Typically enemy soldiers were paid anywhere from $8 to $2,000 for taking down an American sniper. Ultimately neither of these proposed rifles was ultimately adopted. RIAC believes that this website is accessible to the widest possible audience pursuant to the guidelines of the Americans with Disability Act. When I first saw the pic I assumed it was a short action. 30-06 caliber rifle equipped with an 8-power Unertl scope, was the deadliest sniper in Marine Corps history, but that title belongs to Mawhinney. NRA Secretary Edward J. The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Staff Sergeant Carlos N. Hathcock, II (MCSN: 1873109), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as a Sniper, Seventh Marines, FIRST Marine Division, in connection with military operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam on 16 September 1969. Interestingly, Hathcock won that prestigious trophy with a Winchester Model 70. He lived in a rural area with his grandmother as his parents had separated. Praesidus brings homage to the military watch tradition. The stock is in very fine condition. Regardless, the fact that there were a number of Model 1903 Marine Corps match rifles, along with spare parts, already on-hand resulted in the idea of a standardized Model 70 sniping rifle being doomed from the start.Despite the Marine Corps firm rejection of the Model 70, some of these rifles did, in fact, serve overseas in combat, albeit on an unofficial basis. The owner had provided us with the stock already featuring a nicely aged appearance, which we maintained in the build. These relatively few Model 70 rifles soon became favored for their lighter weight, refined handling, and superior accuracy compared to the Springfield rifle. He sold quite a few, and claims they came from a USMC armorer. The rifle was already being used by Marines snipers in Vietnam. Although suffering from severe burns to his face, trunk, and arms and legs, Staff Sergeant Hathcock assisted the injured Marines in exiting the burning vehicle and moving to a place of relative safety. Calvin Lloyd, wrote a 72-page report titled Equipment for the American Sniper, which discussed the various types of rifles and telescopic sights available at the time. A marksman model 70 still in active use with the PA National Guard. Moscow Should Prepare For Probable US Nuclear Aggression: Reports Russian Military Journal, Destroying American Monster Abrams: Pro-Russian Group Release A How-To Video, Dr. Mary E. 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The Winchester Model 70 is a bolt action sporting rifle. This was confirmed in McGuires article: The rifle team of the 3rd Marine Division had been using the Model 70 with the heavy barrel and the heavy Marksman stock. Hathcock was soon a member of the USMC rifle team, and in 1965 he won the Wimbledon Cup, a 1000-yard individual match fired at the National Matches in Camp Perry, Ohio. He stayed in the Marine Corps, but his health continued to decline. It's my job. Van Orden would go on to author a report recommending adoption of the Model 70 for sniper use. He was the only child of Carlos and Agnes Hathcock. Tribute rifles have the general appearance and build spec of the original Marine rifles, where replica rifles attempt to be correct to the original rifles in every way, including a serial number which falls into the correct date range. What many people don't realize is that the Unertl scope back in the day doesn't have glass amplification. The scope tube is roll-stamped: "J. UNERTL/USMC-SNIPER" in two lines above the serial number "2232". In 1961, President John F. Kennedy drew a clear line in the sand in his inaugural address. The Winchester Model 70 is a classic bolt action rifle and one of the most popular and well known bolt action rifles in sports shooting history. This is a pretty cool thread. He copied Hemingway's words on a piece of paper. "He got that right," Hathcock said. The most notable person to use the Model 70 was legendary sniper Carlos Hathcock in Vietnam, his rifle was chambered in .30-06 Sprinfield and his rifle is on display at the Quantico, Virginia Marine Corps Sniper Museum. The rifle is a Winchester M70 in 30-06. Carlos Hathcock was born on May 20, 1942, in North Little Rock, Arkansas. I think the GSgt used the 10x but the 20x looks just like it. Both men served in Kilo Co., 3rd. For those wondering why the military did not continue using the Model 70 and abandoned it in favor of the Remington Model 700, McGuire gave a cogent synopsis of the reasoning behind this decision: [For Vietnam], the Marines wanted a bolt-action rifle with a medium-heavy barrel and a sporter stock. The rifle retains nearly 95% of the original blue finish with very minor handling wear. Carlos Hathcock usually used a Winchester Model 70 in .30 .06. He managed to achieve an astounding kill record of 93 - including an impressive shot through an enemy sniper's scope, but it was with the M2 that he was able to take out a Vietcong soldier pushing a bicycle loaded with ammunition at . Their official role was for use in marksmanship training, but that's not where they would all end up. This rifle has all of the characteristics of the Marine Model 70 sniper rifles issued in Vietnam c. 1966. He had dreamed of being a U.S. Marine his whole life and enlisted in 1959 at just 17 years old. The late Marine sniper set the record in 1967 with a M-2 .50 caliber Browning machine gun.. . The ranging peice was plastic and many distort over the years. [47] Hathcock carried a Colt M1911A1 pistol as a sidearm.[17]. The Model 70 Standard Rifles were fitted with Winchester medium-heavy target barrels in modified stocks and the Unertl telescopic sights. As long as you understood the effects wind had on the projectile and understood the ballistic drop, you could do fine. Yeah it was, it was missing the an action screw and one that held on the trigger guard. Scope used by Carlos Hathcock. When the need arose for more Model 70s the rifles procured by Brig. Hathcock died on February 22, 1999, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, aged 56, from complications resulting from multiple sclerosis. He was honored by having a rifle named after him: a variant of the M21 dubbed the Springfield Armory M25 White Feather, for the nickname "White Feather" given to Hathcock by the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). From an early age, he was fond of firearms. who placed a bounty on him during the Vietnam War ) used primarily a Pre-64 Winchester M. The Winchester Model 70 is a bolt-action sporting rifle.It has an iconic place in American sporting culture and has been held in high regard by shooters since it was introduced in 1936, earning the moniker "The Rifleman's Rifle". Support Veteran Journalism , Editors note: Carlos Hathcock Born this day, May 20, 1942. An unknown number of additional Model 70s were eventually purchased for military use - both standard rifles and the marksman style target rifles. "[20] Hathcock said in a book written about his career as a sniper: "I like shooting, and I love hunting. WEIGHT, EMPTY: 9.5 lbs. FollowingWWII, popularity of the model 70 with Marine Corps snipers grew, eventually drawing the attention of other snipers from other branches of the military as well. The Model 70 was largely based on the Model 54, and is today still highly regarded by shooters and is often called "The Rifleman's Rifle".In 1999 Shooting Times magazine named the Model 70 the "Bolt-action Rifle of the Century". . The fact that the guys using this rifle shot at distances exceeding 800 yards (1000+) on human sized targets, is a great accomplishment in itself. The rifle would of course have to be chambered in the 458 x 1.5 Barnes cartridge. This article, "The Military Model 70," appeared originally in the April 2011 issue of American Rifleman. There are no internal adjustments to zero these old style Unertls. the best known U.S. Marine Corps snipers who used the Winchester Model 70 during the Vietnam War was Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, who used a Winchester Model 70 sniper rifle chambered in .30-06. Hathcock's record and the extraordinary details of the missions he undertook made him a legend in the Marine Corps. The Model 70. Springfield Armory's M-21 and M-25 are the highest quality precision rifles built on the M-14action. The rifle had a likeness of Hathcock's signature and his "white feather logo" marked on the receiver. This success led to the adoption of the .50 BMG cartridge as a viable sniper round. While recovering, Hathcock received the Purple Heart. What type of rifle did Carlos Hathcock use? The Winchester Model 70 represented perhaps the epitome of the bolt-action sporting rifle. Hathcock dreamed of being a Marine throughout his childhood, and so on May 20, 1959, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. [31] He would have received only 50 percent of his final pay grade had he retired after 20 years. Carlos Hathcock, in Vietnam (left) and receiving the Silver Star (right). It was supplied with a Redfield 3x9 mounted with Redfield base/rings. The scarcity of these rifles mean few of us will ever get a chance to own one. The only problem was the fact that this scope reticle did not have something that all snipers use with modern-day sniper scopes, Mil Dots. It might be possible it's real as it came from a Marine officer who served back then, but I don't know how you could ever prove/authenticate one unless you had a document with the serial number on it. Thats perfect! The Marine Corps utilized Winchester Model 70 rifles in this configuration in 1966 and early 1967 as the primary sniper rifle until the adoption of the Remington Model 700 sniper rifles in mid 1967. The following year Hathcock deployed to South Vietnam with the 1st Marine Division, where he was soon assigned sniper duties. You can Cerakote the stainless barrela good artist can pretty much replicate any finish. Carlos Hathcock usually used a Winchester Model 70 in .30 .06. IIRC, Remington did this with some of their rifles at one time. Scope not included. There are currently no customer product questions on this lot. Some of the stocks were fiberglass bedded. In 1936, Winchester introduced the Model 70 bolt-action rifle to the American market. The Model 70 was largely based on the Model 54, and is today still highly regarded by shooters and is often called "The Rifleman's Rifle.". And, yes, I am extremely fortunate to have the most wonderful private range at my disposal. The bolt body is polished bright and electro-penciled with the rifle serial number "48213". Through the PX system in Okinawa, Lands NCOs bought mounts, rings and scopes. According to Winchester documents, these rifles were shipped to the Marine Corps on May 29, 1942. Carlos held the record for the longest kill for 35 years. It was advertised as missing parts. Due to the extreme injuries he suffered in Vietnam, he was in nearly constant pain, but continued to dedicate himself to teaching snipers. Hathcock was soon a member of the USMC rifle team, and in 1965 he won the Wimbledon Cup, a 1000-yard individual match fired at the National Matches in Camp Perry, Ohio. [34] After the war, a friend showed Hathcock a passage written by Ernest Hemingway: "Certainly there is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and like it, never really care for anything else thereafter." As events transpired, the Model 70s pressed into service as sniping arms, especially during the Vietnam War, were really never meant to be more than a stop-gap or interim measure until a standardized sniper rifle could be procured. By the end of his first deployment Hathcock's life was worth $30,000 to the North Vietnamese . [17] However, scholars such as Jerry Lembcke have cast doubt on Hathcock's account and questioned the existence of "Apache". As I remember from reading Henderson's book many moons ago, GySgt Hathcock deployed to VietNam in the '66-69 time frame. During the closing stages of the war, the M1903A1/Unertl was replaced by the semi-automatic Garand M1C sniper rifle, which was soon followed by the M1D. [23][failed verification] This effort took four days and three nights without sleep and with constant inch-by-inch crawling. Copyright 2023 National Rifle Association, Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics, Volunteer At The Great American Outdoor Show, Marion P. 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This recommendation made its way up the chain of command. Composite stock of course. Chief Warrant Officer The checkered panels are sharp; wear is limited to scattered visible sling hardware marks near the buttplate and upper sling swivel. I was quickly brought back to reality when shooting this system. Winchester Model 70 "standard Rifle" manufactured in 1941 with medium-heavy target barrel and "U.S.M.C.-SNIPER" Unertl telescopic sight. Winchester requested the Marines evaluate the rifles generally for suitability of use in combat, and specifically for use as sniper rifles. Which honestly looking at the barrels, I think he was probably likely telling the truth. Awesome to hear/see when someone has their shit together. In turn, the Winchester factory had submitted a sniper prototype of the Model 70 fitted with a 10-round detachable box magazine to the US Army back in the early 1950s. The metal finishes were done by Ken Pederson ofPederson Arms in Arlington, WA. It was the Marines who pressed the Winchester Model 70 into service as a sniper rifle in Vietnam. He and other Marines who were riding on top of the vehicle were sprayed with flaming gasoline caused by the explosion.