The rifle also has a bolt with National Match polishing characteristics, it was then blued (as mentioned in the paperwork). It's an interesting rifle because it's (likely) one of the 574 Special Targets (reconditioned Match rifles) which were set aside as potential platforms for the USMC sniper rifle. A good friend installed a rear sight base (with the proper service rifle drawing number) and fitted a handguard with the scope block cutout. I got it relatively cheap because the rear sight base was severely damaged and the handguard wasn't even a proper reproduction. Someone at the Quartermaster's office said 'doesn't John Unertl make scopes?' The rest is history. They approached 'Noske' but he replied that he has not made any scopes in years and the last ones he sent to the USMC, the Marines never paid him for. They were simply referred to as 'rifles fitted with telescopic sights.'Ģ) The USMC looked for scopes as early as 1940.
Two interesting things that were among the Quartermaster records were.ġ) Collectors called them the 'Model 1941 Sniper' or 'M1941 Unertl Sniper rifle.' They were given no such designation. I just got lucky and wasn't sure positive on what I was looking at at first. More importantly, I finally found a USMC Unertl scope I could afford (thanks to a friend.) I bought this rifle a few years back, finally got around to repairing and doing some restoration work on it.
