By: Warren Gray
Copyright © 2024
“The Seekins SP10 is the choice of professionals. This high-end, AR-10-pattern
rifle has been fielded since 2019 by the…Combat Applications Group (CAG),
more commonly known as Delta Force. They selected the Seekins SP10 after
extensive testing, basing their decision on its superior accuracy, softer recoil,
long barrel life, and demonstrably better reliability, compared to other gas
guns they evaluated.”
— John B. Snow, for Outdoor Life, February 13, 2024
On June 20, 2020, Gunpowder Magazine published my article on “The Guns of Delta Force,” describing in detail the special weapons and equipment used by the U.S. Army’s 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Airborne), or 1st SFOD-D(A), more-commonly known as “Delta Force,” or the Combat Applications Group (Airborne) (CAG), our nation’s first full-time counterterrorist (CT) unit.
At that time, Delta’s known sniper rifles included the M110 (SR-25) SASS in 7.62mm NATO, the M110A1 CSASS (HK417A2 Sniper), also in 7.62mm, M2010 ESR in .300 Winchester Magnum, Mk. 22 ASR (Barrett MRAD, $17k) in .338 Norma Magnum, and the Barrett M107A1 (M82A3) in .50-caliber (used primarily as an anti-matériel weapon for stopping vehicles and aircraft).
But in October 2017, the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) tested the M110 SASS in .260 Remington against an M110A1 rifle in 7.62mm and an FN Mk. 20 SSR in 6.5mm Creedmoor, and determined that the 6.5mm Creedmoor (6.5CM) chambering performed the best, doubling hit probability at 1,000 meters, increasing effective range by at least 40 percent, reducing wind drift by 30 to 40 percent, and retaining 30 percent more energy, all with significantly less recoil than standard 7.62mm rounds.
The 6.5CM’s long, slender projectiles are known for their high sectional density and ballistic coefficients, with the bullets remaining supersonic and highly accurate (sub-half-minute-of-angle) beyond 1,200 yards. Using lighter loads, it can duplicate the muzzle velocity and trajectory of the mighty .300 Winchester Magnum, while generating significantly less recoil.
The 6.5mm Creedmoor round, produced by Hornady since 2008, fires a 120-grain, AMAX ballistic-tip bullet at 3,020 fps, with 2,430 ft./lbs. energy, or a 143-grain, ELD-X bullet at 2,710 fps and 2,283 ft./lbs. energy. The Creedmoor has a 2.4mm (.0945-inch) shorter case length than the 7.62mm NATO round, and a bullet that is .044-caliber narrower, and 18-percent lighter.
In 2018, SOCOM officially announced that it would begin acquiring the FN Mk. 20 SSR in 6.5CM, as tested the previous October, citing longer range, precision accuracy, better penetration, and better terminal ballistics. It was generally assumed that all SOCOM units would adopt this rifle and chambering.
However, in 2019, Delta Force, apparently unknown to everyone else, selected the Seekins Precision SP10-M semiautomatic sniper rifle in .260 Remington (6.7×51.7mm) and possibly 6.5mm Creedmoor, produced in Lewiston, Idaho. It’s generally similar in design to the famous ArmaLite AR-10, but it features a truly free-floating barrel for improved accuracy. The upper receiver surrounds, but never touches, the barrel and barrel nut.
Seekins SP10-M rifle in 6.5CM. Photo credit: Seekins Precision
The standard SP10 rifle is chambered in either .308 Winchester, with 18-inch barrel; 6mm Creedmoor, with 22-inch barrel; or 6.5CM, with 22-inch match-grade, 5R 416 stainless-steel barrel. The controls on the lower receiver are fully ambidextrous, including the safety, magazine release, and bolt release.
The single-stage TriggerTech AR Duty trigger is tuned from the factory at 3.5 pounds and is very crisp. The rifle uses a heavy (18 ounces), Melonite-coated, bolt carrier group (BCG), so that the action can cycle at a slower speed, and dramatically reduce felt recoil, while improving reliability. The SP10 also uses a flat coil spring, instead of a standard, round-wire type, and it compresses more compactly, with more coils condensed into the same space, to exert more force on the BCG.
The fixed stock is a Magpul PRS Gen. 3 composite model, stout and rigid, with machined aluminum thumbwheels to control the length of pull and height of the cheekpiece. The very soft recoil pad is also adjustable with two Allen screws for up-and-down movement. The muzzle brake is the Seekins Advanced Tactical Compensator, which minimizes the already light recoil of the 6.5 Creedmoor round.
The most significant feature of the SP10-M military model is the gas block, which may be adjusted in the field by a simple throw lever without tools, in order to custom-tune the rifle in case one requires more gas into the system when the rifle gets dirty, or less gas, when utilizing a suppressor. The standard rifle comes with a Low-Profile, Adjustable Gas Block, which requires two screws to regulate the amount of gas pressure.
The SP10 upper and lower receivers are CNC-machined from 7075-T6 billet aluminum and are perfectly mated. The rifle weighs 10.5 pounds without a scope, but it’s well-balanced and has great ergonomics.
Journalist John B. Snow wrote for Outdoor Life magazine on February 13, 2024, that, “The Seekins SP10 is an impressive rifle…smartly configured for its intended mission, which is to be able to place fast, accurate fire on distant targets under trying conditions… I screwed on a .30-caliber Elite Iron STFU suppressor…[which] enhanced my control over the rifle and didn’t have a negative impact on group sizes…Seekins put a lot of effort into fine-tuning the rifle to enhance reliability…The rifle is blessed with excellent ergonomics that make shooting it a pleasure. Running it feels intuitive and nearly effortless…Accuracy: 0.650 inches (average of ten best five-shot groups).”
Steve Gaspar previously wrote for Gun Digest on August 24, 2017, that, “The SP10 is gorgeous. All controls have a precision feel, and the hard-coat anodized finish on the action and handguard is pure black satin goodness. This rifle is dead sexy. A trip to the range couldn’t happen fast enough…The 6.5 Creedmoor has taken the long-range world by storm over a relatively short period of time.
“The flat trajectory, low recoil and high ballistic coefficients make the cartridge a natural for anyone wanting to stretch their limits…Sub-MOA groups from day one were produced with Hornady’s factory ammunition. The rifle performed as perfectly as it looked.”
Seekins SP10-M sniper rifle with suppressor. Photo credit: snipershide.com
The Seekins Precision SP10-M rifle is available in either matte black or Flat Dark Earth (FDE) finish, with a 20-round, Magpul magazine standard. MSRP is $2,895, which is comparatively inexpensive by today’s standards.
Delta Force has the sterling reputation, and the accompanying luxury, of acquiring non-standard, top-quality weapons, and the Seekins SP10-M sniper rifle certainly fits the bill in that regard. In either .260 Remington or 6.5CM, it provides superb accuracy, reliability, and controllability as either a designated marksman rifle (DMR) or sniper rifle, with an effective range well in excess of 1,000 yards. It’s a lesser-known sniper rifle serving the very finest counterterrorist unit in the U.S. Armed Forces.
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Warren Gray is a retired U.S. Air Force intelligence officer, with experience in joint special operations (JSOC) and counterterrorism, and is an NRA member. He served in Europe and the Middle East, earned Air Force and Navy parachutist wings, four college degrees, and was a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Intelligence Operations Specialist Course, and the USAF Combat Targeting School. He is currently a published author, historian, and hunter.