Manufactured in the late-1990s to early-2000s, this rifle is built using one of only 10 commercially available Remington 700 actions that were originally produced for manufacture of the United States Marine Corps M40A3 sniper rifles. Development of the M40A3 began in 1996 and was intended to update the aging M40A1 platforms that had been in service since the 1970s. Part of the process of upgrading to the M40A3 platform involved Remington manufacturing approximately 600 of the special Model 700 actions for the Marine Corps, which were completed in just one week of full production. An included letter dated 24 February 2003 from D.D. Ross Co. states that these 10 actions were purchased from Remington Arms Co. in June of 2001, which would have been around the time the Marine Corps completed its updating process. It goes on to state that these 10 receivers fall within the correct serial number range and were manufactured to Marine Corps specifications. The actions were provided to D.D. Ross in the white with specific receiver geometry that didn't include scope mounting holes, a specification that was developed to interface with the D.D. Ross optical platforms, which were provided to the Marine Corps under contract. The letter goes on to state that the actions were purchased for the purposes of continued development and keeping record of the evolution of the M40A3. The letter concludes that these 10 actions represent the only legitimate U.S.M.C. actions that are commercially available, and they cannot be replicated. Per the consigner, Ross sold the receiver, trigger guard and floor plate from his inventory to the consigner, who then arranged to have it pass through the Precision Weapons Section at Quantico, Virginia. One of the top centers for excellence in military gunsmithing, the PWS is to this day responsible for construction and maintenance of Marine Corps sniper rifles, MEU(SOC) pistols intended for the USMC's Special Operations Capable units, and weapons of similar prestige and importance. At PWS, the receiver was finished and fitted out to USMC specifications by a USMC armorer, who started a matching numbered "Tube Data" Weapon Record Book, also known as a "build book", the permanent record for the weapon; while not entered into USMC inventory, this receiver had a virtually identical experience to the M40A3s accepted for Marine sniper duty. This included log book notes a the serial number, "M40A3" model designation and origin at PWS, with dates of late 2002/early 2003 for construction and testing, with only 86 rounds logged. The internal notes indicate a headspace tolerance of only six-thousandths of an inch and a trigger weight of 3.5 pounds. An additional log sheet indicates a round of shooting in 2006, 7 groups with 3 different ammo loadings (35 rounds), with matching labelled 25 meter test targets. The left side of the receiver correctly lacks a "U.S." marking and has the standard Remington Model 700 marking in two lines. The left of the barrel at the breech is marked "0201 PWS-P" (this corresponds to the logged date of a quality assurance test performed by PWS in 2003, and is believed to be their approval/acceptance mark). The inside of the floorplate and the bolt handle are marked with the last four digits of the serial number. The rifle is fitted with the heavyweight match crowned barrel, correct olive drab McMillan pistol grip stock with textured grip areas, sling swivels, padded adjustable cheek piece, and adjustable McMillan recoil pad. The receiver mounted Picatinny rail is fitted with a U.S.M.C. issue Unertl 10x scope that is listed by serial number "1062" on p. 128 of "Death From Afar Volume 1" by Chandler and Chandler as having been purchased by the Marine Corps on 27 January 1982. Also included with the rifle is the aforementioned "build book", targets and log sheet, Harris bipod, Tenebrex Corp. killFLASH lens cover, leather sling, cleaning kit, and a Pelican hard case fitted for the rifle and all accessories.