Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics 1" late 60's to early 80's scope for H&R 301 Mannlicher?

Finally got this thing put together, thank you Mr. Gunsmith.

Now I need to find a scope for it. I'll be using the Leupold dovetail base and 1" rings (because that is all that I could find to fit the Mark X that was gloss, everything else is matte.

I would like adjustable, but fixed is fine. Since it is a carbine length mannlicher, no more than 8x, and even that might be to much. A 1, 2 or 3 to 6x adjustable would be preferred. Or a fixed 4x or 6x option? Also, a long eye relief, or a long tube aft of the turrets for my short neck, if possible.

I will also note that THIS IS PURELY a range toy/target gun. I don't hunt, and I don't do any competition shooting. I just like putting holes in paper, and pinging steel. I do not want to spend an arm or a leg on this, so under $200 is my budget, and I would prefer to keep it closer to $100 than $200.

I've had great luck with the Bausch&Lomb 'B' series, internal adjustments, centered reticles, lenses don't seem to yellow with age, very sharp clear images, responsive adjustments. Haven't checked lately, but they show up on ebay from time to time, mostly under 200 bucks. I have 3 of them.

Balfor series, or the B is for something else?

Yeah, Balfor, Balsix, Balvar 8 etc. I did some informal testing of a number of scopes a few years ago, using the 1951 USAF optical resolution chart...you will be amazed at the resolution and clarity of some of these old Lymans and Bausch, compared with modern mid price range scopes like Burris and Leupold. The only weak spot of these old timers, IMO, is looking into morning and evening sun...they will flare out...the new lens coatings really work well.

shouldn't be a problem for me with the sun, thanks for the lead, i"ll look into those.

lets see the rifle

I have a very early Leupold Mountaineer 6x.that works well, I used it in a egg shoot a number of years ago and tied for.first. I was shooting with the oldest rig there. It is for sale.

Lots of nice Weaver K4s and K6s out there, and they are pretty reliable IME. Steel tubes so they will rust. I recommend the Burris Signatures with inserts to hold well and not mar the tube.

nice. Don't think I;ve ever seen one of those. You mentioned gunsmith. Is it factory or custom?

I have 4 Interarms Mark Xs with Mannlicher style stocks one in 260, two in 7x57, and one in 9.3x62. If I was looking for a sub-$200 scope for one of them I'd look at the B&L and Bushnell Scopechief line. The Scopechief line was originally a B&L product that was rebranded as a Bushnell product when Dave Bushnell bought B&L's hunting product line. I like the 1.5-4.5x20, 2.5-8x32, and 3-9x36 for rifles with Mannlicher style stocks because they are more compact than the 3-9x40s. These scopes were made in Japan and there are several variations. The one thing that I don't like about some of the Scopechiefs is the Command Post variable reticle, one can change the reticle from crosshair to post and crosshair.

It is an H&R 301, so "factory custom" from the 70s. The original Zastava Mark X receiver was destroyed (Court Order? According to parts seller.) So I got a new old stock Interarms Mark X and had a local gunsmith put it together and headspace it, do some minor inletting in the stock, and make sure it fired safely.

It doesn't eject properly, so I may need to mill out some of the back ring, or get a longer ejector (if that's possible.)


H&R made several Mauser variations between 60s and 70s. Though, by made, I mean assembled. They grabbed great parts - Fajen stocks, Douglas Barrels, and then FN, Sako, and Zastava mauser actions. I have 2 FN's, and this [replacement] Zastava. Would love to get a Sako (L461) but they tend to be very expensive compared to the other two options.

I will research those. Do you have any issue with ejection on your Mark X with the 260?

if you are satisfied with fixed power , 4x Redfields from that era can be had on Ebay pretty reasonable , optically they are good for my money and you can find them with duplex style reticles


plenty of comparable Leupolds for sale too , but they run quite a bit more money

No ejection problems. I actually have 2 Interarms Mark Xs in 260, the one with a Mannlicher-style stock and one with a 26" heavy contour barrel that was put together to shoot varmints at longer ranges. The Mannlicher style stock on the 260 came off the action that is in the other 260, as it came with DSTs and a high lift flat bolt handle that is more suited, at least IMO, to the varmint rifle than to a stalking rifle.

All pretty good suggestions. I could close my eyes and pick one and be happy. If I were scoping that rifle, and was married to the idea of "period correct" optics, I would look twice at a Weaver 1.5-4X straight tube scope from that era. I used a few back then and they were wholly satisfactory for 1-200yard paper punching and occasional woods loafing. I just think a sweet little full stocked rifle looks best with a straight tube scope - if aesthetics was the only concern (one of my all time favorite rifles was a Mannlicher-Schoenauer M1952, full stocked short rifle, .257 Roberts, and the Weaver 1.5-4 I perched on it was entirely satisfactory). Heck, for that matter a Weaver K3 wouldn't be a bad option also.

i was thinking a nice simple scope, i do like my weavers (have a couple already.)

I could also do the funny, and put a 20x Redfield 3200 on it...



I joke.

I had one of the H7R 301 full stock 308 with the FN action and young and dumb traded it. Been looking for another one for awhile.

I wish you good luck on that one, the Mannlicher style (301) are among the less common of the group, just slightly more common than the very very rare 370.

I just started scrolling threads in this sub section for the same reason as the OP. Looking for ideas about period scopes, for a similar rifle of similar vintage. Just bought a mid 70's rifle that came with a 4x Redfield, "Tv view". The imagine seems sharp enough, but dark. Not "light transmission" dark, but like "I forgot I had my sunglasses on" dark. okay not THAT bad, but enough that when I first looked through it I checked to see that it didn't have some kind of filter on it. (or that it didn't have 40 years of dust)

It's a shame because it's a perfect match for the rifle, right age, right amount of wear. And I kind of like the old TV view, having grown up shooting a couple Tasco's with it. I guess I need to get it out in the woods near sunset and see just how bad it is.