M40 Remington Sniper Rifle with Redfield 3-9X Scope
During the Vietnam War, the Marine Corps decided they needed a standard sniper rifle. After testing several possibilities, they ordered seven hundred Remington Model 40x rifles (target/variant version of the Remington Model 700 bolt-action rifle), and gave them the M40 designation. Most had a Redfield 3–9x Accurange variable scope mounted.
From the steaming jungles of Vietnam to the searing sands of Desert Storm, U.S. Marine Corps M40-series rifles have earned their reputation as robust, precision battlefield instruments in the skillful hands of Marine scout-snipers.
Counted among the many U.S. military small-arms developments that grew out of America's entry into the Vietnam War in the early 1960s are a number of modern-day sniper rifle systems. Both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps eventually developed specific solutions to meet the challenges of the one-shot, long-range war. The Marines' M40, based on the Remington Model 700 sporting rifle, has become a near legendary icon of that era.
The need for a new sniper rifle system was confirmed as military battlefield planners realized the only suitable rifles available were leftovers from World War II and Korea. That included aging, but highly effective, .30-'06 Sprg.-cal. Winchester Model 70 rifles fitted with 8X Unertl scopes along with scope-sighted, semi-automatic M1C and M1D Garands. Another option involved adapting existing U.S. M14 rifles. In fact, accurized, scope-sighted M14s, later fitted with night-vision scopes, provided yeoman service to U.S. Army marksmen. The U.S. Marine Corps, however, elected to pursue a completely different approach.
