Wandering zero....no thanks
Which milsurp rifle for use as a light-ish hunting rifle?
- Thread starter alpining
- Start date
Wandering zero....no thanks
fat tony
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
A Parker Hale in good shape if you can find one. Often they even come with a good 5/5 magazine. You do not have to pay a milsurp premium either.
You could also get one of the Mauser sporters Tradex used to sell. But the business was bought out - is it Tenda?
I am thinking along the lines of a 1970's Voere Mauser sporter. Reasonable with very good balance, very 'pointy' very little plastic to be seen.
lol the wandering zero again? He is likely going to fire maybe three shots in quick succession if that for deer hunting.
Oswald bought a Carcano carbine with a commercial scope on it, that much is true. However it was one of the hilarious 1950's .22 Rimfire scopes with ironmongery side mount, 3/4" objective lens, and looong. Supposedly he had technical problems with it, and he removed it to make his infamous shots with. Interestingly the front page newspaper pic where the cop is holding the rifle way above his head shows the silly .22 scope reinstalled(?)
Why the .22 scope? The story I heard was that some Carcano carbines were imported and sold after WWII in the USA that were real Italian army sniping rifles with the official scope and offset bases (like the Garand sniper rifles). There was only a very limited number of these to begin with, so vendors got creative. I wonder if the 6.5 recoil trashed these cheap rimfire scopes?
Sorry. The no scope story may be more bs. I since read Oswald likely knocked the scope around while he was quickly hiding the arm. So the no scope story may be garbagio after all. Sorry.
You could also get one of the Mauser sporters Tradex used to sell. But the business was bought out - is it Tenda?
I am thinking along the lines of a 1970's Voere Mauser sporter. Reasonable with very good balance, very 'pointy' very little plastic to be seen.
lol the wandering zero again? He is likely going to fire maybe three shots in quick succession if that for deer hunting.
Oswald bought a Carcano carbine with a commercial scope on it, that much is true. However it was one of the hilarious 1950's .22 Rimfire scopes with ironmongery side mount, 3/4" objective lens, and looong. Supposedly he had technical problems with it, and he removed it to make his infamous shots with. Interestingly the front page newspaper pic where the cop is holding the rifle way above his head shows the silly .22 scope reinstalled(?)
Why the .22 scope? The story I heard was that some Carcano carbines were imported and sold after WWII in the USA that were real Italian army sniping rifles with the official scope and offset bases (like the Garand sniper rifles). There was only a very limited number of these to begin with, so vendors got creative. I wonder if the 6.5 recoil trashed these cheap rimfire scopes?
Sorry. The no scope story may be more bs. I since read Oswald likely knocked the scope around while he was quickly hiding the arm. So the no scope story may be garbagio after all. Sorry.
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Price and ease of mounting a scope are likely major factors as well. Prices on milsurp bolt actions have really gone up in the last decade, and with the price going up so does the willingness to drill holes. No drill mounts exist for some but they're not cheap.
And if it's a sporter does it even really count? Lol
Intersurplus. They're a sponsor. I think some guns also went to 1 or 2 other places, maybe Great North Gun Co, they have quite a few sporter mausers and other used guns.
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- Location
- Western Manitoba
I am a fan of the elder Parker Hale rifles - is several of them here. Despite my "fan-dom", they are the main reason that I do not like detachable magazines on a hunting rifle - in my much wiser 20's, I had got a well used Parker Hale rifle in 30-06, with a detachable magazine - I saw a decent white tail in a friend's pasture as I passed by on the gravel road - I pulled over, loaded up and went after him. I got a shot - missed - ran like hell to a ridge that I thought I would get another shot at him - nope - could see his tracks in the snow - he had already passed through there. Looked at the rifle - no magazine - opened the bolt - no shell in chamber - trudged back in snow following my tracks to where I had fired the shot - found the extracted brass AND the magazine with rest of the rounds in it - had to have fallen out when I fired. The nubs at the front and rear of the mag were pretty well worn - must have decided that was the shot it was going to give up for holding on. Was my impression then, and still is, that the Parker Hale "clip" design is pretty "iffy" - most all of the PH that I do have now, are with the hinged floor plates - but glutton for punishment - is one 308 Win here that has that same "clip" again. (And a spare NOS magazine!)
Other than looking really cool, I don't know why anyone would want a Jungle Carbine. Handy length, yep.
Comes with all the quirks of LE's ( which I actually like, but still...) but with enhanced recoil and muzzle blast.
And as many as will claim they are tackdrivers...well, official story says otherwise.
Why not recommend an M44, about the same breed.
fat tony
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
There is not a lot on how to properly bed a sportered SMLE #1MKIII*, or a #5 rifle. I think people get scared of the task. By sawing off the stock obviously its characteristics are changed. But at one time well before the #4 rifle there were commercial Lee sporters in .303. There is a lot on bedding an SMLE #1 Mk III* in military trim though. It seems if you were going to take on bedding an SMLE sporter you have to commit to the project as it is not a one and done thing like bedding a Remington 700. It is a service rifle rooted in 19th century ways of doing things. But there is quite a bit of good info on how it is done as compared to the pre internet times.
It would be interesting to see accuracy reports with an SMLE #1 wearing a Ramline stock. For some reason these are often seen coming up for sale, accuracy is rarely spoken of lol.
It would be interesting to see accuracy reports with an SMLE #1 wearing a Ramline stock. For some reason these are often seen coming up for sale, accuracy is rarely spoken of lol.
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I've got a bubba'd Siam... it will be a journey. You've done lots IIRC... might find some gems in your old posts if I guess correctly.
Take care.
It always seems odd to me that people complain about LE and m38/44 recoil/muzzle blast, but those two issues rarely come up when discussing hunting rifle cartridges like 308 and 270 that are more powerful...
And if your answer is the steel butt plate, LOP sucks on a LE anyways, slap a slip on recoil pad on the old girl and get on with it.
fat tony
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
All the best.
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rifleman762
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Alberta
An already sporterized Mauser M96 in 6.5x55. Had an 1899 Oberndorf variant that shot 1.5 MOA.
Good call. My son has a D & T one...beautiful carbine. Low recoil and noise.
fat tony
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Lots of Parker Hale SMLE #1MKIII* sporter conversions are around d & t'd for the BA 24 bases but try finding a BA24 base. I heard gunboards has a stickied post with technical drawings with the vital specs on the BA 24 base if you want to make something workable.
I've not been able to find the upload.
This is another reason ppl. go with Mauser action sporters. Some folks don't enjoy the process, they focus on the result.
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I agree on the utilitarian aspect of using an SKS. However, I've stepped that up with a few changes that have had a profound change in the reliability of my SKS. It's always been mechanically reliable. That is, it fired when I pulled the trigger. However, I embarked on a journey to achieve consistent accuracy. The photo demonstrates what the SKS is capable of when there is no stock movement, rounds are handloaded, and an optic is mounted on a immovable base.
Attachments
Yeah, but if you want to hunt with a milsurp, does a sporter really scratch the itch?
I've actually got one of those ba24 bases. Previous owner messed with it and added a hole though... and I don't have the rings, those are bloody expensive...
- Location
- Western Manitoba
Many folk did not own the teeny tap for the tiny screws for the rear of that BA24 base. PH also made the BA29 side mount for No. 4 and the BA26(?) for the No. 1. Whichever used, likely need the fairly unique PH rings with the recoil studs on bottom, on at least one ring
fat tony
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I see no counterbores for a recoil stud on the base shown by our poster. It must be on another base.
There is the Addley Precision side mount vase for the #1, requires drilling and tapping the side of the reciever for two screws. The Addley has a very modern look if you want the retro PH vibe of the 1950's though. The Addley offers more flexibility. You have to be handy to install the Addley so it is a no go zone for the oafish.
There is the S&K base. There are two types. One version uses S&K proprietary rings which is best used for this application. If you go with the Weaver version, the scope ends up being sky high worse than a K98 sniper, or one of the Yugoslavian M48 snipers.
If you go really Kmart there is always the Weaver T01 base but that is best put on by a competent smith or a manual machinist. I never messed with one but they say it is for 3/8" rings, so you have to go through the added step of putting in a recoil lug if you are concerned.
And yeah the PH conversions are not military rifles, yet at least one RCMP detachment used them on a manhunt in B.C. around 1972. The PH conversions are very similar to the paramiltary EAL rifles hey there is another option.
There is the Addley Precision side mount vase for the #1, requires drilling and tapping the side of the reciever for two screws. The Addley has a very modern look if you want the retro PH vibe of the 1950's though. The Addley offers more flexibility. You have to be handy to install the Addley so it is a no go zone for the oafish.
There is the S&K base. There are two types. One version uses S&K proprietary rings which is best used for this application. If you go with the Weaver version, the scope ends up being sky high worse than a K98 sniper, or one of the Yugoslavian M48 snipers.
If you go really Kmart there is always the Weaver T01 base but that is best put on by a competent smith or a manual machinist. I never messed with one but they say it is for 3/8" rings, so you have to go through the added step of putting in a recoil lug if you are concerned.
And yeah the PH conversions are not military rifles, yet at least one RCMP detachment used them on a manhunt in B.C. around 1972. The PH conversions are very similar to the paramiltary EAL rifles hey there is another option.
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I've got the weaver to1 base on my Enfield. It appears my ba24 base was modified to fit the same holes as the Weaver base, and you are correct it takes rimfire dovetail/tip off rings. Some say they do a poor job holding up to recoil, others say they are fine, but I haven't actually shot my Enfield since I put that base on it so I can't comment as to how well the rings actually hold. Base got installed, then gun ended up at the back of the locker, should really get it out one of these days...
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- Location
- Western Manitoba
I see no counterbores for a recoil stud on the base shown by our poster. It must be on another base.
There is the Addley Precision side mount vase for the #1, requires drilling and tapping the side of the reciever for two screws. The Addley has a very modern look if you want the retro PH vibe of the 1950's though. The Addley offers more flexibility. You have to be handy to install the Addley so it is a no go zone for the oafish.
There is the S&K base version which is best used with the proprietary S&K rings. If you go with the Weaver version the scope ends up being sky high worse than a K98 sniper, or one of the Yugoslavian M48 snipers.
If you go really Kmart there is always the Weaver T01 base but that is best put on by a competent smith or a manual machinist. I never messed with one but they say it is for 3/8" rings, so you have to go through the added step of putting in a recoil lug if you are concerned.
And yeah the PH conversions are not military rifles, yet at least one RCMP detachment used them on a manhunt in B.C. around 1972. The PH conversions are very similar to the paramiltary EAL rifles hey there is another option.
The "counterbore" (divot) for the recoil stud is just forward of the two small rear screws - I believe that arrangement only used the recoil stud on the rear ring. Some PH bases have the recoil stud go directly into a screw hole - but often the holes are tapered if they are made for that.
The PH BA29 and BA26 do require three holes drilled and tapped into the sidewall - depending on adjustment capability within the scope used, might want to be fussy about getting that side mount aligned with the bore line, or at least with the bolt body.
The Weaver T01 base has recoil lug towards very front - so instructions say to have the front ring against that stop, when installing that base.
