[WaM14gunner]

Been looking for some months for another proper case for my SSA M40 and found one on Fleabay the other day, delivered while I was out of town, just had a look. Seller didn't know the brand and had it listed as a Gun Guard, but pix showed it to be at least a Hoppes and probably not an early Kaddy case and it was black, a 9 on each lock confirms Hoppes. Inside foam is perfect, a bit of rust on the locks but otherwise in excellent condition and the proper dimensions. Got it shipped for about $70!

 

[m1sniper]

Pics or it didn't happen.

 

[WaM14gunner]

Guess I could have plucked one off the net but didn't. Here is the one just purchased with my M40.

 

[M1Army]

Looking Good!!!

M1Army

 

[WaM14gunner]

What happened to my picture in post 3?

 

[XM25Ren]

What happened to my picture in post 3?

?

I don't know, never saw it.

RenGI2

 

[ifithitu]

I'm looking for a picture too.

 

[WaM14gunner]

It was there, see M1Army's post below mine, he saw it! But here it is again! Bloody strange.. Really weird, I reposted the pic and it pops back up in post 3 again! I hate Gremlins!

 

[m1sniper]

Looks great Wa!!!!

 

[automaticlee]

Hard to tell, is it black or green? Nice score.

 

[WaM14gunner]

Black, as in the first post. Thanks!

 

[Random Guy]

Nice, thanks for the pics.

 

[Random Guy]

Resurrecting this thread. Why? Well, I've been wanting a Protecto case for my M40 for a little while, but I certainly didn't want to pay a silly price for one. (It's definitely not a Hardigg or Pelican case...)
I stopped by the local gun store recently, and in the corner they had two of them, one was a short case, and the other one was the correct longer green case for a nice price, so it came home with me. Technically the M40 used the earlier brown Protecto cases, but that's okay. The green cases reportedly came a little later, and are associated more with the M40A1 era of the 1980s.

No markings on it, but its a classic Protecto type case (on edit:the later replacement HOPPES case).

Here's my M40 in the case:

...I'll use it with my M40A1 once its complete, but glad to have found one by chance...and for only $45 plus tax.

FWIW, here's the same case being used by USMC scout snipers, probably the mid-1990s (on edit) based on Unertl scope and uniforms and pack (on edit). (Can't tell if its dark green or black case in this pic). Presumably the rifle's serial # is 224229, which one of the original 6-digits receivers from the 1966-67 era.

...I guess I need to find a proper cleaning kit for it now...

 

[WaM14gunner]

That's nice! When you say the shorter case do you mean the 3.5x 9x 46"? That is the correct size for the M40, though I never understood why they went with a case that barely contains the rifle. The one you have there is obviously larger.

 

[Random Guy]

Tan vs green Protecto cases

I'm not an expert, but I know the original M40 Protecto cases in the 1960s were tan, and they were indeed just barely longer than the rifle. (Note the bottom picture from Peter Senich's book that shows a factory fresh M40 in 1966.) The case is maybe 2" or 3" longer than the rifle. They were supplied by Remington with each new M40 rifle in the 1960s. However, according to Chandler's book, these early tan cases were all replaced with the green Protecto cases, presumably during the 1980s.

When you draw the length of the M40 in Chandler's picture and compare it against the "Green carrying case" that is in the same orientation as the picture - you can see that the case is much longer than the rifle, I'd estimate about 6" or 7" longer than the rifle - and thus it appears to me that Remington switched to a longer case when they went from the tan cases to the green cases - at least that is what my eyes see in this picture in Chandler's book with a real M40 and presumably a real USMC Protecto case.

Anyhow, that my perspective - the green case appears longer. I am not sure if my green case is the correct length and color for a 1980s era M40A1, but I'm okay with it either way. Again, not an expert, just my 2cts.

 

[m1sniper]

Resurrecting this thread. Why? Well, I've been wanting a Protecto case for my M40 for a little while, but I certainly didn't want to pay a silly price for one. (It's definitely not a Hardigg or Pelican case...)
I stopped by the local gun store recently, and in the corner they had two of them, one was a short case, and the other one was the correct longer green case for a nice price, so it came home with me. Technically the M40 used the earlier brown Protecto cases, but that's okay. The green cases reportedly came a little later, and are associated more with the M40A1 era of the 1980s.

No markings on it, but its a classic Protecto.

Here's my M40 in the case:

...I'll use it with my M40A1 once its complete, but glad to have found one by chance...and for only $45 plus tax.

FWIW, here's the same case being used by USMC scout snipers, probably in the 1980s or maybe early 1990s based on Unertl scope and uniforms. (Can't tell if its dark green or black case in this pic). Presumably the rifle's serial # is 224229, which one of the original 6-digits receivers from the 1966-67 era.

...I guess I need to find a proper cleaning kit for it now...

Protecto-Kaddy was bought out by Hoppies in the early-mid 70s. I chatted with a man who worked for Hoppies back then. Hoppies "finished off " assembling remaining stock of P-K cases then went on to make the black case. I have a blackie sent to me by a former Marine sniper when they switched out to the Hardig or Pelicans. I forget which came after the Black Hoppies. The original Brown and Green P-K cases by P-K had foam as shown below in my pic,, Hoppies used the "egg carton" type foam.

 

[m1sniper]

The correct size for the original cases were:
46 x 9 1/2 x 3 1/2.
Brown (PK), then Green (PK), then Black (Hoppies) replacements as needed per what the former Hoppies employee told me.
The Black one below is one of 4 that a former sniper rescued from the dumpster when the change was made to the better case.

 

[m1sniper]

The differences between the PKs and Hoppies besides color are, no PK shield logo on the Hoppies, Hoppies #9 logo on the face of the latches, and the change to the egg carton foam.

 

[m1sniper]

BTW RG,, I'm NOT knocking your case at all. Just adding info I have gathered from research and chatting with that former employee is all.
The 1st PK I bought, I was overzealous. Saw Brown, and bid away. It's a brown PK that is quite a bit larger than the 2 posted above. I'll measure it if anyone wants me to,,, but definitely wrong for any of the M40 series rifles.
I put my M70 Hathcock clone in that one.

 

[WaM14gunner]

Both of mine are black Hoppes cases of the original dimensions for the first issue M40.