Johnathan. You might want to remove your post and run the entire process by a mod before proceeding.
Rule #3
If an item is posted for sale outside the Post Exchange, the post will immediately be removed and the user will be banned for 30 days with no notice, as the forum rules are considered the initial warning.
Rule #3
If an item is posted for sale outside the Post Exchange, the post will immediately be removed and the user will be banned for 30 days with no notice, as the forum rules are considered the initial warning.
A friend willed this one to me. Returned stock complete with bottom metal. 6 digit receiver. Scope is the old Weaver T10.
I'm sorry about your friend. You must be a best friend. That's a nice looking rifle.
Thank you. We served in the same unit, retired from the same company... friendship spanning close to 50 years. We even live 2 miles from each other
So, this has probably been answered somewhere in the thread and or forum. But i had a topscrew mount now corrected to bottom screw. How does scope leveling and scope ring torquing work? Any suggestions? I literally got it back an hour before i had to leave on a trip.
If you’re talking about a Transitional build, with Redfield SA700 base and Med. under screw rings, here’s the thread you need in Vintage Sniper:
Redfield scope rings and base, tacked?
Greg
I hope so! That “April 1st pre orders available” though…..
They have been talking about it for several years... hopefully they are really doing it!MST-100 (Limited Run) | Pre-Order | US Optics
www.usoptics.com
This real?
DW
Talked to their production manager like 2 years ago and he said no way they would do a run again. One guys opinion though and given the less than widespread use of their optics this might be a ploy to get people talking uso again.
If they do do this run and it's not an April 1st joke (i don't think they are popular enough to screw with people like that. For their sake I hope they aren't) i wonder if we can convince them to refurbish ones we already have. I got an old return I'd like run through them with seals replaced and a fresh charge of possible.
If they do do this run and it's not an April 1st joke (i don't think they are popular enough to screw with people like that. For their sake I hope they aren't) i wonder if we can convince them to refurbish ones we already have. I got an old return I'd like run through them with seals replaced and a fresh charge of possible.
Now that you mention it I do remember hearing about them a while back. Appreciate that.
15 days early doesn't sound plausible for a joke. Day before April 1st or on April 1st....yeah I'm a stupid asshole....you got me. If sales guys are fucking with customers 15 days early. Boss might be like get back to work boys.
Plus there's been a scope sign up list thread for a while now.
Yeah, I doubt it’s a joke. The interest thread on here is different though, it wasn’t through USO. Now they could have gauged interest off of the thread for sure.
This is 100% real!
I just got a call out of the blue from USO, because I called several years ago and my name was put on a list of interested people.
They are making 100 units available on a first come first serve basis.
They will be made domestically.
Plan on shipping in November.
DW
Perhaps all those repro McMillan M40A1 smear stocks from 2024 drove up demand/inquires for another run of this classic scope?
I think it's great that they are making a batch, and we might have McMillan Fiberglass Stocks to thank for this limited run of scopes.
I think it's great that they are making a batch, and we might have McMillan Fiberglass Stocks to thank for this limited run of scopes.
There is a new in Box US optics MST-100 on gunbroker right now, opening bid $2399, buy now $3000.
Item Number: 1097129140
I have no affiliation with the seller
DW
Item Number: 1097129140
I have no affiliation with the seller
DW
Originally sold for 1851.00
Civilian Marksmanship Program
USMC 10x Unertl Sniper Telescope 1534 USMC 10x Unertl Sniper Telescope 1534 US Marine Corps Issue 10x Unertl Sniper Telescope serial number 1534. This scope is in good condition with signs of use. It has tan paint with some brown and green paint with some overspray over the original black...
cmpauction.thecmp.org
you must REALLY hate cloning rifles thanI can’t stand when people pull that garbage
Or he likes money…. Can’t imagine why lolyou must REALLY hate cloning rifles than
Is that not the guy who has been know to pawn off TMA Unertl mounts as originals? He has tried to sell the scope and ARD separately before with no takers, now he has combined them.
2/23 Marines SS Plt. in Morocco. I wanna say maybe 2004 or early 2005? I know it was pretty late to still have these in inventory and all the fellas had heard about the mystical A3’s
decent couple shots of some of the equipment also including some makeshift tripods. Don’t recall if the bags were Tactical Tailor or something else.Attachments
It wasn't common, but there were some M40A1's that stayed in the Corps for quite a while after the M40A3's and even the M40A5's were the standard USMC sniper rifle. I was in Fallujah, Iraq feom 2008 to 2009, and we had an A1 as a regional asset that stayed in Iraq. When we ripped with 1/7, they received our regional assets like the 4 XM3's and the single M40A1. So, that A1 was still in active use (one of our older team leaders immediately grabbed it and used it during our deployment) until about 2010 when 1/7's deployment probably ended. I have no idea what happened to it after that.View attachment 8658706
2/23 Marines SS Plt. in Morocco. I wanna say maybe 2004 or early 2005? I know it was pretty late to still have these in inventory and all the fellas had heard about the mystical A3’s
So, there were a few A1's still in use when A3's and A5's were the standard USMC sniper rifle. Thank you for posting those photos, it's pretty rare to see photos of A1's in use after the A3's have been around for many years. Hopefully more photos like these will surface over the coming years.
Glad I could contribute
It’s funny you mentioned that about 1/7. We ripped with 1/9 in Ramadi around that time also.A buddy who was in the platoon later had mentioned that they had moved to another optic, possibly S&B glass on the A1 rifles before moving away from that rig and going to the A3. If I can dig around and find any of my photos or his that reflect that, I’ll post them here. Might be kinda cool if that was in fact the case.
So I took my GA Precision M40A1 out to my property yesterday. Since everything was dialed in nicely and the wind was 2-5mph I tested the Urnetl scope settings. With Special Ball it was spot on to 880 yards.
I have steel songs from 100 to 735 yds and there is an abandoned root cellar at 1/2 a mile. The cellar has an old oil drum in the doorway. It rings when hit squarely. Dial it to 6 and hit the 600 steel like clock work. And so fourth and so on at every distance. It was a pleasant afternoon.
The only thing different about my setup is I had them add a Badger 20moa rail so I could keep the rings that came with the scope.
Greetings.
Recently aquired my m40a1 clone. Smear stock, U.S marked Redfield 3x9 wideview. Win 70 bottom metal. Unfortunately the bottom metal serial number does not match the stock and reciever is not clip slotted but does start with an A prefix.
Barrel still needs to be black Oxided but need to sort out headspace issues on this rifle.
Original redfield base, rings and scope cover.
Recently aquired my m40a1 clone. Smear stock, U.S marked Redfield 3x9 wideview. Win 70 bottom metal. Unfortunately the bottom metal serial number does not match the stock and reciever is not clip slotted but does start with an A prefix.
Barrel still needs to be black Oxided but need to sort out headspace issues on this rifle.
Original redfield base, rings and scope cover.
That US PROPERTY Redfield is different. Do you know the origin of it? USMCSGT0331 has posted about the trial run of Widefields the Marines used, but they weren’t adopted for quality issues. We’d love to know the story on that one.
Nice build. I’d trade two of my repro Smears for an original Return Smear.
Greg
Nice build. I’d trade two of my repro Smears for an original Return Smear.
Greg
I’m always jealous of a real smear stock. I should have bought one when McMillan was selling them. Though I would never own a Unertl and didn’t buy a few stocks.
I also found the Redfield interesting, havent seen one like it before, marked U.S. property *28. Wish i knew more about this rifle.
The story is without provenance. I am from South Africa and aparently 3 of these rifles have made it here, havent seen any others though. I am 3rd person to own this rifle was made somewhere in the late 70's early 80's. The rifle found its way here alledgedly by some of our STF guys doing training in the States or some of your guys doing OPS in Africa.
I know its not a legit m40a1 due to no clip slotting, serial numbers stamped on various parts etc. I do believe it might have been a hobby build assembled with original parts.
Chamber has 0.010 excessive headspace with a neck diam of 0.345 quite a big. Will get that taken care of soon.
Last edited:
Question on scope bases. From what I’ve gathered, M40A1’s were built on 6 digit SN and E prefix SN R700 actions. And I’ve read that Remington changed the receiver bridge profile after the A letter prefix receivers.
Does that mean there are 2 different types of M40A1 scope bases?
I ask because i picked up an E637 SN R700 and an ICE repro mount for a late M40A1 clone, but cant check the fit because the action hasn't been clip slotted yet.
Does that mean there are 2 different types of M40A1 scope bases?
I ask because i picked up an E637 SN R700 and an ICE repro mount for a late M40A1 clone, but cant check the fit because the action hasn't been clip slotted yet.
Likely same bases, just milled to accept the mounts. Don’t forget the C671xxxx A1’s as there were about 100 of those…
Does anyone know the significance of the U.S. Property *28 on my Redfield Wideview scope?
I know they werent officially adopted, does that mean i have a once off, is it rare? Does it translate to valuable? Is it collectable? Can the date be tracked? Sorry plenty of questions. Would appreciate an opinion from
I know they werent officially adopted, does that mean i have a once off, is it rare? Does it translate to valuable? Is it collectable? Can the date be tracked? Sorry plenty of questions. Would appreciate an opinion from
USMCSGT0331 and anyone else. Ive read most of his threads regarding m40 and m40a1 and def a subject matter expert.
If the US Property marking is legit, and that is sort of a big if. But if it was real it would likely to be to another branch than the Marines.
Maybe cplnorton can look in the archives one day for more info. My understanding: they are briefly mentioned in two books as evaluation scopes that Redfield provided to the USMC in the late 1970s when they were updating the M40 to the M40A1 configuration. Your scope is the 5th one that I have seen. I used to own serial number 6 (“*0006”), but I traded it to a local buddy a decade ago who collects USMC items. It’s been sitting on his shelf with other USMC optics for the past decade. I briefly mocked it up on an M1A back when I bought for $150 on the CMP forum:
The two books that briefly mention/show the Redfield Wideview evaluation scope are Peter Senich’s ‘The One-Round War,’ and Chandler’s ‘Death from Afar, Volume 1.’ Both were printed in the early 1990s (pre-Internet).
Senich noted that 3 or 4 other scopes were evaluated in the late 1970s:
Chandler’s book shows one of the original Redfield boxes, note “sand blasted” (matte) finish and cross hair reticle “CH.”
I took my scope scope (serial number 6) to a Quantico vintage rifle match a decade ago to ask others about it. Sure enough, a middle aged man who was either a former USMC Scout Sniper or a former MOS 2112 Precision Weapon armorer looked at it, and said he recalled them being tested back in his day. He went on to say they were not very reliable scopes, and the new Unertl 10X scopes that he first saw around 1980-81 were consider “Star Wars technology” at that time. Major Jim Land’s son was in that conversation, and he chimed-in and said he had one of those scopes at home as well, but the serial number has been scratched off. (It’s seen in an old NRA article on the M40 rifle history).
Someone posted that Redfield provided 100 of these scopes to the USMC to evaluate, but that number seems exaggerated to me. So, Maj Jim Land (ret) has one (I think serial number was grinded away), Ryan has 2 or 3 of those scopes, I had one, and somehow serial number 28 made it over to South Africa…I suspect a few more exist on random hunting rifles here in the Virginia area.
Since these scopes were presumably no-cost samples or evaluation scopes - and thus not inventoried by the USMC, my guess is some of them were perhaps “rescued” from the dumpster approximately 45 years ago…so I do consider these as obscure but still collectible scopes. That’s all I know.
As for a possible one-off Redfield scope, my guess is there was at least one such scope evaluated back in that same late-70s era by the USMC (source: Chandler, DFA, Vol 1):
Last edited:
Thank you, I really enjoyed reading your reply lots of good info. Had a look for the book, unfortunately it doesnt seem available to us.
I asked Chandler about these scopes years back and what he told me is they got them in, and they did not hold zero, so they sent them back into Redfield. He said a few of the guys at PWS kept a couple, including him, but all the rest went back.
When I asked him if they were marked, he told me they were not. He said there would not be anyway to tell one that was used by the Marines. I know where the scope that Chandler kept is, and I will ask the current owner if it is marked. If it is, I will correct myself. But at least what Chandler told me that day, he said they were not marked. But sometimes I do see him mix traits between the different platforms, just old age, so I will double check his scope.
As far as the US Property marking that is really not a Marine marking. That is an Army Ordnance required marking. If you get in the Army and Marine documents, both state clearly that US Property is a requirement of Army Ordnance and is not a Marine specified marking.
You do see some US property markings sprinkled on Marine inventory, but usually that is because the Marines acquired it through Army channels. You do see the Marines required some stuff to be marked in their contracts. But it's generally shortened, such as just having it marked "US." Usually, any markings specified by the Marines, will be something different than "US Property." That is why I said these are likely to be to another branch if real.
After digging so far into the Archives, I think the one thing that I see is so much is automatically assumed to be Marine. The Army, Navy, and Air Force all had M40's and Remington 700 rifles. Not only as sniper rifle platforms, but also rifle team equipment and regular base recreational rifles that could be checked out. It seems if one branch tried it, they ALL did it. Which makes it a mess trying to decipher who did what.
The really bad thing is barely anything of what the Army, Navy, and Air Force did has ever been addressed publically. So there is so much out there that we all need to learn and research to try to understand the Marine program more. I think a lot of stuff that is automatically attributed to the Marines, is actually to another branch. It's just the Marines are known for it and the other branches are not.
But I will ask about the markings on the scope that Chandler had to double-check myself. If I'm wrong, I will definitely admit it. I honestly never verified it past what Chandler told me. But at least what Chandler told me back in the day, he said they were not marked.
When I asked him if they were marked, he told me they were not. He said there would not be anyway to tell one that was used by the Marines. I know where the scope that Chandler kept is, and I will ask the current owner if it is marked. If it is, I will correct myself. But at least what Chandler told me that day, he said they were not marked. But sometimes I do see him mix traits between the different platforms, just old age, so I will double check his scope.
As far as the US Property marking that is really not a Marine marking. That is an Army Ordnance required marking. If you get in the Army and Marine documents, both state clearly that US Property is a requirement of Army Ordnance and is not a Marine specified marking.
You do see some US property markings sprinkled on Marine inventory, but usually that is because the Marines acquired it through Army channels. You do see the Marines required some stuff to be marked in their contracts. But it's generally shortened, such as just having it marked "US." Usually, any markings specified by the Marines, will be something different than "US Property." That is why I said these are likely to be to another branch if real.
After digging so far into the Archives, I think the one thing that I see is so much is automatically assumed to be Marine. The Army, Navy, and Air Force all had M40's and Remington 700 rifles. Not only as sniper rifle platforms, but also rifle team equipment and regular base recreational rifles that could be checked out. It seems if one branch tried it, they ALL did it. Which makes it a mess trying to decipher who did what.
The really bad thing is barely anything of what the Army, Navy, and Air Force did has ever been addressed publically. So there is so much out there that we all need to learn and research to try to understand the Marine program more. I think a lot of stuff that is automatically attributed to the Marines, is actually to another branch. It's just the Marines are known for it and the other branches are not.
But I will ask about the markings on the scope that Chandler had to double-check myself. If I'm wrong, I will definitely admit it.
I honestly never verified it past what Chandler told me. But at least what Chandler told me back in the day, he said they were not marked.
Last edited:
FWIW, here’s the only picture I know of with the Widefield scope being used on an M40A1. (One can see the oblong front objective bell that is flat on the top and bottom surface). I vaguely recall reading that this staged picture was used for a USMC recruitment poster, but that’s just something I read on the internet, so it might be BS. Regardless, that is definitely one of those odd-ball Widefield scopes on an M40A1.
Last edited:
