doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com help identify the maker of this 1903

Hi All

Dan just scored a beauty and would like help in identifying the maker of this rifle, there is an interesting rear sight, cheekpiece and sling swivel bases that may be clues.

Here are pictures

more pictures

The top view of yhe sight shows that looks to be eindage witness marks.

Is there an ability to adjust for windage?

Could it have been Hoffman? I know they manufactured a bolt-mounted peep like that.

Larry

No, it’s not a Hoffman.

The stock looks like the work of John Dubiel.

The rifle is in the DCM sales book as a 30" Heavy Barrel, it still has a 30" barrel with the HB rear portion but the rest was thinned. I'm sure they wouldn't have made it 30" if they were adding a new barrel.
Gary Bush says the sight is a Hart but he can't remember where that info came from but his notes say Hart. The windage part appears to be just force adjustable. The bolt has reversed safety headless cocking piece.
It had a real bad pad on it that I removed while I was cleaning it up as it had lots of grime on the wood.
Dan

its looks 2 of the hart arms I have seen sold. the lyman bolt peep rear sight adaptor is hart arms feature.

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-...queryID=e53ed45c4c2651a95c94e51daa686c3b

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-...queryID=cfed3d059a6bcf8e63b42b04a93c7fd4

I can't help with it's maker, but I have a question.

I see two holes in the front ring, assumably for scope mounting. I don't see any in the rear ring. Are there other provisions for mounting a scope? On the barrel?

Nice rifle. As others have said, the rear sight is a Hart. Stock looks very much like a non Rodgers Hart Arms stock which also looks very much like a Dubiel stock. Some of the things I have read from the time lead me to believe there was a fair amount of sharing of work between Hoffman and Hart.

John

Yes, I believe that the holes in the receiver were for a target scope block and the front ones would have been on the barrel but the barrel was turned way down at that point and they are gone.
Thanks for the verification of Gary Bush's identity of the Hart sight.
Dan

That would be quite a lot to turn off the barrel, Dan.

If you've got measurements for both the heavy barrel and the current barrel seven point two inches in front of the receiver ring, you could get a handle on how much was turned off. The other possibility is that the holes were filled and in the turning process, and they were perfectly blended into the current steel. But you might be able to see it in just the right light and angle.

I kind of think the screws for the front scope block may have been shorter than the amount of barrel turned down in the lightening procedure. What a great gun, whoever made it. What does Springfield Research say about the gun?

I have an 03 sporter that I believe is a Hart Arms product
Has the same sling swivel bases as the OP rifle.

My rifle also has the same engraved trap door butt plate as the Hart Arms rifle in Link#1 posted by 375WhelenIMP.

Mines built on a NM action which was searched and verified by a member here in the past when I posted some pics of it.

Lyman 48 rear sight,,no Bolt Peep arrangement. Has a side mount base attached. I have no idea what mfg'r. I like iron sights anyway.

Stock was said to look like John Dubiel's work as well.

Do my eyes deceive me, is there a finger nail pull on the OP pistol grip cap? A trap door? Perhaps to hold the sight disc inside?

No your eyes do not deceive you, it is a trapdoor grip cap. But rather that holding a rear peep, it holds an extra front sight blade, or so I am told.

Someone who worked for Hoffman at one point probably.