Updating an 03A3 Sporter, Keeping it Classy
I've got an heirloom RIA 03A3 that was sporterized by my grandfather in the years following his service in WWII. He's been gone since the late '90's, and while I was going through my safe, I pulled this rifle out to have a look and consider taking it back into the field. It's got a 20" .30-06 barrel on it that I'm almost certain is a Douglas, a Reinhart-Fajen stock with rollover comb and ebony tip, a 2-position safety, jeweled bolt, and aftermarket trigger of some type. Pretty sure it's bedded but I'm not pulling it apart to look. In short, it's a really nice rifle.
Two problems. It's wearing a period Bushnell Sportview 3-9 that I don't trust and it has a hard-as-rock red Jostam "Anti-Flinch" recoil pad. I need to fix both of these while keeping the rifle looking clean and classy.
Looking for recommendations on a good quality lightweight 2-turret 1" tube hunting scope, no illumination, objective 40mm or less with 32mm probably looking best on it, 2-7x, 3-9x or something similar. Probably from a classic maker like Leupold instead of Vortex, for example. Realistically this rifle's future use will be deer and groundhogs at 50-250 yards. Scope budget, let's say $700 or less. Half that is fine, I'm not a price snob.
The recoil pad, I'm thinking Pachmayr Decelerator because of issues I've heard with Limbsavers turning gooey over the years. I've never fitted a pad before but it sounds like if I get a belt sander and am careful, I can do that myself. Your experiences / opinions welcome.
Thanks for helping put an old rifle back in service. If some good quality pictures would help, I'll see what I can do.