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New McMillan HTG M40A1 smear stocks!!!
- Thread starter USMCSGT0331
- Start date
I would not have really cared about getting one of the first if I new I could just order it be patient and wait.
I still am happy I got one and will be bedding it hopefully in the next few weeks.
Now to get Chad on the mounts. I want to take mine to a class next year if it works out. I don’t trust it with the shitty TMA mount.
I got my reproduction M70 bottom metal from a trusted source here. Not the Hogsden. Maybe this will spur a specialty shop to do production runs of bottom metal. Badger? LRI? Just trying to find original Winchester bottom metal is expensive and it still needs modifications. I'm all for paying fair market value for quality products and still letting the vendor feed his family. For that matter, McMillan could offer it as an add on to the custom orders. The alternative is that we cut each other's throats bidding up the ones that show up at auction with uncertain pedigree.
I don't think reproductions, in this case, will be detrimental to the value of the rare, original pieces held by collectors. It would increase interest in the originals rifles and their history, and make the field more accessible to the hobbyist level shooter, like me. Without new blood the institutional knowledge could be lost to the depths of the internet. My teenage son is excited about the builds I have planned.
I don't think reproductions, in this case, will be detrimental to the value of the rare, original pieces held by collectors. It would increase interest in the originals rifles and their history, and make the field more accessible to the hobbyist level shooter, like me. Without new blood the institutional knowledge could be lost to the depths of the internet. My teenage son is excited about the builds I have planned.
I emailed and I got that the first 50 colors are going to be only available on them. Then the picture next to it is a forest and be two more color patterns down the road.
I could be wrong but that is how I took it
I could be wrong but that is how I took it
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There is a Unertl mount on Gunbroker at the moment I’m almost positive is a POS TMA mount.
Seller has it as rare with some camouflage paint still on it.
it’s definitely a tma mount. You can tell by the tiny dot tig weld spot on the side of the rings/base. All the pictures of an usmc mount or the redfields bases with welded rings, the welds are fat and heavy. Aka, not pretty like tma tiny spot welds. And I’m pretty sure the usmc mug welded them. All of tma mounts are spot welded by tig
Original mounts.
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Supposedly and I could have taken it wrong. The first 50 are close to original smear color. Past that they would not give me any other information except the picture included in the email had the original 50 colors and new woodland color next to it
This is the picture from the latest email that you are referring to, yes? I could be wrong, but both look like the forest smear pattern we’ve seen from the current releases of the new smears; the “top” colors in the camo on the bottom left is just more subdued and translucent. Regardless, exciting to see what other “new smear” patterns and offerings McMillan will give us.
McMillan should just open up a “make your own gel coat camo” workshop and let us pay to apply our own molded-in finish. I’d sign the liability waiver for that!
I agreeMcMillan should just open up a “make your own gel coat camo” workshop and let us pay to apply our own molded-in finish. I’d sign the liability waiver for that!
I hope they continue to make more available in the future but I am glad I got one in this batch. Just as easily as they say they will make more they could just as easily say next month say they will not make any in the future.
If this run of smears is going to stay unique from any following runs/production, the winner will still have a limited item so easily may not care.
That one idea could be cool. Make your own smear. It would be very personal in that respect. The beginnings of a future family heirloom.
I was watching. I refreshed the screen at 9 minutes and they were gone. That equates to $69,037 an hour. Too bad we can’t buy stock in McMillan.
As usual, I never saw a thing but at least I don't have to go through the "I had one in my cart...."
Someone should have the pictures up on here this afternoon sometime. That's always interesting to view.
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Oddball, I might have messed up sending it since I’m new here, but did you see the PM I sent a while back?
I tried again, having found someone in the US who would take delivery for me (as McMillan won't ship to the UK) only to find out they won't accept payment from the UK either.
I suppose non US customers are out of luck.
I suppose non US customers are out of luck.
They probably don't want the onslaught of emails asking about them despite any blatant sold sign or deletion of a buy button they would put on the links. Makes it like bigfoot sightings. You hear the frantic claims of witnesses, maybe see a grainy photo and hear Leonard Nimoy announcing "In Search Of, McMillan Smears" An insider pic showing the finger painters on the assembly line. Maybe that's where Mr Hanky went too? "Howdy Ho". He dips himself in paint and gets all artistic?
All,
A forum member sent me a PM asking about how the bottom metal should fit in an A1. I sent him these photos and figured I’d put them here in case anyone else had the same question, or wanted to offer their opinions/observations.
I have two M40A1’s in smear return stocks. The painted rifle was built at PWS in 2017. When I sent the parts to Quantico, it was missing the floor plate but had the original trigger guard. The builder sourced the floor plate and built the rifle. You can see he took great care to make sure the parts fit low and flush. There is no slop and very little gap underneath.
The unpainted rifle was originally built by GA Precision in about 2007. Ten yrs after being put together, I stumbled upon the stock it’s currently in and seated the barreled action in it. A quick skim bed up top, but the floor plate/trigger guard were left untouched and are still in the original bedding from the last time the Marine Corps bedded/built the gun. You can see the amount of air between the metal and fiberglass.
So, in short, nice and tight or loose and sloppy are both correct, it just depends on how much care the 2112 building the gun took fitting everything together.
A forum member sent me a PM asking about how the bottom metal should fit in an A1. I sent him these photos and figured I’d put them here in case anyone else had the same question, or wanted to offer their opinions/observations.
I have two M40A1’s in smear return stocks. The painted rifle was built at PWS in 2017. When I sent the parts to Quantico, it was missing the floor plate but had the original trigger guard. The builder sourced the floor plate and built the rifle. You can see he took great care to make sure the parts fit low and flush. There is no slop and very little gap underneath.
The unpainted rifle was originally built by GA Precision in about 2007. Ten yrs after being put together, I stumbled upon the stock it’s currently in and seated the barreled action in it. A quick skim bed up top, but the floor plate/trigger guard were left untouched and are still in the original bedding from the last time the Marine Corps bedded/built the gun. You can see the amount of air between the metal and fiberglass.
So, in short, nice and tight or loose and sloppy are both correct, it just depends on how much care the 2112 building the gun took fitting everything together.
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Nice comparison! The unpainted stock looks to be using a pre-64 floor plate, based on the “flattened” hinge area. I believe the pre-64 floor plates are thinner than the post-64 floor plates, as in your painted stock. Could this also explain the gap and “looseness” in the fit of the floor plate to the unpainted stock?
I think there are several factors contributing to the gap under the floor plate of the unpainted rifle.
1) The trigger guard must be sitting .060” above the stock.
2) The floor plate is definitely thinner (pre64)
3) The notch for the plate latch is filed much deeper
4) The hinge is loose/sloppy and has a lot of play (2 photos showing the distance the floor plate will swing left/right)
The differences between these two guns can be summed up by the phrases “just graduated” and “ready to settle down.”
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