(Originally published on Tactical Life)
The core of the M40A5 is Remington’s time-proven Model 700 push-feed action, and each rifle is built by USMC armorers at Quantico using high-quality components from carefully selected vendors to support the Corps’ long-range mission where applicable.
The evolution of the Marines’ sniper rifle has been interesting and ongoing. The original M40 was a factory-built rifle with a one-piece wood stock and a 3×9 Redfield Accu-Range scope. Stock warpage in jungle environments reared its ugly head often enough during the Vietnam years to bring about more stable McMillan fiberglass replacements on the M40A1, along with a switch to fixed 10x Unertl glass. The M40A3 also used a McMillan stock, with a Schmidt & Bender M8541 3×12 optic as a day scope and a Simrad KN200 night scope.
The M40A5’s main advancement was a threaded muzzle for use with either a muzzle brake or a suppressor. All variants have been in .308 Winchester/7.62mm NATO, and the program is still in development, with further modifications under a contract awarded to Remington for an upgraded rifle due to be placed in service in 2017.
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