How many use “Old” Scopes?

[R. Cram]

View attachment 497995

This Savage 99 takedown in .303 Savage is from 1920.

I built up some loads using Hornady FTX bullets and LVR powder. Shoots well.

I had a tang sight on it, but I found the front bead hard to use in adverse light, so I decided to give in to ageing eyes and scope it.

It was never drilled & tapped, so I used a Lightfoot bridge scope mount. In the middle is a Leupold single dovetail mount. To both ends of that, the maker welds steel blocks that connect the barrel sight dovetail and the tang screws.

The fellow unfortunately has stopped making them.

For optics, I mounted a Weaver K2.5-60 which has a centered reticle, made in the early 1960s. Blued steel tube. I got a set of vintage steel Redfield dovetail mounts with slotted screws. Scope and rings came from Vintage Gun Scopes in Corvallis, Montana.

This steenbock I took at 114 yards. He was well covered behind tall grass, and all I could see was his eye, ear, horns and a bit of neck line. I interpreted where his body was and the FTX made quick work of him. DRT. Our cooks served him up as appetizers that night. Steenbock backstrip grilled over a flame served on a cracker is a beautiful thing.

I picked up another K2.5 at a gun show for $50 in great shape. They are out there, and while they lack the gee whiz features and coatings of modern glass, are still effective for average daylight hunting, just as they were 50-80 years ago.

For my other rifle, i took a Dumoulin Mauser in .30 Hembrook topped with a Leupold VX-5 3-15-44, which is a fantastic hunting scope. We were in the Karoo desert, so some of the shots were quite long (500 yards...) but modern scopes were just right for that. Would I have taken the shot with a K2.5 at that range? Assuming the cartridge is up to it, maybe. I shoot highpower National match at 600 yards with irons, but the X-ring is a foot across, so I want to be respectful to the animal. Dialing up 8MOA and using 15 power was much more humane in my opinion.

Horses for courses. YMMV. My $.02

I too shoot High Power and untill about 8 years ago iron sights were the only things allowed untill I was about 50 or so irons worked very well and if my eyes hadn't gotten old I would prefer iron for that game as eye relief isn't critical and when you click the sight you know it moved but for hunting game in poor light or when the animal blends in with the background scopes are much better however way too much emphasis is placed on expensive optics and most of them are very heavy, we shot very accurately to 1000yds with irons but somehow if you hunt you need $2000 dollar or more scopes. Even on my high power rifles I don't have anything more expensive than $1000 lots of Nikon Monarch's and leupold v3 and they work just fine. A young man I'm going to help hunt showed up with some super scope with a large bell mounted so high he won't have any cheek weld which will make it about impossible to hit his animal so we have to put one of these adjustable plastic cheek pieces on his stock so he can shoot and a mount to get the scope away from his eyebrow when he lays down to shoot and a M-1 cotton sling so he can steady the rifle

 

[dogbuster0006]

New glass is a little brighter, a little more crisp but my older Leupolds still hold zero and function just fine.

 

[Kmccord]

My oldest scope is still in use today, it is a 3-9x42 Redfield Tracker. This was purchased when I bought my first Deer Rifle after I turned 18 in 1985, that day I was so happy, purchased a Winchester M70 .270 Winchester. The rifle was 330.00 and cannot remember what the scope and rings cost, but back then at 18, hell 40.00 dollars was expensive to me. It took me four weeks giving my dad 100.00 each week out of my 113.00 paycheck, to hold for me. Minimum wage was 3.35 back then. That rifle has killed majority of my Whitetails and all my Coyotes. It is still mounted on that same rifle.

 

[HNDLDR]

I have a couple old Leupolds. A Vari X II 4x12 and a Vari X III 3.5x10. They work great on the 17HMRs.

Someday I'm going to buy an old rifle with lots of character marks just so I can mount my late father's old Weaver K4 4 power on it. Sometimes an old scope just needs a rifle to be on.

 

[CBH Australia]

I recently bought an older Swarovski Habicht for my .308. Both have some marks and seem fitting that they go together.
The tube is fine the finish is chipped but it's good clear glass in a reliable scope with an appropriate magnification range.
It's the only Swarovski I have.
I told my mate I paid $400 on the usedguns site. He said you wouldn't have it if I saw it first. I'm pretty happy with it.

 

[436]

A couple more on my Weatherby MkV Varmentmasters both are Leupold Vari X III, 3.5x10x with Adjustable AO, also with the older custom Mil Dot from the early 80s. Cheers.

 

[Philward]

This is hilarious that you post this now! I'm having a similar issue with my pistol scope.

First, a scope in hand is worth 2 on the internet! What I mean is buying a new scope could bring an annoyance or even a warranty issue to my gun. Where a tested scope in my possession should be a "known good" part.

Now, I think older scopes need their clicks confirmed on paper both shooting and moving. The acceptance of crappy turret quality was just higher 10 - 20 years ago. When turrets don't move right, time and money are wasted. At worst, animals are wounded.

They also need forest service road tested. That is, shoot a group, drive normally on a rough road, with rifle laying on cardboard in the bed, and then shoot another group. Same poa?

Last, shoot it. Are optics good enough?

For me, this was taking a Simmons 2-7x EER off a 375 JDJ barrel and putting on my 30 Herrett barrel. Then using the duplex reticle as a bdc of sorts to 300 yards! It works!

Why the h### would you drive around with rifle on cardboard in bed of truck? Mine are always in the cab with me when traveling.

 

[Calvin45]

1996 is considered "vintage"?
dang, guess I've got a lot of "vintage" gear then.

What is "antique "? I probably have some "antique " gear too

I thought it was bad when classic rock stations started playing 90"s music --,- that's not "classic rock" to me

I think technically an antique has to be older than 30 years. That's it. Heck, I'm younger than most of you guys and I'm "antique" now

 

[Lenny Foffa]

I put my 1979 Leupold VX3 3.5X to 10X High Gloss Leupold on to my Model 70 Super Grade classic, in 270, 1 inch tube and It looks just fine on that rifle. Id love to get the Bases and Rings color case hardened, just for looks.

 

[YZ-80]

A couple more on my Weatherby MkV Varmentmasters both are Leupold Vari X III, 3.5x10x with Adjustable AO, also with the older custom Mil Dot from the early 80s. Cheers.

View attachment 498113

Those are beautiful! Here's the Japanese Varmintmaster I had. With the "old" VX-II 4x12.

 

[436]

Those are beautiful! Here's the Japanese Varmintmaster I had. With the "old" VX-II 4x12.

View attachment 498130

Which caliber .224 Wby Mag or .22-250 Rem? And yep, that's a nice one! Cheers

 

[Ken61]

I have a Weaver V9 W/ a German #1 post reticle. It is on a varmint rifle. I would like to find a scope made today with this same style reticle w/ post illuminated. But they seem to be nonexistent. Anyone know of a company making these today ?

I have an El Paso K 2.5 with that German reticle on a 16 inch AR 15. It is always ready to go. No batteries,no worries, works in low light. Good stuff.

 

[victor3ranger]

Still using a 1969 3-9 Weaver with a one minute dot and fine crosshairs on my main coyote calling rifle.

Yep K series Weaver is my oldest, have 2

 

[YZ-80]

Which caliber .224 Wby Mag or .22-250 Rem? And yep, that's a nice one! Cheers

.22-250. I think the Japanese ones were 1:12 and the German ones were 1:14 in that caliber. It was quite a rifle but I parted with it due to headspace issues.