Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Old rifle scopes still tickin' on hunting rifles.

My oldest is a first issue Burris 3-9 Fullfield. I still love it. It’s been on a few 308’s, currently a Sako 85 Finnlight II in 308.

^ very nice.

I just dont know how you are able to hunt with it and kill stuff..I mean, its not being a NIghtforce and all.

Pulled an Oigee Berlin Luxor 3x off the 102 year old oberndorf sporting mauser. It handled dozens of 286 grain. Groups were decent. Eye relief was fkn amazing!

Sold it to a guy here on campfire for a decent amount of money. He was ecstatic, and it's still being used. Elevation adjustment only.

Bausch and Lomb Balvar 2.5-8 on a Kuharsky base…

Lots of these old-timers spent most of their lives in closets and were never dialed, except when necessary due to ammunition changes or, like my old pre-64, to correct what the weather had wrought on the previous zero. With such use, lots of scopes could soldier on for a long time, but times have changed, and more shooters are shooting and dialing than previously, but maybe not hunting so much, or even at all…..

I picked up a Weaver Micro Trac K4 for my Henry SS .357 because the small ocular makes it possible to forgo the hammer spur required by modern scopes and their big honkin’ eyepieces. Looks just right, not Hubbel-ish at all. Sighting in was uneventful, which can’t always be said for some modern scopes; you know which ones……….

Steel K4 weaver w/ non centering reticle on a 99eg in 250-3000. Dozen or two Leupold Vari-X III’s from the eighties. A Leupold M8 10x silhouette scope (target turrets) from early ‘70’s’ that has been seen 2 Ruger 77 barrels in .22-250 burned up. It has been a testbed scope since late nineties. I know it works and Tracks. It’s been stuck on a 788 in .223 for 7 years. I have a 6.5x20 Vari-X that has moved into load development.

This one has been in here before, but it's a great scope on a superb rifle (Lyman 4X on a Win 70 in .30-06).
Bob

Yet another B&L on a Kuharsky base.
Solid, something to be said for these old scopes

space bar tap test

Old scopes, old rifles, old spotting scopes. Who here uses a spotting scope from the 50's??



All you guys bringing up Bausch and Lomb, reminded me of my old spotter. It works great, for everything I use it for. No need to pull out my better, high dollar spotter. I can see bullet holes in paper at 400 yards with this old thing, so why change?

The other day I had a guy ask how old my spotting scope was. I told him it was made in 1958, and he said, "if it's not broke, why fix it huh?".. I said yep..

I use this M8 4x in Weaver R&B on an old 721 300H&H.

Also use three Bushnell Scopechief VIs and a 12x fixed Leupold on a 700 Varmint 222. Not much older than that. Decent gloss scopes are becoming scarce and increasing in value sought after by those who want a proper scope on a classic rifle.

I have a few I use on shooters. Here are some of them( Frim the top)-

A Weaver K4-60B from the early 1960's on a 1949 Winchester M70.

Next is a late1960s Lyman All American Permacenter 4x on a 1945 Winchester 52B Sporter.

The last is a Weaver made "Ted Williams" 4x (1968-69) on a mid 1970s Winchester 9422.

The elegant little .22 Marlin model 1897 at the bottom is just here to class the joint up a bit..

I have a Weatherby Imperial scope on my 300. Haven’t really had the need to use the rifle in several years but it is 3-3 on moose and 1-1 on elk.

Also have a few older Weavers floating around on 22s

Several older VariX-IIs from the mid-1980s

Except for the V series, Iron Site LLC in Tulsa, OK, is still rebuilding El Paso Weaver scopes.

One of my friends in northern New England who is deer tracker in the Bernier/Benoit mold is a fan of the Weaver K1.5. He buys all that he can find that are in good condition and sends them to Iron Site LLC. to be refurbished and to have the reticle changed if the scope didn't come with a post and crosshair reticle. They seem to be a popular sight for the trackers who use a scope in lieu of a receiver sight.

We have several of the Balvar 2.5 to 8 scoped on many rifles in the family never seen one fail. In my opinion the glass on these is excellent quality too.

A lot of Balvars in here


p64 30-06 - scope is painted with alumahide?



post 64 m670 carbine - 30-06

Weaver K-4 circa 1971 and Redfield Widefield 3-9x circa 1978 on a couple of my .22s.

A 1956 Winchester 88 with a Weaver 4x.

Leupold M8 4x28mm on my Mannlicher 7x57. I mounted another one on the Savage 110 243 that was my son's first rifle.

No matter how good the quality of the scope was when it was manufactured the rubber seals have a limited life. The glass and mechanics can still work perfectly but I wouldn't trust a 30+ year old scope to remain waterproof in harsh weather unless it has been refurbed with new seals.

On a rifle used at the range or for a local meat hunting trip where a scope failure wouldn't be a big deal, I'd use an older scope. But not on a hunt where I had time and money invested in a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Great post here. I can tell by the photos that you all know how to take care of your stuff. I only have "Vintage" scopes as well and would shoot nothing else. Most are 4x or 3x and have been sent in to be refurbished.........Darrel Wick