This volume in the “Collecting the American Sniper Rifle” series includes the M1C and M1D Garand Sniper Rifles, the Winchester and Remington match rifles used as sniper rifles in Vietnam, the USMC M40 Sniper Rifle, the US Army’s M24 and XM2010 Sniper Rifles, the Special Operations Command M86 and M89 Sniper Rifles, and the T3 and M2 Carbines equipped with the T120, M1, M2 and M3 Infrared Sniperscopes.
Each sniper rifle is analyzed in depth for serial number ranges, markings, parts codes and other identifying markings. The telescopic sights, mounts, and rings are specifically identified for their military use complete with markings and where useful, serial number ranges.
You find an M1C or M1D sniper rifle at a gun show or a gun shop? How do you know that it is an original and authentic U.S. military sniper rifle. These and other U.S. military sniper rifles have been counterfeited for several decades now. Others have been built by well-meaning shooters and collectors for their own use, but over the years, and in other hands, they have become “original and authentic” sniper rifles.
M1Cs fall into a distinct range of serial numbers and their telescopic sights and mountings possess distinct characteristics. Do you know what they are?
The M1D, the most popular U.S. military snipers rifle to collect, are widely faked. Do you know how to identify a correct M1D. Producing an M1D only requires a change to the barrel and a new handguard. The mount and bracket to the telescopic sights have been widely manufactured for more than thirty years as after-market replacements. Original M84 Telescopic Sights and their mounting are identified, photographed and compared to after-market reproductions.
Telescopic sights for the M1903A4, M1C, M1D and M40 sniper rifles are now being reproduced in China for sale in the United States. None of them say “Made in China.” Often they are sold on Ebay and other auction sites, either reworked to appear original, or without stating that they are reproductions. Do you know how to tell the difference?
There are a few original USMC M40 and the M24 Sniper Rifles that have been released for sale to police departments and to civilians. But the have also been reproduced by numerous gunsmiths and small companies for the past twenty or so years. Most of the shipping boxes made it plain that these were not the real thing, but once the box is lost, or the rifle on a table at a gun show, or listed on a gun auction site, how do you tell a reproduction from the original?
Collecting the American Sniper Rifle 1945-2000, like its predecessor, Collecting the American Sniper Rifle 1900 to 1945, provides detailed descriptions and tables of identifying characteristics. If you are interested in collecting American sniper rifles, these are the books you need. They may save you hundreds of dollars and a lot of grief.
