DMark
07-12-2012, 06:33
Sometimes its great when you can rescue a little bit of history. I found this Model 1903 Springfield at a local Pawn Shop/Gun store.
It started out like this.
http://i49.tinypic.com/1085v14.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/1jn97n.jpg
And now looks like this.
http://i45.tinypic.com/33a5vd5.jpg
http://i46.tinypic.com/2w2o28p.jpg
It has been built as a recreation of a pre-WWI Sniper Rifle as used by the USMC in 1914 during the Veracruz, Mexico intervention and occupation. I couldn't bring myself to D&T the reciever, so the early USMC sniper with the rear base on the rear sight mount was the answer. The scope is a Leatherwood 3X scope that comes close in size and function to the original Winchester A5 scope that the Marines used.
Lucky for me I have a gunsmith/machinist/mechanical engineer here in Tennessee who enjoys these type of builds.
While doing the D&T, my gunsmith found that both of the chicom made rings had mis-aligned cuts in the slots for the bases. one was angle off to the right, the other to the left, and they weren't centered to the ring to begin with. Steve Earl had already made new bases for me to mount the rear on the sight base, so we knew those were straight and true. My gunsmith/machinist/machanical engineer recut the rings and then made shims to fit them to the Earl made bases.
He also replaced all of the soft chicom made screws. The scope has been rock-solid now after hundreds of rounds.
I reckon the point is that it appears that all models of these Leatherwood scopes seem to have a common theme - - - Good Glass, Good Tubes...., Poor Supporting Hardware.
The repo stock came from Dupage. Took ALOT of work to make it fit. NOT a drop in at all.
I want to thank "Marine A5 Sniper" who first told me about the use of these sniper rifles by his beloved Corps in Veracruz. This information and his answers to my questions, provided me the inspiration for the replica.
It started out like this.
http://i49.tinypic.com/1085v14.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/1jn97n.jpg
And now looks like this.
http://i45.tinypic.com/33a5vd5.jpg
http://i46.tinypic.com/2w2o28p.jpg
It has been built as a recreation of a pre-WWI Sniper Rifle as used by the USMC in 1914 during the Veracruz, Mexico intervention and occupation. I couldn't bring myself to D&T the reciever, so the early USMC sniper with the rear base on the rear sight mount was the answer. The scope is a Leatherwood 3X scope that comes close in size and function to the original Winchester A5 scope that the Marines used.
Lucky for me I have a gunsmith/machinist/mechanical engineer here in Tennessee who enjoys these type of builds.
While doing the D&T, my gunsmith found that both of the chicom made rings had mis-aligned cuts in the slots for the bases. one was angle off to the right, the other to the left, and they weren't centered to the ring to begin with. Steve Earl had already made new bases for me to mount the rear on the sight base, so we knew those were straight and true. My gunsmith/machinist/machanical engineer recut the rings and then made shims to fit them to the Earl made bases.
He also replaced all of the soft chicom made screws. The scope has been rock-solid now after hundreds of rounds.
I reckon the point is that it appears that all models of these Leatherwood scopes seem to have a common theme - - - Good Glass, Good Tubes...., Poor Supporting Hardware.
The repo stock came from Dupage. Took ALOT of work to make it fit. NOT a drop in at all.
I want to thank "Marine A5 Sniper" who first told me about the use of these sniper rifles by his beloved Corps in Veracruz. This information and his answers to my questions, provided me the inspiration for the replica.