Hello from Northern Arizona

[DocSavage]

I’ve been a lurker and a poster, but it’s time I introduced myself. I picked up a 1946 Model 81 a few months ago from an internet auction that I follow. It was a bit of a sleeper, described as an “Unknown Model.” It came with a nice Lyman Alaskan in a Stith mount that covered the model number.

I’m a shooter, not a collector, so I’m attracted to examples like this one. The receiver had been reblued and the stock had been refinished. The stock had also been shortened, a big plus for me. The receiver had been polished within an inch of its life, almost entirely removing the last digit of the serial number. I initially thought the barrel and receiver were mismatched, but disassembling for cleaning revealed the full serial number.

The Stith mount was missing the aft two screws. These holes were stripped in the receiver and there’s no good way to fix a 6-48 thread without welding. I’m also not a big fan of vintage scopes so I decided to replace it with a Burris Fastfire 3 that needed a home. Advanced Optics makes a base for a Ruger pistol with the same radius. I just needed to drill holes that matched the Model 81 nutplate.

[DocSavage]

Thought I posted three photos.

[1913Model8]

Use it, enjoy it, and make great memories with it! It is interesting to see one with this optic on it. Thanks for sharing. Glad to have another member.