Corporal Ryan Salacinski, a native of Laurel, Montana, and a guest member of the Marine Corps Shooting Team, shoots his weapon May 6 during the Australian Army Skill at Arms Meeting 2015 at the Puckapunyal Military Area, Victoria, Australia. AASAM is an annual, international combat-marksmanship competition hosted by the Australian Army, May 6 to 22. The MCST is comprised of 12 Marines with Marine Corps Base Quantico and Marine Rotational Force - Darwin to represent the Marine Corps in this year’s competition. Salacinski is a sniper with 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, MRF-D. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Marcin Platek/Released)

We reported on the M40A6 back in November last year. Remington won the competition for the M40A6, which is the Marine Corps’s standard issue sniper rifle within the Fleet Marine Force and Reserve Forces Scout Sniper Platoons.The new rifle is essentially the same Remington 700 action but in the upgraded stock. In fact, there probably isn’t much “new” about these rifles other than the stock, as is usually the case Marine Corps Systems Command has the Fleet platoons send their M40A5s back to the Precision Weapons Shop in Quantico. Here, the older McMillion stocks are taken off, and the new modular stocks are put back on. It also looks like the rifles are coming with 10 round Accuracy International magazines instead of the older 10 round magazines. Optics are staying the same with the Schmidt & Bender M8541, and the Surefire Suppressor system.

These rifles are probably going to be the last 7.62x51mm sniper rifles to be used by the Marine Corps. The next generation of sniper rifles will most likely be among the PSR calibers of .338 Lapua, and .300 Win Mag.

This is an excellent overview of the M40A6 by 1/8 Marines on the Black Sea Rotational force during Exercise Agile Spirit 16 in the Republic of Georgia. Followed up by a review of the M40A6 by a Sergeant whom I assume is an instructor in the Scout Sniper Basic Course in MCB Quantico. Judging from the video coming from Marine Corps Systems Command and the range that isn’t Hathcock Range on Stones Bay. I think its ironic that this Chinese firearms video has more views than either of the two english language source videos it was taken from!

And here, some rapid bolt manipulation with the A6. Rapid bolt manipulation with bolt action rifles is crucial to follow up shots, especially during multiple target engagements, or reengagements of missed targets.