Description
U.S. Army Technical Manual TM 9-1290-278-35 for M107 Telescope Mount, November 1960
Item Overview
This U.S. Army technical manual covers field and depot maintenance for the M107 Telescope Mount. Issued in November 1960, TM 9-1290-278-35 supported trained personnel responsible for maintaining this precision fire-control component. The M107 mount was used with the M102 articulated gunner’s telescope in the M103A1 heavy tank. This listing is for the technical manual only. It does not include a telescope, telescope mount, gun, tank, or other equipment.
Publication Details
This Cold War publication documents an important part of the M103A1 tank’s direct-fire sighting equipment.
- Manual number: TM 9-1290-278-35
- Publication date: November 1960
- Subject: M107 Telescope Mount
- Related optical instrument: M102 Articulated Telescope
- Primary vehicle application: 120mm Gun Tank M103A1
- Manual level: Field and depot maintenance
- Issuing authority: Headquarters, Department of the Army
- Country of origin: United States
- Item included: Technical manual only
Manual Coverage
The “35” suffix identifies this as a higher-level maintenance manual for work beyond routine crew and organizational care. Publications at this level supported inspection, troubleshooting, disassembly, cleaning, repair, reassembly, adjustment, and final testing. This manual provides a useful reference for understanding the mount’s construction and the methods used to keep the sight securely positioned and correctly aligned.
About the M107 Telescope Mount
The M107 was a precision mounting assembly for the M102 articulated telescope in the M103A1 turret. It held the telescope in position and allowed the alignment needed to match the sight with the tank’s 120mm gun. A later military specification, MIL-M-45094C, continued to identify the equipment as “Mount, Telescope, M107” in 1962, showing that formal support for the design continued after this manual was published.
M103A1 Fire-Control System
The M102 was an eight-power direct-fire telescope with a 7.5-degree field of view and a listed sighting range of 4,800 yards. It included selectable reticles for M358 armor-piercing tracer and M356 high-explosive tracer ammunition. The gunner also had an M29 periscope, while the commander operated an M15 stereoscopic rangefinder. An M14 ballistic computer helped calculate elevation corrections for the 120mm M58 gun. The M107 mount helped keep the telescope stable and aligned within this linked fire-control system.
M103 Heavy-Tank History
The M103 began as the T43 heavy-tank program during the early Cold War. It was designed to meet the threat of Soviet heavy tanks and carried the powerful rifled 120mm M58 gun. The improved M103A1 added a better turret and fire-control system, including the M102 telescope and M107 mount. Its five-person crew included two loaders because the main gun used separate projectiles and cartridge cases.
History of Use
The November 1960 publication date places this manual during active M103A1 service. U.S. Army M103A1 tanks served with heavy armor units in West Germany, while the Marine Corps used the M103 family for heavy fire support. Army heavy-tank units were inactivated in 1963 as the military moved toward more flexible main battle tanks. The Marine Corps continued using upgraded M103 tanks until 1973. The M103 family was never used in combat, but it remained an important Cold War defense system.
Important Model Distinction
The M107 named in this manual is a telescope mount for tank fire-control equipment. It should not be confused with the later M107 175mm self-propelled gun, the Barrett M107 rifle, or the M107 artillery projectile. Those unrelated weapons use the same model number for different equipment.
Collector and Research Value
TM 9-1290-278-35 is a specialized reference for collectors, museums, restorers, and researchers studying the M103A1 heavy tank. It also documents the maintenance practices used for precision optical mounts before modern digital tank sights became common.
Condition
This vintage military technical manual may show cover wear, edge wear, folds, yellowing, stains, writing, stamps, punched holes, loose pages, or other signs of age and storage. Printing details and condition may vary between available copies. Please check the pictures for the general condition of the item.
Ideal For
This manual is well suited for collections, restoration projects, research, and displays focused on American Cold War armor and military optics.
- U.S. Army technical-manual collections
- M103 and M103A1 heavy-tank research
- M107 telescope-mount restoration references
- M102 articulated-telescope displays
- 120mm M58 gun and fire-control research
- Museum and archival collections
Approx length 8", Approx width 10", Approx height .2", Approx weight .2lbs.
Pictures are stock images of our inventory. Unless otherwise noted, you will not be receiving the exact item shown in the pictures. The pictures are representative of the item’s general condition. The item you receive might be slightly better, or worse, condition than was shown in the pictures.
Please visit our page about order lead times here: Order Lead Times.