David
Wed March 26, 2003 7:02am
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Firing for a goal
A Kurdish militia fighter kicks a soccer ball while his comrade keeps watch at a checkpoint in the Kurdish part of Qoshtapa, which borders the Baghdad controlled Kirkuk province.
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David
Thu March 27, 2003 9:08am
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Confirmed military action
Wednesday, March 26, 2003: Elements of the 7th Cavalry Regiment face Medina armoured Republican Guard divisions outside Karbala as they push for Baghdad.
Wednesday, March 26, 2003: Elements of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force headed to Al Kut to push into Baghdad along the Tigris and hit the Republican Guard's southern forces.
Wednesday, March 26, 2003: Battle continues near Nasiriyah. Marines capture Iraqi military hospital along with weapons, ammunition, chemical suits and gas masks.
Wednesday, March 26, 2003: US troops secure Talil Air base in southern Iraq.
Wednesday, March 26, 2003: US-led war planes bombed targets in the northern part of the country including Mosul, Kirkuk and Tikrit.
Tuesday, March 25, 2003: American Marines are engaged in a heavy battle east of Najaf for control of the Euphrates valley region and river crossings.
Tuesday, March 25, 2003: Coalition forces confirm that 43 soilders have been killed in the campaign to date.
Tuesday, March 25, 2003: British troops have amassed outside the southern Iraqi city of Basra in preparation for an urban assualt on the city that previously was not a military target.
Tuesday, March 25, 2003: Coalition forces bomb two Iraqi bunkers in northern Iraq destroying one.
Tuesday, March 25, 2003: A friendly fire exchange results in the death of 2 British soliders.
Monday, March 24, 2003: A US Apache helicopter is downed in fighting ouside Karbala. The 2 US pilots have been captured by Iraqi forces and shown on Iraqi TV and al Jazeerah.
Monday, March 24, 2003: US Apache helicopters attacked Armored Republican guard positions between Karbala and Al Hillah, meeting with stiff resistence.
Monday, March 24, 2003: 70 US Special Forces troops are said to be working with Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq to destroy Ansar al-Islam strong holds in the moutainous border region between Iran and Iraq. Ansar al-Islam is beleived to have ties to al Qaeda and is blamed for a suicide bombing in northern Iraq this past weekend that killed and independent journalist.
Monday, March 24, 2003: US coalition forces report that cruise missles have been launched again Ansar al-Islam position in northern Iraq.
Monday, March 24, 2003: More than 200 special forces are said to be operating in northern Iraq and more continue to arrive on regular coalition flights through Turkish airspace.
Monday, March 24, 2003: A heavy battle still rages in the southern Iraqi town of Basra that has led coalition forces to draw back from the city. Fierce fighting to control the city, which the coalition said was siezed Friday, continues.
Monday, March 24, 2003: A bus carrying 36 civilians was bombed accidently by coalition forces as it tried to cross a bride in northwest Iraq. 5 Syrian nationals were killed and many injured, all were trying to escape fighting by fleeing to Syria.
Sunday, March 23, 2003: An unmanned, remote-controlled Predator drone destroyed an antiaircraft artillery gun in southern Iraq on Saturday. It was the first Predator strike of Operation Iraqi Freedom, coalition defense officials said. The MQ-1 Predator dropped one Hellfire II missile on the mobile antiaircraft artillery piece outside Amarah at 1:25 p.m. (5:25 a.m. Saturday EST), near the Iranian border, according to the Combined Forces Air Component Command. about 90 miles south of Baghdad.
Sunday, March 23, 2003: The U.S. military has secured a facility in southern Iraq that Pentagon officials said might have been used to produce chemical weapons. The officials cautioned that it wasn't clear what materials were at the facility in Najaf, about 90 miles south of Baghdad.
Sunday, March 23, 2003: US Army 11th Helicopter attack force engages the elite 2nd Armored Brigade of the Republican Guard outside Karbala, meeting stiff resistence and a hail of anti-aircraft fire described by one pilot as a 'wall of fire.'
Sunday, March 23, 2003: US Army support team is ambushed and captured by Iraqi forces after straying from forces in the Nasiriyah area. As many as 4 were US soilders killed in the ambush and up to 6 captured. Captured troops and those killed have been shown on Iraqi television and al Jazera.
Sunday, March 23, 2003: Heavy fighting in Nasiriyah has resulted in the death of at least 4 American troops.
Sunday, March 23, 2003: Late reports from US are saying that a RAF plane was accidently shot down by a Patriot missile in a friendly fire incident. Details as to the pilot's condition and the circumstances of the friendly fire incident are not yet available.
Saturday, March 22, 2003: In a Kurdish region of northern Iraq, a freelance cameraman working for the Australian Broadcasting Corp., Paul Moran, 39, died when a taxicab exploded at a checkpoint in Sayed Sadiq, the network said. Three Kurdish fighters also died, and an ABC correspondent was wounded, it said. Security officials of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan blamed the blast on a suicide bomber from an Islamic extremist group, Ansar al-Islam, which U.S. officials believe has links to al Qaeda.
Saturday, March 22, 2003: Two British helicopters collided in the Persian Gulf during the support operations killing all 7 troops on board; 1 American and 6 British, bringing the casulties to 21 - 7 Americans and 14 British.
Saturday, March 22, 2003: As many as 1,500 Turkish troops are reported to be poised to cross the border into Kurdish controlled northern Iraq creating some tensions between the US and Turkey. Turkey claims that the troops have been sent to the border region near Iraq to aid in any humanitarian efforts and also to monitor the Kurdish situation as the war progresses.
Saturday, March 22, 2003: The city of Al Basrah in southern Iraq was encircled by allied forces who opted not to enter the city. After engaging minimal resistence on the outskirts of the city coalition forces passed by the without claiming continuing to Baghdad.
Saturday, March 22, 2003: The H2 and H3 air fields, beleived to be site of Scud launchers in western Iraq, have been taken by coalition forces who clain tentative control of both installations.
Saturday, March 22, 2003: Kurdish forces and CNN sources confirm that the city of Kirkuk has been the target of aerial bombardment for the third night of the campaign.
Saturday, March 22, 2003: The northern city of Mosul is reported to have come under heavy bombardment for the third night in a row.
Saturday, March 22, 2003: Though coalition forces claimed tentative control over Umm Qasr -- over 24 hours ago, allied forces continue to come under fire from pockets of resistence.
Friday, March 21, 2003: The port city of Umm Qasr -- Iraq's only outlet to the Gulf - has fallen to allied forces. The old port was taken by British troops; U.S. Marines seized the new port.
Friday, March 21, 2003: The port city of Umm Qasr -- Iraq's only outlet to the Gulf - has fallen to allied forces. The old port was taken by British troops; U.S. Marines seized the new port.
Friday, March 21, 2003: Retreating Iraqi troops are confirmed to set 9 oil wells a blaze outside the southern city of Al Basrah.
Friday, March 21, 2003: U.S.-led forces strike the northern city of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city.
Friday, March 21, 2003: Intense bombing of Kirkuk resumes for the second night. Anti-aircraft fire is visible over the city.
Friday, March 21, 2003: A second Marine from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force was killed during the fight for Umm Qasr.
Friday, March 21, 2003: A US Marine has been killed in the line of fire, details are not yet available.
Friday, March 21, 2003 : Coalition forces bombed the Iraqi-controlled northern city of Mosul just before 4:30 a.m. Friday (8:30 pm Thursday EST).
Friday, March 21, 2003: Kurdish fighters in the Mosul region confirm that an air field outside of Mosul was bombed by US forces.
Friday, March 21, 2003 : British troops moved into the Al Faw Peninsula of southern Iraq. The Al Faw Peninsula runs from the Iraqi city of Basra to the Persian Gulf and is home to a significant portion of Iraq's oil industry.
Friday, March 21, 2003 : Iraqi television early Friday said targets hit by coalition forces included a military site in the southern city of Basra, near the Kuwaiti border, and another target in Akashat, a town about 300 miles west of Baghdad near the Syrian border. Iraqi television reported four Iraqi soldiers were killed.
Friday, March 21, 2003: Several thousand US airborne troops are expected to land in northern Iraq with the objective of capturing the strategically important city of Kirkuk and securing oil fields. The US had wanted to station about 60,000 troops in Turkey with the aim of carrying out a full scale ground invasion - but the plan has been blocked by the Turkish Government.
Friday, March 21, 2003 : American troops with about 250 main battle tanks are pushing into south-western Iraq with the aim of moving swiftly north towards Baghdad. US Marines and around 25,000 UK ground troops and armour are expected to cross into southern Iraq in a second offensive, analysts say. Royal Marines from the UK's 3 Commando Brigade are expected to occupy the strategically important southern city of Basra.
Friday, March 21, 2003: Iraq fired a ballistic missile targeting US and British forces as they crossed the Kuwait/Iraq border.
BAGHDAD:
Wednesday, March 26, 2003: During the continued bombing campaign of Baghdad, US Pentagon officials confirm that ordinance hit in heavily civilian marketplace in northern Baghdad.
Tuesday, March 25, 2003: Coalition forces flew over 3,000 missions in the last 24 hours and heavily bombed Baghdad. Iraqi television stations were targeted and destroyed in what an American commander described as 'decapitating the Iraqi leadership's ability to communicate'. However, Iraqi television was broadcasting only hours later.
Monday, March 24, 2003: Baghdad and outlying areas are being bombing in a effort to 'soften' Republican Guard positions around the city. The coalition hopes to keep the Republican guard from retreating to Baghdad and engage them outside the city proper. Saddam International Airport and military airstrip outside Baghada have also been hit by cruise missles.
Sunday, March 23, 2003: Baghdad continues to be the target of night bombing and air raids. Iraq has set oil filled trench dug around the city on fire to hinder the coalition's bombing campaign. A US Defense spokesman regarded this tactic as "useless and ineffective" against percision weapons technology.
Saturday, March 22, 2003: Baghdad is pounded with over 1,000 cruise missiles and pecision weapons for the third night of the campaign in Iraq. Iraq claims that over 200 civilians have been injured in the attacks.
Friday, March 21, 2003: Air raid sirens sound at 9:00 pm Baghdad local time (12:00 pm EST), for a half hour the city waits as anti-aircraft streaks the night sky. At approximately 9:25 pm Bagdad local time, heavy percision bombing begins in various parts of Baghdad. City areas are pounded for several hours.
Friday, March 21, 2003: U.S. officials said approximately 20 cruise missiles were launched in the most recent attacks from U.S. Navy ships and submarines in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf and - for the first time - from two British submarines. Two of the three main buildings in the Tigris complex of ministerial office have been completely destroyed and left unusable after being struck by percision bombs. Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's palace and government offices along with Special Republican Guard strongholds were among targets hit during this second day of bombing in Baghdad.
Thursday, March 20, 2003 : An intense U.S. and coalition bombing attack rocked the Iraqi capital with a succession of explosions and fires that destroyed at least two buildings -- including the government facility containing the offices of Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.
KUWAIT:
Monday, March 24, 2003: Iraq has launched 6 additional ballistic missles on Kuwait. 4 were intercepted by Patriot missiles and the remaining two were said to have hit in southern Iraq.
Monday, March 24, 2003: A Patriot missile intercepted an Iraqi missile fired toward Kuwait about 1 a.m. Monday [5 p.m. Sunday EST], a Kuwaiti army spokesman said. The missile was intercepted north of Kuwait City and came down away from any residential area, Col. Youssef Al-Mulla told CNN. The resulting explosion could be heard as a muffled, distant boom in the Kuwaiti capital.
Saturday, March 22, 2003: Iraq is reported to have fired another ballistic missile into Northern Kuwait. Coalition forces say the missile was shot down by a Patriot missile.
Saturday, March 22, 2003: A US soilder of the 101st Airborne based in northern Kuwait is being held for a grenade attack in Camp Pennsylvania that killed 1 American troop and wounded at least 12 others. Early reports say that it was an act of defiance and sabatoge by an American troop who recently converted to Islam and disagrees with coalition actions in Iraq.
Friday, March 21, 2003: Iraq retaliates against invasion forces by firing up to 7 missiles into northern Kuwait.
Friday, March 21, 2003 : U.S. Marine CH-46 helicopter crashed in northern Kuwait early Friday morning, killing all 16 people on board - 12 British military personnel and four American crew members, Pentagon officials said.
Thursday, March 20, 2003: Iraq responded to the attack by firing at least four missiles into northern Kuwait, two of which U.S. Patriot missiles intercepted, U.S. military officials said. U.S. forces sounded numerous alerts in the hours after the strikes, sending troops at several bases scrambling for chemical protection gear and running for bunkers. Air raid sirens also sounded in Kuwait City.
IRAN:
Saturday, March 22, 2003: Washington has confirmed that they are in tense diplomatic talks with Iran who claims that as many as three cruise missiles misfired and landed inside Iran. Reports remain unconfirmed and Washington says it is investigating the situation.
TURKEY:
Sunday, March 23, 2003: Two U.S. cruise missiles fell in unpopulated areas of Turkey on Monday, the Pentagon said. No one was hurt.
Saturday, March 22, 2003: Turkish and U.S. military authorities investigated an undetonated missile that appeared to have fallen into a remote village in southeastern Turkey. No one was hurt by the missile, which witnesses said left a crater 13 feet [4 meters] wide and 3.3 feet [1 meter] deep. The missile fell in Ozveren, 430 miles [688 kilometers] northwest of the border with Iraq, at about 5:30 p.m. [9:30 a.m. EST], as planes were seen flying overhead, witnesses said.
Saturday, March 22, 2003: Turkey grants the use of its airspace for US military and coalition over flights.
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David
Fri March 28, 2003 2:06pm
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Soldiers from the 3rd Inf
Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division in firing positions during an enemy approach on their position at objective RAMA, in Southern Iraq on March 24, 2003.
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David
Fri March 28, 2003 2:06pm
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3 ID D-Main G-6 Capt. Pre
3 ID D-Main G-6 Capt. Presco prepares his firing position at the refueling and rest point in Southern Iraq on March 24, 2003, after 48 hours of convoy march. The Division is currently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
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billr
Wed April 16, 2003 3:52pm
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USS Biloxi
Uss Biloxi firing 6"/47 guns during shakedown cruise circa October 1943
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David
Fri April 18, 2003 11:00am
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A Russian diplomat enters
Tuesday, April 8, 2003, A Russian diplomat enters the Russian Embassy in Damascus, Syria, on Monday with his car's windshield showing a bullet hole. Russia's ambassador to Iraq accused U.S. troops of firing on his convoy of diplomats and journalists as it tried to leave Baghdad for Syria, reportedly injuring at least four.
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1IDVET
Tue July 1, 2003 6:30am
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BFV Firing
BFV Firing in Korea 1995.
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1IDVET
Thu July 17, 2003 1:10pm
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M2A3 Firing TOW
M2A3 Firing TOW
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1IDVET
Thu July 17, 2003 1:11pm
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M2A3 Firing TOW 2
M2A3 Firing TOW
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David
Sat January 3, 2004 8:19pm
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M16A2 5.56mm Rifle
Function: Infantry weapon.
Description: The M16A2 5.56mm rifle is a lightweight, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed, shoulder- or hip-fired weapon designed for either automatic fire (3-round bursts) or semiautomatic fire (single shot) through the use of a selector lever. The weapon has a fully adjustable rear sight. The bottom of the trigger guard opens to provide access to the trigger while wearing winter mittens. The upper receiver/barrel assembly has a fully adjustable rear sight and a compensator which helps keep the muzzle down during firing. The steel bolt group and barrel extension are designed with locking lugs which lock the bolt group to the barrel extension allowing the rifle to have a lightweight aluminum receiver.
Background: The M16A2 rifle is a product improvement of the M16A1 rifle. The improvements are:
- a heavier, stiffer barrel than the barrel of the M16A1;
- a redesigned handguard, using two identical halves, with a round contour which is sturdier and provides a better grip when holding the rifle;
- a new buttstock and pistol grip made of a tougher injection moldable plastic that provides much greater resistance to breakage;
- an improved rear sight which can be easily adjusted for windage and range;
- a modified upper receiver design to deflect ejected cartridges, and preclude the possibility of the ejected cartridges hitting the face of a left-handed firer;
- a burst control device, that limits the number of rounds fired in the automatic mode to three per trigger pull, which increases accuracy while reducing ammunition expenditure;
- a muzzle compensator, designed to reduce position disclosure and improve controllability and accuracy in both burst and rapid semi-automatic fire;
- a heavier barrel with a 1 in 7 twist to fire NATO standard SS 109 type (M855) ammunition which is also fired from the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW). This further increases the effective range and penetration of the rifle cartridge. The M16A2 will also shoot the older M193 ammunition designed for a 1 in 12 twist.
General Characteristics, M16A2 5.56mm Rifle
Manufacturer:
Colt Manufacturing and Fabrique Nationale Manufacturing Inc.
Length:
39.63 inches (100.66 centimeters)
Weight With 30 Round Magazine:
8.79 pounds (3.99 kilograms)
Bore Diameter:
5.56mm (.233 inches)
Maximum Effective Range:
Area target: 2,624.8 feet (800 meters)
Point target: 1,804.5 feet (550 meters)
Muzzle Velocity:
2,800 feet (853 meters) per second
Cyclic Rate of Fire:
Cyclic: 800 rounds per minute
Sustained: 12-15 rounds per minute
Semiautomatic: 45 rounds per minute
Burst: 90 rounds per minute
Magazine Capacity:
30 rounds
Unit Replacement Cost:
$586
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David
Sat January 3, 2004 8:19pm
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M203 Grenade Launcher
Description: The M203 40mm Grenade Launcher is used while attached to an M16A2 5.56mm rifle. It is a lightweight, compact, breech loading, pump action, single shot launcher. The launcher consists of a hand guard and sight assembly with an adjustable metallic folding, short-range blade sight assembly, and an aluminum receiver assembly which houses the barrel latch, barrel stop and firing mechanism. The launcher is capable of firing a variety of low velocity 40mm ammunition.
The launcher also has a quadrant sight which may be attached to the M16A2 carrying handle and is used when precision is required out to the maximum effective range of the weapon.
History: The M203 was designed and procured as the replacement for the M79 grenade launcher of the Vietnam era.
General Characteristics, M203 40mm Grenade Launcher
Weight:
Launcher: 3 pounds (1.36 kilograms)
Rifle (M16A2): 8.79 pounds (3.99 kilograms)
Total (including 30 rounds): 11.79 pounds (5.35 kilograms)
Bore Diameter:
40mm
Maximum Effective Range:
Area target: 1148.35 feet (350 meters)
Point target: 492.15 feet (150 meters)
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David
Sat January 3, 2004 8:19pm
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M-240B Machine Gun
Function: Deter, and if necessary, compel adversaries by enabling individuals and small units to engage targets with accurate, lethal, direct automatic fire.
Description: The M240B is a general-purpose machine gun. It can be mounted on a bipod, tripod, aircraft, or vehicle. The M240B is a belt-fed, air-cooled, gas-operated, fully automatic machine gun that fires from the open bolt position. This reliable 7.62mm machine gun delivers more energy to the target than the smaller caliber M-249 SAW. It is being issued to infantry, armor, combat engineer, special force/rangers, and selected field artillery units that require medium support fires and will replace the ground-mounted M-60 series machine guns currently in use.
Ammunition is fed into the weapon from a 100-round bandoleer containing a disintegrating metallic split-link belt. The gas from firing one round provides the energy for firing the next round. Thus, the gun functions automatically as long as it is supplied with ammunition and the trigger is held to the rear. As the gun is fired, the belt links separate and are ejected from the side. Empty cases are ejected from the bottom of the gun. A spare barrel is issued with each M240B, and barrels can be changed quickly as the weapon has a fixed head space. However, barrels from different weapons should not be interchanged. The bore of the barrel is chromium plated, reducing barrel wear to a minimum.
Entered Army Service: 1997
General Characteristics, M-240B Machine Gun
Manufacturer:
FN Manufacturing (Columbia, SC)
Length:
49 inches
Weight:
27.6 pounds
Weight of tripod-mount M122A1 tripod with/flex-mount, complete:
20 pounds
Maximum Range:
3,725 meters
Maximum Effective Range:
1,100 meters with tripod and T&E
Height of M240B on the tripod mount M122A1:
17.5 inches
Ammunition:
7.62 mm ball, tracer, armor-piercing, blank, dummy. Armor-piercing round is not authorized for training.
Tracer burnout :
900 meters
Rates of fire:
- Sustained: 100 rounds per minute fired in 6-to-9 round bursts and 4-to-5 seconds between bursts (barrel change every 10 minutes).
- Rapid: 200 rounds per minute fired in 10-to-13 round bursts and 2-to-3 seconds between bursts (barrel change every 2 minutes).
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David
Sat January 3, 2004 8:19pm
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M249 SAW Light Machine Gu
Function: Hand-held combat machine gun.
Description: The Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), or 5.56mm M249 is an individually portable, gas operated, magazine or disintegrating metallic link-belt fed, light machine gun with fixed headspace and quick change barrel feature. The M249 engages point targets out to 800 meters, firing the improved NATO standard 5.56mm cartridge. The SAW forms the basis of firepower for the fire team. The gunner has the option of using 30-round M16 magazines or linked ammunition from pre-loaded 200-round plastic magazines. The gunner's basic load is 600 rounds of linked ammunition.
Background: The SAW was developed through an initially Army-led research and development effort and eventually a Joint NDO program in the late 1970s/early 1980s to restore sustained and accurate automatic weapons fire to the fire team and squad. When actually fielded in the mid-1980s, the SAW was issued as a one-for-one replacement for the designated "automatic rifle" (M16A1) in the Fire Team. In this regard, the SAW filled the void created by the retirement of the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) during the 1950s because interim automatic weapons (e.g. M-14E2/M16A1) had failed as viable "base of fire" weapons. Early in the SAW's fielding, the Army identified the need for a Product Improvement Program (PIP) to enhance the weapon. This effort resulted in a "PIP kit" which modifies the barrel, handguard, stock, pistol grip, buffer, and sights.
General Characteristics, M249 SAW
Manufacturer:
Fabrique Nationale Manufacturing, Inc.
Length:
40.87 inches (103.81 centimeters)
Weight:
With bipod and tools: 15.16 pounds (6.88 kilograms)
200-round box magazine: 6.92 pounds (3.14 kilograms)
30-round magazine: 1.07 pounds (.49 kilograms)
Bore Diameter:
5.56mm (.233 inches)
Maximum Effective Range:
3281 feet (1000 meters) for an area target
Maximum Range:
2.23 miles (3.6 kilometers)
Rates of Fire:
Cyclic: 725 rounds per minute
Sustained: 85 rounds per minute
Unit Replacement Cost:
$4,087
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David
Sat January 3, 2004 8:19pm
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M25 Sniper Rifle
Function: Special Operations semi-automatic sniper rifle
Background: Originally developed by the 10th Special Forces Group at Ft. Devens, the M25 was built as a joint services system, meeting the needs of both Army SF and Navy SEAL sniper teams for a semi-automatic sniper rifle built on the same lines as the match grade M14 and M21 semi-automatic rifles. The M25 is not a replacement for existing bolt-action rifles, such as the Army's M24 and the Marine Corps' M40A3, but rather the M25 is intended to serve as a sniper support weapon for the sniper team observer. The M25 will provide the sniper observer with a more effective support weapon than the M16/M203, capable of delivering very accurate fire out to 500 meters. In addition, the M25 will fill a mission specific role as an urban area sniper rifle, where ranges are limited and high rate of fire is the primary concern. Chambered for 7.62mm NATO (.308 Winchester) the M25 is capable of firing any 7.62mm ammunition, though it was designed to fire the same ammunition (M118 and M852 Match and Special Ball ammunition) that the M40A3 and the M24 currently fire.
Description: Physically, the M25 is very similar in appearance to the M14/M21 semi-automatic rifle. The M25 uses National Match grade components, to include barrel, receiver, trigger assembly and spring guide, and a custom built gas cylinder. The barrel is glass bedded to a synthetic McMillan stock and the Advanced Scope Mounting System is manufactured by Brookfield Precision Tool. The M25 has been equipped with a number of scopes, to include the Bausch & Lomb10x Tactical scope, the Leupold Ultra MK4 series (M1 and M3)as well as the Leupold VariX-III LR M3.
General Characteristics, M25 Sniper Rifle
Manufacturer:
Springfield Armory
Length:
44.3 inches (112.5cm)
Barrel Length:
22 inches (56.4 cm)
Weight:
10.8 lbs (4.9kg)
Bore Diameter:
7.62mm (.308 inches)
Maximum Effective Range:
800 meters (3250 feet)
Optics:
10x42mm Leupold Ultra M3A telescope sight (Mil-Dot), plus detachable emergency iron sights.
Magazine Capacity:
20 or 5 round detachable box magazine
Mechanism:
National Match M-14 rotating bolt, gas operated, semi-automatic.
Unit Replacement Cost:
$3,500
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David
Sat January 3, 2004 8:19pm
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M40A1 Sniper Rifle
Function: Primary USMC sniper rifle
History: Introduced in 1966 the M40 sniper rifle is the precursor to all modern American military sniper weapons. Before the M40 was introduced, sniping functions were performed by battle rifles that had been adapted (match grade components and barrel, quality optics) for the purpose. The original M40 rifles were military grade Remington Model 700 bolt action rifles chambered to fire the NATO 7.65mm (.308 Winchester) cartridge and built to Marine Corps specifications and delivered in 1966.
By the mid 1970's the weaknesses of the original M40 had become evident and the Marine Corps initiated a program to refurbish and improve the M40. Designated the M40A1, the improved rifle incorporated a fiberglass stock, which not only made the rifle lighter and more durable but also made the rifle far less susceptible to atmospheric influences such as temperature and humidity. In addition, the rifle's original scope was replaced by one custom built for USMC sniping applications. This refurbishing was performed completely "in house" by Corps armorers at the Quantico Armory.
The M40A1 underwent another upgrade in the late 1990's, and was re-designated the M40A3. The M40A3 is still based on the Remington 700 action, though many of its components are after market (non-Remington), and custom built. The M40A3 retains the same optical sight as was built for and used on the A1, and the new fiberglass stock is adjustable for length of pull and is equipped with an adjustable cheek pad. In addition, the M40A3 is the first USMC sniper rifle to incorporate an attached bi-pod. As A1's rotate through the Quantico Armory they will be upgraded to the A3 standard.
Description: The original M40 was a direct adaptation of the Remington 700/40XB match-grade target rifle fitted with a Redfield 3-9x accu-range variable power scope, and chambered to fire the NATO 7.62mm cartridge (.308 Winchester.)
The M40A1 saw the introduction of the McMillan fiberglass stock and replaced the Redfield scope and mounting ring set with a 10x scope custom built for the Marine Corps by Unertl. The M40A3 replaces the original McMillan fiberglass stock with the newer McMillan A4 model, which incorporates adjustable length of pull and cheek pad. The original trigger and Unertl base assembly has been replaced by ones custom built by D. D. Ross, while the Unertl scope mounting rings have been replaced by ones manufactured by G &G Machine. The A3 also incorporates a Harris bipod and accessory rail, which is also manufactured by G &G Machine.
Though the M40 series rifles are capable of firing any NATO 7.62mm (.308 Winchester) round, the Marine Corps has developed the M118LR cartridge for sniping applications.
General Characteristics, M40A1 Sniper Rifle
Manufacturer:
Specially trained armorers at Quantico, Virginia
Length:
44 inches (111.76 centimeters)
Barrel Length:
24 inches (61 centimeters)
Weight:
14.5 pounds (6.58 kilograms)
Bore Diameter:
7.62mm (.308 inches)
Maximum Effective Range:
1000 meters (3250 feet)
Muzzle Velocity:
2550 feet (777 meters) per second
Chamber Pressure:
50,000 psi
Magazine Capacity:
Five rounds
Unit Replacement Cost:
$2,105
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