For those of you who are interested in long-range precision/sniping and are thinking about purchasing a sniper rifle, I would like to introduce to you one of my favorite rifles, the M40A5.
There’s a plethora of rifles on the market that we can choose from, but for the most of us, they can be out of our price range, especially if you’re just getting into the long-range precision hobby. The M40A5 or any M40 variant can not only fit most of our price ranges, but it is also has excellent accuracy. For those of you that don’t know, I am a huge fan of the M40 and M24 .308. This was the first sniper rifle that I was issued in Ranger Battalion, deployed with, attended multiple schools with, and also used this weapon system in the International Sniper Competition where my spotter and I placed top 5. In order to get a good grasp on ballistics, wind, etc., I feel that you should start off with the .308 (168 – 175 gr HPBT). There’s nothing like consistently engaging a target (IPSC) at 1000 yards with the .308, you have fully applied all the correct fundamentals and you truly understood the wind and the ballistics of that round, especially when considering the fact that the .308 was designed to be an 800 meter round, after that your encountering transonic issues depending on the environmentals.
What I also love about the M40A5, is the stock. The shape of the stock and where the firing hand lies on the rifle feels natural, allowing the shooter to “become one” with the rifle, or almost making it feel like an extension of your body.
The accuracy of the rifle is also something that you cannot ignore, and I feel, can compete with some of the “top of the line” rifles on the market to date. During my time at the International Sniper Competition, which is held at Ft. Benning GA, where the top snipers from around the world come to compete, I held true to what I believed in the M40. Going up against competitors such as Delta Force snipers, SAS, Israeli snipers, etc., who used the .338, .50, and .300 Win Mag, you would think that my basic M40 sniper rifle would be surpassed by far. Not the case. On my best days, I could hold around or less than a half-inch group at 100 yards (5 rounds), and on any given day a 1 inch group. The M40A5 stood its ground with the best, even at extended ranges (980 – 1050 yards). There is a reason why Law Enforcement and top tier Special Operations units still have this weapon in their armory and utilize on the battle field. This weapon is a fighting precision rifle. You can bang it up, drop it, lug it around the mountains of Afghanistan or the streets of Iraq, and when it comes time to perform and place a single round where it needs to be, it will do so.
Specs (Basic):
Caliber: 308 Win / 7.62 NATO
Action: Remington 700 Short Action
