Navy NSWC Crane M83

[kft101]

So after searching this forum and elsewhere online, and basically finding no source of information on this, I figure let’s start a thread on the apparently VERY little known M83 sniper rifle, built by NSWC Crane for the Navy SEALs sometime in the 1980s, before the M86.

I will share the little information I have been informed about, and let others with actual direct or otherwise knowledge share what they wish, including any photos of either actual or clone M83s.

From what I have gathered, the M83 was built in-house at Crane and consisted of the following specs:
- Remington 700 short action chambered in 7.62 NATO, mostly with the ADL blind magazine box
- McMillan silhouette stock in early desert smear camo (with the green)
- Custom made scope base with 30mm Leupold & Stevens Ultra rings
- Either an L&S Ultra 10X with M1 turrets, or a Bausch and Lomb 10X Tactical scope

And of course this all centers around what is usually my favorite part of a build, the McMillan stock. Below is a mostly exact same stock as used on the M83, with the exception of a different butt pad (but that can be easily fixed).

 

[0812guns]

 

[0812guns]

 

[Skunk]

I don’t have an M83, but I do have an original barrel repurposed on another gun.

.850” at the muzzle.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Very cool! Probably originally built by Alan Brown at Crane...

Nice job!

Sirhr

 

[Random Guy]

The M83 is sort of a unicorn rifle and this thread has the only clone I have seen of this rifle. 0812 guns, thanks for the pics. Do we know what barrel Crane used 40 years ago re the M83? I might guess Hart Barrels, but that is pure speculation.

 

[USMCSGT0331]

I have an original Navy SEAL used M83 stock. This one is the desert smear pattern, but they also used green smear stocks. With this original M83 stock, I also have an M83 scope base, and an M83 logbook. The M83 scope base is with @LRI right now, Chad might do a small limited edition run of these bases whenever he has time. The M83 logbook is in the photos below, it also has sections of the book for other rifles in other calibers. This was given to me by a Navy SEAL who used this logbook when he was still enlisted. Too bad it no longer has the pages with rifle data filled in.

 

[kft101]

More parts acquired for this M83 build, including a rare Bausch & Lomb 10X Tactical scope, Leupold & Stevens Ultra 30mm rings, and an original simrad cap.

Thanks to those that have helped in obtaining the correct parts for this build, including @Coejro for the OG aluminum ADL trigger guard, which looks so much better on the silhouette stock than the plastic one I had on there before.

Now question is, do I have the proper NSN rubber band, tan, scope tube attached, on there?

 

[dirtybores]

Lookin sharp already!

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Very cool!!

 

[DFOOSKING]

More parts acquired for this M83 build, including a rare Bausch & Lomb 10X Tactical scope, Leupold & Stevens Ultra 30mm rings, and an original simrad cap.

Thanks to those that have helped in obtaining the correct parts for this build, including @Coejro for the OG aluminum ADL trigger guard, which looks so much better on the silhouette stock than the plastic one I had on there before.

Now question is, do I have the proper NSN rubber band, tan, scope tube attached, on there?

View attachment 8423603View attachment 8423604View attachment 8423605View attachment 8423606

Anything notable about the B&L 10X?

It's features....or why it was used instead of other common for the time optics?

 

[kft101]

Anything notable about the B&L 10X?

It's features....or why it was used instead of other common for the time optics?

I'm unaware of anything notable about the B+L 10X Tactical except that it was one of the tougher made "tactical" scopes accepted into use by the military at the time (1980s to 1990s?), specifically on the XM25 rifles and apparently at least some of these short lived M83 rifles.

Other scopes were actually used on the M83. You can see in the first photo uploaded by 0812guns in this thread's post #2 that the M83 on the table has on it what looks like a Leupold Ultra or Mk4 10X scope with M1 turrets. I have also seen a photo of an M83 with a Unertl 10X on it, but that is not my photo to share.

If others with first hand or other real world knowledge on these details want to share, please do.

 

[Skunk]

Hope you don’t mind!

 

[kft101]

Hope you don’t mind!View attachment 8424123

Thank you for sharing this!

 

[Skunk]

I don’t even remember where I got the picture…

 

[USMCSGT0331]

Hope you don’t mind!View attachment 8424123

That's a great set-up with the Unertl scope! I have photos with the M83 and Unertl before, but I can't share them since they aren't my photos. The Navy SEAL and FBI Unertl MST-100 scopes were typically in the 2xxx serial number range. The SEALs that I talked to about the M83 said that it was essentially their version of an M40A1, but with a McMillan silhouette stock instead of an HTG stock.

 

[260shooter]

Anything notable about the B&L 10X?

It's features....or why it was used instead of other common for the time optics?

I looked through one in the mid 90'as I remember it was exceptionally clear. But I couldn't afford the sky high price tag of $600.00.