03A4 practice.

[nf1e]

Agree, the M73s worked for their time, but the M82, for my shooting style worked much better. Experimenting with new scopes on the rail proved that the M82 works well enough so it is back to it's original Redfield mount with the M82.

[Embalmer]

Weaver 4x scope. Had gi split rings on original Redfield base when I got the rifle that came from the fbi. Had a m73b1 with gi rings in safe from a previous a4 that was on it for display. Miss those rifles, may have to try to trade for one soon.

[nf1e]

I like the repro M73, M82 and M84 from Hi Lux. Optics are much better than my originals and the tubes are sealed. I couldn't ask for more.

[Johnny P]

I never liked the tapered post of the M82 as I grew up with standard crosshairs of the Weaver K series.

[BlitzKrieg]

When its a "repro" 03A4, no harm, no foul if you upgrade the scope for range work / chasing accuracy. Why go blind with the anemic "correct" 2.5 optics when its your range day to shoot as well as possible. The 03A3 scoped is an amazingly accurate rifle if it has a great barrel. The 03A4 as issued was sabotaged by substandard optics and that plagued its military use. I no longer shoot my Gibbs 03a4 clone/repro/replica at 1000 yd line at Quantico Vintage Sniper Match but when I did, I could hold 9 ring with my anemic Lyman Alaskan scope and drift some to 10 ring. Random Guy off M14 forum (CMP as well ) took that rifle , first time in his hands and with my 175 gr SMK load, shot two 10's and one 9 ring . Shot strange rifle 3x and darn good results. I no longer shoot this rifle beyond 600 yds because its too hard work for my old eyes to shoot the longer 800 / 1000 yd lines but younger eyes can do but ...still hard work with those 2.5 x optics , at least for "scores". Now if its nailing man size targets with a hit from 100 to 1000 yds, no problem at all but scores on a match target, it is tough work to hold 10 ring. The as issued 03A4 at 600 yds...you don't want to be the target if that rifle is in a good shooters hands, you will be in a world of hurt.

03A4 was a rifle neither the Army nor Marines took much notice of and dropped off their radar post WWII. Sad note for a rifle with so much potential but suspect the hit parade was a semi auto sniper rifle, not a bolt action in the post WWII era.

[nf1e]

I still enjoy shooting AR-500 prairie dogs at 200 with my repro 03A4 and M82 2.5x scopes. No desires at all to shoot any further these days unless I am giving one of my precision rifles a work out. Whatta Hobby!





200 range.jpg

[BlitzKrieg]

Shooting for fun. Sometimes serious shooters need to pause and do some shooting just for fun. There are times I don't shoot for tiny groups or to hit small clay skeet birds at 1000 yds, I just shoot that day at E Type Military silhouette targets just to put holes thru them. Yes, many a day I got my M1A on 1000 yd line and drilling North Vietnamese all day long. About got all of them erased off our ranges the last I looked and its time I went back and shot some more of them. We are doing a 300/500/600 yd day tomorrow , might as well take the Gibbs 03A4 clone/repro/replica out and have it underperform at such close range with hits on NVA.

[Johnny P]

Being raised with scopes with crosshairs, never liked the tapered post of the M82. Optics were much better than the Weaver M73B1.

[nf1e]

Having been trained in the Marine Corps to place the top of the front sight at 6 on a bullseye target, the M82 post just feels right and has improved my scores by better than 20%. Loving it.

[Johnny P]

Shoots into 1 1/4" with my handloads, so just leave it at that as a very occasional shooter. Too original to start swapping parts.