Springfield Article - Williams Gun Sight Company
Springfield Article - Williams Gun Sight Company
Springfield Article - Williams Gun Sight Company
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
NEW Small-Game Sporters!<br />
Shooting<br />
Custom<br />
BPCRs<br />
Weatherby’s<br />
Vanguard &<br />
Mark XXII Rimfire<br />
Classic<br />
Cartridge:<br />
7mm<br />
Remington<br />
Magnum<br />
Custom<br />
Anniversary<br />
<strong>Springfield</strong>!<br />
March 2007 No. 230<br />
$4.99US $5.99CAN<br />
03<br />
0 74808 01240 4<br />
Printed in USA<br />
$4.99 U.S./$5.99 Canada
RIFLE<br />
Sporting Firear<br />
earms Journal<br />
March-April 2007<br />
Volume 39, Number 2<br />
ISSN 0162-3593<br />
Issue No. 230<br />
Page 32. . .<br />
Page 14. . .<br />
8<br />
14<br />
16<br />
20<br />
22<br />
Trigger Pull<br />
Spotting Scope -<br />
Dave Scovill<br />
7mm Remington<br />
Magnum<br />
Classic<br />
Cartridges -<br />
John Haviland<br />
Sheep River<br />
Hunting<br />
Camps<br />
Mostly<br />
Long <strong>Gun</strong>s -<br />
Brian Pearce<br />
Man’s Great<br />
Escape<br />
Straight Talk -<br />
Ron Spomer<br />
Peep <strong>Sight</strong>s<br />
Down Range -<br />
Mike Venturino<br />
26 Scope<br />
Adjustments<br />
Optics -<br />
John Barsness<br />
28<br />
Fixing Slotted<br />
Screw Heads<br />
Light <strong>Gun</strong>smithing<br />
Page 40. . .<br />
Page 66. . .<br />
32 Anniversary<br />
Project<br />
Style and Elegance<br />
for a Working ’03<br />
Chub Eastman<br />
40 Weatherby<br />
Vanguard<br />
Guaranteed<br />
Performance –<br />
Right Out<br />
of the Box<br />
Brian Pearce<br />
48 Custom<br />
BPCR<br />
They shoot<br />
too.<br />
Mike Venturino<br />
58<br />
Small Game<br />
Sporters<br />
Facelift for<br />
a Trio of<br />
Varminters<br />
Stan Trzoniec<br />
66 Cooper<br />
Firearms<br />
One-Shot<br />
Competition<br />
Groups Don’t<br />
Count<br />
John Haviland<br />
Page 48. . .<br />
4<br />
www.riflemagazine.com<br />
Rifle 230
On the cover . . .<br />
A custom .30-06 <strong>Springfield</strong> 1903A3<br />
built by the <strong>Williams</strong> <strong>Gun</strong> <strong>Sight</strong> <strong>Company</strong><br />
(www.williamsgunsight.com) features<br />
a Wiseman barrel, Gentry three-position<br />
safety, Timney trigger and Leupold scope.<br />
Rifle photos courtesy of <strong>Williams</strong> <strong>Gun</strong><br />
<strong>Sight</strong> <strong>Company</strong>. Moose photo by<br />
Michael H. Francis.<br />
Page 58<br />
Page 40<br />
Page 14<br />
74<br />
87<br />
90<br />
German Rifles<br />
Not Just for<br />
Collectors<br />
John Barsness<br />
Catalog Corner<br />
Special Advertising<br />
Section -<br />
What’s New<br />
in the<br />
Marketplace<br />
Inside Product<br />
News -<br />
Clair Rees<br />
00 Federal’s<br />
“Fusion”<br />
Ammunition<br />
Product Tests -<br />
Al Miller<br />
06 Deadliest<br />
Shooting<br />
Positions<br />
Rifles &<br />
Woodsmoke -<br />
John Barsness<br />
100<br />
106<br />
Page 74. . .<br />
Publisher of Rifle ® is not responsible for mishaps of any nature which might occur from use of published loading<br />
data or from recommendations by any member of The Staff. No part of this publication may be reproduced without<br />
written permission from the publisher Publisher assumes all North American Rights upon acceptance and payment<br />
for all manuscripts. Although all possible care is exercised, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for lost or<br />
mutilated manuscripts.<br />
Issue No. 230 March-April 2007<br />
Sporting Firear<br />
earms Journal<br />
Publisher/President – Mark Harris<br />
Associate Publisher – Don Polacek<br />
Editor in Chief – Dave Scovill<br />
Managing Editor – Roberta Montgomery<br />
Art Director – Gerald Hudson<br />
Production Director – Becky Pinkley<br />
Contributing Editors<br />
Associate Editor – Al Miller<br />
John Barsness Ron Spomer<br />
Brian Pearce Stan Trzoniec<br />
Clair Rees Mike Venturino<br />
Gil Sengel Ken Waters<br />
Advertising<br />
Don Polacek: don@riflemag.com<br />
Stefanie Ramsey: stefanie@riflemag.com<br />
Tom Bowman: bowmant@mauryboyd.com<br />
Advertising Information: 1-800-899-7810<br />
Circulation<br />
Circulation Manager – Michele Morgan<br />
circ@riflemagazine.com<br />
Subscription Information: 1-800-899-7810<br />
www.riflemagazine.com<br />
Rifle ® (ISSN 0162-3583) is published bimonthly by<br />
Mark Harris Publishing Associates, Inc., dba Wolfe<br />
Publishing <strong>Company</strong> (Mark Harris, President), 2625<br />
Stearman Rd., Ste. A, Prescott, Arizona 86301. (Also<br />
publisher of Handloader ® magazine.) Telephone (928)<br />
445-7810. Periodical Postage paid at Prescott, Arizona,<br />
and additional mailing offices. Subscription prices:<br />
U.S. possessions – single issue, $4.99; 6 issues, $19.97;<br />
12 issues, $36; 18 issues, $48. Foreign and Canada –<br />
single issue, $5.99; 6 issues $26; 12 issues, $48; 18<br />
issues, $69. Please allow 6-8 weeks for first issue.<br />
Advertising rates furnished on request. All rights<br />
reserved.<br />
Change of address: Please give six weeks notice.<br />
Send both the old and new address, plus mailing label<br />
if possible, to Circulation Dept., Rifle ® Magazine,<br />
2625 Stearman Rd., Ste. A, Prescott, Arizona 86301.<br />
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rifle ® , 2625<br />
Stearman Rd., Ste. A, Prescott, Arizona 86301.<br />
Wolfe Publishing<br />
<strong>Company</strong><br />
2625 Stearman Rd.<br />
Suite A<br />
Prescott, AZ 86301<br />
Tel: (928) 445-7810 Fax: (928) 778-5124<br />
© Mark Harris Publishing Associates, Inc.<br />
6<br />
www.riflemagazine.com<br />
Background Photo: © 2006 Ted Rose<br />
Rifle 230
Chub Eastman<br />
When an anniversary of<br />
any kind rolls around,<br />
it is usually a time to<br />
reflect on or celebrate<br />
some notable happening. When that<br />
anniversary hits the century mark,<br />
there’s a little more attention and<br />
appreciation for the longevity. After<br />
all, anything that lasts that long<br />
is worth paying attention to and<br />
celebrating.<br />
Anniversary<br />
Style and<br />
Elegance for<br />
a Working ’03<br />
32 www.riflemagazine.com<br />
Rifle 230
For a gun loony, which is what<br />
John Barsness calls some of us,<br />
the year 2006 signified something<br />
special and noteworthy. It was an<br />
anniversary, the 100th anniversary,<br />
of probably the most used<br />
military/civilian cartridge since<br />
the advent of smokeless powder,<br />
and it is still near the top of popular<br />
cartridges used today.<br />
When Teddy Roosevelt and the<br />
boys came home from their encounter<br />
at San Juan Hill, it became<br />
obvious to the powers at<br />
hand that the issue rifle and cartridge<br />
used were inferior to the<br />
newer designed Mausers they ran<br />
up against. Consequently resources<br />
and manpower were appropriated<br />
and delegated to<br />
come up with something to keep<br />
our troops even with or ahead of<br />
the rest of any potential foreign<br />
adversaries.<br />
The .30-06 came into being after<br />
Uncle Sam and the designers at<br />
Frankford Arsenal spent more<br />
than six years and lots of tax<br />
money to develop a new small<br />
arms cartridge for the military.<br />
Little did they know at the time,<br />
they had come up with a car-<br />
Project<br />
tridge that would serve our<br />
troops through two world wars,<br />
the Korean Conflict and be ready<br />
for issue during the Cuban Missile<br />
Crisis.<br />
It wasn’t just a new cartridge<br />
that Uncle Sam wanted but a new<br />
rifle and cartridge system. Almost<br />
as much time and resources<br />
were spent developing the new<br />
rifle to replace the Krags that<br />
were in use at the time as in developing<br />
the cartridge. That job<br />
went to <strong>Springfield</strong> Armory.<br />
After a lot of trial and error, the<br />
rifle design finally settled on was<br />
a five-shot bolt action that could<br />
be loaded either single shot or<br />
with a stripper clip. On the bolt<br />
two strong locking lugs in front<br />
and one safety lug in the rear<br />
gave the new rifle the strength to<br />
handle chamber pressures generated<br />
by the new cartridge. It was<br />
so close in design to the German<br />
Mauser, the U.S. ended up losing<br />
a law suit for patent infringement.<br />
The new rifle was called the<br />
1903 <strong>Springfield</strong>. Strong, accurate<br />
and reliable, the ’03 saw<br />
service right up to the first part<br />
March-April 2007 © 2007 Michael H. Francis photo<br />
www.riflemagazine.com 33
Anniversary<br />
Project<br />
Shown is the 1903A3 <strong>Springfield</strong> anniversary rifle<br />
before it was sent to <strong>Williams</strong> <strong>Gun</strong> <strong>Sight</strong> for an<br />
overhaul (top) and the finished rifle (bottom).<br />
of World War II. As a note, the ’03<br />
was the rifle that hit the beaches<br />
of Guadalcanal with the Marines.<br />
It was during that battle the<br />
M1 Garand .30-06 replaced the<br />
<strong>Springfield</strong>.<br />
Hunters and target shooters<br />
were quick to pick<br />
up on the new ’03<br />
<strong>Springfield</strong> for their<br />
use. It wasn’t long<br />
before modified ’03<br />
<strong>Springfield</strong>s were<br />
seen at Camp Perry setting<br />
records. Hunters with a little ingenuity<br />
and custom gun makers<br />
were sporterizing the rifle for<br />
their use in the field, and it wasn’t<br />
long before all major rifle<br />
manufacturers started chambering<br />
the .30-06.<br />
My fascination for the ’03<br />
<strong>Springfield</strong> started years ago<br />
while operating a sporting goods<br />
store in Montana. At that time<br />
you could purchase, if you were<br />
an NRA member, a <strong>Springfield</strong><br />
from the Director of Civilian<br />
Marksmanship (DCM) for $10<br />
plus $5 for shipping and handling.<br />
Quite a few western Montana<br />
hunters became NRA members<br />
The 100-year-old .30-06 is probably the<br />
most used military/civilian cartridge since<br />
the advent of smokeless powder.<br />
because of this program, and I<br />
spent a few cold winters converting<br />
them into hunting rifles for<br />
the customers. Some were fitted<br />
with commercial peep sights and<br />
front sights from firms like Redfield<br />
and Lyman, but the majority<br />
were completely overhauled with<br />
a new high comb stock, turned<br />
bolt handle and a low swing<br />
safety for use with a scope. These<br />
weren’t fancy rifles with highly<br />
figured wood, jeweled bolts or<br />
engraving but were pure working<br />
rifles.<br />
Enough of the <strong>Springfield</strong> conversions<br />
went through the shop<br />
that discarded military stocks<br />
were stacked in a barrel in the<br />
corner, eventually ending up as<br />
firewood. Hindsight is a great<br />
thing sometimes. Who would<br />
have thought at the time that a<br />
1903 or 1903A3 <strong>Springfield</strong> in<br />
untouched original<br />
condition would be<br />
worth three times<br />
one converted to a<br />
hunting rifle?<br />
As any good gun<br />
nut can appreciate, one is always<br />
looking for an excuse to build or<br />
acquire another rifle to convert.<br />
It usually starts with a piece of<br />
wood, a barrel or an action of<br />
some sort or maybe it’s just an<br />
idea that was planted by reading<br />
an article of interest in any one<br />
of the many gun magazines.<br />
When the first of the year rolled<br />
around, I realized there hadn’t<br />
been a real project for awhile.<br />
Pawing through the gun locker,<br />
Engraving is elegant but not too<br />
flashy for a serious hunting rifle.<br />
34 www.riflemagazine.com
Details include a Dave Gentry three position<br />
wing-type safety and the <strong>Williams</strong> <strong>Gun</strong> <strong>Sight</strong> logo<br />
engraved on the barrel.<br />
two glaring things were discovered.<br />
There was no .30-06 in the<br />
gun rack (the last one had been<br />
traded off at a gun show awhile<br />
back) and there was no ’03 or<br />
03A3 <strong>Springfield</strong>. I should be<br />
ashamed of myself for not saving<br />
at least one from all the ones<br />
worked on in the past.<br />
Needless to say the light bulb<br />
clicked on. This was the .30-06’s<br />
100th birthday. It gained its fame<br />
when it was designed for the<br />
1903 <strong>Springfield</strong>, and I didn’t<br />
have either. The project had<br />
started.<br />
The goal was to find a 1903 or<br />
1903A3 <strong>Springfield</strong> in good condition<br />
for a conversion to a hunting<br />
rifle. There was a moose hunt<br />
planned in central British Columbia<br />
in October, so the idea was to<br />
find the rifle, convert it and get it<br />
shooting so it would be the rifle<br />
to collect a moose for winter<br />
meat. The project kept me going<br />
for the rest of the year.<br />
An 03A3 was found at a local<br />
gun show in February that was<br />
the perfect candidate for the anniversary<br />
project. Someone had<br />
cut the original stock to make a<br />
sporter out of it, but no other alterations<br />
had been done – and<br />
the price was right.<br />
At the SHOT Show last January,<br />
I had stopped to see what was<br />
new with <strong>Williams</strong> <strong>Gun</strong> <strong>Sight</strong> Co.<br />
and saw a beautiful custom rifle<br />
that was part of its display.<br />
After being introduced to the<br />
company’s new products, the<br />
question concerning the custom<br />
rifle on display was brought up.<br />
<strong>Williams</strong> has always had a custom<br />
shop to service its customers;<br />
I just didn’t realize there<br />
were such talented folks in the<br />
back room. The craftsmanship<br />
expended on the rifle on display<br />
was more than exceptional.<br />
After a lot of thought, a call was<br />
made to Kevin Wigton, gun service<br />
supervisor at <strong>Williams</strong>, to discuss<br />
the anniversary project.<br />
Kevin is a member of the American<br />
Custom <strong>Gun</strong> Makers Guild.<br />
As most know, to be a member of<br />
this elite guild, you have to be<br />
more than just a gunsmith. Your<br />
work must pass very demanding<br />
scrutiny by your peers. Members<br />
are top-of-the-line gun makers on<br />
par with any in the world. The<br />
more we talked, the more it became<br />
obvious Kevin and his crew<br />
Below, the moderately figured English walnut is checkered<br />
at 24 lines per inch. Right, Leupold <strong>Gun</strong>smith bases<br />
hold the scope rings.<br />
March-April 2007 www.riflemagazine.com 35
Kevin Wigton (above) and Rob Canze (right) performed<br />
the detail work on Chub’s rifle.<br />
should be the ones to do the<br />
work.<br />
The 1903A3 <strong>Springfield</strong> that was<br />
acquired in February was on the<br />
way to <strong>Williams</strong> <strong>Gun</strong> <strong>Sight</strong> for<br />
Kevin and his staff to bless<br />
with their talents. As the project<br />
progressed, there were many<br />
conversations concerning every<br />
detail imaginable from stock dimensions<br />
to the type of sling<br />
swivels. Since the old barrel was<br />
well worn, I contacted Bill Wiseman<br />
to obtain one of his superaccurate,<br />
.30-caliber barrels.<br />
Instead of the old-style safety<br />
usually used on <strong>Springfield</strong> conversions,<br />
it was decided that a<br />
David Gentry three-position<br />
safety and bolt shroud would be<br />
used.<br />
The action was surface ground<br />
and the rear tang reshaped. The<br />
rear of the bridge was reshaped,<br />
and Leupold <strong>Gun</strong>smith bases<br />
were installed. The bolt knob<br />
was checkered in a three-panel,<br />
30-lines-per-inch (LPI) design<br />
after the bolt was turned and the<br />
internal rails were polished. A<br />
Timney trigger set at 3 pounds<br />
was also installed. The classic<br />
stock designed by Kevin was<br />
English walnut and checkered<br />
24 LPI in his own unique ribbon<br />
pattern.<br />
Above, enjoyable range time was<br />
spent finding the right load for<br />
the moose hunt. Right, after<br />
almost a year in the works, the<br />
anniversary rifle achieved its<br />
final goal in British Columbia –<br />
without spending much time<br />
in a saddle scabbard.<br />
Anniversary<br />
Project<br />
36 www.riflemagazine.com<br />
Rifle 230
SPEAR POINTED CLEANING JAG<br />
38 www.riflemagazine.com<br />
PRO-SHOT<br />
PRODUCTS<br />
Manufacturer of <strong>Gun</strong> Cleaning Supplies for Accuracy<br />
- 100% Cotton Flannel Patches (Finished Both Sides for Extra Absorbency) -<br />
- Brass Core/Bronze Bristle Bore Brushes - Jags - Bore Guides -<br />
- Cleaning Rods - Action Tools - Bore Mops - Bore Solvents - Bolt Lube -<br />
- Complete line of Cleaning Accessories. Send for Free Catalog -<br />
Dealer Inquiry Invited, Pro-Shot Products, Box 763, Taylorville, IL 62568<br />
PH (217) 824-9133 - FAX (217) 824-8861<br />
www.proshotproducts.com<br />
A phone call from Kevin came<br />
in mid-August saying the <strong>Springfield</strong><br />
was in the final stages of<br />
completion. The last time I saw<br />
it, it looked like the typical wellworn<br />
1903A3 <strong>Springfield</strong> with the<br />
stock chopped off to make it into<br />
a hunting rifle.<br />
The rifle arrived a couple of<br />
weeks later. To say it was a jawdropping<br />
experience when the<br />
case was opened would be an<br />
understatement. Kevin and his<br />
staff at <strong>Williams</strong> <strong>Gun</strong> <strong>Sight</strong> had<br />
gone above and beyond what<br />
was expected. You have to look<br />
hard to see any resemblance to a<br />
<strong>Springfield</strong>; the detail work and<br />
design changes were flawless. It<br />
was more a piece of art than a<br />
hunting rifle.<br />
The next project was to head<br />
for the range and see if it shot<br />
as good as it looked. This was<br />
one range project that was going<br />
to take more time than normal.<br />
This was done on purpose, because<br />
I wanted to spend as much<br />
time behind the buttstock as possible<br />
before heading for British<br />
Columbia.<br />
I had arranged a moose hunt<br />
with good friend and outfitter<br />
Stewart Fraser, who runs Itcha<br />
Mountain Outfitters out of Quesnel,<br />
British Columbia. This was a<br />
meat hunt to fill the freezer.<br />
There are enough big moose<br />
horns hanging on my office wall<br />
with not much room for anymore.<br />
The rule set with Stewart<br />
before the hunt was the horns<br />
couldn’t be any wider than his<br />
ears. This rule helps to ensure<br />
tender meat and no problems<br />
with mounted horns.<br />
The only concern was my reluctance<br />
to slide the rifle in a saddle<br />
scabbard and then onto the<br />
horse for fear of putting the first<br />
scratch on it. I think anyone who<br />
appreciates fine work would feel<br />
the same way.<br />
Someone must have noticed my<br />
concern, because on the first<br />
day of the hunt, not a mile from<br />
camp, a young bull was escorting<br />
Rifle 230
Manufacturers<br />
WILLIAMS GUN SIGHT CO.<br />
PO Box 329<br />
Davison MI 48423<br />
1-800-530-9028<br />
www.williamsgunsight.com<br />
BILL WISEMAN & CO., INC.<br />
PO Box 3427<br />
College Station TX 77805<br />
DAVID GENTRY<br />
314 N. Hoffman<br />
Belgrade MT 59714<br />
www.gentrycustom.com<br />
LEUPOLD & STEVENS, INC.<br />
PO Box 688<br />
Beaverton OR 97075-0688<br />
www.leupold.com<br />
STEWART AND SABRINA FRASER<br />
ITCHA MOUNTAIN OUTFITTERS LTD.<br />
RR 5 Box 26, Frontier Site<br />
Quesnel, BC Canada V2J 3H9<br />
www.itchamtn.com<br />
Cochise Thumbhole<br />
Harry Lawson Co.<br />
Since 1965<br />
CUSTOM STOCKS - Finished or semi-finished<br />
Muzzle Brakes, Custom Metalwork<br />
CATALOG $2.00<br />
3328 N. Richey Blvd., Dept. C, Tucson, AZ 85716 (520) 326-1117<br />
a cow and calf across a large<br />
meadow. At 225 yards the carefully<br />
brewed Nosler 180-grain<br />
Partition ensured a full freezer<br />
for the winter. There was a second<br />
look, as his horns were a<br />
little beyond his ears, but the<br />
thought of having to put the<br />
<strong>Springfield</strong> in a saddle scabbard<br />
overruled any thoughts of looking<br />
further. I did accuse Stewart<br />
of planting the bull in the meadow<br />
on the first day, so he didn’t<br />
have to listen to my complaints<br />
about scratches and dings.<br />
Not too often long-range plans<br />
work without a few stumbles<br />
along the way, but this time all<br />
phases of the anniversary project<br />
came in on time. It seemed like<br />
everyone involved wanted to acknowledge<br />
and celebrate the<br />
100th birthday of the .30-06 on<br />
time and in a manner better than<br />
what was planned.<br />
This is one <strong>Springfield</strong> that will<br />
probably be passed on to the<br />
next generation. There is no way<br />
I’m going to let it get away. Too<br />
many people spent too much<br />
time making sure a birthday for<br />
a century-old friend was done<br />
with style.<br />
•<br />
March-April 2007 www.riflemagazine.com 39