scope mount for 1903 Springfield

[Catch]

I would like to purchase a scope mount for my 1903 Springfield that does not alter the rifle, so as not to ruin its collector value. I have looked at some on the net but would like some opinions as to which one would be the best for me. My 77 year old eyes do not work with the iron sights the way they use to. I have been using a black piece of paper with a pin hole in it and it does improve the sight picture somewhat. I would like to try a scope with this rifle just to see how much better it will do. Any experience with this or suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks:coffeecom

[pietro]

IIRC, B-Square haS a $50 "no-gunsmithing" mount that uses the 1903's rear battle/barrel sight & the magazine cutoff to support the mount base.

http://store.safariland.com/b-square/springfield.html

http://store.safariland.com/b-square/media/mounts/18477.jpg

.

[Dutchman]

I have some ideas for a LER scope mount for the 1903 that does not require modification.. but the 1903 is, so far, the most frustrating military rifle to do with this type of mount. So far my design lives only in my head...

http://images44.fotki.com/v1449/photos/2/28344/6456804/McCann_1903_Mount1-vi.jpg

http://images47.fotki.com/v1455/photos/2/28344/6456804/Meyer_1903_Mount1-vi.jpg

http://images45.fotki.com/v148/photos/2/28344/6456804/Bengert_mt_1944-vi.jpg

[Catch]

pietro..... this mount is no longer available according to the net. Is this the one that used a small ring behind the upper hand guard for support? Have you ever used one? If so how did you like it? There may be one available on E bay, but some folks didn't seem to like them. Thanks for your help..............
Dutchman....I agree, as I have designed one for the Mauser, and the Finn Mosin Nagant for the LER scope that worked out rather well. What wonderful drawings! Imagine what a prototype would sell for now................?

[texassako]

I have had several rifles with Stith no drill mounts, but not a 1903 so not sure if it is one of the no drill mounts. One on GB for a while, maybe the seller could tell you if it is no drill since they took it off the rifle.

[FredW]

I've several of the old B-Square scope mounts that are no longer made. They fit onto the base of the rear sight. These are not the ones everyone is familiar with that were meant to be mounted onto the 1903A3 only. The other mount, made exclusively for the 1903 Springfield rifle, not the 1903A3, is no longer made as I've said and this is probably why nobody I've ever spoken with knows about it. I wonder how old these packaged mounts are? The six that I bought were being sold one at a time along with many more by a person who evidently had a remaining stock of them. I bought them for about $10.00 each long ago. The mount fits in place of the rear sight leaf, which is removed after driving out the retaining pin. Next, the rear sight leaf tension spring is removed. The mount is then placed onto the rear sight base, fitting tightly into its form. There are two allen screws that then pass through the eyes of the base hinge where the rear sight leaf used to fit between, and these screws are threaded into each side of the mount base until tight. There is another allen screw that passes verticaly down through the rear of the mount and which raises or lowers the base a bit. there is still another allen screw that passes verticaly through the mount further up which helps tokeep everything taught. This type of scope mount necessitates the use of a Long Eye Relief Scope, like seen on some models of German WWII sniper rifles. Here is a picture of my rifle with one of the scope mounts attached. Oh yea, each mount came with three differently sized allen wrenches. Pretty smart. I wonder why they stopped making them? Anyway, if I can stumble across these, anybody else can too. They must be still out there somwhere....

I seem to have trouble sending the photo's I have of the scope mount to my email. I'll have my wife look at it when she gets home and follow up on that.

[FredW]

OK, I bypassed the problem and so here are four views of how this thing looks

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/BS4_zps9d97a74b.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/BS3_zps9fe9a9ef.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/BS2_zpse666d239.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/BS1_zpsb1f138d5.jpg

[FredW]

This is just my 3rd post here on this site. I'm an old Fogy on Culvers Shooting Page and have been for years, but although I've heard of this site, I've never posted before or visited more than once or twice. Can't figure out why not because it has one heck of a lot of subjects and different forums that are realy Very Interesting in Subject and content!! The folks here are quite knowledgeble about everything too. I'll be browsing quite a bit by and by to learn all that I can!
Well, as a follow up on this scope base that I've mounted on one of my old 03 Springfields, I've received the Long Eye Relief Scope that I've been waiting for and have mounted it. It's quite functional and the reticle and view through the scope is perfect for me. I'm glad that I held onto the mounts. I'll keep the others for spares because they just aren't making this model anymore. Anyway, here are some more photo's for anyone who might care to see them. Hope you like them! I think that this scope and rifle combination will once again allow me to start target shooting. That's something that I haven't been able to do for years because of my aging eye sight. I won't mind getting old so much anymore! Fred

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/sni11_zps00eaf1b4.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/sni10_zpseca468b0.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/sni12_zpsabec762c.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/sni9_zps9dca8842.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/sni8_zps698816a0.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/sni7_zps2f22e18e.jpg

[FredW]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/sni6_zpsb627c018.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/sni5_zps9bbe2e4e.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/sni4_zps6575ce63.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/sni3_zps6163883f.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/sni2_zps49ad1b12.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/sni1_zpsa17e1dc8.jpg

[leadman]

Looks like you are all set to do some serious varmint hunting with the scope and magazine. One of the strap on cheek pads may help you get a better cheek weld on the stock.

[FredW]

Yea, I've thought about that as well. When I sight through the scope, only my chin touches the stock. I'm guessing that one of those recently made Garand type cheek pads would be of great benefit. I'll go on line on ebay and look for one. I'd thought that they might've been made to allow a person's eye to line up with an offset scope only, but maybe such a cheekpad would be OK for this set up. Thanks for the good advice leadman and thanks for the input and interest!!! Fred

[x101airborne]

What kind of magazine is that and are they still made? I might like to have one just as an oddity.

[FredW]

The magazine is an original 25 round extension magazine made for the 1903 Springfield during WWI. I bought it and another one just like it on Gunbroker a couple of weeks ago. Normaly, they are now selling for around $355.00 or higher, but I bought them both for $125.00 from a pawn shop owner in NewYork who mistakenly thought that they were both reproductions. They don't currently make reproductions of this magazine. These magazines were produced during WWI for trench warfare. They were also used with the Periscope rifles that were fired from down inside of the trenches. They were also used with the Air Service 1903 Springfields that were carried up in observation ballons. Thus, they're sometimes called "Air Service Magazines" or "Trench Magazines". These magazines are 95-96 years old now. I guess that they qualify as a Curio and Relic. To attach them to a 1903 Springfield, you first remove the floorplate of the 03, then simply lock in the extension magazine. When so attached, they will allow 25 rounds to be loaded into them. I've seen a WWII photograph of such a magazine being used by a sniper who's scoped 1903 rifle wouldn't allow for the use of the five round stripper clip. I've also seen a photo of German soldiers in WWI using a similar magazine attached to their GEW 98 rifles. There has been one on Gunbroker recently that just ended without anyone buying it. The starting price was $500.00 because it still had the original cardboard box with it that they all came with. A buddy of mine recently sold his one of a kind "toolroom prototype" extension magazine from Springfield Armory along with an issued magazine of later production to an advanced collector for $7,000.00. Yea...Wow! Whoda thought it, huh? These magazines have a seperate metal plate that locks over the top of the magazine to hold the depressed follower and spring down when not being used or attached to the rifle. When the magazine is being used, the retaining plate is put into the pocket.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/mag1_zpse6e41d15.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/mag10_zps19634d20.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/mag4_zps02158ed8.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/mag3_zps90c6a7a7.jpg

[FredW]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/mag2_zps66304996.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/pix322766429.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/pix286003224.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/pix915195105.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/mag11_zpseecf2fd2.jpg

[FredW]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/Grabenmagazin2_zpse87d6c1d.jpg

[mongoosesnipe]

That appears tone an air service magazine extension not sure if the made replicas at some point I have seen a few for sale 500-1100 for the mag extension

Edit... Wow there was a lot said while I was typing that

[x101airborne]

Thanks! What a piece of history. Congrats!

[FredW]

Thanks, I was really quite lucky that nobody else noticed the auction. I saw it with only two days left to go and was just certain that others would notice the two original magazines. But, stuff happens and I was fortunate. They can be found for sale on Gunbroker now and then. If anybody is interested in following up on the one with the original box that didn't sell on Gunbroker (I can't figure out why not!), I'll post a link to the old auction so that whoever wants to can click onto one of the sellers other current auctions and then through that, inquire directly to him about the extension magazine to see if he still has it and if it's still for sale. Here's the link below...

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=326725308