The M40 rifle is a bolt-action sniper rifle used by the United States Marine Corps. It has had four variants: the M40, M40A1, M40A3, and M40A5. The M40 was introduced in 1966. The changeover to the A1 model was completed in the 1970s, the A3 in the 2000s, and the A5 in 2009. <!-- This is outdated info, there are M40A6 & M40A7 variants that are even outlined later in this article. -->

Each M40 is built from a Remington Model 700 bolt-action rifle, and is modified by USMC armorers at Marine Corps Base Quantico, using components from a number of suppliers. The trigger pull on both models (M40A1/A3) is .

History

300px|left|thumb|The M40A3

During the Vietnam War, the Marine Corps decided they needed a standard sniper rifle. The Marine Corps eventually decided to continue upgrading the M40A-series and keep the 7.62 NATO round, primarily due to the higher cost of larger rounds and scout sniper training that can achieve kills beyond the weapon's effective range.

In April 2018, the U.S. Marine Corps announced they would be replacing the M40 with the Mk 13 Mod 7. The Mk 13 chambered in .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. Army M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle.

Sling: The Model 1907 sling that has been historically used on M40A3s has been replaced with the Quick Cuff Model Two sling manufactured by Tactical Intervention Specialists.

thumb|Snipers utilize an M40A5 with bipod and [[suppressor while training at the Mountain Warfare Training Center]]

Bipod: The M40A3s use a 6–9" Harris notched swivel type bipod, model S-BRM, with a KMW Pod-Loc, which is a push button ratcheting bipod swivel locking mechanism. Starting in 2007, this model replaced the Unertl MST-100 10× fixed day scope. All M40A5s are fitted with a Badger Ordnance detachable magazine system and a forward rail mount for the AN/PVS-22 night vision optic. Remington was awarded the contract in November 2014. The final product will be designated the M40A7 and was planned to be fielded by 2017. The M40A6 began fielding with Marine Corps in June 2016.

Differences between M40 and M24

The U.S. Army also used the Remington 700/40x action as the basis for its M24 Sniper Weapon System. Despite the fact that the M24 came fitted with a 7.62×51&nbsp;mm NATO barrel upon issue, retaining the longer action allowed them to reconfigure the rifle in dimensionally larger cartridge chamberings if necessary (which has been the case during the longer engagement distances during Operation Enduring Freedom). In 2014 the last U.S. Army M24 rifles were reconfigured to M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifles that are chambered for .300 Winchester Magnum. The barrels not currently fitted to the rifles are usually stored with the unit armorers. The U.S. Marine Corps M40A3 uses a Schneider barrel and the U.S. Army M24 used a Rock Creek 5R barrel.

Users

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  • : The Afghan National Army received USMC-issued M40A5s.
  • : Used by PASKAL of the Royal Malaysian Navy
  • : 85 M40A5s acquired by the Philippine Marine Corps, delivered in 2017. Several Remington M700P rifles converted to M40A3 standard. M40A5s used in the Siege of Marawi.
  • : Used by United States Marine Corps In June 2006, one of the two initial M40A1s was recovered when an Iraqi sniper was killed by a USMC sniper.

See also

  • List of weapons of the U.S. Marine Corps
  • List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces

References

  • M40A1 Sniper Rifle on About.com
  • M40 Magazine reviews
  • M40A5
  • M40A5 build