A Short History of the Dewar International Postal Match

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Hap Rocketto

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About Hap Rocketto

Hap Rocketto is a Distinguished Rifleman with service and smallbore rifle, member of The Presidents Hundred, and the National Guard’s Chief’s 50. He is a National Smallbore Record holder, a member of the 1600 Club and the Connecticut Shooters’ Hall Of Fame. He was the 2002 Intermediate Senior Three Position National Smallbore Rifle Champion, the 2012 Senior Three Position National Smallbore Rifle Champion a member of the 2007 and 2012 National Four Position Indoor Championship team, coach and captain of the US Drew Cup Team, and adjutant of the United States 2009 Roberts and 2013 Pershing Teams. Rocketto is very active in coaching juniors. He is, along with his brother Steve, a cofounder of the Corporal Digby Hand Schützenverein. A historian of the shooting sports, his work appears in Shooting Sports USA, the late Precision Shooting Magazine, The Outdoor Message, the American Rifleman, the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s website, and most recently, the apogee of his literary career, pronematch.com.
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5 Responses to A Short History of the Dewar International Postal Match

  1. Jason says:
    September 8, 2010 at 11:54 pm

    Great job, Hap! Are the historical results available? I’d love to see how Canada has fared over the years.

    Reply
    • Hap Rocketto says:
      September 9, 2010 at 10:33 am

      Jason,

      I thought I might have had them somewhere, but I don’t.

      Looks like you have set up a little research project for me.

      Hap

      Reply
  2. Tim Lenzi says:
    February 5, 2011 at 1:37 am

    Hello, Hap. I posted here because I have a B.S.A. rifle with a dished knob on end of lever that looks very much like a 1930’s era Dewar rifle shown in the 1933 Parker-Hale catalog.
    The rifle has been re-stocked in very fancy English walnut..extensive checkering patterns on both sides & bottom of forend, as well as pistol grip. Contoured & checkered thumb rest R.H. side. Shadow line cheek piece, Wunderhammer swell on P.G. The lever has been lengthened & a steel cylindrical knob mortised into end..this has fancy bordered checkering pattern front & back, with deeply dished sides in British style. Parker-Hale N0. 7 rear with adj. Appa.disk. Watson front on block. two scope blks. on the heavy 1″ at muzzle 30″ brl.
    Now here is the kicker…It has a Pope barrel! Small neat H.M. Pope stamped L.H. side. Under forearm, #781 April 1933. The lever has been bent over to right & inletting opened up to allow this. I wondered about this..even had thoughts of straightening it..until I had a post from English gentleman..said very likly bent for faster aquisition in rapid-fire matches. I had never before heard of R.F. in small bore..but it was done here in the 1930’s..Col. Whelen has written about it. Also, the British had their..still do as a matter of fact, Queen Alexandria match, as well as the skirmisher match..these are timed rapid fire. When I purchased rifle, I was convinced it was used by U.S. shooter..now I am not so sure..With that English walnut stock, Parker-Hale sights & that Watson front, I wonder if some British or Canadian shooter didn’t have Pope build it for them? What are your thoughts on this? I don’t have dig. yet, but in future will try to send pics. Thank you very much.

    Reply
  3. Hap Rocketto says:
    February 7, 2011 at 10:15 am

    Tim,

    I made a call to an old friend who knew Pope in his later years, Art Jackson, said that he would like to have the rifle.

    Art went on to mention that he thought the barrel was pretty long and heavy. In teh time fram you mention there were few competitive rifles, pretty much the Winchester 52 and BSA.

    Yours is pretty typical but for the stock and lever work.

    Art felt that a US or Canadian shooter commissioned the rifle as Pope was not know to do trans-Atlantic business. Most folks went to his shop on Marcy Street while a few others worked with him by mail. Art suspects that Pope probably did all of the work as that was his preferance.

    While in England in the late 1940s Art witnessed a few rapid fire matches. They were untimed as the goal was to be first to break a set of small clay targets.

    I wish I could be of more help.

    Hap

    Reply
  4. Tim Lenzi says:
    February 11, 2011 at 6:17 pm

    Hello, Hap. You have been of more help than you can imagine..Yours is the first reply that has this much information! I have been trying to obtain inserts for the front Watson sight..found 1 post. I am having a set EDM wired out, so that should get me going. Still would like to find some more originals inserts.
    There are a few items I failed to mention: The R.H. side of action is cut-down exactly like he used to do on the Winchester High-Walls for easier loading. Very neatly done, and shape of cutout is very much like that of the later, more modern BSA marks. Also, the top of breech-block has been drilled..hole is perfectly contoured to blend in with the loading groove in block’s top surface. When action is open..hole lines up with cleaning hole in rear of action. As a plus..in prone..your eye has a straight shot thru bore..nice to check for obstructions..all in all a very inovative design..I am wondering if Pope’s cut-out influenced BSA to alter their rifles?

    Reply

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