And things just snowball. By that I mean that every now and then you stumble into something that just has to be the start of a new project.
I've been toying with the idea of building a 1903 sniper variant but wanting to do something different - the1903A1 with Unertl or 1903A4's have become almost run of the mill anymore, so I've been looking at doing a 1903-A5 clone. Being a former Marine, I liked the idea of a Marine sniper weapon that was used from the likes of Belleau Wood through the early stages of WW2 at Guadalcanal, etc. I'd been eyeballing a couple of Winchester A5/Lyman 5A scopes (same scope, both correct) and wanted to set mine apart by not using the standard Winchester #2 adjustment. The Marines, just prior to entry into WW1, had the Winchester #2 adjustments modified for use with the Mann-Neidner bases (Franklin Mann was the designer, Adolph Neidner was the machinist/gunsmith). This is a wedge mount that doesn't rely on a cross bolt to secure the scope, recoil keeps the mount in place by forcing the scope/mount forward and tightly into the base). Adolph Neidner also designed custom turrets and a "tick" indicator, so the user could readily see the position his turrets were in.
I have a friend that has probably the most extensive collection of US and foreign sniper weapons in the US, to include several legit 03-A5. While repro Mann-Neidner bases are availabile - the turrets and pointers are not. I was hoping that this friend would let an engineer friend of mine spec out the turret and pointer so that a machine shop could recreate these items for me. I know.....get to the point. Well, this friend had an extra Winchester-A5 scope with the correct Marine mounts (Mann-Neidner). I bought it from him and not only did I buy it from him, but I bought it for an absolute song. While there's no official provenance on the scope and mounts making it an official USMC scope (Adolph Neidner made custom rifles and mounts for his gun club), there is a strong possibility that it is, if only because the USMC was his biggest customer.
So, I've got most everything on hand to build up a rifle - now I just have to get it all put together.
So, now for some pics:
Marine 1903-A5
Marine shortly after Battle of Belleau Wood
Marine at Guadalcanal
I've been toying with the idea of building a 1903 sniper variant but wanting to do something different - the1903A1 with Unertl or 1903A4's have become almost run of the mill anymore, so I've been looking at doing a 1903-A5 clone. Being a former Marine, I liked the idea of a Marine sniper weapon that was used from the likes of Belleau Wood through the early stages of WW2 at Guadalcanal, etc. I'd been eyeballing a couple of Winchester A5/Lyman 5A scopes (same scope, both correct) and wanted to set mine apart by not using the standard Winchester #2 adjustment. The Marines, just prior to entry into WW1, had the Winchester #2 adjustments modified for use with the Mann-Neidner bases (Franklin Mann was the designer, Adolph Neidner was the machinist/gunsmith). This is a wedge mount that doesn't rely on a cross bolt to secure the scope, recoil keeps the mount in place by forcing the scope/mount forward and tightly into the base). Adolph Neidner also designed custom turrets and a "tick" indicator, so the user could readily see the position his turrets were in.
I have a friend that has probably the most extensive collection of US and foreign sniper weapons in the US, to include several legit 03-A5. While repro Mann-Neidner bases are availabile - the turrets and pointers are not. I was hoping that this friend would let an engineer friend of mine spec out the turret and pointer so that a machine shop could recreate these items for me. I know.....get to the point. Well, this friend had an extra Winchester-A5 scope with the correct Marine mounts (Mann-Neidner). I bought it from him and not only did I buy it from him, but I bought it for an absolute song. While there's no official provenance on the scope and mounts making it an official USMC scope (Adolph Neidner made custom rifles and mounts for his gun club), there is a strong possibility that it is, if only because the USMC was his biggest customer.
So, I've got most everything on hand to build up a rifle - now I just have to get it all put together.
So, now for some pics:
Marine 1903-A5
Marine shortly after Battle of Belleau Wood
Marine at Guadalcanal
