Tacinstr1SFG - thanks for chining in with your authoritative historical knowledge of the M24A2. I think it is a little less of an enigma based on your post...the only remaining question I have is what years were these conversions: 2004 thru approx ?.
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Was late 04 that we started, I cannot remember when the first units were sold as conversions and to whom (although I have a good idea but would rather not say). The conversions ran until around 08/09 when the Army announced that they were going to do the M2010. That said, the A2 as both a rifle and conversion was still being offered, but we pretty much stopped doing conversions of the M24 for the Army for the most part (there may have been a unit or two that did it but I cannot remember). Keep in mind that there were a few units who did not want a 300WM or the 2010, not that they didn't want a new gun so much, it was more that they wanted to keep the M24 and 7.62 mainly bc 300WM availability was an unknown and like anything in the Army, would take some time to make available.
Would this be for more recent A2's prior to 2010 or after Remingtons parent company acquired AAC. Thanks for all the information already.
Actually, all of the A2's were/are cut for 5/8-24, however the 3rd model and 12th model cans required a different barrel contour that required the barrel to be turned down in the front and the forming of a 20 degree shoulder for the can to center on. That said, both of these still had 5/8-24 threads on the barrel, the 12th model had a muzzle brake installed over the threads. When we go AAC, we got rid of the barrel contour and just threaded the end of the barrel 5/8-24 to take the AAC flash hider. Some may wonder why I used the flash hider over the muzzle brake from AAC when I used the brake from OPS. Well, this is because OPS did not have an actual flash hider although Phil (Seaburger owner of OPS) swore his brake acted as a decent flash hider but I would disagree. His brake did/does work ok, nothing too great. Also, the AAC flash hider was/is pretty effective and from my view point the A2 did not require braking at the muzzle as 7.62 doesnt really recoil all that much, however the users really needed a good flash hider when the can was not on. On top of this, it was much easier to manufacture the gun/barrel by installing the hider bc it does not have to be clocked. Lastly, we originally used the AAC 51 tooth FH but discovered that the cans would "back off" during use 1 tooth. We then went to a 72 tooth (I believe it was 72, maybe 71 or something) which was supposed to help but didn't, then AAC came out with a 90T (and did away with the 72T), however it still backs off 1 tooth which is a whole other discussion.
The predominate US Army 7.62 sniper ammunition spec of the time and as I recall it was M852 for Israel, however if I remember right we used M118LR for the Egyptian contract. The actual specs were a bit convoluted to be honest, I know the internet is full of this spec and that spec, but the Army does not do ammunition specifications the way civilians (or pretty much anyone else) does). All this said, from an accuracy standard it basically boiled down to "sub-MOA" was good. The endurance test was up to 5000 rounds; the guns had to continue to exhibit the same level of accuracy as in the beginning. Truth be told, the guns routinely shot better at 5K than they did at the first group (or even the first 500 rds). I tried to get TACOM to authorize us to shoot a gun "to destruction" meaning we would shoot it until it could no longer hold a specific accuracy standard. In many instances this was 2 MOA, but I wanted to see how the accuracy would degrade over being fired and see at what point the rifle would not hold a man sized target at 200 (19") because I have personally seen M24's shoot less than 2 MOA with over 14,000 rounds through them. Unfortunately, TACOM would not support it and stated they didn't care what the gun did or didn't do past 5K since that was the original performance spec.
My M24 came with parkerized 1.25" swivels stamped w/Remington logo and an MRT sling.
Drum13, TIS sling is aftermarket sling bought by the Army for the M24, early TIS slings had Uncle Mikes swivels, later ones had Talons I believe.
Thanks, I remember them. I wasn't clear but was just mentioning what the earlier M24's came with (pre-TIS).
I believe the original TIS slings had Talon swivels and were later changed because they don't lock and the swing gate can be pulled open without using the push button.
I believe the original TIS slings had Talon swivels and were later changed because they don't lock and the swing gate can be pulled open without using the push button.
Drum13, not even sure about the R marked swivels, have an old deployment kit from 1992 or 93 and the issued swivels are unmarked. Yet it seems lots of the rebuilds came with R marked swivels.
Anyone looking for a M24A3? I know someone selling one (not me), but it is a one of one version; it is a 19" gun put into a RACS, it was a prototype I did right before we canceled the program. Its a full system, rifle, optics, hard case, D kit, etc. I can make the connection, I don't have a dog in the fight, just putting it out there. If someone is interested, PM me and I will make the linkup
Just any FYI about slings, these were not Remington sourced, they were provided to Remington by the US Army.
"Just any FYI about slings, these were not Remington sourced, they were provided to Remington by the US Army."
I need to find the plastic bag that mine came in with my M24R circa 2015, but I recall the leather sling was made in Canada, which I thought was interesting. Not sure if I kept bag, but will check. I think it had an NSN on it as well.
I need to find the plastic bag that mine came in with my M24R circa 2015, but I recall the leather sling was made in Canada, which I thought was interesting. Not sure if I kept bag, but will check. I think it had an NSN on it as well.
They sourced them from a variety of places, I know because I helped them a few times find sources.
I may have been the only one who didn't know this...
But the Badger 306-59-3 side rail for the EFR and IMUNS (which is still fairly available from various retailers) appears to be the same as the ones Badger used on the Remington MARS. If you have a MARS without side rails, these fit perfect.
But the Badger 306-59-3 side rail for the EFR and IMUNS (which is still fairly available from various retailers) appears to be the same as the ones Badger used on the Remington MARS. If you have a MARS without side rails, these fit perfect.
Makes sense since Badger made both (and I designed it...)
I have one of the older Leupold & Stevens Ultra 10X-M3A scopes but mine has the anti laser pinkish hue to it. Was thinking about posting it for sale as I already sold my M24 rifle, USGI M24 flash hider, and Hardigg case, Happy to send pics to those interested.
I just acquired a complete M24 
. The Leupold on it has a ccw elevation turret with the .308 BDC.The BDC in the deployment kit is also in .308. Was this common with the M24's?
. The Leupold on it has a ccw elevation turret with the .308 BDC.The BDC in the deployment kit is also in .308. Was this common with the M24's?
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Yes, I remember only having a replacement .308 bdc in the d-box and the one on the optic, it's normal.
True that, I think at one point I tried swapping the bdc turrets out to see if one felt better than the other, it didn't really work, still felt mushy as hell haha.
Haha little late for me, I turned in my M24 more than 12 years ago but good info for the guys that have legacy M3A's on the rebuilds.
LOL completely understand. I went through the same deal "back in the day" when I was carrying a duty M24. I always hated that mushy none distinct adjustment, finally pulled the elevation turret off to see what was going on, after playing with it a little I ended up lubing up the O ring and it was much better. Years later I was at Leupold talking to one of the engineers and he mentioned that unless you are diving the rifle down a couple of atmospheres, removing the O ring should not hurt it all. Its there more to keep debris out of the cap area rather than water proof it. I've always left the O rings in, but I always lube them up.
As bad as that turret was I still loved that M3A because for the day it was pretty good. One day we were on the range at the same time as some snipers from 3/5 and for a steady five minutes we were just eyeing each other's stuff and it was funny because we thought their Unertl 10X's were awesome and at the same time they admired our M3A's. We asked them why and apparently their Unertls were older than dirt by that point and they were giving them fits where as the M3A pretty much just chugged right along with pretty good glass and a side focus knob.
I have a lot of similar stories ref Army v Marines, the moral of the story always is everyone wants what they don't have. Not that I was ever enamored with the M40 or the Unertl per se (nice units unto themselves) but I never wished for a better rifle than the M24 even though over the years we had plenty in addition to the M24 (40X, SR25, PSG1, etc.). In every case the M24 was the standard to beat in terms of reliability and robustness while retaining accuracy.
Yep, the Unertls are still being used at the vintage matches held a few times and Quantico, and sometimes the PWS guys will bring out some original M40A1s and the scopes are in bad shape, with all kinds of functional issues. Iconic scopes of course, but the turrets apparently require periodic maintenance.
Regarding the old Leupold M3A scopes, the one on my M24R is dated 1989, and it had a lot of fine debris on the rear ocular lense and the adjustments were limited when I bought it back in 2015. I sent it back to Leupold a few years ago under the "Warranty Inspection" program, and a couple of months later it came back working new again and the glass looked new too - and it was no charge to me other than the $15 or so when I shipped it them. The scope was 28 years old back in 2017 when I sent it in. So Leupold really stands behind their products. Just an fyi...
Exterior of scope has patina from its service life - but works well and most of the glass is new again thanks to Leupold’s awesome warranty...
..just an fyi re an oldie but goodie scope.
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The M3A was/is a great piece of kit, very simple and very effective. In all the years I used them and ran sniper courses, I saw very few problems with them, or the M24 for that matter. When I was overseas, we did have a reticle (the glass it is etched on) come loose and turn about 20 degrees to the left. The guy shooting the rifle was having issues and I was working with him but it seemed like no matter what I told him, he wasn't getting any better. Finally, I said, "let me shoot it" and as soon as I rolled onto it I saw the reticle, I asked the guy "how long has it been like this?", he said he didn't really know. Now this was a school trained graduate of SOTIC.... I asked if the reticle looked "weird", he just kind of shrugged.. we got rid of him shortly there after...
I have a number of M3A (MK4 M3) and love them all.
I have a number of M3A (MK4 M3) and love them all.
You don't mention what type of Leupold came with your M24. The original M3a ultras were cw (clockwise) as were the first Mk4 m3's that were issued with M24's. These scopes were later changed to ccw as we knpw today The original deployment kits, not the ones that came with the rebuilds came with a spare cw 168 grain elevation turret for the m852 round, these were in yards theres some relevant pictures on page 4 of this thread.I just acquired a complete M24
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FWIW: two turrets, "308M" or 308 match (168 gr) vs M118 (175 grain)
Oddly, one of my Mk 4 scopes with M3 turrets has 'custom' tic marks hand inscribed on the BDC cap. I'm guessing it came off an M14 at some point.
Who ever did that did some tedious range work from 300 to 600 yards (I'm using this scope on my DMR replica)...
Oddly, one of my Mk 4 scopes with M3 turrets has 'custom' tic marks hand inscribed on the BDC cap. I'm guessing it came off an M14 at some point.
Who ever did that did some tedious range work from 300 to 600 yards (I'm using this scope on my DMR replica)...
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Thats pretty interesting, I have quite a few BDCs for the M3 and MK 4 M3 variable power (3.5-10), I will have to look and see what I have, I know there are a couple of odd ones in there. FWIW when we (Remington) would get new optics in from L&S, they would come with 308, 223 and 300WM dials, we needed M118 dials which they would ship separately and we would have to swap them. We ended up with literally bags of the commercial dials which we tried to give back to L&S, they didn't want them, probably still sitting in some box in Ilion.
You mean that POS soft case that came with the M24? We used to throw them away in the Army because they were terrible.
Yeah they were pretty crappy gun cases, they were generic Walmart type deals that would fall apart rapidly, I still have one or two (one for sure that goes with one of my M24 systems), but they were junk in and of themselves. Kind of a nylon material with a thin foam inside.
We shot with some guys from our sister battalion once and they still had their cases but if I remember right the scope rings and sight bases really tore up that foam and there always little bits of it everywhere.
Yeah they didn't last very long. I ran a lot of sniper courses and in every class someone would bring out the soft case, it would be done by the end of the first or second week.
