Do I have a Savage sniper?

[Peter Laidler]

So let me get this right............... Your gun dealer screwed the barrel in 'a bit' to correct the excessive or over adjustment of the foresight? The obvious question is was it screwed OUT too much before hand? If I'm reading this correctly, then............................. Oh never mind.

Maybe you ought to get your gun dealer to read this thread and another thread about barrel alignment. I wonder if it ever occurred to him that it MIGHT have been a simple matter of fitting the fore-end correctly.

[viking guy]

An alternative to a new scope is an old Weaver K4 from El Paso Texas with a blued steel(not aluminum) tube. Blueing is deep and almost black. Length nearly identical to No 32 scope. Optics equal to or superior to No 32. Esthetically pleasing on rifle when teamed with a good reproduction mount. Price;$150 USD or less. Good luck.

[Mudhut]

Thanks for the suggestions regarding a scope.

I took the rifle out and tested it. The adjustment my gunsmith did helped with the windage. The front post is now centered and the group is only a few inches off center. It's not perfect but better than it was. Looking forward to using a scope so I can a overcome my aging eyes.

[Peter Laidler]

Mudhut.............., you really do need to have a word with your gunsmith....... Regardless of your ageing eyes, the majority of sniper rifles in the world are capable of better shooting than '.....just a few inches off centre' believe me! I don't know if I'm alone in this belief, but 'a few inches off centre is abysmal......... I'm serious and a telescope ain't going to improve its accuracy. Only a close iunspection of that under or overturned barrel and a properly fitted fore-end is going to fix it properly

If you are sitting astride a genuine No4T, which it seems likely, then get the rifle down to a reputable dealer (if you need a name in the US, just ask me.....) and get him to set the damned thing up as it should be. That'll turn a rare but 200 dollar inaccurate old dog into an extremely rare but valuable classic No4T sniper.

If it is indeed a true, rare Savage sniper, then forget all this old cobblers about some look-a-like telescope and get yourself a good UK made EXCACT repro bracket (need a name, just ask me.........) and search the internet for a genuine telescope.

What you are doing is letting some back street garage play with your 1967 Mustang engine. It's not running right so you're going to put a flat 4 ford into it. Do yourself a favour and fix it properly

[jmoore]

I'll argue the opposite viewpoint. As noted early on in this thread, I was against mounting ANY scope, because the rifle likely never had one whilst in service. So, why remove a scope from the pool for use on a rifle that didn't have one in the first place.

Since Mudhut DID mount a bracket on the possibly unmarred pads, it's all downhill from there.

The barrel situation IS extremely curious, though. It couldn't have been in service in such a state, so that throws the whole package into a "suspect" category. Hmmm.

[jmoore]

Well, it wasn't THIS thread, Probably Mudhut's similar thread on Jouster, which gravitated here. It HAS been a while...

[Peter Laidler]

Ok, ok, JM, leave the telescope off - but I notice that you're not disagreeing with the notion that he ought to stop faffing around with his back street bodger and get the rifle sorted out properly JM. whatever you do mudhut, maybe you could leave all this talk of bubba bodgery and butchery away from this sensible site. I mean, really............... who in their right mind ever heard of a sniper rifle that has been 'corrected' but is still shooting a few inches off centre. Cutting to the quick, I've never read so much pure rubbish in my whole life.

Is there anyone else out there who agrees with this crazy notion

Or is this another wind-up but worse, like threading the L42 barrel for a moderator

[SpikeDD]

Peter, I would certainly follow the path you have suggested. Because of my nature, I wouldn't be comfortable unless it was as it should be. The trouble is, we all handle things differently, to a less than adequate result in some cases, sadly. That is the price for varying degrees of interest or priority.

There are only a few people I would trust to do the job correctly.

[vintage hunter]

Whether or not the rifle had a scope while in service or not may never be known, it was fully converted to sniper spec while it was so I see nothing wrong with putting an original no.32 scope to it. However, I'm afraid theres gonna be another no.4T removed from the pool if things keep going in the direction they are now, scoped or not. In my opinion, it's already been removed from the un-messed with pool.

[Mudhut]

Wow. I appeciate the passion. In the hope that it might cool what appear to be some vitriolic sentiments, please know that I did not turn the rifle over to an amateur and he would certainly not deserve derisive labels. BTW, I said adjusted, not corrected, so if you have a recommendation for someone who specializes in "properly fitted fore-ends" on No4 rifles in the USA, I'd appreciate that contact. Thanks to all for shairng their knowledge with me and helping to determine the provenance of this rifle.