1903 Springfield after market sights

[Gary L. Bush]

Many 1903 Springfield sights are home-shop manufactured while others are variations of sights that were on the market during the "Hey-Day" of the 03. If you have a sight that was intended for the 03 and is not in this picture, please post a picture or contact me. Thank you!

Gary Bush
l
http://www.fototime.com/C6861B821700802/standard.jpg

[Rotor]

I don't see one of Mo Defina's sights.

Here's one.
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http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a51/Rotor_/1903%201917/1903%20Match%20Rifle%20895386/DSCF4874.jpg (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Rotor_/media/1903%201917/1903%20Match%20Rifle%20895386/DSCF4874.jpg.html)
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http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a51/Rotor_/1903%201917/1903%20Match%20Rifle%20895386/DSCF4860.jpg (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Rotor_/media/1903%201917/1903%20Match%20Rifle%20895386/DSCF4860.jpg.html)
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JR

[Promo]

I have a Noble/Van Vie mount if you'd count that aswell.

[Jeff L]

Gary, look in the classifieds today- sight goodies.

[Gary L. Bush]

Roto,

I have not seen a rig quite like yours. Redfield made a bracket similar to yours to attach to an olympic sight on the 03.

Would you please post a few more pictures and give me any information you might have on your most interesting sight?

Gary,

PROMO,

The scope bases are in another drawer. I have a Van Wie. Do you have a Knoble or a Van Wie? If so, would you please post a few pictures?

Later, I will post some pictures of a few "odd-ball" sight bases I have.

Gary

[Rotor]

Gary
I am not an expert on this sight. It’s on an "Across the course" club loaner I checked out for the summer last year. I posted lots of pics in this thread.

http://www.jouster.com/forums/showthread.php?29387-Club-Loaner-1903-Target-rifle


Bob S. and Jim F. seemed to be quite familiar with Mo DeFina and his sights. Bob called the base as a Redfield design from 60-61.

Maybe they will come along and fill in the gaps about Mo. Apparently he made versions of this for M1 and M14 as well. I would love to see those.

Here's more of the mount.
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http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a51/Rotor_/1903%201917/1903%20Match%20Rifle%20895386/DSCF4864.jpg (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Rotor_/media/1903%201917/1903%20Match%20Rifle%20895386/DSCF4864.jpg.html)
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http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a51/Rotor_/1903%201917/1903%20Match%20Rifle%20895386/DSCF4942.jpg (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Rotor_/media/1903%201917/1903%20Match%20Rifle%20895386/DSCF4942.jpg.html)
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Now the sight. It is a monster. It's graduated in 1/4 min clicks
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http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a51/Rotor_/1903%201917/1903%20Match%20Rifle%20895386/DSCF4853.jpg (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Rotor_/media/1903%201917/1903%20Match%20Rifle%20895386/DSCF4853.jpg.html)
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http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a51/Rotor_/1903%201917/1903%20Match%20Rifle%20895386/DSCF4941.jpg (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Rotor_/media/1903%201917/1903%20Match%20Rifle%20895386/DSCF4941.jpg.html)
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http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a51/Rotor_/1903%201917/1903%20Match%20Rifle%20895386/DSCF4940.jpg (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Rotor_/media/1903%201917/1903%20Match%20Rifle%20895386/DSCF4940.jpg.html)
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http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a51/Rotor_/1903%201917/1903%20Match%20Rifle%20895386/DSCF4935.jpg (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Rotor_/media/1903%201917/1903%20Match%20Rifle%20895386/DSCF4935.jpg.html)
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JR

[Bob S]

Mo is still around, somewhere in Connecticutt, used to be in Brookfield (?), but I think he's moved. He doesn not have a web presence that I am aware of.

The sight is a monster. I have never owned one, but IIRC, Bert Rollins had one on one of his Model 70's; and I think that rifle and sight are currently owned by Dan Grey.

Resp'y,
Bob S.

[Promo]

Gary,

Since even Brophy is confusing the Van Vie with the Noble scope mount in his book, I've never been sure which of the two I have. As far as I could see the only difference was anyway whether the rear of the base was just the bent spring steel, or a more massive block. Can you tell me which one is which?

[Gary L. Bush]

Promo,

Nick Stroebel in his book OLD RIFLE SCOPES pictures and describes the Knoble scope mount on page 322. On page 375, the Knoble scope mount is pictured and called a Van Wie. A Knoble scope mount is pictured in an advertisement in ARMS and THE MAN, 15 April 1922, page 20. Both mounts pictures were taken from and credit given to Brophy’s book.

Gary Bush

The following picture is a Van Wie.

http://www.fototime.com/E86C761FDEACE28/standard.jpg

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Wow. You never fail to amaze me, Gary.

jt

[Promo]

So basically the "Van Wie" is a one-piece milled scope base? What a hell of work, were even the scope blocks not screwed into the base but milled aswell?

[Cosine26]

For Gary Bush
Here is an ad for a telescope base similiar to the one above. The ad comes from the October 15 issue of the aMERICAN RIFLEMAN.
You may have already seen it before. Evidently it just replaces the rear sight movable base. I presume that the rear just snaps over the receiver. It looiks as if the sight bases are a part of the entire base.
FWIW
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o15/Cosine1/BampMBase_zpseb73d38a.jpg (http://s116.photobucket.com/user/Cosine1/media/BampMBase_zpseb73d38a.jpg.html)

[rebound]

In what year was the October 15 issure of the American rifleman ...?

[Cosine26]

Sorry
Year was 1923

[Gary L. Bush]

Two answers in one post.

Promo,

The Van Wie is a one piece base with Winchester 5A blocks attached. The type of block has a dimple on the right side. I believe the Van Wie and the Knoble had a very short commercial life. I have not touched a Knoble and I own the only Van Wie that I have ever seen.

Is your Knoble looking for a new home?

Cosine 26.

The Belding & Mull that I have pictured must be later than the one from the ad. My scope mount places the scope about two inches closer to the shooter's eye and has half-moon cuts for the Unertle scope rings.

Belding & Mull never changed their ad over the years even though there were a few changes in their scope mount.

Gary Bush

http://www.fototime.com/A2252E327AC2AD0/standard.jpg

[da gimp]

Wow. You never fail to amaze me, Gary.

jt

Amen JT, amen..............I sit in awe of several folks here, Gary is among them.............

[da gimp]

Two answers in one post.

Promo,

The Van Wie is a one piece base with Winchester 5A blocks attached. The type of block has a dimple on the right side. I believe the Van Wie and the Knoble had a very short commercial life. I have not touched a Knoble and I own the only Van Wie that I have ever seen.

Is your Knoble looking for a new home?

Cosine 26.

The Belding & Mull that I have pictured must be later than the one from the ad. My scope mount places the scope about two inches closer to the shooter's eye and has half-moon cuts for the Unertle scope rings.

Belding & Mull never changed their ad over the years even though there were a few changes in their scope mount.

Gary Bush

http://www.fototime.com/A2252E327AC2AD0/standard.jpg



Gary, for Chits & grins............. how good a base is that one? is it entirely no tap? & easily placed on a very good quality 1903 with NO (read ZERO permanent alterations to the rifle.......? How much do they go for?................ are there 1" (one inch) rings that are readily available to fit it? Few prospective projects tempt me now.......... this one does...................

[Cosine26]

Hi Gary
Thanks for the Info. I know that Lyman continued to show pictures of their older sights even after the new models had been introduced. I believe that it was to save cost. It was not so easy to creat and publish a picture in the 20's and 30's as it is today.
When the American Rifleman published the article on the introduction of 'Style T, M1903 target rifle, they used a "cut" of, what Brophy identifies, as the M1922 target rifle. Later issues of the AR show the pictures of the "Style T".

[EriCal]

Good Heavens, Gary. Are these all your sights? Wow. What a collection!!!

[Tom Trevor]

Not a sight but KURTFLYS [ e-bay handle has a STOGER 03 sight micrometer and also a Nelson micrometer. Not very common.

[Gary L. Bush]

EriCal,
Yes the 1903 Springfield gadgets I show are from my collection . What type of an aftermarket 03 gadget would you like to see? If I have it I will post a picture.

Gary Bush

[Promo]

Gary,

So then this should be a Knoble scope mount ... using it on my M1903 Hoffer-Thompson rifle, though the attached picture shows it with an early RIA rifle. And yes, the rubber eyecup piece is still factory original.