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Hi Don--
Thanks again for getting back to me. My Oigee is undamaged and works reasonably well, although it could stand a good cleaning/resealing (it's really dirty inside). The main dilemmas I have with it are the reticle (a really enormous single picket) and general optical clarity--my ten-year-old likens it to a funhouse mirror, which is a pretty good analogy. But I like to hunt with the gun, and would like to be able to use a more modern optic if possible.

However, I don't want to alter anything permanently because it is for sure a factory mount and scope, which at least in the States is nearly impossible to come by. I'm actually glad you mentioned this, because I've been trying to figure out the original factory mounting options, for my own edification. I have three period ads, all American, that depict factory-offered scopes--two of them (1930 Sequoia Importing and 1939 Stoeger) show scope mounts exactly like mine, with the front pincer mount attached to the rear of the barrel--the Sequoia ad even specifies that the scope is a 4x Oigee. The third ad, a 1929 Abercrombie and Fitch catalog, shows an earlier carbine (round-knob grip) with a mount attached to the front action ring, as on your 1908.

Interestingly, my rifle was sold new through A&F in November, 1929 (it has a 1928 proof code), listed in their ledger as a "1903 with telescope," though obviously it's not the same pattern as the rifle shown in their catalog of the same year. The front base is a sweat-on ring on the rifle barrel stamped with the gun's serial #, in identical font to what appears elsewhere. The rear dogleg mount on the Oigee scope also bears the correct serial #, also in the same font.

I'm really curious to know when Steyr moved the front dovetail from the action ring forward to the barrel; if they did so universally, or only for the American market; and whether they ever used factory claw mounts on the pre-war guns. If you have the answers or even an opinion, I'd love to learn more! Also, if you have the time, could you post a picture of the dovetailed receiver on your 1908? I'd like to see how the factory worked the script around such an example (I've seen a number of retro-fitted claw bases, which obviously resulted in mucked up lettering).

Anyway--I may wind up buying the e-bay scope just on a gamble that the Springer bases might be adaptable to my rifle. If the Kahles has better optics than my Oigee, I could use the whole setup as is (although I think the rear dog-leg will have to be positioned farther back), or possibly mate the bases up to something different down the road. I know, I know--that way lies madness...

Thanks again, and sorry for the windy explanation!
Best,
Malcolm