The term Recce is getting thrown around a whole lot these days. Recce, short for recon, has become a good way to make it to the top of Reddit’s best fashion sub r/tacticalgear. Recce rifles, recce gear, recce loadout, etc., have had quite the upstart. Today we are going to talk all about the Recce rifle. Recce is a fun term I believe we borrowed from the Brits, kinda like calling your gear kit. It’s one of those terms that sounds cool, so we adopted it.

Photo by @isaac_h1776 on Instagram

Note: Recce is short for reconnaissance, and it’s pronounced wreck-ee. Rhymes with Becky. 

The term recce might be trending, but it’s been around for a very long time. The concept developed as early as 1993 and was seen conceptually in Somalia. However, it would be a fair bit of time before the rifle gained its name and fame. The armorers at the Naval Special Warfare Center – Crane, developed the original Recce rifle. 

The idea was simple. The SEALs wanted an accurized rifle that could hit targets at greater distances than the standard M4 and be more precise. They also didn’t want to jump into a full-powered rifle like an SR-25 variant or an M14. It needed to be more versatile than that. They wanted a 5.56 caliber rifle that used the same M4 layout. 

“The original whatever you want to call them- Recces, SPRs, MK 12s (we usually just say “sniper M4″) had a 16″ barrel, Leupold 2.5-10 and a PRI foregrip. They were first used operationally in ’93 in Somalia by our guys that were attached to our Southern brethren.” – Kyle Defoor

Thus the modern Recce rifle was born. 

The Recce Rifle 

What is a Recce rifle? That’s a tough question. The recce rifle was originally a Naval Special Warfare weapon, but even then was more of a “template” (class or genre maybe?) of rifle. It has gone on to acquire a substantial following in the gun world , where the term is frequently (although not always accurately) thrown around.

If you want a specific set of specs and parts for me to list, then you need to hit up the clone community. You can build a clone of a SEAL recce rifle down to the scope rings, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. 

The best way to build one is to aim at making a lightweight, versatile, and accurate rifle with some form of magnified optic. In terms of accurization, you might want a nice Lija barrel or just a rock-solid stainless steel barrel. The length can be anywhere from 16 to 20 inches. Although 16 seems to be the favored option, especially when used with cans. 

“Most of us that have a lot of time on one (myself included) think that 16″ is better for a number of reasons:
1) 2″ does make a difference, especially with a can. 2) weight (it’s not pounds at this stage it’s ounces) and remember that balance has a factor here too. 3) I’ve shot both together on the same range at the same time. I don’t really care what charts and scientists say, me and mine can hit just as good with 16″ as 18″.
The MK-12 is OK as it comes, but me and the majority of the guys that were around me, immediately shitcanned the fixed stock. Some would go with a Geisselle trigger too, and some would put a tube rail back on. All of these little touches were done in house at the shooters home team.” – Kyle Defoor

That being said, there have been plenty of rifles described as Recce with 18-inch barrels as well. At the tip of the barrel, a suppressor likely works best. You want to be accurate but also sneaky. A suppressor doesn’t turn any weapon into a movie quiet killing machine but helps disguise your signature and eliminates muzzle flash. If you don’t go can, then a high-efficiency flash suppressor isn’t a bad idea. 

A free-floating rail is a must-have for maximizing your pew accuracy. A good trigger will work wonders, and Geiselle, RMT, and similar options will clean up that mil-spec madness you likely have. Stock-wise you have tons of options. You can go with a simple six-position M4 stock, but I’d prefer something with a more cheek-friendly comb like the SOPMOD Gen 1 or the Magpul MOE SL. 

The Glass 

It seems like a lot of the early Recce rifles rocked on with simple 2.5-10X scopes from Nightforce and Leupold. However, these days the blessed LPVO guides us. These optics offer a 1X at the low and up to 10X and even 12X settings. Regardless of which way you go, you want a high-quality glass. 

Skimping out on your glass makes no sense for a Recce rifle when you’re spending all this money to accurize the rifle, and skipping out on the glass makes no sense at all. Vortex currently makes the best 1-10X on the market, at least as far as I know. Nightforce makes rock-solid 1-8X optics, and Steiner makes some really nice LPVOs at not too bad of a price point. 

If you go to the higher levels of magnification, make sure you get a first focal plane scope. This way, your holdovers are accurate at every magnification range. 

But Why? 

Why was the recce rifle created? Well, elite forces do lots of reconnaissance, and the standard M4 wasn’t accurate enough and wasn’t capable enough. The M16 was bulky and heavy and also not the most accurate rifle out there. The real answer in figuring out why is understanding what recon teams do. 

Recon teams scout out an area or zone, seeking out specific information known as priority intelligence requirements. In search of these PIRs, a recon team might need to infiltrate an area. A Recon patrol isn’t a combat patrol, and if a recon patrol is made, the generally accepted tactic is to break contact and retreat. 

You want a rifle that can reach out and hit a target. You want to outrange your enemy and increase your chances of escaping. You also don’t want a big heavy battle rifle when you’re trying to be a secret squirrel type. The enhanced glass also helps with reconnaissance and helps ease the need to break out a spotting scope for every situation. 

To be clear, machine guns and grenade launchers are the best tools to lay down fire and break contact, but that goes back to being heavy, and heavy isn’t good when being sneaky. 

Thus, the recce rifle was born. It’s light, can be sued to help break contact, and is quite capable in an assault role. It’s a versatile platform that can serve in a variety of environments, and you’ll be well served with one for most tasks. 

Don’t forget, check yourself before you recce yourself. 

DIY/Build-Your-Own

What do you need to build your own recce rifle? A reliable, lightweight platform to begin with. Then the accessories you need to place accurate fires out to 400-500m, but particularly within 250m. 

Here’s a list. There are those who would debate some of this (when don’t people argue about gun nomenclature and cool factor), but this will get you in the ballpark. 

This list does not obviate the standard must-haves, i.e., a sling, a weapon light, etc. 

• A lightweight rifle build

• A full-length top rail, ideally paired with a modular handguard

• Variable optic; these were once 1-6x as a matter of course, but you can get to 1-8x and 1-10x easily now (which, of course, begs the question, is it still a recce rifle?)

• Mid-length gas system

• A lightweight or standard profile barrel – some have used pencil barrels for reduced weight.