Читать книгу Gun Digest 2011 онлайн

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All the five used “the rifle,” which turned out to be a shooter, in those military matches. It was variously owned, sometimes several times and for varying periods, by at least three of the five. Miraculously it avoided being sporterized by one or another of us. Only two of the five are still alive and only one of those still shoots. The old 03-A3, however, has not aged. Indeed, its users over the years have lovingly and meticulously cared for the old rifle inside and out. Its dark American walnut wood has the deep luster and sheen imparted by a few drops of linseed oil rubbed in by hand after each use. Admittedly its forend and butt plate have places where “firm grip” deposits betray the rifle’s past but their piney scent and roughened texture are part of its character.

If a shooter ever had the equivalent of a “Proustian Madeleine” surely this must be it, a sweet memory of things past. Damned old gun shoots! It’ll give you inside x-ring groups with “white box” match all the way to 600 yards right today if you do your part. It shoots 125s, 150s, 168s, 173s, 180s, and 190s. You get the feeling that it would shoot copper doorknobs as well if you had enough of ‘em to work up a load. The sights don’t have enough “in between” elevation graduations to accommodate all of the “non-GI” combinations at all ranges and it’s possible to run out of windage adjustment in challenging conditions, but the peep rear is the right size and distance from the eye and the skinny front post is made to order for the small-bull “A”, “B”, and “C” targets with “V” rings.