Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Tweener Scope

Anyone know of a 1.5X7+, 2X8+ scope with a bell diameter of 42mm or less? Steyr Classic Mannlicher FS, My Kahles 2X7X36 Helia CL will not clear the bolt handle with medium rings.... I would rather not go with high rings, also a #4 reticle is preferred. Thinking it might be a unicorn, The Kahle's are about impossible to find already and it doesn't fit....

Meopta 6x42 for sale in the classifieds. #4 reticle as well. I don't have a dog in the fight, just trying to help out.

This one sold but it might be an option with a 32 mm bell.
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...razor-1-5-8x32-hd-lh-w-g4-reticle#UNREAD

Another option would be the ss ultralight.

Neither have the #4 but they might work.

If the kahles won’t clear, I don’t think the meopta will. I have both and can check clearance on an m70 or m700 if the OP is interested.
That’s a great price on the meopta ...

6X is too much for the deep woods, plan B is a Zeiss Conquest 3X9X40 Z plex that I have laying around. It JUST clears. The Kahle's would have been perfect.... I might just get some high rings and see just how stupid that looks/fits.

Do what you like, friend.

If my old eyes were up to it, I would just use the excellent irons on the rifle. The SS Ultralight looks like it would work, I can live with a plex, but really like the #4 in the deep woods.

Curious as to why and how the #4 is like better than a duplex for thick/deep woods/lower light conditions.... I find myself in similar conditions in GA and find leupold's duplex leaving me wanting/needing more. Damn hard to see the reticle in low light even when I can see my target (deer) behind it.

The Kahles is a very good 1" tube scope. Know for low light hunting. I used it on my CZ550 9.3X62 for many years. The #4 is to me much quicker to get target acquisition, especially on a moving target. It draws my eye to the center faster than a duplex does.

Not sure how you feel about them, but the Leupold 2.5-8x36 has a small ocular housing and you'll likely be able to fit it on in low rings and still clear the bolt. Some report trouble with them, and I personally will no longer use Leupolds for turret twisting due to some failures to track and rtz; however, I've had good service from 6 2.5-8's that are used as set it and forget it scopes. Some have fairly high round counts and are 20+ years old and still holding zero on magnums and a light 35 Whelen. As far as reticles, it might be dificult to find what you're looking for stock, but for a fee Leupold will change them out to nearly anything you'd like.

Really nice rifle by the way. Always have my feelers out for a similar rig in something like a 6.5 swede or 7x57.

It's a 6.5X55, it will not be a "dial-er" set and forget for the most part. I have had Leopold's in the past and have not really had issue except one. It is an ocular issue, with the butter knife handle.

One of my Mannlicher's had the same clearance problem...it probably isn't the scope you want, but the old Bear Cub 4x has the smallest ocular diameter I've found. Back in the days when people shot game without bipods, ballistic computers, range finders and anemometers....it worked fine. But we didn't know any better.

This made me curious. I have both the scopes mentioned and it always seemed to me that the kahles had more clearance in like setups.
I pulled out three tweener scopes I have in addition to the SWFA UL I referenced earlier and made some measurements. Here’s what I found...imperial units

Scope/ocular diameter (OD) / mounting length / weight

Kahles 2-7x36 CL - 1.68 / 5.30 / 13.25
Kahles 2-7x36 AH - 1.53 / 5.30 / 12.05
Zeiss 2.5-8x32 CQ - 1.60 / 6.05 / 13.75
SWFA 2.5x10x36 - 1.33 / 5.80 / 9.35

So ... if you find a kahles AH in 2-7 with a #4 ... it should work for you. I had never noticed before, but the ocular on the CL is larger than on the AH. What I had been remembering on my rigs were the AH, not the CL.

I think that I have a #4 AH around somewhere. If you can’t find one or are interested in a trade, PM me. I don’t recall that clearance was critical on the set up that I have it on currently ... if I recall correctly at all

Hope that helped ...

Meopta has a MeoPro 3-9x40 #4. Call Doug at CameralnadNY and I bet he can hook you up? Meopta also has the Optika5 2-10x42.

What’s the OD of the ocular on the Optika 5? It looks huge - not sure it gets the OP his desired clearance - but I have not seen one in person.

1.5-5.5x38 Conquest or 2-8x32Conquest both excellent for mid range scope. powdr

Yes, they are and you don’t see those nearly as often as the 3-9x40 and larger mag/obj combos.

AKwolverine thank you for the info. I as well did not know the AH was smaller than the Cl. Just ordered some high Burris signature rings, will raise the scope 3.8mm or .15". Will see if that will work out.

You’re more than welcome. Let me know if that works out. If not ... offer stands.

Not sure about the Optica 5, but the Optica 6 is 2.07" on the ocular bell. forgot about an older Nikon Monarch that is on a muzzle loader, it will fit no issues.