The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

I have seen a few rifles lately, that have the long, narrow scopes. (one that comes to mind I seen in an article was a M1903A4 Sniper to give you an idea)I really like the looks of them. I have never really tried one. But I think I would like to get something similar that. But I need suggestions.
What caliber, other than .17, is a good, cheap, plentiful round to look for in a sharp shooting rifle?
I would like to find something made around in the early 60s. And I would like something with nice woodwork. No checkered or deep contours. Plain.
I know this is pretty open ended. But this would get me started. I don't want something with a lot of history, as I am thinking of having some custom woodworking detail done on it.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Cat

Depends on the range you want to put gnat's eyes out at. Under 100, .22LR does just fine. Longer, .223. Longer still, .308. Longer still, .300 Win. Mag. Longer still, .338 Lapua Mag.

Get a Rem. 788 in .223,put it in a fresh piece of wood, and you will have satsified all your criteria.

Agreed with the above. 223 is a cheap plentiful round for longer range shooting. I went with 308 because I just enjoy shooting larger calibers.

I have an H&R 5200 in .22lr. It shoots dime sized groups at 100 yards. The scope is a Lyman 25x Super Target Spot. These old scopes look neat and work quite well, but they are pricey. Here is a link to pics. http://www.russian-mosin-nagant-forum.c ... ?f=8&t=141

That is more like the style I am searching for.
Now that the .17 cals are out, would you still choose that caliber?
Great link.
Thanks all for you inputs.

It is just me I am sure, but I would have never picked a .17 anything other than a BB gun. I think the problem you will run into regardless of the caliber you pick, is going to be finding a rifle set up with the barrel mounted blocks that these old scopes require. Most likely it is going to be a gunsmithing proposition. The barrel blocks are available here. http://www.champchoice.com/store/Main.a ... ody&c=OPSB and this guy has a selection of different Lyman and Unertl scope. http://unertl.alexweb.net/for_sale.htm They can also be found on ebay and gunbroker.

If you find one that needs repair I have found these 2 places. http://parsonsscopeservice.com/home.html and http://www.lkscoperepair.com/ .