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    Legacy Member m4carbine's Avatar
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    Any idea what the date of the picture is?

    It looks like a cut down P14 or 1917, but Remington did make a sporting rifle that was based on the M1917, same action, sight ears cut off and same dog leg bolt.

    I think it was a Model 54.
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    Advisory Panel Surpmil's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by m4carbine View Post
    Any idea what the date of the picture is?

    It looks like a cut down P14 or 1917, but Remington did make a sporting rifle that was based on the M1917, same action, sight ears cut off and same dog leg bolt.

    I think it was a Model 54.
    Remington Model 30 (Express). Damn good rifles, available from the early 20s to WWII. The handguard rules this out as being one probably.

    Whoever made the rifle up was one of those people with initiative. I do believe they're the ones who win wars. I hope we can find out more out that chap and his rifle.

    Scope is not an A5 or B4 IMO: too thick. Rings look like the type with one top screw to tighten; typical WWI era stuff. Could be an early Germanicon commercial scope that was imported to Oz before or after WWI, or a war souvenir reused.

    Looks like there's a step in the ocular bell just where the taper changes to the parallel sides. My guess would be Aldis No4 in WWI overhead mounts. If that was so, it could be a proper WWI sniper rifle brought home by an Aussie and re-stocked. Or just the scope and mounts. Notice that the front base resembles the P14 overhead types. Or could be an Aldis No4 in a set of No1 HT mounts. As an armourer, those mounts should have been available to him; assuming he built the rifle.

    I had a Goerz 4x a while back that was marked to a gunsmith in NSW from the 20s or 30s. Probably a WWI souvenir.

    There were a few makers of scopes in Australia before or after the war it seems: Australian made vintage collectable rifle gun scopes sporting militaria WW2 ? | eBay (NB: one of those scopes is a Zeiss Zielklein without Zeiss markings)

    The end of the tube looks a bit bent, so that is probably a piece of tubing added as a sun shade, from about level with his middle finger I'm guessing.

    The comb of the butt is too high I think for that to be standard P14 stock, and it looks more like a SMLE or No4 buttplate than a P14 one. Notice the lack of the distinctive recurve at the bottom and the rather convex and apparently shiny surface.

    Of course if he was an armourer and perhaps a civilian gunsmith as well, restocking a rifle would not be past him. The brass buttplate would be a better choice for the tropics too.
    Last edited by Surpmil; 06-16-2012 at 06:35 PM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Surpmil View Post
    Remington Model 30 (Express). Damn good rifles, available from the early 20s to WWII. The handguard rules this out as being one probably.
    Wonder if it was a F grade M30 or the scope was from one, in "Bolt Action Rifles" it says the scope was foreign made with special mounts ? maybe the handgaurd added.

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