What did the Marines use the 40X for?

[cplnorton]

I've been looking for a USMC property 40X for a while now. Finally one walked in at a local show and the guy didn't want much for it, so I bought it. It's in really nice condition.

Anyways, what did the Marines use the 40X for? I've wanted one just for the USMC property mark. But to be honest, I don't even know what they used them for.

Were they a training gun, or maybe for a Marine shooting team for competitions?

Thanks in advance.

[Gus Fisher]

During 1971 through 1997, they were used in at least practice for "International" Shooting and sent out to Marine Post and Stations to be used for marksmanship training for use by Post and Station Teams AND others who wanted to check them out of the Armory with permission.

However, I don't believe they ever actually got used much because Post and Station Teams concentrated on practicing with NRA Service Rifle and 2700 Bullseye pistol shooting - when they had time for practice.

It wasn't quite as bad as someone at HQMC purchased 5,000 .22 conversion kits for M16's in the late 70's/early 80's, though. NO one had a use for them after they bought them. So, they decided to send them to the Reserves to make it easier to practice marksmanhip in places that did not have a long range rifle range handy. Well, that bombed because they had no TIME in the training schedule for something that was NOT required training. So the kits were collected and shipped to WTBn, Quantico. They stayed in storage for quite some time before they were finally junked.

[Hecklerusp45]

When I was in the ROTC I did see .22 conversion kits being used on M16's on our indoor range. As I remember, they don't work on full auto.

[n64atlas]

When I was in the ROTC I did see .22 conversion kits being used on M16's on our indoor range. As I remember, they don't work on full auto.

You are correct The Army and Air Force kits are semi-auto.

[fkienast]

I saw the M16 conversion kits at use, at sea in 1997 aboard the USS Kearsarge, by Marines assigned to 1/2.

[n64atlas]

getting back to the orriginal question. The 40x was a , Rifle,caliber 22lr M-12 Match Compitition) rifle.
These were used by rifle teams, DCM and ROTC for smallbore matches. *
* "U.S. Martial .22lr Rifles" by Thomas Batha

[Gus Fisher]

Getting back to the oriiginal question, "What did the Marines use the 40X for?"

I will add that I don't believe we sent any M40x's to NROTC students, but we did send some to Marine JROTC units at some High Schools.

I answered the original question in Post #2, because I spent a career of 26 years in the Marines from 1971-1997 as an Infantry Weapons Armorer, RTE (NM) Armorer, Team Armorer for THE Marine Corps Rifle Team, Instructor of OJT's (Apprentices) at the RTE Shop, NCOIC NM Rifle Rebuild Section (RTE Shop), Ordnance Chief, Ordnance Officer and finally the Shop Chief of the Rifle Team Equipment Repair Shop at Quantico where I retired in 1997.

I don't even remember how many hundreds of M40X's we did the initial inspctions on and reworked as required over those years.

Respectfully submitted,
Gus Fisher
Master Gunnery Sergeant, USMC (ret)

[n64atlas]

"I don't even remember how many hundreds of M40X's we did the initial inspctions on and reworked as required over those years"

My memory tends to fail me since my strock, but the USMC only bought 3000 to maybe 5000 rifles. All were Stanard barrel 40X rifles.
It's the one CMP 40X that I don't have. I have three US marked rifles, one standard 40X and two heavey barrel 40XB rifles.
One of the 40XB's was a Barreled action I picked up at Camp Perry. Most people will only say the have a standard or heavey barreled 40X. There is a difference in what the CMP sold. All USMC's were standard barrel 40X'sbased on the Remington 722 action. Almost all heavey barrel 40x's are 40XB actions based on the Remington 700 action. I have heard of a few Heavey barrel 40X US marked rifle and a few Standard barrel 40XB's out there, but have never seen pics of them.
The USMC rifles are quite rare compared to the US maked rifles.

[Gus Fisher]

We also had M40XB rifles at Quantico that we used for International Competition and some few for THE Marine Corps Rifle Team for special 1,000 Yard Matches where the Armed Services Teams were allowed to compete in for NRA competition. We ran into some serial number/model desigation nightmares for a few years in the early 70's until we got them all "re-identiied" as Model 700 rifles in the Marine Corps serialized number system.

We also NM conditioned M14 rifles for Annapolis and that was the ONLY Academy or College that had M14's assigned to a "Marine" Account as well as others in the "Navy" Account, of which I was ever aware. I innocently ran AFOUL of those accounts. As the SNCOIC of the NM M14 Rifle Rebuild Section, we got M14's from Annapolis that came from BOTH accounts, though I was never informed of that.

The normal course of action when we found an M14 receiver to be unserviceable was to replace the receiver with another we had on hand and notify our Inventory Control Section in the BN S4. They in turn notified the folks at Crane NWS who held the MASTER Serial Listings for both the Marine Corps and the Navy and of course the Unit that owned the M14's. I had replaced a BUNCH of receivers and even a couple for Annapolis on previous work orders. So when we were working one batch of M14's to NM condition for Annapolis, we found an unserviceable receiver and I authorized replacement and notified the Bn S4. Well, about three months later you would think the world had ended BECAUSE I had replaced a NAVY M14 receiver with a MARINE CORPS M14 receiver without realizing it. NO ONE had informed me that batch M14's from Annapolis was from the NAVY M14's.

Some Smart Alec from the Navy Serialized Control section asked us WHY a Marine Corps facility had destroyed a Navy M14 and then issued a Marine Corps M14 to replace it. Of course we had made out the correct paperwork for destroying that receiver and had reported it. The guy from Crane said something like "With tens of thousands of Navy M14's, why did you authorize replacement from the MARINE CORPS stock of M14's ?!!"

When I was informed, at first I didn't understand the problem and I had the documents proving we had turned in the receiver for destruction and the documents for replacement. When they FINALLY explained to me that that batch had come from the Navy, of course I asked WHY I as the SNCOIC of the section had not been so informed? FURTHER, what the Heck was the big deal because it was an innocent mistake?!! l told my NCOIC that ALL the folks from BOTH the Navy and Marine Corps Serialized Control worked in the same frigging building at Crane, on the SAME floor and right across the hall from each other. (I knew that because I had been on Crane a bunch of times while on Indepedent Duty.) So just take ONE M14 from the Navy side and transfer it to the Marine side as a direct exchange for the one we had supplied. NO BIG DEAL. Of course MY people did not know that and the Self Important Smart Alec from Crane had not told them that. I also reminded my NCOIC that our two Marine Corps Depots at Albany and Barstow sent M60's, M2's and other weapons THROUGH the U.S. Mail all the time when units received rebuilt or new weapons in exchange for unserviceable weapons.

Well, what really was bothering my NCOIC was the fact he was responsible for TELLING me those rifles had come from the Navy Side of Annapolis and HE had screwed up and not told me. He was afraid HE was going to get into trouble, though he did not tell me that and I found it out later. After I told him how easy it was for them to do the exchange at Craine, it actually saved his butt from any backlash.

[n64atlas]

Great info on the 40XB rifle. Were they stamped U.S.M.C.? None ofthese have have cam through the CMP that I have heard of.
I have a cousin that was stationed at Crane, Navy NCO. May have been top NCO when he was there in the late 1990-2000 time period.
He was UDT in the Navy. Haven't talked to him for several years. Great story about the M14's also. Always have a lot of respect for you and your posts.