How the Marine Corps M40 Sniper Rifle Took Shape in Vietnam

The Armory Life's Cory Ross traces the Marine Corps M40 sniper rifle's origins in Vietnam, from a 1965 order to the 1973 M40A1. Ross argues it is often the yardstick for other sniper rifles.

Key points

• Training first: Maj. Jim Land set up the first organized sniper school in Hawaii in 1961, laying groundwork for in-country schools for the 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions.
• The trials: A February 1966 Marksmanship Training Unit reply limited testing to commercial items and required 7.62mm NATO. Of five rifles tested, the .30-06 Winchester Model 70 was dropped, the Remington 600 and 700 ADL were judged too light, and only the Remington 40X passed.
• The system: The Marines ordered 700 M40s and got over 900, cased with a 3-9X Redfield Accu-Range scope whose ranging reticle worked to 600 yards. Ross calls it the first precision rifle treated as a system, and the start of M118 7.62x51mm Match ammo.
• The M40A1: Swelling wood stocks, rust, cracked optics and broken triggers led to the 1973 M40A1, with a stainless Atkinson barrel, steel trigger guard and McMillan fiberglass stock. It weighed 12 lbs, 3 lbs more than the M40.

Quick take

According to The Armory Life, the M40A1 served from the 1970s into the 2000s, longer than any other Marine Corps sniper rifle. Ross links the M40 to Vietnam's unconventional fighting and to the 1966 letter's call for a simple, sturdy system that was easy to teach.

Read the full story at The Armory Life.