Originally Posted by
cplnorton
There were several variations of Niedner sniper rifles that I encountered in the Marine files, with detailed pics from 1918 to 1923. There are even more variations until 1944. These rifles were made and rebuilt with revisions by the Marines for nearly 25 years. Because of this, there are no discernable ways to tell what style of Mann Niedner came first, as those detailed records do not exist. The Army also had Mann Niedner rifles in the 20's, as well as there were many built in the commercial market.
The only possible way anyone could ever claim a rifle was one of the first 150 made by Niedner in 1917, compared to the hundreds that were made in 1918 and later by the Marines, would be to find that specific serial number listed on a Marine doc stating it was one of the first 150 made.
I never found any evidence the Marines soldered any mounts. Actually the Marine docs state the exact opposite.