Van Orden sniper

[Bsully]

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b226/dave4201/Van%20Orden/rightside.jpg

Winchester Model 70 Van Orden rifle with Lyman Super Target Spot. The rifle is listed specifically in Chandlers book with a copy of the actual inventory cards from Gen. Van Orden. The cards indicate this rifle and another very close in serial number were sent to Camp Lejeuen on the same day on the same invoice as a portion of a 10 gun group supplied to the Marine Corps for evaluation. The card is actually marked "SO for USMC #1 of 10." The first rifle was "for display" as per the card, the second went to the Officer in charge of the Rifle Range. The fellow who received it was rather interesting as well. The scope is a Super Target Spot in its metal case with a copy from the Lyman manifest indicating it was the first scope of the third contract to the Marines. It is marked USMC in electro pencil and has an LTI, Limited Technical Inspection tag from WBtn/RTE Quantico.

[plastrr385]

Sweet!!!!:1948:

[Gunner]

Good rifle!!

Regards

Gunner

[Bsully]

Van orden eventually supplied rifles in all configurations to include some caliber 300 H&H rifles and some caliber .243 varmint rifles to virtually anyone that wanted one. He had a full retail store there at "Evaluators LTD." Some have military ties and some went to individuals. Many more Model 70's than are shown in the DFA series went through his books. Chandler lists most rifles that were labled as "Sniper" on Van Orden's books. Most rifles actually went to individuals at rod and gun clubs, local gun clubs, military instillations, periodicals, gun shops and home addresses as per Van Orden's records.
The metal box for the Lyman has no military marking but has inventory identification stickers on it. As per a 2111 at WBtn there are still a few in the same type of box sitting about. There was also an aluminum can for the Unertl not seen often.

[Badgerord]

I Have a Van Orden rifle that is exactly the same as Bsully's rifle.

Same stock, same barrel, same scope.

I know of about 6 other Van Orden with the same stock.

Marty
Badger Ordnance

[Bsully]

Marty,
Specifically listed guns or ones that are close to the ones in the book? While some say that they accept the numbers in the book to just be a "range" and that ones a few digits off have to be Van Ordens they are quite wrong. I have access to the entire list and after studying it at length there are quite a few "one gun", "two gun" and "multi gun" gaps to including gaps of one gun and two guns in the USART at Philla. Pa. and US Army at Philla. contracts. Some of the "gap" guns are listed in the DOD central registry and I have seen blocks of numbers from Van Orden records that run sequentially with DOD records that have a "one gun" gap between the two sources. Without the list and confirmation they may just be Model 70 HB match rifles sold commercially. If you email numbers I can certainly have them checked for you.

[prfoley]

Hi - I have one of these as well - What is the value ??
prf

[Bsully]

There is one at RI Auction, they are thinking $7500 to $15000 for a rifle that went to an individual that has a refinished incorrect stock, replaced sling studs and a recoil pad added. Again the key is being listed specifically.

[jgaynor]

If anyone has a copy of the VanOrden/Lloyd report on sniper rifles prepared for the USMC I would appreciat hearing from you.

I sort of undeerstand why the 8x Unertl was recommended at the beginning of WW2 but its less clear why VanOrden hung onto to the target scope approach after the war.

Regards,

Jim

[Steve Preston]

"There is one at RI Auction, they are thinking $7500 to $15000 for a rifle that went to an individual that has a refinished incorrect stock, replaced sling studs and a recoil pad added."

I'm interested in opinions on the VanOrden that RI is selling. The serial number is right, but it looks like has been hand stamped and looks suspect to me. Am I seeing things?

Here is a link:
http://www.rockislandauction.com/photos/48/p_standard/UGQ292-K-CU21-L.jpg

[Steve Preston]

So, does anybody have an opinion on the serial number on the VanOrden listed with RIA? I posted a link of the serial number on the above post.

It looks uneven and not at all like it was applied by Winchester.

Thanks.

[Bsully]

The serial number is fine. Yes that is what Win Model 70 numbers look like.

[Leyte]

Digging up an old thread but I am interested in finding serial number ranges of the Van Orden Sniper M70's, anyone have a link to this information or was it ever published?

Thanks, Gary