Ian, The "Major Hession" you mention is potentially Major Jack Hession, renowned rifle shooter of yesteryear and an employee of Winchester for a time. Jack Hession would have been in the hey day of his high power shooting when the PJ O'Hare tool was the cool accessory to have. I found his obit here: bluepike.tripod.com/Model21/duckgun/HessionObit.jpg
100 years from now, there will be videos looking at all the accessories for AR- and AK-pattern rifles. The presenter will be constantly shaking his head at the tomfoolery involved.
I used to shoot skeet with Bill Brophy's son, at the Hartford Gun Club around 1979. And I have a 1903 like that, with scope mounts for my Lyman Targetspot 8X. Plus the Lyman 48 rear, and 17A front. And now a new Criterion barrel. Bought it about 1964 for $47, and added on all of the sight gear. Extremely accurate. I have seen a similar sight tool by Sedgely. Couldn't afford it.
I know this type of content probably doesn't attract everyone in the audience like the firearms themselves. But I personally enjoy seeing the all the kit that goes along with the guns.
Years ago a friend gave me a o'hare sight adjustment tool. I still have it, along with my DCM Springfield parts i.e. 98 cent 2 groove barrels! Thx for video!
As someone who shoots various competitions and have seen equipment change in the sport, it’s very cool to see what the “it” equipment was at different periods of time and what type of competitions were popular.
Thank you for this information! PJ O'Hare was my freat Grandfather, his son FJ O'Hare & his grandson (my uncle) were all quite the sharpshooters in their day - I have seem many of their trophies & medals - & heard many stories the Camp Perry Matches in Ohio - i guess it was an annual at that time! anyhow, thank you for this post - brought a warm smile to my heart!
Well we still have things like sight covers, and aperture sights that use micrometer style threads for adjustment. So nothing really new in many target shooting disciplines for getting on towards a couple of hundred years. It just keeps getting more and more refined.
The oldtimers also had brass carbide burning miner's lamps. Load carbide powder, add water, shake and spark a flint igniter. Oh the things people do to win matches.
I have everything shown in this video+ a flat O'Hare sight adjustment tool to go with the round one. I've wondered for years what the tools were for and today I learned . I have the muzzle & front sight cover, the rear sight cover , the 2 tools mentioned and several different front and rear sight's of varying type. I got them with the 1903 Springfield I inherited in the mid 90s. Thanks for solving the mystery !
Very cool! I would love to see more stuff like this. For example, I'd love to see your take on the .22 rifles used in Olympic shooting, they must have some very fascinating design differences compared to a military rifle or backyard plinker.
Cool! Now I know where a toy I used to play with when we first moved to town came from! We stayed at a rooming house run by an ancient old man who was nearly deaf and always smoked horrid smelling cigars. He had a son who served in WWII, who left his foot locker at dads when he moved to Lead SD to work at the Homestead Gold Mine. My folks and sisters stayed in the west side of the old house, while my room was in the east side, next to the old man's bedroom/living room. In my room was that foot locker, and in the locker were some of the relics that the son had brought home from Europe. There were NAZI daggers, both one of those fancy officers and one from the Hitler Youth. There was an old European Revolver of some sort, I was only 9 years old and didn't think to read the markings on it. Then there was one of those front sight cover things that I messed with for weeks trying to figure out what the hell it was for. OH there were hundreds of other trinkets he had picked up, from optical sight lenses to old cameras from Europe, he was quite a scrounger, even a French Helmet, and rifle that sat in the corner of the room, a Nazi Helmet sat atop the wardrobe, and all sorts of condoms filled one drawer from the french tickler to other strange looking rubber things. Wish I had that footlocker today, alas the old man died and his kids got the stuff, the house was recently razzed to the ground and there is a nice vegetable garden on the lot. Things do change as the years go by.
WAY more popular. It was a holdover from the German Schutzenfests that were popular in the immigrant communities. Example: In Chicago, the local Germans had a shooting range along the banks of the North Branch of the Chicago River, where Belmont Avenue crossed. Families got bored, quickly, watching the men shoot. So the men got together and bought a used carousel, to shut them up. It was so popular that they kept adding rides and attractions. Ask any old Chicagoan about Riverview, in Chicago.
@@Jonascord Thanks! Went to Riverview as a kid. I never wondered about it's origins (actually hadn't thought about Riverview at all in ages) but its always fun to know these historical tidbits.
It would be great for the front sight since the blade is tall and thin, apparently no one thought of putting protective wings on each side of the front sight blade, pretty much every combat rifle since then has a protected front sight.
TOMAS oh I love mine too, my bore is in pretty rough shape, it shoots safely but I’ve never tried to actually group with it on paper as the pitting in the bore is so bad I assumed the accuracy would be terrible, but I’d still like to shoot a 100 yard group with it to see what it would do. The feel of the action though is likely the sweetest and smoothest I’ve ever run, and it ejects spent cases with authority if you want it to. I guess after 114 years it’s had enough time to get broken in.
@@appalachiangunman9589 YES !! I would think if you asked about how to get that cleaned up in the comments of some of the gun channels , someone would know !
I'm glad I managed to get a copy of that book a couple months ago cause I thought they were expensive then at about 200 for a copy.... Now that gun jesus mentioned it will probably drive the price up
As clunky looking as those external adjustment Unertl scopes were, they worked rather well. I once had a Winchester Model 52 .22 cal. target rifle equipped with one that would shoot one inch ten shot groups at 100 yards.
So pretty so nice, my sporterized 1903 kinda sucks lol, thinking of buying a national match M1 hopefully that has better irons than the Lehman sights on the sported 1903
There are photos of Major Hession and some info about him in 'The Winchester Model 52 Perfection in Design' book by Houze. If you do not have a copy I can photo the book pages and mail them to you. Im leaving for two month in South Africa on or about 15 October for two months and my books are in storage but I think I can find them before I leave. He was a national shooting champion with the .22 and other rifles.
I wonder if anyone ever tried using a Lee Enfield No 4 Mark 1 sight with the M1903? The LE sight has the threaded Adjustor built in. Obviously all the markings would be wrong but you could develop a translation and have a built in micro adjustment.
I learned to shoot double action from an "old school" Border Patrol Agent. When he blackened my sights I was appalled. I'd never seen that done before and here I was a Vietnam vet. Ah, to be twenty-five again.
Great video I must not be the only one who would like for you to do a video about the ak74 and it’s history I know there is videos on it but gun Jesus videos are the best
I have only ever seen "Blackening" of the sight picture in WW2 movies. I live in a place where I am not allowed to have guns so.. Why is this? What is the point of blackening some part of the sight?
hey. does anyone happen to know the value of a front and rear sight cover in good condition? brass front one . the rear look like the one in this video
Our savior, gun Jesus. Any chance of you making a video on your gun collection? I know you showed off some of them a while back but, I would love to see an updated video where you show off your collection or maybe the guns your most fond of? Who's with me on Ian making a video showing us his toys?
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Ian,
The "Major Hession" you mention is potentially Major Jack Hession, renowned rifle shooter of yesteryear and an employee of Winchester for a time. Jack Hession would have been in the hey day of his high power shooting when the PJ O'Hare tool was the cool accessory to have. I found his obit here: bluepike.tripod.com/Model21/duckgun/HessionObit.jpg
My theory, as well. www.guns.com/news/2016/01/22/a-marksmans-rifle-donated-for-war-sent-back-in-peace
100 years from now, there will be videos looking at all the accessories for AR- and AK-pattern rifles. The presenter will be constantly shaking his head at the tomfoolery involved.
when he gets to California compliance guns
"Today on Forgotten Weapons, we're going to be looking at a dildo shaped foregrip."
"Today we're looking at a front sight that also serves as a mag loader, bolt cleaning tool, air horn, and zombie smasher."
@@yuriismywaifu203 My favorite was the tac sac, but I couldn't ever find one in stock.
Imagine when they get to the bump stock.
Man, this was interesting. Especially the rear sight adjuster was something I´ve never heard of before.
Tacticool gear all the way back in the 20s!
Witchcraft i tell you
That thing is a nifty piece of old-school tech for sure.
Have 1 like to have 100 likes
I used to shoot skeet with Bill Brophy's son, at the Hartford Gun Club around 1979. And I have a 1903 like that, with scope mounts for my Lyman Targetspot 8X. Plus the Lyman 48 rear, and 17A front. And now a new Criterion barrel. Bought it about 1964 for $47, and added on all of the sight gear. Extremely accurate. I have seen a similar sight tool by Sedgely. Couldn't afford it.
Ian's next book project: "Forgotten Sight Covers"
Out of sight but not forgotten.
"Forgotten Optics: InSights from the Past"
I know this type of content probably doesn't attract everyone in the audience like the firearms themselves. But I personally enjoy seeing the all the kit that goes along with the guns.
Years ago a friend gave me a o'hare sight adjustment tool. I still have it, along with my DCM Springfield parts i.e. 98 cent 2 groove barrels! Thx for video!
That sight adjustment tool was actually pretty amazing.
The dog in the background is saying “Feed me Ian!” 😂
I really want a vid on just Ian's dog.
Had to feed cats before watching
@@jackdina5353 Ian presents: "Forgotten Woofers"
@@mathy4605 starting at 2:05.
As someone who shoots various competitions and have seen equipment change in the sport, it’s very cool to see what the “it” equipment was at different periods of time and what type of competitions were popular.
Thank you for this information! PJ O'Hare was my freat Grandfather, his son FJ O'Hare & his grandson (my uncle) were all quite the sharpshooters in their day - I have seem many of their trophies & medals - & heard many stories the Camp Perry Matches in Ohio - i guess it was an annual at that time! anyhow, thank you for this post - brought a warm smile to my heart!
today you have flashlights, lasers, and foregrips, back then you had sight protectors and sight micrometers
Well we still have things like sight covers, and aperture sights that use micrometer style threads for adjustment. So nothing really new in many target shooting disciplines for getting on towards a couple of hundred years. It just keeps getting more and more refined.
i really liked this episode. these kinds of things are so interesting
Ahhh smoking sights, I haven't done that in donkey's years, would use a candle to do it before a comp. worked a treat!
Always carry a candle in your range bag! :-)
The oldtimers also had brass carbide burning miner's lamps. Load carbide powder, add water, shake and spark a flint igniter. Oh the things people do to win matches.
@@terrywarner8657 You can still get carbide lamps in UK, and I've seen a few on the range.
Terry Warner carbide lamps are still out there. I know they used to be b popular for spelunking.
Don't tell me sarge, but I used for it some rubber strips from my hazmat suit ;)
That rear sight adjustment tool is like a range micrometer. Neat!
I had no idea as I am unfamiliar with that Rifle sight. You live and learn. As my favorite Sci-fi character is known to say, Fascinating.
I have everything shown in this video+ a flat O'Hare sight adjustment tool to go with the round one. I've wondered for years what the tools were for and today I learned . I have the muzzle & front sight cover, the rear sight cover , the 2 tools mentioned and several different front and rear sight's of varying type. I got them with the 1903 Springfield I inherited in the mid 90s. Thanks for solving the mystery !
Very cool!
Just as interesting to see accessories like this as the guns themselves! I'd love to see more.
Hope to see more of this sort of content mixed in here every so often.
Never a boring video with you Ian. I didn't know sight covers even existed.
How one works around a problem is often more fun than solving the problem in the first place.
Back in the days hitting state side gun shops was always a priority thank you for sharing Ian take care
Typo in the intro bump, “J.P.”
Great video as always, thanks!
Love your posts Ian highly recommended to see
I have a replica sight adjustment tool. It has been invaluable when shooting my 1903 in service rifle matches.
Very cool! I would love to see more stuff like this. For example, I'd love to see your take on the .22 rifles used in Olympic shooting, they must have some very fascinating design differences compared to a military rifle or backyard plinker.
I thought that was the display mount but dang that’s the scope!
And it's only 10x magnification, and probably still has worse glass clarity than a $75 special off AliExpress or Wish.com ;-p
kc8omg the wonders of technology
Thank god for russia's glass
Jeeze! That scope is almost 2/3 the size of the gun, and it's only a 10x?!?😂😂
@@kc8omg When you look through a older Unertl most are still clean and sharp. There is a reason that they still go for a very premium price.
Quite a few of us still use original ventometers when shooting vintage arms with slide adjust rear sights - P53, Snider, MH, Long Lees, etc.
I have a signed copy of the Brophy book he sent me in 1985.... a treasured possesion!
Cool! Now I know where a toy I used to play with when we first moved to town came from! We stayed at a rooming house run by an ancient old man who was nearly deaf and always smoked horrid smelling cigars. He had a son who served in WWII, who left his foot locker at dads when he moved to Lead SD to work at the Homestead Gold Mine. My folks and sisters stayed in the west side of the old house, while my room was in the east side, next to the old man's bedroom/living room. In my room was that foot locker, and in the locker were some of the relics that the son had brought home from Europe. There were NAZI daggers, both one of those fancy officers and one from the Hitler Youth. There was an old European Revolver of some sort, I was only 9 years old and didn't think to read the markings on it. Then there was one of those front sight cover things that I messed with for weeks trying to figure out what the hell it was for. OH there were hundreds of other trinkets he had picked up, from optical sight lenses to old cameras from Europe, he was quite a scrounger, even a French Helmet, and rifle that sat in the corner of the room, a Nazi Helmet sat atop the wardrobe, and all sorts of condoms filled one drawer from the french tickler to other strange looking rubber things. Wish I had that footlocker today, alas the old man died and his kids got the stuff, the house was recently razzed to the ground and there is a nice vegetable garden on the lot. Things do change as the years go by.
Elegant simplicity
i wonder if competition was more or less popular back then than today
Well with no internet or TV it couldn't be less popular...
WAY more popular. It was a holdover from the German Schutzenfests that were popular in the immigrant communities.
Example: In Chicago, the local Germans had a shooting range along the banks of the North Branch of the Chicago River, where Belmont Avenue crossed.
Families got bored, quickly, watching the men shoot. So the men got together and bought a used carousel, to shut them up. It was so popular that they kept adding rides and attractions.
Ask any old Chicagoan about Riverview, in Chicago.
@@Jonascord Thanks! Went to Riverview as a kid. I never wondered about it's origins (actually hadn't thought about Riverview at all in ages) but its always fun to know these historical tidbits.
Central Park in NYC ! had a shooting range before WW II ..
@@richardsolberg4047 Now the whole city is a Free Fire zone. Progress?
It's a old school moa adjustment.thats so awesome
It's cool to see ye olde match shooting setups. Great video!
I always learn something new with each episode. Thanks, Ian.
Now I understand a piece of found British Bisley-shooting fashion gear. Same concept, much more opaque name.
good morning Ian!
Thank you , Ian .
I would love to see a video like this. With 19th century target shooting accessories.
Really cool Ian! Enjoyed this a great deal! Thanks
There are a couple of kids birthday candles knocking about in the bottom of my range bag. They are actually very useful.
Man this would make you the bell of the ball at the service rifle shoot at my club
A nice and classic FW video,
Just what you need for start the day :3
Thanks for the history lesson!
Thank you Ian, love the show
Very Cool products for the Springfield 1903 Rifle !!!!!!!!!!!!
Love the ephemera! Thank you...
I wish I had those for my 1903 !!and that scope !!!!
It would be great for the front sight since the blade is tall and thin, apparently no one thought of putting protective wings on each side of the front sight blade, pretty much every combat rifle since then has a protected front sight.
@@appalachiangunman9589 YES BUT they sure got everything else right !!!!I love my 1903 !!
TOMAS oh I love mine too, my bore is in pretty rough shape, it shoots safely but I’ve never tried to actually group with it on paper as the pitting in the bore is so bad I assumed the accuracy would be terrible, but I’d still like to shoot a 100 yard group with it to see what it would do. The feel of the action though is likely the sweetest and smoothest I’ve ever run, and it ejects spent cases with authority if you want it to. I guess after 114 years it’s had enough time to get broken in.
@@appalachiangunman9589 YES !! I would think if you asked about how to get that cleaned up in the comments of some of the gun channels , someone would know !
Morning y’all! Can’t think of a better way to wake up.
Last time I was this early, Forgotten Weapons still had an intro.
I'm glad I managed to get a copy of that book a couple months ago cause I thought they were expensive then at about 200 for a copy.... Now that gun jesus mentioned it will probably drive the price up
As clunky looking as those external adjustment Unertl scopes were, they worked rather well. I once had a Winchester Model 52 .22 cal. target rifle equipped with one that would shoot one inch ten shot groups at 100 yards.
I'm guessing that another benefit of the sight covers was to keep the polish off the lining of gun cases.
Tonight on bottom gear we'll be shooting a gun without sights
So pretty so nice, my sporterized 1903 kinda sucks lol, thinking of buying a national match M1 hopefully that has better irons than the Lehman sights on the sported 1903
National match paraphernalia would be an interesting area of to collect.
It gets real expensive real quick.
OG match gamer gear, badass.
I wish Ian would take a look at the Imbel IA2 (At least one of the Assault Rifle and Carbine versions that are both in 5,56 and 7,62)
Excellent post.
Love the vids on stuff I didn't even know existed.
Anyone else remembering the Victorian Lee Speed sight covers from a few years ago?
Ian talked about a book I already own! I win!
I have the rear sight cover and the rear sight micrometer and use them.
I recently saw a set on a smle mk3, dont remember if its the same brand but it was neat
I really want Ian to do a vid on just his dog
Forgotten Canines
There are photos of Major Hession and some info about him in 'The Winchester Model 52 Perfection in Design' book by Houze. If you do not have a copy I can photo the book pages and mail them to you. Im leaving for two month in South Africa on or about 15 October for two months and my books are in storage but I think I can find them before I leave. He was a national shooting champion with the .22 and other rifles.
I keep missing your videos because RUclips wont send them to my subscription list.
I'm sadden to find that "P.J. O'Hare" didn't had a bunny in pajamas as a logo.
The rear sight protector makes me nervous. It just looks like a bit of mishandling and it could damage the rear sight.
That metal plate that plugs the holes tapped on the receiver for the scope mount, what is that called?
Very cool rifle with cool milee weapon. 😃
that what those are ...thanx grampa
Good job
Funny how much was made in NJ back in the day. Now only thing to get in South Orange or Newark is drugs.
I wonder if anyone ever tried using a Lee Enfield No 4 Mark 1 sight with the M1903? The LE sight has the threaded Adjustor built in. Obviously all the markings would be wrong but you could develop a translation and have a built in micro adjustment.
I was more interested in that scope than anything
Very cool
Hession was a champion in the 1920-1930's
@Ian: Could you please add author and title of your reference to the infobox? Thanks!
I learned to shoot double action from an "old school" Border Patrol Agent.
When he blackened my sights I was appalled. I'd never seen that done before and here I was a Vietnam vet. Ah, to be twenty-five again.
Great video I must not be the only one who would like for you to do a video about the ak74 and it’s history I know there is videos on it but gun Jesus videos are the best
Super interesting.
“Production moved to the US” tariffs work apparently
They say the guy who built this was building while wearing his pjs.
Where's the Marlin leveractions?.... 😊
Epic video
Very interesting.
Neat
I would lose those sight covers instantly. But perhaps a person inclined to competition shooting is more organized than I am.
U forgot the biggest reason to use the cover, its to prevent someone from screwing with ur sights when ur not looking
What will these O'Hare guys think of next, bottling up and selling nothing but air!?
I have only ever seen "Blackening" of the sight picture in WW2 movies.
I live in a place where I am not allowed to have guns so..
Why is this? What is the point of blackening some part of the sight?
Reduces glare and increases contrast with the target.
Last time I was this early, most weapons were still remembered.
Beware, that knack for finding cool mechanisms might set you on the path to Invention...
Ah yes, Peppy O'Hare's sight covers.
hey. does anyone happen to know the value of a front and rear sight cover in good condition? brass front one . the rear look like the one in this video
Thats not a scope. THIS is a scope.
Hi, i would like if you could make a video on the famae sig 543
Very pimp devices; didn't knew about 'em.
Our savior, gun Jesus. Any chance of you making a video on your gun collection? I know you showed off some of them a while back but, I would love to see an updated video where you show off your collection or maybe the guns your most fond of? Who's with me on Ian making a video showing us his toys?