Thanks to a former OIC of the USMC sniper school for this picture This happened in the early 80’s and this is was the standard scope being used on the M40A1’s and the A3’s up until 2006 when the Schmidt & Bender PMII 3-12x scopes were adopted to replace the Unertls. The Redfield 3-9x scopes were eventually replaced by a specially designed scope built by Unertl to USMC specifications. The entire system is built by USMC armorers at Quantico, VA. The wood stocks were replaced by McMillan fiberglass stocks, which are known for their ruggedness. There is no “official” date (at least that I can tell) when the M40 was replaced by the M40A1, but the process happened in the early 70’s.
#Unertl usmc upgrade
So a process began to upgrade the M40 rifles. The all wood stocks were very prone to shifting in changes in the weather and other weaknesses were noted. As time progressed, the weaknesses of the factory M700/40x rifles began to show. 550 of those had the Redfield 3-9x accurange scope mounted. After testing and reviews the USMC placed the initial order for 700 Remington 700/M40 sniper rifles in 1966. The USMC has always had a leg up on the US Army when it comes to sniping (Remember, I am US Army, so it takes a lot to say this!) and the USMC realized that they needed a standard sniper rifle that could perform the job up to standard. The M40A1 has to be the pioneer of the modern sniper rifle.
![unertl usmc unertl usmc](https://ctfirearmsauction.com/content/uploads/2020/02/usmc-wwii-unertl-8x-sniper-scope-120_5.jpg)
The M1903-A4 was a specifically designed sniper rifle that came as a result of early U.S. Unertl 8x (USMC M1903-A1/Unertl) - With Iron SitesĬonversion to sniper rifles done by Remington Arms. The M81, M82, and M84 were also used on the M1903-A4 (late WWII and Korea) M73B1 2.5x Telescopic site (Weaver 330C) - No Iron Sites 2 Grooves, LH Twist, cut-rifled (early rifles) 4 Grooves, LH Twist, draw rifled (later rifles)