New glasses for an older lady friend

[versifier]

I decided to put a scout scope on my Swede. I wanted a mount that would not require any d&t or other modifications to the rifle. I had thought it would be a simple thing to do, having done it on a number of other rifles, and it would have been if I had ordered the right mount the first time and not tried to cheap out. Here is my tale so far......

A month or so ago I went online to find a no-gunsmithing scout mount that attaches to the base of the ladder sight at the pivot pin. These set- ups are solid and I have put different ones of similar design on Mauser 98's and on my K31 Swiss, making them my two favorite shooting rifles of my whole collection. This m96 is easily capable of hits out beyond 200yds, but my almost 60yr old eyes are no longer. I can see within 150yds still well enough to pop a varmint with a peep sight, but with the notched rear of the ladder sight I have trouble at anything beyond 100.

So, I ordered from Optics Planet a $38 Sun Optics m96 no-gunsmithing Scout Base. The one they picture in their advertizing looks exactly like what I wanted:353

It was not what they sent me, this was: 354
Note that I have it lined up backwards, so that rail, instead of extending forward so the scope would clear the action and one could load via stripper clip points backwards placing the scope's eyepiece directly over the open action. By definition, this is not a scout mount.

Notice that unlike what they advertised, this mount does not attach via the sight pin. It clamps to the ladder. With this amazing piece of engineering was a 3"x3.5" instruction sheet. Here's what it said:

SM8559
Swedish Model 96 Scope Mount (Fits Model 96 only)

TO INSTALL: BE SURE FIREARM IS UNLOADED-REMOVE BOLT
Remove original rear sight by tapping sight pin out. Store rear sight and pin
in a safe place.
Place nut-plate under gun’s sight leaf
Place base upon leaf
Attach with screws furnished- slide assembly forward before final tightening
Tighten adjustment screws down against firearm. Do not over-tighten.
Tighten lock screws
Mount is now ready for scope installation. Check screws after initial firing.
Re-tighten if necessary.
NOTE: Elevation adjustment is obtained by loosening and tightening adjustment
screws.

After a number of emails and several phone calls I was able to get someone for tech assistance. I talked to a very nice man who first asked for a photo of the rifle to make sure I had the correct part. I did, but it did not fit the ladder (which they confusingly refer to as a "leaf", and htf am I supposed to figure that out after being told to "remove the sight and put it in a safe place"?). The unexplained and never-mentioned roll pin that was sticking out of the underside of the base prevented it from fitting into the ladder slot without removing the ladder slide (requiring a pin punch the diameter of a pencil lead).

Needless to say I sent the cheap Chinese POS back to them. I refuse to put such trash on a valuable rifle. To my utter shock they PUBLISHED MY REVIEW. Here's a link to it: http://www.opticsplanet.com/reviews/reviews-sun-optics-mauser-mosin-nagant-scout-mounts-review-322588.html

Yesterday morning I ordered an $85 S&K Carl Gustav Scout Mount. When it arrives I shall continue this saga.......

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Here's a shot of one of the most useless sets of instructions I've seen in quite a while.

355

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Here's the S&K I should have ordered in the first place. 356

It is made of steel and machined to a perfect fit. Two screws replace the sight pin. A t-nut fits into the sight spring's slot and secures with a tapered head screw. When everything is snug there is an additional set screw at the front. The rings are steel, too, and it took a few minutes to get them properly aligned for the scope with a 1" aluminum rod.

[versifier]

The rear ring is adjustable for windage via the two set screws that hold it in place. Hmmm. Makes good sense in theory. We'll see if it's needed. 357

I mounted an old favorite scope on it, a Leupold 2X EER. It lived on a S&W 686 until my brother shot NH Fish & Game's robo deer. One of those fancy mechanical and electronic taxidermied masterpieces that cost more than my car, moves head in three directions, flips its tail up, and makes grunting sounds. At least it did until that afternoon. They were set up near the farm to catch road hunters. Bro drove past and saw a 10 point buck about 20yds off the road in a clearing. He pulled over down the road and snuck up on it through the woods and shot it right in the electronics. Perfectly legal shot. Game Warden said he wasn't napping, but how does a 60-yr-old handicapped man sneak 150yds through thick brush quietly? We can generally hear each other moving 100yds away. He started screaming "Game Warden!" after the shot, but it was too late for "Bucky". Anyway, the lucky scope is on the Swede now.

[SkyKid]

Nice setup Vers
Oh and I like the hat

[versifier]

I like the windage adjustable rear ring. I'd have wasted less ammo if I could keep "left" and "right" straight. :mrgreen: Starting loads were printing around 4"@100, but they were groups, not patterns. With other rifles in this chambering I have found groups tighten up as velocities increase. This one is a keeper I think.