Can someone please help with this WW1 sniper

[Roger Payne]

Although it says H&H I suspect they're highly butchered Purdey rings, extensively reworked into civvy mounts by H&H after the war.

Harlton, if you can find a Winchester A5 or B4 scope I have some reproduction Whitehead Brothers mounts available at the moment - just pm me if interested.
I do get batches of PPCo & other mounts made periodically, & am currently awaiting a small batch of H&H mounts (bases & rings) for the SMLE/Aldis. I know not exactly when they will be ready, but hopefully by the end of this year. Don't have any PPCo's at present, but they are also on the list to get done again in due course.

ATB.

[harlton]

Thanks Big Duke,
Not too anything I'm sure of, it must be an over bore, with the mounts either side, so not Lee Enfield that's for sure, but I wonder if it could be for a Ross Rifle. They did an over the Bore aldis set-up, I've heard tell of. I'll root thru my pic's and book's, really nice scope and rings, as I understand it the Canadians modified them, with a mount towards the front on the left and then where the little bridge mounts. Don't quote me, but I will have a dig and see if it matches what I'm thinking of. Their are people here who can correct me, anyway, many Thanks.

Regards Ian

[bigduke6]

When I spoke to H&H they said it was or would of been fitted to a sporter but what type of rifle they couldn't say so its anyones guess

[harlton]

Thanks for all, the everything there, Roger. The mounts I have in mind to fab up are the H&H style you show in your first pic's on your own rifle, I saw them in Ian Skennerton's book Commonwealth Sniper Rifles, pages 26 & 27. They seem to be the closest I'll get to a German type arrangement, which I like, without being silly.
When I saw this guy's video, I thought I would ask, but I bet he hates me now, Sorry.
I have a Winchester type scope and mounts, it's an all steel scope, no name on it but looks identical. I would judge it's about it's 6x-8x, missing either the parallax adjuster or the final ring. I hate cutting fine little thread's, but will soon once I give up looking for one.
I did try it on the side, I mocked up a mount, as it was my original thought for the rifle. I wasn't nuts about it, but I have a few physical problems, I'll center mount it, on the bar type mount. Great Target scope, but very small F.O.V. it goes dark as the windage is dialed in.
I'm totally spoiled now, by the German scopes, They must have made it quite an unfair fight, from what I see, and have read of it.
I also tried A W&S scope at an auction, but wasn't keen on it either. Funny, as they make such great Binoculars, I have some.
By the way, do you have that rifle in the first 3 pic's working yet, if so how does she go? I'm very interested in your results, if you don't mind. Thanks again

Best Regards Ian

[Roger Payne]

Hi Ian,
The Aldis/H&H SMLE is just about finished, though I haven't taken her out on the range as yet. I may put a few rounds through her on the zeroing range to start off with.

I hope all goes well with your project - keep us posted.

ATB.

[Surpmil]

The Aldis scopes I've had; all four of them, LOL, had excellent glass, with the exception of that abomination of a sporter scope they made up from left over bits after WWII, or as it before??

That said, it seems that some exchanges of glass for certain strategic materials the Germans required did indeed take place during WWI, so without testing I can't say where the fine glass in those Aldis scopes may have come from.

Can glass be precisely and non-destructively analyzed for chemical composition?

[browningautorifle]

When I saw this guy's video, I thought I would ask, but I bet he hates me now, Sorry.

I wouldn't worry Ian, I seriously doubt he would believe one single word the bunch of us had written. Experts seldom are in the market for correction about something they have that's priceless... It wouldn't be priceless any more.

[Brian Dick]

Spelled "exspurt".

[Surpmil]

"the scope is obviously much too far offset to be either practical or original."

some collectors should get out more - like go to the range and try shooting with their "rarities". Then they might realize that what they have in their hands is a non-functional nonsense.

For shooting in the prone position, that setup would be an abomination. I would not risk one single shot with it, as the scope is likely to end up in the eye socket.

The only way one could use it safely would be to shoot in a sitting position, using the left eye for aiming. Hardly likely for a sniper, but plausible for a hunter sitting in a hide.

Even then, the scope is set alarmingly far back. Over the years i have seen several german hunters with the unofficial "badge" of a half-moon cut on the eyebrow, the typical result of having a scope set too far back, and putting the eye too close to the scope in an unconscious effort to get closer to the target.

A hunter in a hide would have the scope set up for the most favourable distance (say 100-150 yards), and the horizontal variation of the poi resulting from the offset would be about 1" over that range - seems acceptable. Useless for long ranges of course, but they would never be attempted.

In short, imho this is a rifle/scope combination that was cobbled together for a hunter who could not use his right eye.

Attachment 64300

Fortunately not many nerve endings in the eyebrow area.

[browningautorifle]

I've seen enough people that might disagree...but more blood vessels I should think. It always bleeds like a pig...