doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com The most elegant top mount? By Mark Benenson

Michael is kindly going to post some pics of a G&H M70 .270 with Alaskan in what I believe is called an O'Neil-Hopkins mount. Charley O'Neil made these, from the 1940s or even the 1930s to the 1960s, probably one at a time. Don Hopkins - the H in the OKH cartridges - was a prominent customer. The mount set the scope eyepiece ahead of the bolt handle at a time when altering bolts for low scope mounting was not well understood and gunsmiths were nervous about welding. Long eye relief, as on Noske and Alaskan scopes, was a requirement, and the mounts were extra low set. The rear ring is a push fit, no clamping. On this rifle the front figure eight mount hides the sight slot on the factory featherweight barrel. G&H says their job dates from 1961 but they would not have made the mount. The rifle serial number, 337135, indicates manufacture in 1955. So O'Neil could have made the mount anytime from 1955 to 1961. By that time M70s were d&t for scope mounts and the O'Neil Hopkins mount was really an anachronism, but I like their streamlined compact looks and appreciate a scope that does not hang back over the grip of the rifle and unbalance the handling.

Michael thanks.

Interesting, but I couldn't say "elegant". The focus adjustment of the scope is made almost impossible to use and the force of recoil trys to dislodge the scope from the rear ring. Hence the massive front ring presumably. Other than keeping constant pressure on the front of the tube as it is inserted into the rear ring and the front one tightened, there is no 'positive' force keeping the scope in place.

OG, everything you say is correct ... but it didn't matter. The scopes were focused before they were mounted, which is the way many or even most users have always done it. They were small scopes, with low inertia, so recoil didn't move them. O'Neil's customers, like Don Hopkins and Elmer Keith, were among the most sophisticated hunters of their time, and the system evidently worked for them. As for "elegance", the less metal in a mount, IMO, the better the looks.

This month's "Precision Shooting" has an article on Mr. O'Neil and has some info on the scope mounts.

When cycling the action for a follow-up shot the bolt handle enters your field of view? Runs counter to what I understand is the most efficient use of a bolt action, not to lose sight of the target while reloading.

The most efficient use of a bolt action is to be sure the first shot is all you need.

Joel , I agree completely, make the first shot count, but if a follow-up shot is needed it would be better not to lose sight of the target.