A friend has asked me to help him with a M63. It belonged to HIS MOTHER, who shot pests and deer with it years ago in E. Washington. SN is 72XX. It is equipped with an externally adjustable scope, 3/4" tube. No brand name. He would like to mount a modern scope on it without making any permanent modifications to the gun. It is in very nice condition, just a few small dings.

Any chance of finding mounts that will fit on the existing dove tails? (I should have measured them before posting.)
Brice

If it's equipped with the usual target-style bases, then it's a good bet that some types of 22RF tipoff rings might fit; also, the early Kimber or later Warne Premier rings will fit the usual target scope dovetails.

The M63 is a splendid little rifle but mounting a scope is often problematic. You will probably have to find a scope with a longer tube than most current ones, because the present mounts are probably spaced up to 7" apart and many current scopes are what I call 'short-coupled', too short to fit the wider ring spacing.

Another solution I've often used is to fab a small quarter-rib with hole spacing matching the rifle's existing mounting holes. This will allow positioning the rings almost anywhere you want, within reason.





For an even more elegant look, you can often position the attaching screws to lie underneath the scope rings so as to make the rib seem integral or soldered on.
Regards, Joe

quote:

Another solution I've often used is to fab a small quarter-rib with hole spacing matching the rifle's existing mounting holes. This will allow positioning the rings almost anywhere you want, within reason.

that's what i did too, works great

J.D, and Butch -

I like the idea of a quarter-rib.

Another thought might be to look at some of the very last issues of that rifle, which I "think" WERE factory tapped. (Seems mine was, which I got new in either '61, '62 or '63 IIRC.)

Anyway, a person could measure the placement and spacing of the original factory tapping for those late rifles, and duplicate it. Though it wouldn't be original, it would at least not look out of place and done correctly couldn't be told from original.

Still, with the holes already in the barrel why bother? I'd just use the existing blocks, get or make some rings to fit, and use the smallest, lightest, modern scope I could find.

Though M63s were good, solid steel, guns with dense wood generally, they are slim enough to be easily made too top-heavy. So, If I made a 1/4-rib or had one made for me, I'd think seriously about making it of aluminum.

It's not like the mount needs to be severe-strong. There are little recoil forces involved, even with the .22 Mag version.

Of course, his friend could just mail it to me...I'd be happy to use and preserve it just as is......

Comments?