Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics clearance between ocular bell and bolt handle problem

I am trying to scope a BRNO 22F Mauser, circa 1948 with a minimum of hassle and I would like your suggestions of hunting scope, fixed or variable with the smallest possible ocular bell OD. I am about at the limit for ring height for commonly available rings. So far, the smallest I am aware of is old Redfield or Kollmorgen Bearcub at around 1.2".

Don’t think you’ll get much smaller than that, unless you can find something/rings to do an old 3/4” tube. Anything with a 1” tube is gonna obviously be about a 1/4” bigger than (1”), in order for the ocular to thread on to a 1” tube..

Looks like an old Weaver K2.5 is about 1.25”...

https://www.vintagegunscopes.com/1inchscopes/weaver-k25-brass-excellent-c1947-48

Later models may vary slightly..

This might give you some specs on some 3/4” and 7/8” tube scopes-

https://www.vintagegunscopes.com/fixedpower3-4and7-8

Thanks for checking Burg.

The old Lyman All American scopes have smaller ocular diameters, and are excellent scopes.

Got a few 1.43" darn it.

This is probably the reason so many guys have had their bolt handles replaced or reshaped to clear their scopes. Not sure you will find anything that works without some bolt handle surgery....

OP - Have you checked out the BKL rings? They have some clever solutions for rings, I suspect that they may have something that would work for you.

drover

The smallest I'm aware of (on a currently available new scope) is 1.360 on the Leupold 3-9 Freedom A.O. EFR.*

What type of rings/bases does the gun have? Many of these had the claw mounts. Probably the cleanest setup I've seen was an offset mount that moved the scope a bit to the left to clear the 'butter knife' bolt handle. -Al

*Heck of a nice little scope

Leupold M8 Compact scopes ocular are 1.3” diameter.

Thanks for all the help fellas, the 'fire at it's best. The reality is...I should be taken out and whipped for altering this beautiful little rifle, but it is an end of life bucket rifle, and iron sights are a recipe for failure in the hunting field.

Yes Flintlocke, it is much better to do what you have to do to make the rifle usable to you in the field, than for it to linger in the safe. RJ