1903 USMC Sniper Scope

[yoopercollector]

I was thinking of having a 1903 built into a sniper rifle with the Hi-Lux 8X USMC scope. Does anybody know if it is worth paying the extra money to get one that Creedmoor has gone through? They want $625 plus shipping, you can get them for $429 with free shipping now. Does anyone know where to have one built and will they possibly go through the scope. Was thinking of contacting Warpath Vintage. Thanks

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[Neal Myers]

Have not heard of Creedmore. Not sure what you are considering ---- buying an 03 from them, or buying the scope from them?

In any case, I see the scope currently advertised on Amazon for $429, with mounts. I assume that it's current manufacture, made in China. Difficult to believe that you will get a quality scope & mounts for that price. I'd hate to get $1,000 into a project, only to find that the reticle rattles around in the tube, or the mounts are soft steel. I'd want to hear from someone who has already completed the project (& fired at least a few hundred rounds).

Talking to Chuck at Warpath sounds like a good idea. I wonder where you are going to get the correct handguard, or if you are going to have to make your own?

Neal

[yoopercollector]

Thanks for the reply. I have a 1903 with a C stock coming. You can order 1903A4 rifles from the CMP and they come from Creedmoor Sports. They sell the same Hi-Lux scope that Amazon has, they sell it for $529 and offer an upgrade where they go through the scope for $76 more plus shipping. The only thing I read bad about the scope is the screws are cheap. The few gunsmiths I found online so far say they use different bases. The guy who does my FFL transfers is a gun builder and says he will go over the scope for me so I ordered one through Amazon with free next day shipping. I have gone online and read up on how these builds have gone, they all seem happy with their rifles. My next step is finding a gunsmith with experience building these guns and sending my rifle to them. On the Warpath website he will modify the handguard or you can buy one already modified. I will try and get a hold of Chuck at Warpath.

[JGaynor]

These forums, in particular the CMP forum, have had numerous posts about the HiLux "Malcolm" reproduction USMC sniper scope over the last few years. The problems reported typically involve the mounts. The materials including the screws up not up to US standard.
The scope itself reportedly has good glass and unlike the originals are charged with nitrogen.

The Creedmore people were probably the first to offer this scope in the US. They started offering a complete reproduction M1903A1 sniper rifle for about $2500. That was several years ago. I have not seen it offered on the website recently. They have however continued to sell the 8X scopes. As an option ($75.) their people go over the scopes changing a few screws, doing minor deburring and lubrication.

There are other sources for the mount blocks (Steve Earle) and micrometer mounts (DZ Arms).
Seems like most people ultimately discard some of the HiLux Malcolm hardware and use original pieces or pieces from other sources.

[yoopercollector]

I think the Steve Earle mounts are what they said they install. What I read about the mounts is they clean, debur and re-oil the adjustment parts. They also change the screws to hardened American made screws. Doesn't sound to hard, don't know where to find the screws. Maybe a hardware store. I see they sell scope screw kits at Midway and Brownell's but don't know if they get them from China.

[Randy A]

Creedmoor does sell the accurized 8X, Rock Ridge goes through them and does a pretty good job, I think it's worth the money. Steve Earl is the only way to go on the blocks, the manufacturer ones that come with the scope are terrible, the set I got weren't even symetrical. Unfortunately the DZ Arms mounts have not been blessed by CMP yet, they are also posi-lock and do not have click adjutsment. Not sure why the CMP has not allowed them, I think if a few people bugged them about it they would.
I'm not crazy about the adjustments, but they seem to be repeatable and do the trick (until I find a set of Unertls). The only remaining issue I have with the scope is the crosshair, they're pretty thick. I have the solution in the mail right now, I'll be putting .0005 wires in it.

[Skip]

I can't speak for the 8X but I have the HiLux M82 repo scope and the optics are crystal clear. It is made in China.

1942 USMC Sniper - James River Armory

[yoopercollector]

Thanks for the info everyone, very helpful. Where do you order new crosshairs from and do they sell other scope parts. Thanks again.

[Randy A]

It dosen't quite work like that, I do my own. There are places that offer replacement of the crosshairs but these scopes are under warranty so weigh the risk if you chose. I'm sure if it gets sent back and they see someones modified it, you might have problems. Can't tell you much about parts, there are a couple places that do work on Unertls but I'd have to dig through my notes, I can't think of the name right now.

[vintage hunter]

there are a couple places that do work on Unertls but I'd have to dig through my notes, I can't think of the name right now.

Iron Sight Inc and Parson's Scope Service are two that I know of.

I don't do any competitive shooting so I just stuck a commercial 10x 1 1/4 Unertl on mine.