Any interest in a step by step install of a Sun Optics scope mount on a 1903?

[oldmartins]

I just installed this mount (no holes drilled, completely reversable) and wrote up a little
article with photos on how it's done and how it came out. I'll post it here if there is any interest. If it's all been covered before that's great, just thought I'd offer.

Great site, still have not found my Garand but will look for as long as it takes. Just need
to find that right person who needs an old Martin guitar for trade!

Best
Bruce

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[PeteDavis]

Please do!

[oldmartins]

OK, will get all the photos together and the narrative, hopefully it will be of help to someone. Will try to get it on tonight.
Bruce

[oldmartins]

OK, here goes. I know I'm treading on territory where folks have strong opinions and I respect them. I do believe in keeping these old rifles as original as we possibly can. That's why when I started looking for a scope mount I chose the Sun Optics version. No drilling, can be taken back to original specs in a few minutes and it will hold zero. Seeing that, I bought it and went ahead and took photos of the process in case they might help someone else who is considering this. The sights on the gun are pretty good as they are and I may end up using them as much or more that the scope but thought it might be good to have an option.
So, if I've made a mistake on something or left out something, please point it out, I'm always glad to learn and not too proud to be wrong. But this install went pretty well for me so see what you think.

1. This install involves removing the magazine cut-off switch. It was placed there to allow
the shooter to fire one round, release the spent cartridge with the bolt and not load another
round even though the internal mag. is loaded with it's full 5 rounds.
You will notice that the switch has rather large letters stamped On and Off on either side of it. My guess is that the officers involved in a rifle company wanted to easily tell if their guys
were emptying the magazine too quickly and going through more ammo that necessary.
So if they saw that switch on, they knew the gun was being fed the full 5 cartrigdes
In the off position, you would load one cartridge at a time.
This may have had more to do with the difficulty of getting ammo to the soldiers (horses, bad roads, long distances to travel) that them being cheap with the ammo- though I suspect there was some of that as well. The middle position for the cut-off switch allows the bolt to be removed.
So, here's the lever or magazine cut-off switch

And it the on position


Removing the switch is easy. There is a screw on top of the lever or switch and that holds
a pin in place that has a blind end. You need to find something small enough to grab
that pin with mucking it up, it's not hard to remove in most cases.

And this view shows the pin sliding out, the lever will then come out easily.


So now you have a spot for the scope base to sit in firmly. Here's how it looks minus the
cut-off


Slide the back portion of the new scope mount into that space, push the pin in and tighten
down the allen head screw provided in the kit. This provides a firm mount for the rear portion of that mount. There are also two allen head screws to adjust for height fore and aft. In this photo you can see the top of the plate and a bit of the holes where the allen head screw fit. In some cases, you may need the small steel ball that comes with the kit.
I did not need it in my case but some rifles may have a different dimension. In that case, the steel ball fits where I tried to show it in a lousy photo. It might help,it's the second one.



So, now is the time to level things out, make sure that back plate is flat as the front portion attaches to it. It's not difficult. If you find that you are using the scope all the time, a drop of blue loctite can help keep the set screws in place. Red loctite might be too much and you
would run the risk of breaking the allen head wrench, or worse.

The front piece installs with the large knurled button and a washer placed inside next to
the rear mount. Tighten that down so it is snug, it needs to stay where you place it.
It starts looking like this now



I'll get some photos with the scope mounted, It uses the Weaver type mounts and I used
the shortest ones I could find for my rifle.
I hope this is of help in some way to folks thinking about putting on a scope. I'm sure there
are other mounts out there but I only have experience with this one.
Please feel free to correct or add to anything I've written here.
Best
Bruce

[PeteDavis]

I am unclear as to where the front of the mount attaches. Is the rear attachment in the cutoff slot the only attachment? How rigid is this mount?

PD

[vintage hunter]

There is no support at the front of the mount. It's of the cantilever design and not very stable at all. Once the scope is mounted it's very springy and if it happens that you can actually get the rifle zero'd the POI will soon shift. My only advise is keep the scope as small and light as possible, this may prolong the impact shift some but I doubt it.

[oldmartins]

That has not been my experience, I've had no spongy feeling whatsoever, but I don't use a large scope so that helps. One factor is the tightness of the fit of the pin that slides through
the rear mounting piece, if it's loose, you will have a spongy feel.

I tried to show one way of mounting a scope with no harm done to the rifle, I'm sure there are other, maybe better ways to do it. I have no affiliation with Sun Optics, just thought I'd show one way to do it. Please ignore it if it seems to be something you are not interested in.
If I had the eyesight I had when I was 30, I'd forget about the scope but there are some in
my age group that find a lot of benefits from a scope.

[tomwatts]

In fact the one on my 03A3 gives a very faux A4 appearance, and they are rock solid.

Attachment 31080

http://www.scopemounts.com/