M24 in 308..... Why the Long Action???

[Iansstud]

like the title says... I dont understand why they used the Long Action... The M40 uses a SA....

arnt 99% of them in 308?

 

[alemonkey]

I think the plan at one time was to have the ability to rebarrel to 300 Win Mag, so the contract specified a long action.

 

[Lucky]

On another forum they showed that some units are already doing that.

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/03/army_sniper_032309w/
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=139294

 

[Iansstud]

did they ever do that? I was just wondering because I saw the Top Sniper... They said the "M24 in 308"...

Im glad I dont have a L/A on my 700 in 308

 

[jaholder1971]

I've also seen M118LR and M852 loaded long, about 2.830". Maximum OAL for .308 is 2.830". While it's never been and issue in my SA bolt guns a long round might hang up in the magazine.

 

[skinewmexico]

Yeah, that extra half inch of receiver makes all the difference in the world.

 

[jmr40]

I honestly do not know, but one possible reason could be to make it easier to load. The short action Remington 700 has a small ejection port. It is impossible to load a 308 round directly into the magazine. You have to go in at an angle. The model 7 has a larger opening, somewhere between the long and short action 700's.

Just a SWAG to be honest.

 

[Atticum]

God helps those who help themselves. For everyone else, there's wikipedia.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M24_Sniper_Weapon_System:
"The United States Marine Corps also employs another variant of the Remington 700 as their standard issue sniper rifle, with the model name M40. The main difference between the M40 and the M24 is that the M24 uses the "long" version of Remington 700 receiver versus the M40's "short action". The M40's short receiver is dedicated to cartridges that do not exceed the length of the issue 7.62 x 51 mm NATO round. In contrast, the M24's longer receiver allows the rifle to be converted from 7.62 mm NATO to the more powerful .300 Winchester Magnum cartridge. The U.S. Army specified this capability in case future tactics required the larger cartridge's extra range and penetration."

 

[TexasRifleman]

God helps those who help themselves. For everyone else, there's wikipedia.

Other than there's about a 50% chance it will be wrong

 

[Lucky]

"God helps those who help themselves. For everyone else, there's wikipedia...."

Oorrrr sources, which are more accurate, respectable, and contemporary.

The 25th ID’s upgrade effort involves sending the existing M24s to Remington, where they will be fitted with a new barrel, a new bolt face, a special folding stock and a more powerful optic. Each upgrade would cost about $4,000, said Mike Haugen, director of international military and law enforcement sales for Remington. Standard M24s cost about $6,700, he added.

 

[HorseSoldier]

did they ever do that? I was just wondering because I saw the Top Sniper... They said the "M24 in 308"...

Some SOCOM units did so. In the Special Forces unit I was in (as a support guy, non-operator type) we had a few 300 Win Mag M24s floating around, though I believe they were all on loan from elsewhere. I've been told that some other folks, like the Rangers, were using 300 Win Mag chambered M24s for quite a while.

Any plans to rechamber M24s for 300 Win Mag on a bigger scale went away, at least in the SF community, when we started getting Mark 13s issued, though, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[possum]

from what i have been told by buddies of mine who are Army Snipers, as has been posted above, it was made a long action for the possibility of rechambering to 300 win mag. which the Navy had been expermenting with years ago.