Traded for an older (1978 by barrel code) 700 BDL in 300 Win Mag recently. It came with a Weaver V12-II mounted on it. Looks like an older scope that may have been put on the gun when it was new? Used it a couple of times hunting evenings and just could not see out of it at dusk like most of my newer scopes so I ended up replacing it with a extra Swift I had. Not familiar with these older Weaver scopes and just wondering about this one.
Good scope?
Past it's prime and old technology?
Opinions?
The "II" suffix in the model number probably means it is one of the very last of the El Paso made Weavers- a "Steel lite II" model.
Basically they were made with steel main tubes, but have Aluminum lens cells(end caps), power adjustment rings, and turrets and caps to reduce weight. The same recipe Weaver used in the late 1950s.
If it is marked "micro-trac" on the left side of the adjustment turret base- it's definitely a SL-II model.They are pretty tough scopes, but rather long and heavy even compared to Leupolds of that time.
As to the glass, make sure you are truly comparing apples to apples when comparing an old scope to a newer scope. Clean the lenses well first of all. Sounds basic, but a lot of folks take a dirty, dusty old scope and declare it not to be worthy optically when all it needs is a good cleaning.
Second, remember the objective lenses on that V12 is only about 40 mm- which does not provide a great exit pupil at 12x.
IMHO, the basic lens quality on the later US made Weavers is about the same as other standard grade US scopes of that time- including Redfield and Leupold. Most Weavers are pretty sharp and clear, but the image colors have a yellow tinge to them.
One thing about that Weaver. You have a scope built ENTIRELY by Americans in their El PAso plant. They ground their own lenses, and turned every part in house. It is an artifact of a long gone era of American craftsmanship..
It does say micro trac on the side.
Thanks for all the great info. I will give it a very thorough cleaning and take it back with me one afternoon to the shooting house to see if I can tell a difference.
