CMP vintage sniper match rifle

[Mustang51]

A few years back I grabbed this sporterized high-number Rock Island 1903at an auction with the plan of converting it into a 1903A1 USMC sniper rifle suitable for the CMP vintage sniper matches. My sons and I are planning to shoot in those matches.



It had the C stock and the scope mounting blocks already mounted. . The barrel was pristine and interestingly, is a less common Sedgeley.





I was satisfied this was a decent shooter after my son shot 100 yard groups like this with the Redfield sight that was mounted on the gun.



I mounted an 8x Lyman Targetspot Junior for some long range work and the rifle shot very credibly at 550 yards.



I have run into some issues, however. Turns out that the C stock, a required element of the rifle, had been cut too short to use. The 8x Lyman scope, while legal, is so dim that it is far from optimal for use in the match. The scope blocks were good and properly drilled and tapped, but also were not optimal for the match. Bottom line, it needed some work. After a new stock, new scope blocks, the addition of a few missing parts, I got this...





I also bought an 8X Hilux reproduction Unertl scope, but discovered issues with it and had to send it back to HiLux for repairs.

 

[horsemen61]

Awesome!!!

 

[Random 8]

Don't get hung up on magnification. The best score I've seen personally was put up with a 4x Ajack on an m41B. IMHO, you're better off with the 03A4 setup on a quality rifle. The Unertl system has too many moving parts. When everything works as designed it's awesome, but when one little thing goes wrong it's a waste of ammo

 

[Mustang51]

Don't get hung up on magnification. The best score I've seen personally was put up with a 4x Ajack on an m41B. IMHO, you're better off with the 03A4 setup on a quality rifle. The Unertl system has too many moving parts. When everything works as designed it's awesome, but when one little thing goes wrong it's a waste of ammo

So far my experience bears this out, but I feel like I have too much into this project to back out now.

I finally received the scope back from Hilux, supposedly repaired. Last week I took the rifle to range, where I mounted the HiLux scope and found that the cross hairs were canted about 45 degrees off plumb. Damn!

I went ahead and fired the gun at 25 yds as is and found the rounds hit far to the right. I adjusted the scope until the hits were centered, then moved the target back to 75 yards. I couldn't get the rifle to group very well and finally removed the scope and fired 5 rounds of the Federal Gold Medal Match using the iron sights and was rewarded with an approximate 1" group. So Chuck, my gunsmith, did a fantastic job with the rifle.

When I got home, I called HiLux and they explained that I could loosen a couple of screws on one of the rings and plumb the reticle. Has anyone done this before and if so, any suggestions on the best way to make sure the reticle is level?

@75 yards. Pasters covering 25 yard shots, unpasted holes @ 75 yards with scope, small group in upper left shot with iron sights @ 75 yards.

 

[Mustang51]

Don't get hung up on magnification. The best score I've seen personally was put up with a 4x Ajack on an m41B.

Boy, I hope you are right. As you know, the CMP vintage sniper match is a team match. I'll be shooting it with my youngest son.

I had a trusted gunsmith build up a Swedish Mauser M41B clone using one of my Swedish M96's. It came out beautifully and shoots well.

Here is the post I did on it.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...edish-m41b-sniper-rifle.853812/#post-11192983

And here are a few pictures of it...








Here is one of my 300 yard targets with the Swede

@ 300 yards, group size 2.4" (not including the pulled shot)

 

[Nature Boy]

So far my experience bears this out, but I feel like I have too much into this project to back out now.

I finally received the scope back from Hilux, supposedly repaired. Last week I took the rifle to range, where I mounted the HiLux scope and found that the cross hairs were canted about 45 degrees off plumb. Damn!

I went ahead and fired the gun at 25 yds as is and found the rounds hit far to the right. I adjusted the scope until the hits were centered, then moved the target back to 75 yards. I couldn't get the rifle to group very well and finally removed the scope and fired 5 rounds of the Federal Gold Medal Match using the iron sights and was rewarded with an approximate 1" group. So Chuck, my gunsmith, did a fantastic job with the rifle.

When I got home, I called HiLux and they explained that I could loosen a couple of screws on one of the rings and plumb the reticle. Has anyone done this before and if so, any suggestions on the best way to make sure the reticle is level?

@75 yards. Pasters covering 25 yard shots, unpasted holes @ 75 yards with scope, small group in upper left shot with iron sights @ 75 yards.


View attachment 855759

Dang, that group with irons is awesome. Get your scope to a reliable state and you should clean up!

 

[Jim Watson]

Good luck on the Hilux.

Failing that, and throwing your money at the problem, MVA makes a repro of the Winchester B5 which is allowable on the 03A1
https://montanavintagearms.com/scopes/

 

[Random 8]

I hope your gear gets straightened out, it is a very fun match. I have fired it several times with a Mosin PU, with mixed results. Fired top of the field in a few matches but my partner had issues, was running strong with a good partner (he put up a clean 300 with a O3A4 repro and I had a 99) in the last match but something came loose and I was all over the 600 after opening with 4 Xs. This was the same match I witnessed the M41B/shooter clean 300 and put up a 98 at 600 both with more than 5 Xs(his one "miss" was in a wicked gust of wind that got the whole line). The target isn't really that hard, it's just putting all the other stuff together with gear/repro that was not fully perfected at the time it was pressed into service. It amazes me the feats that the warfighters issued these sighting systems performed when I witness all the malfunctions in a ViSnpr match held in relatively controlled conditions.

 

[Gordon]

Can't you use a Unertl 10x ? I believe the USMC used them . I have one with bad spider wed cross hairs I'll sell cheaply.

 

[Mustang51]

Can't you use a Unertl 10x ? I believe the USMC used them . I have one with bad spider wed cross hairs I'll sell cheaply.

PM sent

 

[Mustang51]

I hope your gear gets straightened out, it is a very fun match. I have fired it several times with a Mosin PU, with mixed results. Fired top of the field in a few matches but my partner had issues, was running strong with a good partner (he put up a clean 300 with a O3A4 repro and I had a 99) in the last match but something came loose and I was all over the 600 after opening with 4 Xs. This was the same match I witnessed the M41B/shooter clean 300 and put up a 98 at 600 both with more than 5 Xs(his one "miss" was in a wicked gust of wind that got the whole line). The target isn't really that hard, it's just putting all the other stuff together with gear/repro that was not fully perfected at the time it was pressed into service. It amazes me the feats that the warfighters issued these sighting systems performed when I witness all the malfunctions in a ViSnpr match held in relatively controlled conditions.

Sounds like you did the same thing I'm thinking...both shooters using the M41B @ 300 and the 1903A1 @ 600. Hope I can get the HiLux working.

 

[Random 8]

Sounds like you did the same thing I'm thinking...both shooters using the M41B @ 300 and the 1903A1 @ 600. Hope I can get the HiLux working.

Actually no. I just ran my Mosin and my partner ran his rifle. The "bad" partner had a No4MK?T repro, the good one happened to have a SPRG O3A4. The competing team with the 41B used the same rifle across the course. I guess my point was, the 3.5-4x optics can put up some really good scores if the shooter and rifle are up to it.

 

[Mustang51]

Dang, that group with irons is awesome. Get your scope to a reliable state and you should clean up!

Thanks, NB. Realistically, the HiLux scope should do better than an original Unertl...what with the improvements in glass coatings and what not. That they are so problematic does not speak well for the manufacturer.

That being said, I'm still hopeful that I can sort out the problems.

 

[Mustang51]

The thing that kills me is that I have a Lyman Super Targetspot and a Fecker which both look better than the HiLux, but are unmarked as to power. I would gladly use them if I could determine that they are of legal power.

I also have a Litschert Spotshot, but it is marked "10 power" and needs a new reticle.



Went ahead and mounted the Fecker and the Lyman, just to see how they looked.

Fecker




Lyman

 

[Mustang51]

I got to the range today and plumbed the reticle in the HiLux scope and shot the rifle. I also mounted the Fecker and shot the rifle and the 1903 liked the Fecker much better (maybe)

Here is the HiLux group...almost 3 MOA (but with a possible explanation)




Here is the Fecker...about 1.25 MOA



After I dismounted the HiLux scope and mounted the Fecker, a range buddy, who has a HiLux equipped M1903 and is quite happy with it, stopped by. He was looking over my dismounted HiLux and advised that he thought I might not have had all the screws on the mount tight.

If so, that might explain the large group size, which seems to be large in the windage dimension.