I was "into" the B&L Bal-Var series of scopes and adjustable mounts back in the early 1990s. I probably have over 40 B&L Balfour (4x), Balsix (6x), Baleight (8x), Balvar (2.5x and 4x), Balvar-five (2.5-5x), and Balvar-eight (2.5-8x) scopes. Before the Rodney King riots burned out B&L's scope repair center in LA, you could send in any Bal-series scope and they would refurbish it for just the cost of shipping. IIRC, they lost the majority of their repair parts in the fire and when they moved the operation to Kansas City, they started giving credit toward a current production scope as fulfillment of the life-time warranty.
For me, the best thing about the B&L scopes and mounts was meeting and getting to know the late Fred Warren. Fred was a walking encyclopedia of B&L information and, unfortunately, he took his knowledge with him to the grave. If you find a B&L base or rings marked "Pem's", you have a item that Fred had made up when the originals from B&L and Kuharsky Brothers were no longer available.
