Categorically, there may be better extreme long-range rifles in the game right now than the M40. Platforms like the CheyTac M200 Intervention, chambered in .375 and .408 CT, are effective at ranges in excess of a mile. How then, could a dinosaur like the M40 rifle, specifically the M40A1, compete? 

Let’s take a closer look.

About the M40A1 

First, the M40A1 is built around the Remington 700 short action and the rifle is chambered in 7.62 NATO/.308 Winchester. 

The action is strong, reliable, and one of the best rifle actions of all time, if not the best. As for the chambering, while there are technically better ELR cartridges out there, the .308 is solid performer, ammo is accessible and affordable, it still has a decent effective range, and it can be used to pursue nearly any game in North America. 

The original M40 rifles were issued with wood stocks, which, as you could imagine, presented more than one issue in the Vietnam War, which was where these rifles got their start. The high humidity quickly deteriorated the rifle stocks, not to mention the issues the swelling of the wood caused with accuracy. 

The improved version was the M40A1, which was redesigned with a rugged, stable, fiberglass McMillan stock that would require less maintenance, prove stronger than wood, and which was considerably more reliable and durable, especially under adverse battlefield conditions. 

The Remington action of the M40A1 was also fitted with a heavy-duty, stainless steel match-grade barrel and bedded to the stock using techniques appropriate for a precision rifle. 

The Marine Corps also outfitted the new variant with Winchester Model 70 trigger guards and floorplates rather than sticking with the Remington components. 

In addition, the M40A1 was outfitted with a fixed-power scope, specifically the 10x Unertl USMC scope, though earlier M40A1 rifles were outfitted with other scopes such as Redfield scopes. 

Dependable, accurate, rugged, and built around a proven cartridge, the M40A1 is one of the most iconic rifle designs in history. It is one that was not just designed for precision rifle shooters in peacetime, but which served with distinction in the hands of Marines for nearly two decades. 

The M40A1 is also effectively the foundation on which every subsequent M40 rifle rests, making it even more influential. 

Where to Get a Custom-Built M40 Rifle 

If you’re in the market for an M40 rifle that doesn’t just seek to replicate the aesthetics of the M40A1, but which is custom-built around its original specifications, visit B&B Firearms. 

Their M40A1 is not just a precision rifle built to modern specs that “looks like an M40,” it’s actually built to capture the details and performance of the original. 

It’s made with a Remington 700 action, heavy, match-grade barrel, bedded in a fiberglass McMillan stock, internal magazine configuration, and other similar specifications from the period during which the M40A1 was produced and issued. 

Every B&B Firearms M40A1 is built to order. For more information About Cadex Defense and 375 CheyTac