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Supply and Demand in action. Remington Arms went bankrupt a couple of years ago and was liquidated - there will never be any more of those M40 commeratives made, so supply will stay at zero forever, but demand apparently still exists....
I understand only 1200 of these M40 commeratives were made back then as a limited edition. I also recall one for sale locally in 2007 for $1200. No scope or mount, but it seemed interesting, esp with the special box with artwork. Came back to that store a few days later and it was gone. So there has been ZERO supply for 15 years (aside from the 130 Chuck Mawhinney M40 replicas that came about maybe 7 or 8 or so years ago). Someone put a proper repo scope and mount on it, and made a large profit - as DEMAND for that old USMC sniper rifle still exists, but again, supply for that particular rifle is zero. This pattern has played out a lot in this hobby (including the price of many M14 parts).
As for the auction M40 replica, of course one could easily build a far more accurate and far more capable rifle for $5k these days, but it would lack the 'history' or 'nostalgia' of the old wood-stocked M40s w/ primitive 3-9x scopes from the 1960s-70s era. I'll never be able to afford a real, documented M40, but I don't think I could sell my replica either. Indeed, it took 4 or 5 years and quite a lot of time and effort (and some polite begging to get that middle M40A1 'return stock') to complete my little trilogy of replica USMC sniper rifles. So, as Ren noted, value is the eye of the beholder.
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...supply and demand is a funny thing...and timing really does matter in this hobby. Some items I bought years ago at relatively decent prices are simply no longer affordable for my budget. (My M40 replica was purchased for $2400 complete with the scope and mount in the spring of 2016, but today it would require 2x more coin).
Lastly, I will note that the other part of my equation is that I live about an hr away from the USMC base at Quantico, and the Quantico Shooting Club typically holds a 'vintage precision rifle match' twice per year where these M40 type replicas are utilized in friendly competition. That is sort-of why I bought my M40 replica years ago. I am lucky as its the only place to shoot locally out to 300, 600, 800 & 1000 yds with these old platforms. It has made a dent in the wallet over the years, but it's fun.
![Plant Automotive tire Sky Motor vehicle Tree]()
I understand only 1200 of these M40 commeratives were made back then as a limited edition. I also recall one for sale locally in 2007 for $1200. No scope or mount, but it seemed interesting, esp with the special box with artwork. Came back to that store a few days later and it was gone. So there has been ZERO supply for 15 years (aside from the 130 Chuck Mawhinney M40 replicas that came about maybe 7 or 8 or so years ago). Someone put a proper repo scope and mount on it, and made a large profit - as DEMAND for that old USMC sniper rifle still exists, but again, supply for that particular rifle is zero. This pattern has played out a lot in this hobby (including the price of many M14 parts).
As for the auction M40 replica, of course one could easily build a far more accurate and far more capable rifle for $5k these days, but it would lack the 'history' or 'nostalgia' of the old wood-stocked M40s w/ primitive 3-9x scopes from the 1960s-70s era. I'll never be able to afford a real, documented M40, but I don't think I could sell my replica either. Indeed, it took 4 or 5 years and quite a lot of time and effort (and some polite begging to get that middle M40A1 'return stock') to complete my little trilogy of replica USMC sniper rifles. So, as Ren noted, value is the eye of the beholder.
...supply and demand is a funny thing...and timing really does matter in this hobby. Some items I bought years ago at relatively decent prices are simply no longer affordable for my budget. (My M40 replica was purchased for $2400 complete with the scope and mount in the spring of 2016, but today it would require 2x more coin).
Lastly, I will note that the other part of my equation is that I live about an hr away from the USMC base at Quantico, and the Quantico Shooting Club typically holds a 'vintage precision rifle match' twice per year where these M40 type replicas are utilized in friendly competition. That is sort-of why I bought my M40 replica years ago. I am lucky as its the only place to shoot locally out to 300, 600, 800 & 1000 yds with these old platforms. It has made a dent in the wallet over the years, but it's fun.
