Geoff is a shooting and reloading enthusiast who would rather be at the range, but is content to write about it. He is a member of Waiuku Pistol Club, and shoots rifle, pistol and shotgun in various disciplines, occasionally, managing to get out for a hunt.
The old .303 has been a staple of the Kiwi bush for decades, and will most likely continue to be around for decades to come. Usually the pristine, fully wooded specimens are locked away in gunsafes and taken out for service rifle shoots, and even old sporters get treated with a degree of respect, reflecting their heritage from the culling days.
However, some sporters are the perfect base for a project that’s a little bit fun – a little bit different. So, looking out for the perfect beginning of a bush rifle project, an easy scope mounting scenario was high on the list for me.
Comparing two SMLEs, one with original fixed sights and one with a scope mounted and iron sights removed.
Most of the older rifles with scope mounts have rails that bridge the gap between the front of the action and the stripper-clip/bolt guide. I think I’ve only seen one with weaver-style rings jimmied into place, and one with a scout-type mount that fit over the rear sight – similar to what you see on some Mosin Nagant scout projects.
Anyway, these older rails – they all tend to lack any Weaver or Picatinny type cross sections – the slots where the recoil stop sits. If you try and fit modern rings to one of these older rifles, you’ll find that after a few shots, the rings will start to slide back or loosen.
So, this means if you buy a rifle with one of these old rails you have a couple choices.
Find some old rings
You could try and find some old style rings that lack a cross-bar. These are similar to the dovetail rings you get for rimfire rifles and for modern Tika rifles. The difference is the width of the ring bases, so you may not be able to find a modern type that will fit your older rifle – especially if the angle of the lips doesn’t mate up with the angle of the rail.
With the ATI scope mount, a longer allen key will be very helpful for the rear grub screws.
So, you may have to try and find some old school rings. However there are two downfalls to this approach. Firstly, older rings were phased out for a reason. The cross bar on picatinny and Weaver style scope rings means the rings cannot slide back on the rail under recoil.
The second downfall is that you will be getting an unknown quantity. They will probably be for 1″ tubes only, and you won’t know whether they’re good quality, well-aligned, etc.
Remove the rail and replace
There are a few modern rail types that you can fit to your .303. There are ones that you drill and tap into the side of the action – I’m not a big fan, but others like them. They’re quite similar to the kind of aftermarket rails you’d use on an AK, Mosin or SKS – basically actions that aren’t designed for scope rails.
The grub screws in the rear of the ATI scope mount use tension to keep the rail in place.
Because the rear ring of the action is quite different to modern actions, your standard MOA rails probably won’t be much help. However, ATI produces a mount that uses one screw into the front ring of the action and a couple grub screws against the rear ring of the action. While these two rear screws are not drilled and tapped into the action, the force they apply seems to be strong enough to keep the rail in place under recoil.
I’ve been using one on a project .303 for a while now, and have had no complaints.
With any aftermarket scope mounts on an SMLE, you’re going to have a pretty high scope. So, you’ll probably need to look at an aftermarket stock or some sort of cheek riser to allow easy and repeatable eye relief. More on that in another article soon, as this project continues to evolve.
Every shooter should spend time honing their craft in the field. Whether that means tagging along on a hunt or spending time at the range. However, there’s also a fair bit of research that goes into any regular shooter’s regimen.
For some it’s as easy as flipping through the pages of their favourite hunting magazine, while for others detailed research into firearms maintenance, reloading recipes, elevation dope and more becomes our usual bedtime reading.
To be honest, I much prefer reading to watching videos, I feel like you take in more info and store it better. Having said that, there are a few YouTube channels that I watch for a few different reasons. Here they are:
1 – Jerry Miculek
This is me not shooting anywhere near as fast as Jerry Miculek.
This has got to be my favourite channel on YouTube. Most of you would know, Jerry is a world champion shooter who has been around longer than most of us have been able to pull a trigger. He’s an excellent 3-gunner and holds several world records for speed shooting, most notably with a revolver. Most would say he’s the fastest shooter in the world.
Aside from being a professional shooter and teaching through his videos, Jerry does some ‘myth busting’ and other entertaining stuff. Imagine a blend between the pageantry of the Myth Busters TV show and the firepower of Demolition Ranch (without the redneck tendencies).
So, number 1 on my list – Jerry Miculek’s channel. The reasons to watch? Information, technique and entertainment.
2 – Iraqveteran8888
Eric from Moss Pawn and Guns hosts a channel under the tag of Iraqveteran8888. Of course a lot of stuff from the States does deal with things that are not super-relevant in New Zealand, such as home defence, concealed carry, how totalitarian and controlling the government is, etc.
However, taken outside of the gun shop environment, Eric explores firearms with the same questions the average shooter might have in mind (with a few crazy videos as well, for sure). I’ve been looking at getting into 3 gun shooting, and I’ve come across a few of the videos from this channel which look at the gear and other aspects of the game, from a novice perspective, but with expert help and equipment.
What I particularly like is that Eric brings in guests, such as Jerry whom we mentioned above, but also one of my other favourite shooters – Chris Chang. Here they are going through some of the basics of 3 gun gear.
So, number 2 on my list – Iraqveteran8888. Reasons to watch: Gear and ammo reviews, great guests and a fresh perspective on various shooting disciplines.
3 – Just about any Canadian gunner’s channel
While American’s certainly have access to more firepower and cooler toys, the Canadian market is more similar to our own. We have similar-ish restrictions on what we can reasonably own, and neither Canada nor New Zealand have a ban on Chinese weapons like the States does.
This means Canadian gun channels will feature gear and guns that are pretty similar to what’s available at your local gun store. For this reason channels such as Canadian Firearms Review can be an excellent resource if you are weighing up what the next addition to your gun safe will be.
So, number 3 on my list – any decent YouTube channel north of the States that features firearms and competent people behind them. Reasons for watching? Similar availability of firearms and fairly closely mirrored political atmospheres means you get a halfway cross between how Kiwis tend to shoot, and how our cousins in the States tend to shoot.
We live in a world that is increasingly made easier, yet more complicated, by the technology we introduce into various areas of our lives. For hunters in New Zealand’s wilderness some things are an absolute necessity – such as a PLB, radio, and/or GPS. But what about your phone?
Using the icons in Hunters Tool, you can keep track of sightings, blood trails, successful shots, and more…
Given that a lot of hunting happens outside of cell coverage, most hunters leave the mobile in the truck or the bottom of the pack. However, we see more and more mobile apps for hunters that could make our lives a lot easier. This is not to say that you’ll ever replace your essential survival and navigation tech with an iPhone, but it might just make the cut and get included in your day pack for some other reasons – one of those is the Hunters Tool.
We’ve got a special promo code for our readers – read on for more info.
Hunters Tool
The mobile app is currently only available for iPhone and iPad, with an android version on the way in the near future. You may be a bit skeptical, wondering what value an app could add to your hunting experience, but there’s a fair bit to it.
Hunters Tool allows you to create hunting areas or trails based on a map, and track your activity. You could add icons for your trail cams, or mark the spot where you last saw that elusive stag, upload photos of spottings, as well as a host of other functions.
After entering all your info, the app automatically generates a hunting journal for you and can also help you keep track of stats if you enter your shots and your hits, etc. Most shooters are competitive by nature, but throw in a trophy animal and the stakes (or steaks?) get higher.
Draw boundaries of your hunting area to start managing animal resources and tracking your activity.
Recording your stats means you can compare to your mates you hunt in the same area. You can also add your hunting buddies so that you can locate each other and share information on animal activity and game management.
Who is it for?
I’ve seen a few apps around, but none as comprehensive as Hunters Tool. While a lot of Kiwi hunters (that is, hunters that are Kiwi, not people that hunt our national icon!) head out for one or two hunts a year, there are those that actively hunt for sport or to put meat on the table.
For those that are constantly in the bush or peaks, keeping track of your hunting activity could mean more success as you start to notice patterns in animal appearances or areas that have been over-hunted. It also means you could share your knowledge with your farm hands or anyone else who constantly bugs you for information.
Passing on this kind of info to the next generation is another great reason for people to use an app like this. For many New Zealander’s trying to get into hunting, it can be very difficult to acquire the necessary knowledge if you haven’t had a dad/uncle/whoever to take you out into our great, wide wilderness.
Use the Augmented Reality features to visualise what’s happened at or near your physical location.
For new hunters, a tool that helps them store the knowledge they are building up could be invaluable. Also, being able to quantify progress by seeing the improvement in shot placement or animal encounters over time.
And of course, lastly, there are those that nerd out over stats. The shooters and hunters who are super competitive, but more with themselves than anyone else. Being able to analyse your own performance and micro-manage your activity in the field could be exactly what you want.
It’s not hard to see why the stats and rankings would appeal to some competitive hunters.
Conclusion
It all depends on what you want out of it, but the app certainly caters for a wide range of users. In fact, there are several versions based on what you need.
There’s the free version, which allows you to create 2 hunting areas and use up to 10 icons. It’s enough for the casual hunter, or to get you started out. Then there are the Advanced and Professional versions which unlock more features, areas and icons, as well as higher levels of detail.
For Gun Rack readers, Hunters Tool have provided us with a promo code that will allow you to download the Professional version for the price of the Advanced version. That’s all the bells and whistles, at the lowest price point.
To get your promo code, head along to our Facebook page, hit ‘like’ and send us a message for your free code.
To download the app you can find it in the app store or at their website – make sure to use the button in the top right of the page to change the language to English, as the default is Spanish!
[Editor’s note: Auckland Pistol Club has reopened after their three month voluntary closure. Members are welcome to enjoy their old range with added improvements, and new members are being taken on. You can contact APC at this link]
Members of Auckland Pistol Club (APC) will face the unfortunate situation of having to find somewhere else to shoot as their local club has been shut down for allegedly breaching its resource consent.
A noise complaint from a nearby property led to an environmental health officer measuring noise at the property boundary, which revealed noise in excess of the constraints of the resource consent under which the club operates.
Without any prior warning of an action against them, the club has been shut down until further notice – which is to say, shut down until appropriate measures have been taken by the club to bring it back within its resource consent’s parameters.
This not only means other clubs will have a tough time accommodating an influx of pistol shooters, but also that new pistol shooters will have their training interrupted. Those members of the club that need to shoot elsewhere to complete their mandatory 12 shoots for the year should use a ‘shooter’s diary page’ to log their activity. You can get these from the PNZ website.
APC is currently doing all they can to have access to the range restored, and are working with members, acoustic engineers and the council to remedy the situation.
It’s an unfortunate situation, but a strong reminder to all shooters to obey their club rules, stick within resource consents and operate their firearms in a safe and controlled manner. Sticking to ‘the rules’ not only ensures the safety and well-being of yourself and those around you, but also ensures that you and your club can continue to enjoy shooting sports without interruption.
[Editor’s note: Auckland Pistol Club has reopened after their three month voluntary closure. Members are welcome to enjoy their old range with added improvements, and new members are being taken on. You can contact APC at this link]
The MI4 or M1A is a mainstay in most military rifle collections, alongside its predecessor the M1 Garand. The M1A even sees frequent use in Heavy Metal classes of 3 Gun competition. The Norinco M305 is a damn good copy of the Springfield M1A (and the newer ones are even better). They’re also 4 or 5 times cheaper than their American cousins.
However, Chinese guns often come dripping in cosmoline, requiring a proper birthday before heading to the range. Even parkerized magazines in sealed bags will be dipped in cosmo to keep rust at bay. If you’ve bought a rifle that’s been stored in an armory for a while, you’ll notice that cosmo and parkerized finishes interact and create a greenish-grey finish. Anyway, I digress…
If you’ve bought one of these Chinese knock-offs, chances are you’ve got a magazine or two full of cosmoline. This will mean stiff functioning and potential jams when they get dirty as well, leading to failure to feed situations. Disassembling one of these mags is easy to do, and highly recommended for cleaning purposes.
Step 1 – Remove the floor of the magazine
Unlike older magazines like the Lee Enfield’s 10-rounder, where the spring and follower come out of the top of the mag with some wiggling and creative angles, the M305 magazine has a floor plate that can be removed.
A screwdriver or something similar can be used to pry the locking tab up. Once this is over the magazine wall, you can slide the floor of the magazine forward.
Step 2 – Take it apart
Unlike rimfire magazines, there are no small springs or buttons that leap out at you when you open the magazine up. Once the bottom is removed, you’ll probably find the square spring is pressed against the tabs that were keeping the floor in place.
It’s quite easy to remove the spring by lifting a coil at a time, and then giving the follower a bit of a wiggle to get it out. Take care not to cut yourself, as these mags don’t have the best finish in the world.
The spring shouldn’t jump out at you and there are no small parts to lose.With so few parts, it’s easy to keep track of everything and clean it. Make sure to watch out for sharp edges.
Step 3 – Degrease everything!
Norinco is nothing if not liberal in their application of cosmoline. The preservative gunk is everywhere. Make sure you get your cleaner/degreaser inside and outside the magazine, and over all of the parts you have removed. I personally prefer a degreaser in an aerosol can to make sure I get everywhere. Most of the time I use Wurth’s Industrial Cleaner, which is a citrus-based aerosol, and highly effective.
Give the magazine a good wipe, inside and out, with a clean rag. Again, make sure to watch out for sharp edges – maybe even debur them if necessary.
Step 4 – Oil and reassemble
A bit of lubrication of the spring/follower is not a bad idea. Not enough to get dirt and debris stuck in there, but enough to relieve some of the friction as the follower contacts the walls of the magazine.
With this particular magazine I used some aerosol Ballistol. However, a few drops of Remoil or Hoppes Lubricating Oil would do the trick too.
After you’ve applied some lubricant to the inside of the magazine and put the follower and spring back in, it’s time to close up the floor.
The curved floor metal means you’ll need your screwdriver again to lift it into place. Seal the deal by tapping it closed with a rubber mallet or tap it on your bench.
Every now and then you come across a product that presents you with the best of dilemmas. The problem I have with my new 40/44 scope is choosing which rifle to fit it to. Now, I may sound like a gushing schoolgirl at this point, but read on and let me explain why this scope’s versatility is a nice problem to have.
Price range
The ocular bell allows plenty of clearance for bolt handles and gloved fingers.
Let’s not kid ourselves, when you’re purchasing optics the first thought you have is, ‘How much is my wallet going to bleed to get the kind of clarity/magnification/quality I want?’
There’s a common saying that if you put a $300 scope on a $1000 rifle, then you’ve got a $300 rifle. I would argue that the 40/44 Series 6.5-20×44 is the exception to this platitudinal rule.
The manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) listed on Weaver’s website is roundabout $320-330 USD, depending on the specs you go for. If you’re lucky, you can catch it on special or find a store/site with free shipping and get it to your door for around that price. But! Does it shoot like it belongs in the $300 – $500 USD ($450 – $600 NZD) range?
Quality
Finish
The first thing I did when I unpacked the 40/44 was mount it on a Savage .243 to check out the fit and function. Unfortunately I installed it with rings that were a tad snug, and immediately had some long scratches after I pushed and pulled the scope around finding a comfortable fit.
The objective bell clears the rear sight on this Savage nicely.
Feeling pretty upset with myself for ruining a brand new scope (before I’d even had a chance to photograph it for this review too!), I tried to rub the marks out a bit with my thumb. And they lifted. The black, hard-anodized matte finish is built for such rugged use that even scraping it along in tight metal rings didn’t leave any permanent marks on the finish. I’ve had much more expensive scopes (especially with matte finishes) end up with unsightly scratches even from a trip to the range, let alone hiking through the bush.
Mechanical
If there’s one thing that’s a tell-tale sign of poor – or even average – manufacturing quality, it’s sloppy elevation and windage adjustments.
The fine gearing makes for smooth use and precise adjustments.
Even when I was just playing around with the scope before actually going to the range, I could tell that the 40/44 Series was just a little bit better made in this area than most. The clicks were tight and consistent, and there was no play in the adjustment turrets. After taking the turret caps off, adjustments can be made with your fingers, with no special tools or coins necessary.
The parallax and magnification adjustments have a bit of a longer throw than other scopes in the same price bracket. This is actually a good thing. What this indicates is finer internal gearing, which means more precise adjustments can be made. The movement of these parts is also smooth, but resistant enough to the point where you don’t have to worry about unintentional movement.
Optical
The optical quality is really what most people get giddy about when choosing a new scope, although I’d maintain that mechanical quality is just as important.
In my experience there are two major indicators of optical quality in a scope. The first (and most obvious) is light transmission. Is the scope clear, bright and easy to use? The answer in this case is yes. The second, and certainly equal, indicator of quality materials and craftsmanship is the ability of a high-magnification scope to continue to provide optimal light transmission at the high end of its zoom range.
In other words, if I were hiking around the back country with the magnification set around 10 for medium-range shots, but then decided to take a longer range shot requiring all 20x zoom power – at dusk – could I expect the same level of optical clarity?
Many competitor scopes at this level – and certainly the cheap no-name brand scopes on TradeMe – start to get murky towards the end of their range. I had a 6-24x power scope that I realistically couldn’t use beyond 18 or 20 without losing too much light. I’ve also owned an 8-32x scope that may as well have been an 8-24x for all the use the upper range was.
It may be a hunting scope, but it’s perfectly at home on this rimfire rifle, along with the aftermarket Boyds stock.
I’ve glassed tree-lined creek beds with this scope in failing light at maximum zoom, and also used it at maximum zoom at an indoor target range, and in both situations found the light transmission to be excellent. So much so that I would be confident in saying I could use the full potential of this scope, and not just stick to the lower ranges.
Specified use
Of course, how you intend to use any particular scope is up to you. However, certain optics are created with particular uses in mind. According to Weaver’s website, the primary use for the 40/44 in 6.5-20×44 with Dual-X reticle is as a large game hunting setup.
The 6.5-20x version of this scope comes with three reticle options – the Dual-X, Ballistic-X and Varminter. All are variations on the duplex reticle and the use for hunting is readily apparent. The thick posts draw your eye naturally to the finer crosshair in the centre, making for quick target acquisition.
The Ballistic-X version has some elevation holdover hashes for those who prefer to holdover rather than adjust their turrets – useful for shooting on the move, rather than from a prone position. The Varminter crosshair features a round dot in the middle of the reticle to form a natural point of focus for the eye.
If you choose the Dual-X (like I have) or the Varminter, you’ll likely be making elevation adjustments in the field. Using a ‘cheat sheet’ calculator, you can quickly figure out what adjustments you need to make and have these on a card taped to your rifle for quick reference. Alternatively, some time at a range with multiple distance options can help you figure out exactly what your load/rifle/optic combination requires.
Thankfully the 40/44 is designed with quick adjustments like these in mind. After removing the turret caps, you’ll notice the turret markings are easily visible from the shooter’s position.
The turret adjustments are easily seen from the shooter’s position.
The ocular bell is also quite compact, which has multiple benefits. It’s easier to see past when making turret adjustments for starters. But more importantly it means more clearance between the bolt handle and the scope. This makes for easier mounting on older rifles, as well as convenient use with gloves when you’re in the mountains.
Overall impressions
It’s easy to see how this scope could be favoured by hunters the world over. It’s not a Super Slam, but for the budget-conscious shooter or the back-up rifle, it’s great value for money with many of the same features as the more expensive scopes. It’s no surprise that it’s a ‘best rated’ product on Optics Planet.
The ruggedness and mechanical reliability means a lifetime of use, while the optical clarity makes it perfect the times of day you really expect to be hunting in New Zealand. The uncomplicated reticle and ease of adjustment makes for more confident shooting in the field too.
While this scope was originally mounted on a .243 Winchester for hunting use, it’s found a new home on my bolt action .22LR along with a Boyds Pro Varmint stock for target shooting. While it may seem a strange application, indoor smallbore target shooting involves known distances without wind variation, making the simple reticle ideal. The high level of magnification also means precise shooting and knowing what your score is before you leave the mound. The large objective lens also means plenty of visibility indoors under artificial lighting. Lastly, the adjustable objective means you can shoot at high magnification at ranges as close as 25 yards.
But, as I mentioned at the beginning of this article, this scope could sit on almost any of my rifles and be fit for purpose. It could go on my 6.5×55 and be used for F-Class, or thrown onto my 7mm-08 for a light, bush-ready rig. Like I said at the start, it’s a good problem to have!
