U.S. Special Forces will soon be replacing their 7.62-NATO-chambered Mk17 SCAR-Hs with a new, barrel-swapping MK24 Mid-Range Gas Gun-Assault (MRGGA) gun capable of running either 7.62 NATO or 6.5 Creedmoor. Selected elements of Special Operations Command (SOCOM) units are expected to field the firearm sometime before Oct. 1, 2026.
In August 2025, Lewis Machine & Tools Defense (LMT), based in Edridge, Iowa, was awarded a 10-year contract with a $92 million ceiling to manufacture MK24s. The profile, fire controls and manual of arms are similar to those on the M4 carbine. Barrel changes are fast—widely reported as being roughly a minute with familiarity. Weight, without optic, accessories or magazine, for the select-fire platform is 9.2 pounds. Controls are fully ambidextrous, and the barrel length is 14.5 inches in specifications currently released to the public.
“The MK24 brings new overmatch to warfighters with a multicaliber weapon system that has both ambidextrous as well as familiar controls, advanced modularity and capability with a quick-change barrel and monolithic upper, improved ergonomics, and other various performance enhancements that increase lethality,” Joseph Hajny, business development manager for LMT, told Task & Purpose.
Why 6.5 Creedmoor?
SOCOM conducted an industry event to identify cartridges capable of accuracy at 1,200 meters and beyond in 2021. The 6.5 Creedmoor was one of the two determined the be an optimal choice—the other being .338 Norma Mag.
Geissele Automatics was contracted to produce the semi-automatic Mid-Range Gas Gun-Sniper (MRGG-S) rifle in the former chambering. It is already fielded by SOCOM. SIG Sauer is producing the Light Machine Gun-Medium in the latter chambering.
The new MK24’s dual-chambering capability addresses a supply concern often associated with a different cartridge. To stay in the fight, operators who run low on long-distance 6.5 Creedmoor simply change to the 7.62 NATO barrel and tap into the nearby inventories of ammunition at nearby U.S. or allied nation units to stay in the fight.
The SCAR-H was first fielded by U.S. combat units in 2009.
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