Though its designation would remain M40A3 until 2009, its exact configuration varied with time. It served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and other subsequent conflicts. ĭevelopment of the M40A3 began in 1996 and concluded in 2001, when it was placed into service during Operation Enduring Freedom. 300 Winchester Magnum increases range from 1,000 meters with the M40 to 1,300 meters, giving Marine snipers similar capabilities to the U.S.
#UNERTL MST 100 MOD#
Marine Corps announced they would be replacing the M40 with the Mk 13 Mod 7. The plans for a "21st century sniper rifle" were paused while the Army's results of SOCOM's Precision Sniper Rifle program were finalized in 2013.
#UNERTL MST 100 SERIES#
The Corps began looking at a replacement for the M40 series in 2004, but did not draft requirements until 2009 while working with SOCOM. The stock featured Wichita sling swivels and a Pachmayr buttpad. The M40 was originally designed by Jack Cuddy and Neill Goddard. The process involved, among other improvements, replacing the original wood stocks with McMillan A1 fiberglass stocks, as well as replacing the original 3–9× Redfield variable-power scopes with 10× Unertl fixed-power scopes. Sometime in the early 1970s, the USMC armorers at MCB Quantico began rebuilding the original M40s into M40A1s. With time, certain weaknesses, primarily warping of the all-wood stock, became apparent. Most had a Redfield 3–9 power Accurange variable scope mounted. After testing several possibilities, they ordered seven hundred Remington Model 40x rifles (target/varmint version of the Model 700 bolt-action rifle), and gave them the M40 designation. Contentsĭuring the Vietnam War, the Marine Corps decided they needed a standard sniper rifle. The Marine Corps plans to replace the M40 with the Mk 13 Mod 7. The M40A1 and A3 switched to fiberglass stocks made by McMillan, with new scopes. The original M40 was a military type-classified version of the Remington 700 it was factory-made, and had a one-piece wooden stock. The M40A5 incorporates a detachable magazine and a threaded barrel to allow for the use of a sound suppressor or other muzzle device. The rifles have had many sub-variations in telescopic sights, and smaller user modifications. New M40A5s are being built, and A1s are upgraded to A3s and A5s as they rotate into the armory for service and repair.
Įach M40 is built from a Remington 700 bolt-action rifle, and is modified by USMC armorers at Marine Corps Base Quantico, using components from a number of suppliers. The changeover to the A1 model was completed in the 1970s, the A3 in the 2000s, and the A5 in 2009. It has had four variants: the M40, M40A1, M40A3, and M40A5. The M40 rifle is a bolt-action sniper rifle used by the United States Marine Corps. Scout Sniper Day Scope (SSDS)-Schmidt and Bender PM II 3–12×50. 7 (6 lands and grooves)ĥ-round integral box magazine (M40, M40A1, M40A3)