M40 Family - Who owns one?

Not my rifle but an M40A1 non the less :p

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So for those wanting to make a "clone" but worried you can't find a proper base/mount. Here is an actual M40A1 that had a standard rail mounted to it:

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Nothing new in here lately so here goes:

My Savage .22 got a makeover this week since I'm twiddling my thumbs at home. Bought a Boyds stock a while ago and decided to install it. Then pulled out the masking tape and went to town with rattle cans.

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My colors are WAAAAYY off from the actual McMillan stock, and my patterns are sorta off. Might try again. Torn tape sure worked well to mimic the Mcmillan pattern edges though!

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The T10 is a bit big for this rifle. Just figured I'd share my results if anyone out there is thinking about trying to do an el cheapo M40 or wants to try a cheezy imitation of the camo pattern. Enjoy!
 
That is pretty wicked. As for the pattern it's great. The Mcmillan patter so sort of all over the place as well and never the same twice. It's interesting that people who own USMC return stocks actually match their stocks to old pictures of USMC Snipers because the patterns were so different and unique. I'd love to get my hands on a return stock but I don't think it would ever happen. They want way too much money for them now.
 
Slightly bigger version. This very well might have been the first M40A1 rifle produced. What's got my puzzled is the serial number location. Remington rifles had the serial number on the other side of the receiver.

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This appears to be the same rifle and the same hat, also signed.

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ArmedGinger said:
Slightly bigger version. This very well might have been the first M40A1 rifle produced. What's got my puzzled is the serial number location. Remington rifles had the serial number on the other side of the receiver.
Click to expand...

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It’s actually built on a Winchester M70. Hathcock always used M70’s, both his Wimbledon Cup magnums built by the MTU, and his M70 sniper rifle issued for his tours in RVN. When he was close to retirement the 2112’s in Quantico built him the rifle pictured on a Model 70 action.

If you look close note the following:
- No recoil lug
- how long the receiver is, especially the portion behind the loading port
- serial number on the right side

And ditto for the silhouette photo-look at how long the receiver is aft of the rear of the scope base, and how far forward the base is mounted relative to the trigger guard position. It’s a M70 he spent so much time with, both shooting paper at 1000, and Viet Cong in country.

Cool photo though, always thought they would make a movie about Hathcock, but the way Hollywood is perhaps better they didn’t. There are photos around where you can see the rifle better.
 
Found it.......Death from Afar Volume 5

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Not the highest resolution photo but the caption below tells the back story

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njohnson said:
Hathcock always used M70’s, both his Wimbledon Cup magnums built by the MTU, and his M70 sniper rifle issued for his tours in RVN.
Click to expand...

According to Jim Land, Hathcock used the M70 on his first tour but on his second tour he was issued the M40.

But yes you are right now that you point out the picture. So did the armorers sort of build an M70 to M40A1 specs as a present to Hathcock? I mean the barrel appears to be the same dimensions as the M40A1 and the stock appears to be a Mcmillan.
 
ArmedGinger said:
According to Jim Land, Hathcock used the M70 on his first tour but on his second tour he was issued the M40.

But yes you are right now that you point out the picture. So did the armorers sort of build an M70 to M40A1 specs as a present to Hathcock? I mean the barrel appears to be the same dimensions as the M40A1 and the stock appears to be a Mcmillan.
Click to expand...

Yes I think that’s what they did, using a smear stock of the time, a barrel from the shop and a green Redfield scope. Sort of a custom hybrid and very cool for how unique it is. I don’t know what ever happened to it perhaps his son, who was also a Marine and I believe on the USMC rifle or pistol team, kept it.
 
Colquhoun said:
Those M70 receivers with the extra long barrel tenons were a target model as well. Different from the standard receivers.
Click to expand...

For sure, I think it’s an M70 “Match” you can sort of make out the radius on the clip slotting in the photo. A very cool rig.
 
Thanks for the photo N Johnston...

I enjoy following along with the Carlos Hathcock story,,, the stuff in his younger years when his Pops give him a Mauser 98 when he learned the hunt the forests of Arkansas...

Cheers from the North
 
My build coming up is going to be a 1968 copy-cat M-40 wood stock.

The wood stock with the same pattern,,, but with checking for better grip on those cold days...

I seen this rifle in Washington at the NRA museum a few years ago in the Korean / Vietnam section...

Remington M40 in 308
https://photos.app.goo.gl/AVyp47MoTyTqoBaN8

If you ever get the chance to tour the capital,,, take in the Arlington Memorial Cemetery and the state capital down town...

You'll like Canada's Embassy since there's no shortage of funds invested in that building and grounds...
 
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