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.
See Also Collecting the American Sniper Rifle1900 to 1945 on Amazon.com
Joe Poyer is the author of more than 400 magazine articles on firearms, the modern military, military history and personal security. He has written and published twelve novels with worldwide sales exceeding five million copies and authored or coauthored nine nonfiction books on the modern military from other publishers. He has written or coauthored: The .45-70 Springfield; U.S. Winchester Trench and Riot Guns, and Other U.S. Combat Shotguns; The M1 Garand, 1936 to 1957; The SKS Carbine; The M14-Type Rifle; The SAFN-49 Battle Rifle; The Swedish Mauser Rifles; The M16/AR15 Rifle; The Model 1903 Springfield Rifle and Its Variations; The American Krag Rifle and Carbine; Swiss Magazine Loading Rifles, 1869 to 1958; The AK-47 and AK-74 Kalashnikov Rifles and Their Variations; and The Model 1911 and Model 1911A1 Military and Commercial Pistols. Mr. Poyer has served as editor of the following magazines: Safe & Secure Living; International Military Review; International Naval Review and as field editor for International Combat Arms. Joe Poyer was the on-camera Military Affairs Analyst and Reporter for a major television station in Los Angeles, California. He has appeared as a on-camera commentator on the military on CNN, and on several installments of the History Channel s Tale of the Gun. He also imported the very fine L1A1A inch-pattern FAL rifles from Australia in the late 1980s.
