doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Winchester Model 54 with unusual Zeiss Zielklein

I recently won an auction for a Winchester Model 54 and picked it up yesterday from my dealer's. It has a Zeiss Zielklein with an unusual reticle pattern (that I just found in Nick Strobel's book). But I thought I would share it with you. It is
German three post, but in addition it has a thin horizontal line with a center dot.
reticle pattern

And the top adjustment ring is a bit unusual as well, in that the ring has numbers around it.

top view

I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures and anything you can tell me about the scope would be much appreciated.

Thanks

The thin horizontal line is simply the suspension fiber for the dot that has darkened over the years and has become more apparent. Nice reticle. The rifle and scope are however going to be an ongoing project for you, I can see. Good Luck!

You don't show the serial number of the scope, but that is a very early Zielklein I believe. The square sided "saddle" was also a feature of early Zielviers etc. and disappeared quite early in production: mid 20s I suspect.

The markings on the knob are not unknown, but I can't say now whether it was an option or just a feature that was dropped later.

Zeilkleins and other scopes could be ordered with dual knobs or other custom features. Zeiss would produce what the customer wanted if they were willing to pay and it was technically possible.

The reticule pattern is one that Zeiss offered even going back to their first (prismatic) scopes, with some minor variations. Not an easy one to manufacture no doubt as it involves putting a perfectly round dot of some material onto a .001" wire in such a way that it will stay there.

A very nice rifle with a lot of history obviously and a type I've always liked since they can be used without fear of spoiling a pristine finish etc.

Thanks for the kind words. The serial number on the scope is 15977.
Looking at Nick Stroebel's book, in 1939 this reticle pattern was a $6.00 option when the scope sold for $36.00. The rifle needs a small amount of tender loving care. But not as much as other projects, I've taken on.

I see you also have a G&H single lever side mount with windage adjustment, a real necessity for a scope like the Zielklein with no internal windage. Has the bolt handle been altered for low scope, or is the scope mounted high enough to clear the factory handle?

What is the caliber of your M54?? My late father bought a SG M54 in early 1936, just ahead of the better M70- in .220 Swift with a 26" stainless barrel, he had a Stith scope on it- I rebuilt it with the M70 bolt, bolt stop, 3 position safety, Timney trigger and Blackburn forged and blued steel trigger guard and solid floorplate- As I use it as a single shot for varmints at 300 yards plus ranges, I don't need the hinged drop floorplate of the M70- I have a Leupold Vari-X 111 4x12 scope on it in Buehler mounts- it has had over 5000 (est'd) rounds through it, and the chamber and throat are still crisp and unfouled- I handload with Hornady 50 grainers to about 3750 fps.- I have decimated prairie dawgs in SD with it at 400 yards, from a bipod or rest--Good luck with your M54 project, let us know how the project is progressing as time goes by--

Dear Bill (XAUSA) and Run With The Fox, the scope is mounted
high enough for the safety to clear and the bolt, and the Lyman 48 does not need to be removed while the scope is on. The caliber is 30-06 and the serial number is 467xxA. It also came with a G&H scope holster and a Winchester marked sling.
The rifle has a lot of character as is. I am going to clean
the slight bit of surface rust off that is here and there, and put the Lyman 48 in an ultrasonic cleaner for a bit. Personally,
I agree with what Old Glass said
"A very nice rifle with a lot of history obviously and a type I've always liked since they can be used without fear of spoiling a pristine finish etc."

PhysDoc

I am trying to visualise how it is possible to caonvert a Model 54 to use a Model 70 bolt stop. Certainly an admirable ambition. I think I would have been happy with an extra long screw through the receiver sight screw hole on the left side of the receiver.

Physdoc,
I think you will find that the numbers on the dial are used when zeroing the scope.I believe that once it has been sighted in,the disc the numbers are on is loosened and set to "zero", which allows adjustments to be made and then return to "zero".
I don't usually use this option,but it's there.
Mike

Fred, I took a quick look in my Zeiss book and it shows that one as the Number 5.

I'm not sure how or even if any of the Zeiss Zielklein's had a marked turret, I remember reading that G&H would mark them for you but I have not done any in-depth research.

I've seen a lot of different reticles I have one with fine cross wire and a dot and other that has a aperture at the top of the center post.

A neat rifle, how about an overall picture of it?