't see.

Nothing can compare to good reputations