Infantry Weapons

.308-caliber precision rifle

.308-caliber precision rifles are scoped small arms built around the .308 Winchester or 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge family, commonly used for law-enforcement, military, sporting, and long-range precision roles. In the Haitian Gang Conflict entry, the sourcing supports illicit trafficking of .308 rifles into Haiti and gang-linked demand for higher-powered rifles, but it does not identify a specific model or prove a documented firing incident.

Haitian Gang ConflictArmed gangs

Conflict side: Armed gangs
Built by: Various manufacturers
Built in: United StatesVarious

.308-caliber precision rifle, Bolt-action or semi-automatic precision rifle class, Infantry Weapons

Image source: Ruger Precision Rifle 308 Gen 1

Profile

Type: Bolt-action or semi-automatic precision rifle class
Conflict side: Armed gangs
Origin: United States and other commercial sources
Service note: Modern commercial and military precision-rifle class

NATO portable precision fires

Service History

In service: Commercial, police, and military precision-rifle use; Haiti conflict sourcing is limited to illicit trafficking and gang-demand context.
Used by: Armed gangs in Haiti
Wars: Haitian Gang Conflict

Production History

Designer: Varies by rifle model
Designed: Varies by rifle model
Built by: Various manufacturers
Built in: United StatesVarious
Unit cost: Varies by model and optic package
Produced: Varies by rifle model
Number built: Not applicable to a multi-model class
Variants: Ruger Precision Rifle in .308 Winchester, Remington M24 Sniper Weapon System in 7.62x51mm NATO, M40-series 7.62x51mm NATO sniper rifle variants

Specifications

Caliber: .308 Winchester / 7.62x51mm NATO class
Representative action: Bolt-action precision rifles are common; some .308 precision rifles are semi-automatic designated-marksman systems.
Representative barrel length: 20 in / 50.8 cm on Ruger Precision Rifle model 18104; 24 in / 61 cm on the common 7.62x51mm M24 configuration.
Representative magazine: 5-round internal magazine on the M24; 10-round detachable magazines on Ruger Precision Rifle model 18104.
Representative effective range: 800 m for the 7.62x51mm M24 configuration cited by the U.S. Air Force.

Conflict Usage

Haitian Gang Conflict: Side: Armed gangsRole: Illicit long-range rifle firepowerprecision fires
UNODC-linked reporting identifies .308 rifles among increasingly powerful weapons recovered in trafficking flows from Florida toward Haitian ports during the 2021-2022 surge, while the same reporting ties demand for higher-powered rifles to gangs around Port-au-Prince. Sources do not identify a specific .308 model or a verified firing incident.

.308-caliber precision rifle Images

.308-caliber precision rifle, Bolt-action or semi-automatic precision rifle class, Infantry Weapons - view 1 — Source: Ruger Precision Rifle 308 Gen 1

.308-caliber precision rifle, Bolt-action or semi-automatic precision rifle class, Infantry Weapons - view 2 — Source: PEO M24 SWS

.308-caliber precision rifle, Bolt-action or semi-automatic precision rifle class, Infantry Weapons - view 3 — Source: Sunset Sniper

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Sources

Ruger Precision Rifle Model 18104Publisher: Sturm, Ruger & Co. | Note: Supports manufacturer and specifications for a representative .308 Winchester precision rifle, including caliber, action, barrel length, capacity, weight, and long-range features. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 The M24 Sniper Weapon SystemPublisher: Minot Air Force Base | Note: Supports background and specifications for a representative 7.62x51mm NATO precision rifle, including Remington 700 lineage, common chambering, 24-inch barrel, weight, and official 800-meter effective range. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 UN Report: Modern Weapons Being Smuggled to Haiti from USPublisher: Associated Press | Note: Supports Haitian Gang Conflict direct-use context: .308 rifles were transferred to Haitian ports through trafficking flows, with higher-powered rifles in demand from gangs around Port-au-Prince and weapons passed to end-users through intermediaries. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Living a NightmarePublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Supports Haitian Gang Conflict direct-use context: HRW describes Haitian criminal groups seeking military-style rifles and cites larger weapons, including .308 rifles, being transferred to Haiti through trafficking channels. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 HSI Announces Crackdown on Firearms, Ammunition Smuggling to Haiti, the CaribbeanPublisher: Homeland Security Today | Note: Supports Haitian Gang Conflict direct-use context by reproducing HSI's announcement that .308 rifles were among larger weapons transferred through illegal trafficking toward Haiti and the Caribbean. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Ruger Precision Rifle 308 Gen 1Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary .308 Winchester Ruger Precision Rifle image under CC BY-SA 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 PEO M24 SWSPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a public-domain U.S. Army M24 Sniper Weapon System image. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Sunset SniperPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a public-domain U.S. Marine Corps M40A5 precision-rifle image. | Accessed: 2026-06-21