I was curious what the experts think of this PPCo scope and mount. It all looks original to me but I'm certainly no expert. It is a tad odd that the base has different serial numbers on the end of the mount versus the top as I thought these were both the rifle serial number but maybe I'm mistaken.
I'm sure these were all hand fitted to the receiver bases but the dovetail tensioning strip (for lack of a better term) is a bit different then others I've seen pictures of with the end being an L shape. Just curious if this is all normal.
If it is all legit, any thoughts on what the value would be?
First, I know nothing about PPC scopes.
My only observation is that the numbers on the base look stamped, but the number F1787 looks to me to be hand engraved.
Could the F1706 have been applied by a civilian gunmaker? Engravers are quite capable of that sort of work.
All looks perfectly original to me, though unusual in that it appears to have been refitted to a different rifle from the punched out serial number on the end of the dovetail, and the very well engraved number on the ring.
By the look of it a user during or post-war has adjusted the placement of the range scale to give what appears to be 900 yards of adjustment.
By that I mean there are nine cut lines and at the higher ranges (4, 5, 6,) the gaps between the user-cut lines are almost exactly the same as the original markings which would make it pretty certain that .303 was the cartridge rather than the scope having been fitted to some other rifle post war.
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Just back from foreign travels. It looks good enough to me, too. The tensioning spring looks to have been replaced although a view of the face of the spring would be helpful. I presume it has the two small BA screws that locate it? There should then be a small piece of shim steel sandwiched between the machined face (on the rings) for the spring & the spring itself. It was intended to be replaceable so that the male dovetail of the rings could be made a snug fit in the female dovetail of the base. You just varied the thickness of the shim.
The tensioning spring isn't a big issue. I've recently made about ten each for both mount bases & rings. My new machinist made the rings & bases but couldn't face doing the springs as well!
My only observation is that the numbers on the base look stamped, but the number F1787 looks to me to be hand engraved.
These were always hand engraved and not stamped when being done. Though not the best to compare to since I had filled the markings with crayon, but maybe to give you a better idea -> https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=76761
Numbers on front and rear of scope ring if I remember correctly are pairing numbers - have to check all of my scopes to maybe be able and give better detail than from memory.
Now that I'm home and have access to my pictures, attached an older picture set of one of my PPCo rigs. Note the scope pouch has been reserialized to match the number on the scope mount - whereas the scope mount on front and rear end have different numberings too. Roger though might be better able to tell if at least the "29" could be considered a pairing number.
I have a rifle that bears an Aldis with the modified PPCo rings adapted to suit the Aldis scope. (The long lost Bartle mount, perhaps??). These rings bear none of the markings shown on the 'typical' PPCo rings - neither engraved nor stamped serial numbers, nor even an assembly number (assuming the one/two digit number on the end of PPCo type rings is an assembly number) in the usual places. It does, however, bear a stamped rifle number on the dovetail 'flat'.
There are also a couple of PPCo scopes shown; one with the more common 'short cone' ocular housing, & one with the slightly less common 'long cone' type. Both bear engraved serials on the tops of the rings like pretty well all other scopes of this type that I can remember seeing. Similarly they also bear different serials stamped into the one ring end. I admit I find this puzzling - rifle serials stamped into ring ends initially & perhaps if rescoped onto another rifle the new serial was engraved on the top of the rings? It would back up this speculation if someone had a scope with a carrying case that bore two numbers which were also the same two numbers found on the rings, stamped into the end & engraved onto the top. Perhaps worth looking out for??
The loose ring on its own is also a puzzle. It is 'slimmed down' similar to, but not exactly the same as the few other Aldis adapted rings that I have seen, yet the two small locking screws go in from the bottom like in a typical PPCo scope, not into the top of the rings/scope, like on the few complete Aldis bearing examples I've seen. Perhaps an earlier production variant to accommodate the Aldis?? If I ever get round to warming it up & melting out the solder I might be able to get an accurate measurement of the diameter to see if it is exactly one inch, or a little less. It does bear the serial & assembly numbers at each end.
Sorry for the poor quality pictures but they were taken hurriedly on my phone.
Last edited by Roger Payne; 06-18-2023 at 06:11 PM.
Reason: clarification
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Originally Posted by ColinA
