Planning to try HighPower........

[KYE-OAT]

.....ran a search and found a suggestion that appealed to my "thrifty" nature.....that being the one offered of using a Mauser with target sights and stripper-groove intact.
Being that I haven't yet shot competitively, and and am unsure how I will like it....perhaps not to the tune of five G's(after all, my humble self is a resident of Arkansas, where our wages are comparable to that of labor over-seas, almost......)
Also, would the same rifle, wearing a scope and making the weight restrictions, be OK for Silhouette?
Thank you.

 

[ACP230]

I started HP with a 1917 Enfield. The loaner Garand was easier to manage in the rapids, and had better sights so I used that until I bought my own MI. After a few years I went to an M1A, which I would still use if I was able to shoot HP. Health problems have stopped me from
shooting matches for a while.

Your Mauser would work, but if you have an M1, a Mini 14, or on reduced courses, even an M1 Carbine, you might find those easier to use due to the rapid fire stages. Two guys with Mini 14s beat my scores on numerous occasions when I shot matches.

Whatever rifle you decide to use, give HP a try, its lots of fun.

 

[KYE-OAT]

About sights.........

......I am uncertain as to how much a guy needs to spend on sights.....my initial feelings are along the lines of a Williams FoolProof w/ target knobs and a Lyman 17A globe sight up front.
Would this combination allow a person to work thru the first couple shooters classifications? Or does it require a $300 Centra sight with irises and whatnot? Keep in mind my financial disposition....

 

[ACP230]

I've seen people shoot HP with sights as you describe. If they stayed with it they usually transitioned to some type of dedicated target rifle fairly quickly.

One guy shot a Swedish Mauser in 6.5 X 55 for several years. Some of these are available set up with target sights already from SARCO. He had something similar to the ones they have now and did well with it. That might be a way to go.

 

[Steve Smith]

Kye-Oat, I am the one that suggested a bolt gun with stripper groove. I don't know whether you have a Mauser or not, but it would be a cheap way to get into the sport. An Enfield would be similarly inexpensive, assuming a good barrel for either. I know nothing about Silhouette, except that it would seem like a bolt gun would be better than a semi-auto, both because of weight and adjustablility. To be perfectly honest, you will most likely not compete in two different competitions, especially with the same rifle. This is because of two things, #1 you will start to concentrate on one "style" and you'll find that there are usually enough matches to keep you busy with that one, and #2 switching a rifle from aperture sights to scope and back may (read will) cause greif with sighting in every time you switch. You could plan on switching for a while, but soon you'll find that a dedicated rifle is the way to go.

Regarding the sights, I think that jumping to the Williams or Lyman sights would be a mistake. I shoot Service Rifle so I'm not that familiar with Match Rifle sights, but I do know that no one uses one of those brands...no serious people do, that is, and there must be a reason why. The reason could be so strong that you could toss a few hundred bucks into the sights and find out that they are completely useless for accurate shooting at 600 yards. I'll see if I can get better answers for you on this tomorrow, or at least point you in the right direction.

Don't worry about working a bolt gun in the rapids. Lot of folks do that without any problems.

 

[KYE-OAT]

Thank you & about aperture sights.....

..........if Williams reciever sight and Lyman globe front sight are not the current trend, what would be, for equal dollars, and what outfit do I get them from? Thank you for your interest.

 

[Steve Smith]

That is basically what I am asking the Match Rifle guys now. I'll let you know what the answer is ASAP.

 

[Steve Smith]

Here's a cut and paste of what I received:

Hi Steve,
If the fellow is inclined to shoot the Mauser, then I can suggest looking around for an older Williams or Redfield aperature sight. These are steel and take a screw in aperature (Merrit, Lyman, or Williams.) They run about $40 to $50.

The Mauser design presents a problem that makes it impractical to use a modern rear sight (RPA/PNW/etc.) The ejector/bolt release is on the left side of the rear receiver ring...right where you would mount the sight base. The older Williams and Redfield sights mount on the RIGHT side of the rear receiver ring, just ahead of the bolt handle.

Here's an example:

That's a Yugoslavian M48 Mauser action with a Williams rear sight and a RPA front sight (mounted on a regular dovetail base, which is attached to the barrel with screws.)

With all the little bits, it's about $125 to install these sights on a Mauser rifle.

Curt



So, I was a little wrong about the Williams. Look for the older models. Time to edit an older post.

 

[KYE-OAT]

Thank you, again.......

.........thisis just the sort of info I was after........I hope to be able to set my Mauser up in a similar fashion.......where does one find that RPA front sight?
This would even be affordable for an individual on an extremely tight "recreational fund". I don't expect to turn into no Tubb with it, but fun is what it is about anyhow........and someday a guy might could use an Income Tax Return ....or something and improve one's equipment after one has learned some of the basics of HighPower, in general........
Thank you.

 

[Steve Smith]

Ok, rather than me playing middleman (and running up against Rich's TFL deadline, how about follow me to a website where you can get this info. No offense, but I shoot Service Rifle, so I don't know all the Match Rifle details. Come on over to www.nationalmatch.us and log on. Then post in the Match Rifle section. Explain what you've already found, so they don't have to repeat a lot of stuff. Cool?

BTW, please come over to the new forum that will "replace" TFL and continue with what we have here. Oleg will post the URL today.

 

[KYE-OAT]

Thank you and ....

........I will try to follow you over to the new forum. Thank you for the help and have a good Christmas. I will go over to that nationalmatch site for more info.......

 

[Blind Rat]

There's a guy on Shooters.com's Highpower Board that posts regularly and wrote an article for Precision Shooting Magazine outlining just what you're trying to accomplish.

His name is Paul Feist and he posts under Shyning Night (or something like that). I'm sure he'd be more than willing to shar his experiences with you.