1941A1 sniper reproduction scope questions

[Greg Ficklin]

I will post a review of the new Hi-Lux 8x when I get it. I do have vintage Unertls in perfect working condition for direct comparison.
I am confident that these new scopes will perform as intended. The Hi-Lux people know who their market is, and that these scopes will have a job to do with big shoes to fill. They know that they have to get it right.

[DMark]

I will post a review of the new Hi-Lux 8x when I get it. I do have vintage Unertls in perfect working condition for direct comparison.....

Greg,

Looking forward to your review. I'm very interested in what you think about the supplied base and rings. The Leatherwood Hi-Lux 3X that I installed on one of my 03s had real issues with the base cuts on the rings. They were both off centered, crooked and misaligned. Had to recut each ring and then shim them for the Steve Earle blocks.

Good news is the scope has been excellent!

[curmudgeon]

Scope arrived in good condition and was well packed. I am not much of a reviewer but here goes:
1) scope is smaller than I imagined. the 3/4" tube just looks small - not a criticism
2) scope is heavy - probably made entirely out of steel.
3) optics are clear - it was twilight so I could not do a critical assessment
4) reticle is fine and crisp
5) Scope mounts claimed to be made out of brass. 1/4 MOA windage and elevation is advertised. Adjustment is smooth and clicks are reasonably well defined.
6) Fit and finish is not up to premier scope standards but quite acceptable e.g., lens cap threads feel gritty when screwing in/out and finish looks more like paint than bluing.
7) I plan to have gunsmith mount scope so I did not pay attention to blocks and screws
8) Scope comes with recoil spring

I think it is worth the selling price and I am pleased so far.

----- Update 03/15/2012 -----

The optics look very nice in bright daylight. Definitely not a twilight scope.

In strong daylight the scope finish actually appears to be blued rather than painted. However, the finish scratches easily to show white metal - probably a minimal bluing job. The thimbles on the elevation and windage adjustments have already rubbed the bluing from the barrels on the rear mount after just a few rotations. Some edges and corners are showing white metal and the scope has been carefully handled only twice since it arrived. All this is cosmetic and will not effect the precision of the instrument. Frankly I would rather have my money invested in performance over appearance.

The elevation clicks feel less crisp than the windage. I wonder what others will experience.

Still pleased with package.

[Calfed]

Anyone have an update on their experience with the Leatherwood USMC scope?

[ntex2000]

Back in February I posted to this thread my Creedmoor backorder of the Hi-Lux scope. It's at the bottom of page 1 of this thread. Anyway, I got and right out of the box I was please with its appearance and took it outside to scope down a neighbors house at the end of the street and was pleased with the optics. I agree with Curmudgeons post that the lens cap threading feels a little gritty and I noticed this when I first got the scope. I figured that if it wasn't something I could live with then I could always put some lapping compound on the threads and screw the lens cap on and off until to smooths out and then reblue the threads with Blue Wonder. My only problem with buying this scope is that I can't bring myself to have a gunsmith drill the holes in the receiver and barrel of my USMC 1903A1, so I've never mounted it and it has sat in my gunsafe in its original packaging ever since. Have been intending to put it on ebay for sale but haven't got around to it due to traveling for work.

[holdover]

been thinking about buying one of these scopes , but some of the comments about the mounts not working well is keeping me for making the plunge, also at about 550.00 I would rather pay a few hundred more and get a American made target scope, that should hold its value better.

[louis]

I haven't read up on this post but can't the original mounts work with this scope? Seems like it should.

[Calfed]

I've been making slow progress on the 1941 1903 USMC sniper rifle repro for the CMP vintage sniper match.

I recently found an 8x Lyman Junior Target spot scope for the project and am in the process of mounting and testing it on the 1903 Rock Island.







I'm trying to keep this on the cheap. I still need to fix the stock. It was trimmed about 1/8" on the butt and had a padded butt plate installed. I need to fit and install an original butt plate.

It is still missing the rear sight. Does anyone think this will be a problem for the CMP vintage match?

[Jim in Salt Lake]

Here are the CMP rules: http://odcmp.com/Competitions/CMPGamesRules.pdf Look at the table on page 28, 2nd row, it says, ".30-06 cal. 1941A1 Springfield (C stock, Standard 1903 sights with Unertl type scope on Unertl type mounts and bases)." I think you'll need a rear sight. They're pretty cheap and you've got plenty of room under your scope for one.

[Calfed]

Thanks, Jim. I think you are right on the money