This is the recipe. I only picked the parts. Mark Williams at Raven Rifles put them together and made it magical.
M40/A1/A3/A5ish Rifle Build
1. McMillan HTG stock. Pillars to be installed by builder. Action to be bedded using USMC PWS spec bedding compound to M40A1 spec build.
2. Bottom metal is DD Ross A3 guard/floorplate. McMillan has cut stock to accept this metal.
3. Magazine box welded to receiver per A1 spec. **** if you think this is a liability toward accuracy I agree to modify this requirement. Remington mag box, spring and milled follower supplied by me.
4. Barrel Kreiger 5R stainless. I want gun to be 4 inches shorter than A1 spec. I think 20 inch from lug or plus/minus 21 inch from bolt face is a good compromise on overall rifle length and still not cutting into velocity. Aesthetically the rifle will look balanced rather than barrel short. I went with an 11.25 twist and will likely shoot more 168s out of it than any other bullet. Willing to discuss if you see problems with my barrel choice or length. I defer to your builders knowledge. Chamber for FedGMM 168s or USMC M118LR spec. I would take suggestion on best chamber to go with. If I have enough barrel left over after cut and you can make a chamber gauge that would be neat. I want to be able to fire a 175 on occasion and have it chamber without issues.
5. Barrel crown. Im liking the early Atkinson barrel crown (picture included). Ive asked Mescabug for dimensions If he doesn’t reply with any Im pretty sure you can wing it and make me happy.
6. Reciever cuts. Lug slot per A3 spec for a DD Ross scope rail. Rail provided is a TwoManAttack sourced part.
For rail cuts I want the right side to be pretty much spec A3 spec at the ejection port/thumb cut. I really like A3 cuts that smoothly transition the radius of the port opening into the radius of the receiver rail. It’s a critical look to me.
On the left side rail Id like to harken back to the original M40 cut by bringing the left side receiver rail cut back to where it would meet and transition into the radius of the DD Ross scope rail. Its fantasy and I think it will be a pleasing look, almost making the scope rail look like a monolithic part of the receiver.
7. Scope rail as mentioned is a TwoManAttack copy of the DD Ross item. Open up the factory mount holes to the larger USMC spec 8/40 mount screws.
8. Receiver, true up and blue print the receiver /bolt please. Check lugs for maximum contact.
9. Finish will be a delicious black oxide USMC spec job.
10. Last four of Serial Number stamped on appropriate places as per A3 build i.e. barrel, bolt , bottom metal, scope rail, Badger lug, anyplace Ive missed.
11. I don’t need fantasy PWS stamps on the gun. It doesn’t meet any spec but mine. I think you deserve recognition as builder. Please tell me what your builder mark is before applying. Tastefull not billboard I assume. I like your Raven logo. My son is named Odin. Is your Raven Huginn or Muginn, Thought or Memory?
12. I wanted an M24 trigger but never came across one. The 1968 trigger will give a tribute to the M40 with its date of manufacture and tombstone safety. This trigger supplied is light in my opinion. I don’t have a problem with light because I don’t hunt and primarily just shoot paper. Still a 3-4 pound trigger is more what I am used to. Go with the provided trigger and adjust/job as you think best. Maybe in the future Ill get an M24.
