Re: M40a1 build guide
I am no expert on building these rifles, however I have spent a day or two carrying, cleaning and employeeing the M40A1. I am going to try to only post pics that I know for fact are USMC SPEC rifles or USMC issued rifles. Most of this info is from from memory and I will need help getting all the details correct.
Because this post is so long and has become difficult to search, I am going to post a 1 STOP post for those gathering parts. I will put up pictures of the parts as much as possible. Please PM me with photos and parts info that I may have forgotten. All details that should be considered will be posted. I will also start adding notes to show where you can buy some of these parts. I will update this list for people looking to gather them. There are alot of well informed people out there that have good information to add to this list, please PM me with that info so I can relay onto this.
<span style="font-weight: bold">M40A1 USMC SPEC SNIPER RIFLE PARTS GATHERING CHECKLIST</span>
Remington 700 6 digit clip slotted action and in the proper serial number range 168,179 thru 322,769 some later ones will have letter prefix. LEFT or RIGHT handed action (if you dont believe me PM me).
*Some of the rifles @ horno had a pic rail and rings. The top of the receiver was milled and the rail was recessed into the slightly milled reciever. I saw a couple other rifles at the school house like this. I have researched this heavily and got some answers. I have also seen a couple of pictures of other 8541s with their M40A1s and rail system. What I understand through my research is that some units and school houses were outfitted variants to the M40A1 depending on the units mission or to gather end user feedback. PM me for more info or if you have pictures of your M40A1 with a pic rail system.
Remington trigger tuned and milled (.240 from the front, .290 Heigth) to fit modified M40A1. This modification was clean and milled, not hacked up garage work. Older actions should have tall flat safety lever and dual sear. Newer actions or actioins with replaced triggers will have round safetly lever 1 piece sear.
BDL Mag boxes were used and tack welded to the receiver
MCMILLAN STOCK M40A1 HTG NON STIPLED Forrest camo.
MCMILLAN STOCK M40A1 HTG NON STIPLED Smear pattern. Glass bedded no pillars. True M40A1 USMC spec rifles will not will not have a bipod on them
1.25" Witchita sling swivels
Winchester M70 Bottom metal. This bottom metal will have to be modified to fit the stock properly.
Pachmayer .6 brown basket weave butt pad
Unertl Lugged scope base and rings (upside down style) simrad caps on alot of MUESOC units rifles in the 90's. Slotted type scope mount screws. Redfield mounts early ones.
Barrells can be spec SS taper Schnieder, kreiger, hart, HS precison, atkinson + others. Barrells should be stamped RTE-P. and BLACK OXIDE finish(There were some very early barrells that were stamped differently)
<span style="font-weight: bold">*barrel crowns will vary ! ! !</span> I have verified this. My issued rifles were the same crown as in the picture. Newer rifles with replaced barrells can and will different crowns!!! I was stationed in 3 different STA platoons on 2 different bases, toured the RTE shop in the 90's and every rifle that I remember had the more square cut crown. Besides real time experience with these rifles, I also verified this with 2 different SNCOICs from the RTE PWS shop. They gave me the spec for the more square cut in case anyone wants thier clone to have the same barrell crown as the rifle they carried.
Recoil lug is modified stock remington lug. 2deg taper
Unertl 10x scope USMC SNIPER marked
US OPTICS MST-100 10x
Unertl T-series 10x
MRT SLING 1907 NM sling