Vintage Sniper Rifle Picture Thread

Finally have something more vintage than the pistol I bought brand new in 2008.

Went shooting with the FIL on Saturday. Brought up a box of prvi partisan .303 British (that I bought a few months back) so that we could shoot a rifle he has. We shot 38 rounds through it. His eyes aren't what they used to be. When we got done shooting I asked him if he still wanted to take it home. Said ask my MIL to see if she agrees since he got it from her dad who used to hunt with it. We ask her and she suggests giving it to her brother (who might not shoot), her nephew (who already bought one of his own), or her son (who isn't in to guns, has thrown a chair at his wife, who lives in Florida, and in his own words has no relationship with his dad). In other words, anyone but me. FIL later pulled me aside and gave it to me. She isn't going to find out anyway and it was given to him in the first place. I am going to get my wife to shoot it at least once.

I know I've posted these pictures somewhere once but can't find where. Will have to take more pics later. Of some of the details. Lots of random stamp marks that I would like to decipher.

Need to clean it up some. Was a little gummy sliding the bolt. Will probably use some Ballistol on it.

1918 over stamped 1917 BSA short lee enfield mkiii * sporterized.

LeftyJason said:

….Said ask my MIL to see if she agrees since he got it from her dad who used to hunt with it. We ask her and she suggests giving it to her brother (who might not shoot), her nephew (who already bought one of his own), or her son (who isn't in to guns, has thrown a chair at his wife, who lives in Florida, and in his own words has no relationship with his dad). In other words, anyone but me.

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She sounds like a peach.

Skunk said:

She sounds like a peach.

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My wife has the better in laws for sure.

Quick history. We met 2008, 3 dates, I friend zoned her, she moved away in 2010, got back in touch february 2015, dating June, engaged Oct, married Feb 2016.

Back 2008/2009 my wife met my parents and my three older sisters. They all liked her. My wife even told my mom she would consider marrying me so that she could have my parents as in laws.

LeftyJason said:

My wife has the better in laws for sure.

Quick history. We met 2008, 3 dates, I friend zoned her, she moved away in 2010, got back in touch february 2015, dating June, engaged Oct, married Feb 2016.

Back 2008/2009 my wife met my parents and my three older sisters. They all liked her. My wife even told my mom she would consider marrying me so that she could have my parents as in laws.

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you friend zoned her? not a chance....

Charger442 said:

you friend zoned her? not a chance....

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Worse. Sister zoned her. "I love you like a sister." As in at that time I wasn't interested in her romantically. I was 23 at the time and thick headed. Was also pre church mission at the time. My dad had a feeling she belonged in the family but couldn't tell me til after we were married. He was part of the reason we got back in touch. The plan of the awesome dudes upstairs works out in interesting ways. Love stories get convoluted at times.

1942 Izhevsk PU



600 yard gong

WaywardSon said:

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I actually miss my SSG! it was a cool rifle. I had the original first version with the sights on the barrel and double set triggers. Had the Steyr rings all in o.d. green. It was a great shooting rifle. The only reason I got rid of it... needed a new barrel.... and at the time.... it would've had to go back to Steyr for replacement. Cost wise not feasible. If I still had it... I'd risk cutting the barrel off in front of the receiver... face it to the front edge of the receiver.... then thread the receiver and then install barrel's the conventional way.

The crudest solution to get an old barrel out of a SSG69 is to cut the barrel to 15", thread it for a robust can, heat the front of the receiver a little and shoot rapid fire. Then, usually , the barrel will loosen a little bit and can then be hammered out from the rear through the receiver with a fitted "pin". (sorry for my english) I've seen this done from a safe distance..

The regular SSG69 should not be fitted with a can. The P4, designed for a can, is threaded.

It is not difficult to make "dies" that fit the receiver and push the barrel out with equipment usually found in a mechanical workshop. The front of the receiver needs to be heated a little to get the barrel started on its way out.

I just acquired this 1903A4 sniper rifle with M73B2 scope from a close friend, and I plan on starting a thread about it in the near future. This is an original rifle/scope set-up, and it came from the estate of the guy who had a hand in helping create the XM21 and other US military rifles! We believe that this is an original rifle/scope combination that was actually used during Army testing of the M73B2 scopes, and not a pair that was assembled at a later date. If this truly is an original rifle/scope pair from 1945 when the OPL M73B2 scopes were made, then this might be the only 1903A4/M73B2 pair that currently still exists in their original form from the Army testing post WWII. This is by far the most rare 1903A4 sniper rifle and scope combination that exists, and the M73B2 is one of the rarest US military scopes out there. This is a grail gun for most 1903 collectors, and I'm very excited to add it to the collection!

USMCSGT0331 said:

I just acquired this 1903A4 sniper rifle with M73B2 scope from a close friend, and I plan on starting a thread about it in the near future. This is an original rifle/scope set-up, and it came from the estate of the guy who had a hand in helping create the XM21 and other US military rifles! We believe that this is an original rifle/scope combination that was actually used during Army testing of the M73B2 scopes, and not a pair that was assembled at a later date. If this truly is an original rifle/scope pair from 1945 when the OPL M73B2 scopes were made, then this might be the only 1903A4/M73B2 pair that currently still exists in their original form from the Army testing post WWII. This is by far the most rare 1903A4 sniper rifle and scope combination that exists, and the M73B2 is one of the rarest US military scopes out there. This is a grail gun for most 1903 collectors, and I'm very excited to add it to the collection!

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Good to see you back with us!

LeftyJason said:

Good to see you back with us!

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Thank you, it's good to be back!

In addition to this new 1903A4, I also have another A4 sniper rifle in my collection that I acquired from the CMP over 10 years ago. The CMP 1903A4 is an amazing rifle, since it's one of the very few A4's that are confirmed to have the original scope still mounted to the rifle. After JFK was assassinated, the DCM removed all the scopes from the rifles they were selling at the time, so having a 1903A4 sniper rifle with it's original scope still attached is a pretty big deal for 1903 collectors. The CMP A4 was found in an Army armory a few months before it came up for sale at the CMP auction site, and the CMP confirmed that this is the exact configuration they received it from the Army, so the scope is definitely original to that rifle. On both rifles the scope bases are staked to their respective receiver.

I don't know if 2 original 1903A4 sniper rifles with both of these types of scopes have ever been photographed together! I can find a photo of these 2 complete rifles in books or online, so this might be the very first time a 1903A4 with M73B1 and a 1903A4 with M73B2 have ever been photographed side-by-side and shared publicly! At some point I'll have my father take some detailed, high resolution photos of both rifles together.

Top: 1903A4 with M73B1
Bottom: 1903A4 with M73B2




My scope, serial number 36207, is actually photographed in Senich's book The Complete Book of US Sniping on page 110! The M73B2 scope base that's in the 2 photos below is NOT the scope base that's on my rifle. This Senich base and my base have completely different staking punches, and my scope base is obviously still attached to my rifle.

My staked base proves that my M73B2 scope is original (as tested after WWII) to this rifle. There's also slight differences between the B1 and B2 scope bases, so the base that's on my rifle can't be used with an M73B1 scope and base windage screws. The second photo below is a comparison between the B2 base on the left and the B1 base on the right. Both of these photos are from Senich's book The Complete Book of US Sniping:




Having both of these original 1903A4 sniper rifles in the collection is pretty crazy! This is pretty much as good as it gets for a 1903A4 collector! I'll get some good photos of these rifles and scopes, and I'll start a thread about these guns in the near future. There's some documentation that goes with the M73B2 rifle that I'd like to share with everyone as well. Sorry for all the posts about the 1903A4 with M73B2 scope, I'm just really excited to have it in my collection, it's a very special rifle! I haven't been this excited about a new rifle in quite some time!

One more thing that's interesting about the M73B2 scopes is that some of them has a rangefinding reticle, and others didn't. The loose M73B2 scope that's also in my collection has the reticle with a rangefinder, but the M73B2 scope that's on my 1903A4 sniper rifle doesn't have the rangefinding reticle! The post reticle is the same for both scopes, the only thing missing is the rangefinder in my new scope.

Here's photos of the rangefinding reticle that's in my loose M73B2 scope, my father took these photos almost a decade ago. The first photo shows the usual view of the post reticle during the daytime, and the 2nd photo shows the reticle change color when a light is shined through the hole in the right side of the front scope ring (maybe a feature for night/dusk/dawn shooting?). I don't think this characteristic of the M73B2 scope has ever been published, so this was a pretty unique discovery when we first shined a light into the window in the side of the front scope ring! So, this is an extremely early example of an illuminated reticle in a US military sniper scope.

The photos below show the rangefinding reticle in the loose scope (serial number 36521). Imagine these photos without the rangefinder on the left side of the reticle, and that's what the reticle looks like on the M73B2 scope mounted to my 1903A4 (serial number 36207). The earlier serial number scope doesn't have the rangefinder, but the later serial number scope does have the rangefinder. It appears that the rangefinder was added to the later M73B2 scopes. This is new information in regards to M73B2 scope serial number ranges corresponding to rangefinding reticles that can only be found in this thread! New information for a highly studied topic (1903 sniper rifles) is pretty rare these days, so this has been a unique treat comparing my two M73B2 scopes side-by-side!

buffalowinter said:

Mauser 66 SP with Zeiss Fero. Got this from James Earl Jones...that's right...it's Darth Vader's sniper rifle.View attachment 7102231

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Any chance of more photo?

TheAuyt said:

Any chance of more photo?

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go here www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/idf-mauser-m-66-sp.6302893/