Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats My 40x journey

I got to thinking on one of the Taurus raging bull threads, I should write down how I got into the Remington 40x.
It seem this was the most appropriate place to place the story as it is close to “custom.”

My first rifle purchase was 40x.
It was the late 1990’s and I owned a few revolvers. ( king cobra= wedding present, old army and a Taurus ranging bull.)

This was well into the 454 craze. Taurus had just come out with a raging bull. I was unable to afford a freedom arms at that point in time and Taurus was a great option.

One day at the local gun store I came across this beautiful rifle, blued action, stainless barrel, wood stock and Olympic sites. It had all the accoutrements for high power shooting( I knew nothing about that at the time.)

I had to have it but I couldn’t afford it. I could not trade my wedding present in and the black powder pistol really wasn’t all that valuable. Thus the Taurus went up for trade and that plus cash I brought home my first 40 X. 7.62 x 51.
(Now with Unertl programmer)



I shot it for a year or two with the open sights and decided it was time to own another one of these rifles. I then came across a 22LR Again with an Olympic set up but also in an unertl programmer on it. This was also my foray into these programmer scopes
I swapped the scope onto the 7.62 x 51 and kept the open sights on the 22 after a while. Eventually I added the Womak front tube



Years later I began to think of getting a third one. I came across a nearly new 22 -250 from the 1960s. A risk, as this cartridge would tend to burn the barrel. The condition of the rifle appeared near new, I took the risk. Again, I topped it with an another programmer. To this day it shoots my best groups including my all time best.




Years later, I was browsing GunBroker one day. Of course searching for 40 X rifles, I came across a sporter style 40 X. I did not know much about them but there were no bids on the rifle, new in box in the $1500 range. I bought the rifle. I was happily surprised, it was better in person. Light, nimble and new. This was the single shot version. I didn’t really understand the rarity of this rifle at the time, but it didn’t matter I was going to shoot it anyway. I topped it with a Swarovski scope and off to the range. I started using the same rounds that my other 40X 22 rifle liked and right off the bat it was dialed in.



Likely, the journey would’ve ended there, fast forward may be another seven years or so. An older friend who had always remark that he loved my rifles at the range and told me that he owned a .222 that he had a shot in years and what I like to own it. It was just too heavy for him at this point in time. Enthusiastically I said yes, topped with a Lyman All-American, another 40x in the stable. I admit, I have slacked off and I haven’t worked up a load for this piece at this point in time. It has sat in the gun safe as I have moved forward with other projects.
I do have a programmer for it but I may keep the Lyman, time will tell

Likely I will add one more someday, probably a composite stock, 220 swift.( Don’t judge me, LOL!) I have a beautiful Swarovski scope that needs to go on something and what better than another 40X!

Beautiful guns you have there.
I have one 40x i bought in the 70s at a large gun shop in SE PA called Eddelmans.
Same guy who now owns Kimber. He had them on a special sale for as i recall $340.
Several of my friends had bought them and told me about the sale.
Mine was in 7 Rem Mag, i still have it but it now wears a 30” Hart barrel chambered in 7x300 WBY.
I had bought a 15x Unertle Ultra Varmit scope from him a few years earlier for another gun for $200.
It came in a wooden box that looked like an Orange crate box.
Virtually all PA long range hunters back then used Unertle scopes, as the target scopes were the only ones you could dial for distance at that time.
Actually a better scope for L/R hunting was the Bausch&Lomb 6x24 variable due to it having a better field of view on the lower power. But the factory adjustment needed to be swapped out on those before using them.
Are you aware that your scope isn’t properly set up for dialing?
Not to say you cant dial it, but there would be no specific click value unless the scope blocks are spaced at the proper distance apart.
For 1/4 min clicks that distance would be 7. 25 in. Further apart would mean less click value or distance per click.
Many guys never knew that and just had a chart for their specific gun.
And frankly some didn’t even have that, the gun was just used for window dressing in their pickup. Lol

That's a collection to be proud of.

I've had three, and am down to two now.

I bought a new Custom KS single shot in 22-250 back in the day. Wore that barrel out in the dog towns, and has had several since. Currently has a 6x47 Lapua barrel on it in a McMillan Marksman stock, with a Nightforce on top.

Second one is a high gloss blued 1973 22LR with a 24" heavy barrel, also in a Marksman stock.

The one I sold, was a 40-X Sporter repeater, even more rare then the Sporter single shots. I bought it from the original owner, but sold it to build a custom instead. I watched the prices rising, and got to the point I was scared to take it out of the safe.

Thx for that!
Always looking to learn.
( I shoot at a fixed range and don’t shoot for bullseye, I am more focused on group )

Years ago I had one of those.
Looked just like the one you have in the top picture.
222 with a big Unertl 2 inch on top.

Wish I still had it....

dave

Neat story.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/843484150

For those in the know ... how rare is the above configuration? Price doesn’t seem horrible.

They still make the KS in single shot or repeater, so it's not rare at all, with a $2895 MSRP price tag.

https://www.remington.com/custom-shop/40-x-series-rifles/model-40-xb

Thanks. I saw that but couldn’t find available chamberings. Guess anything you want since it is coming out of Sturgis?

I fiddled around trying to find available cartridges too, but they don't list them for the 40-X series, so maybe the sky is the limit.

This is an awesome post thanks for sharing and you sir have one hell of a nice collection.

Price looks typical/good for a 300 in 40x
Would make a heck of a hunter

Thx all for the kind words
Clearly, I have an issue

I guess most of you are aware they don't and have not made the 40X receivers in LA. Yes they chambered them in some LA cartridges, I wonder why.

Yes, that 300 wm would be a single load affair!

Some day I'll own another 40X 22LR. Foolishly sold the one I had . . .

It’s due to the assumed stiffness of the short action over the long action. One of mine is a 7 Mag, another is a 300 H&H and another in 30/06. If I chamber a round in the 7 Mag and don’t fire it, I have to pull the bolt to extract it. The 300 H&H has a notch cut in the right side of the front receiver ring to allow some of my shorter, unfired cartridges to be extracted without pulling the bolt. Most unfired 30/06 rounds can be extracted without pulling the bolt even though it doesn’t have the receiver notch.

Beautiful aalf


U will again wifowler...

Wonderful rifles, thanks for sharing your "journey" and the great photos.

Guy