History

The M21 Sniper Weapon System (SWS) is the semiautomatic sniper rifle adaptation of the popular M14 rifle. It is chambered for the 7.62x51mm cartridge.
The United States Army wanted an accurate sniper rifle during the Vietnam War. The M14 was selected because of its accuracy, reliability, and the ability for a quick second shot. As a result, in 1969, the Rock Island Arsenal converted 1,435 National Match (target grade) M14 rifles by adding a Leatherwood 3-9x Adjustable Ranging Telescope (ART) telescopic sight and furnishing National Match grade ammunition. It was designated the XM21 until 1975, when it became the M21 (although it had been unofficially called the M21 since December 1969).
The M21 remained the Army's primary sniper rifle until 1988, when it was replaced by the bolt-action M24 Sniper Weapon System, which itself is currently in the process of being replaced with the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System (SASS). While bolt action rifles are generally more accurate at long distances (1000 m) than semiautomatic weapons, semiautomatic rifles are more than adequate for medium distances (600 m). Thousands of stored M21s are being modernized with new scopes and stocks to be re-fielded among American troops, as well as M14s being converted to sniper rifle roles, which will be used until the M110 gets widely fielded and possibly alongside it.

Singleplayer

The M21 is found in two versions, regular and suppressed. The regular version is found in One Shot, One Kill and Heat. The supressed version is found in Blackout and All Ghillied Up.

Multiplayer

Accuracy: 7 / 12
Damage: 8 / 12
Range: 12 / 12
Fire Rate: 6 / 12
Mobility: 8 / 12
Clip Size/Reserve Ammo: 10/20
Recoil: moderate cluster
Reload Time: 2.5 Seconds / 3.1 seconds empty
Damage: 70
Range: 4000-5000
Rate of Fire: 1200 RPM Single
Penetration: Large / Large Bullet
Location Damage Multiplier: Head (1.5) / Neck: (1.1) / Torso: (1.1) / Stomach: (1.0) / Limbs (1.0)
Hip Accuracy: Stand (10-15) / Crouch (9.5-14) / Prone (9-13)
Unlocked at lvl 7

The M21 is a Semi-Automatic sniper rifle, and it has the lowest recoil of a sniper rifle in the entire game. Because it is semi-automatic, you can fire the rounds as fast as you want, and because it has the lowest recoil, they would not be around like the Dragunov. The M21 is a modified version of the M14. It has added range, and a smaller magazine than the standard M14.

The problem with the M21 is it does not have as long of range as other Sniper Rifles, and if you miss at to far of range it is hard to get back on target.

Challenges