As we all know, last weekend McMillan officially sold the first M40A1 HTG smear stocks in almost 40 years! This is pretty remarkable, since Kelly McMillan had refused to make any replicas of the old smear stocks and that the very early dyes used from 1974 to 1976 was no longer available. Original USMC M40A1 smear stocks have become a "grail" items for collectors and clone builders, but this demand has caused prices to surpass $5,000 per stock on occasion! Due to the rarity and exorbitant cost of original USMC smear stocks, most enthusiasts never had a chance to acquire one...... until now!
McMillan just released 4 USMC pattern M40A1 HTG stocks for sale, and they plan on releasing more of them over the coming weeks/months. Even though these aren't USMC used stocks, they're still factory original smear stocks that capture the beauty and essence of the originals! For just under $1k collectors will receive a fully configured HTG stock, complete with:
- Inletting for Remington 700 short action receivers
- Inletting for the modified Winchester M70 bottom metal and trigger guard
- Aluminum pillars in the inletting
- Heavy sniper fill fiberglass
- Front and rear Wichita sling swivels
- Embedded steel inserts for the sling swivels
- Brown basket weave Pachmayr recoil pad
- Unique smear camouflage pattern
These features alone are phenomenal, but there's much more to be factored in, such as the time, effort, R&D and everything else that went into producing these stocks. New dyes had to be mixed, experimenting had to be done, original stocks and camo patterns had to be researched and analyzed, production time had to be assigned, etc., etc., etc. And they're a limited edition run that may not ever be made again! And there was free shipping included! So, in my personal opinion, the $932 price is beyond justified (and easily far less than what they could potentially sell for on the secondary market), and these new smear stocks are worth every penny! Seriously, a MASSIVE ampunt of work has gone into this project and it is a complete success!
You're probably wondering how these new smear stocks stack up against the originals from decades ago, so here's some photos! The new stocks are the 3rd and 4th ones down (1 new stock is mine, the other belongs to a friend).
As you can see, these new smear stocks look absolutely phenomenal and they fit right in with this small selection of original USMC used stocks. There are many, many smear patterns, and I'm sure that the new stocks are based on an existing pattern. It will be interesting to see the other new stocks that are released, and what patterns those will be!
The new stocks are almost identical to the old ones, but there are a few differences. The new stocks are slightly more matte in appearance, vs some of the old stocks with a more shiny gel coat. I also think that the new stocks are better made, and the seams between the two sides of the stock are almost nonexistent. The new stocks are just flat out better built, great care went into making them (even though it's possible to have some extremely slight flaws or scratches, like the originals).
Here's the new smear stocks alongside a NOS smear stock from the late 1970's/early 1980's:
It's pretty awesome to see original McMillan smear stocks from different decades side-by-side! Just by looking at these stocks you can see how the manufacturing process has changed and evolved over the years. The middle stock was made prior to 1983, because that's when McMillan got their first CNC machines to do factory inletting. The very first smear stocks had to be completely inletted by the USMC 2112 armorers at the RTE shop, but we now have the luxury of having it done for us at the factory. The middle stock also has a layer of gray material (atomized aluminum particles and glass fibers mixed into an epoxy matrix) that seals the barrel channel and receiver area of the stock. McMillan stopped doing this long ago, so the new smear stocks have their current style of exposed fiberglass.
I also tried to fit some original USMC modified Winchester M70 bottom metal and trigger guards to the new smear stocks and this is what it looks like:
A perfect fit! Everything lines up, but they're a little loose, which is due to the meral pieces not being bedded into place. So, the inletting is exactly what's needed for these stocks, and you'll have absolutely no issues with fitting them for new bottom metal and trigger guards.
These new stocks are pretty much perfect, McMillan even drilled a small area out of the center support material so that an escutcheon can be fit in the proper location! Look at these 2 photos and you'll see the semicircular cut in the center of the left stock. The right stock has this cut and it can clearly be seen from the top of the stock, but it doesn't go all the way through at the bottom (it's easy to remove a millimeter of material!). Notice how the original USMC modified Winchester M70 trigger guard's front screw hole is right over this drilled area (again, the right stock just needs a tiny bit more material removed, but they did drill it). Any gunsmith should be able to git an escutcheon to the stock and McMillan provided them with a nice cutout to show them the proper location for the escutcheon. I never expected McMillan to actually add an escutcheon themselves, since they never did that modification on the original USMC stocks, that work was done by the 2112 armorers.
That's pretty much everything that I can think to include in this review of McMillan's new M40A1 HTG smear stocks. I think that they absolutely knocked it out of the park with these stocks and I can't thank them enough for tackling this massive (and long awaited) project! These stocks are phenomenal, the smear pattern is exceptional, and they are true to the original USMC used smear stocks from decades ago.
I honestly can't think of a better way for McMillan to celebrate their 50th anniversary, than with a limited edition reproduction of their most famous and revered stock! Their HTG stock was a key feature in upgrading the Marine's M40 "hunting rifles" to a truly rugged and damn near indestructible M40A1 sniper rifle! The Marines loved these stocks so much that they spent the next 4 decades buying stocks from McMillan! From the 1970's M40A1 to the 2010's M40A5 and all the M14's in between, McMillan has had an enormous impact on Marine Scout Snipers and shooting team members. It's one of the most successful partnerships the Corps has had with a company, and it all started with some weird looking smear stocks!
I can't thank McMillan enough for making these stocks and giving us the chance to buy an M40A1 HTG smear stock directory from the factory. This is truly a unique opportunity for veterans, collectors and clone builders alike, and I can't wait to see the rifle builds and enjoyment that these smear stocks will bring to this community!
Happy 50th, McMillan, and Semper Fi!
