Is The US Marine Corps Going With A New Sniper Rifle?

By Tom Knighton

The Marine Corps tends to be known for using older gear. There’s a lot of reasons for that, and there’s no reason to get into them right now.

One venerable piece of equipment is the M40 sniper rifle. First entering service during Vietnam, the modified Remington 700 has been a mainstay of the USMC’s sniper program.

Now, it looks like Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children (as a former corpsman, I can call them that) are looking to make an upgrade.

The current iteration of the venerable M40, the A6, began fielding with Marine Corps back in June 2016. The M40A6 has a folding stock which is compatible with current M40 actions and barrels and a full-length Picatinny rail to accommodate optics and accessories. The Corps’ entire M40A5 inventory was upgraded by Remington, who were awarded a contract in 2014.

But Marine snipers have been calling for a new rifle with greater range and a larger calibre round for some years. It seems that they may be about to have their calls answered. The Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Estimates Justification Book for the United States Marine Corps procurement gives us some insight into the Corps small arms aims for the …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms