I was given my father's deer rifle after he passed away. It is a Reminton 721 and I am in the process of giving it a face lift...new stock, reblueing, and new optics. The rifle is a early 1950s vintage and the scope that is on it, is a Weaver K1. I'm sure it was purchased when the gun was new. My question is...are there collectors of old optics out there,and, if so, is that scope worth anything as a collectors item? Any information appreciated. Thanks

Tom

Your scope is worth roughly $100, depending on condition. Your father was a man who knew his rifles and optics, and if I were you I'd keep it for the memories.

The Weaver K1 was an innovative scope that was a favorite of both Elmer Keith and Jack O'Connor for use on shotguns, as its very wide field of view allowed the shooter to track and hit flying targets. The Weaver K series were one of the best American made scopes of the 1950s-1960s and certainly the most widespread, from what I have seen. I've owned more than two dozen over the past five years and have been happy with them all.

They are rugged and very useful today, but they are badly outclassed by modern optics in terms of moisture resistance, and optical quality. It is hard to beat modern nitrogen sealed scopes with multi-coated optics. That said, the Weaver K's are still useful, and I've had K3's on my 458 Win Mag and they held up nicely.

All in all, I would keep it if I were you. Replace it with a modern scope if you must on the Remington 721, but definitely give that K1 a try on a shotgun, you'd be surprised what you can do with it. Anything that could get Elmer Keith and Jack O'Connor to agree is worth trying. The K1 did that.

Thanks very much for your comments. I will keep it and do as you suggest with a shotgun.

If you can find a copy of Elmer Keith's "Shotguns" or Jack O'Connor's "Shotgun Book," or "Complete Book of Rifles and Shotguns" they have sections on the K1 that are really neat reading.

Dad shot some nice whitetail bucks (and missed some too) with that scope / rifle combination. I didn't realize it was designed for shotgun use. Thanks for opening my eyes, and, I will try to find the suggested readings.

Tom

They were designed for rifle use, mainly as a way for guys who didn't need magnification, but who could no longer see iron sights, to have a nice, bright sighting plane for fast shooting in the timber. Alot like how red-dot, non-magnifying optics have become popular today. The K1 found its real popularity on shotguns, however, because most guys wanted a little bit of magnification on their rifles. One reason why K2.5's and K3's are pretty common and K1's are not. I probably see 10 K2.5's for every K1 I run across.

Thank you very much for passing on all your knowledge. I appreciate your helping me out. It'll be passed on to my son as well.

I have a couple of K-1.5's, one on my Savage 99 375 Win and one on my Marlin 94 218 Bee. They are great for fast shooting in the thick stuff as my eyes can no longer use a iron or reciever sights.

erich