Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Anyone know what's happening with Oehler???

I went to the Oehler website to look at getting some extra Skyscreens for my 35P and they have this notice posted:



I sent an email asking, but was wondering if anyone knows if this a temporary condition or are we losing another of the "good ones"?

I read that their government contracts keep them busy and prosperous. Also, that with the advent of cheaper chronographs like the Chrony and Pact models that the Model 35 wasn't selling as well as it used to.

They aren't going under AFAIK, just no longer feel that the civilian market is where they want to be.

CRAP! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I guess when my 35P goes away, I'll have to change brands. I sure like my Oehler.

Steve

Friend Steve,

My Oehler 35P has served me faithfully since Oehler first brought it out. That's been a bunch of years and tens of thousands of rounds. I've never needed a single service; just feed it a 9V battery once or twice a year and put paper in the roller-thingie.

Going by the service of my 35P, I'd suspect that yours will last you for the rest of your natural life.

Half unbelieving and hoping that this wasn't true, I went to Oehler's website. Yup, it's true.

For those who have not met Dr. Ken Oehler, he is a TALL, BIG Texan and about as unassuming, gentle man as you'd ever meet. He is a nice man and a total credit to the shooting industry.

As for me, I'll use my 35P just as long as it lasts and be just as proud of this fine American product as I ever was.

I still have an Oehler in my attic that I bought when I was a poor college student in the mid-1960s. It cost me, what seemed then, a fortune. Skyscreens were unheard of at that time, so you shot through printed metal screens (and not at any particular target).

Then you got a "Yes" or a "No" when you turned the indicator to 4, 8, 16 and 32. After gathering all the figures, you looked the muzzle velocity up in a little book. Kinda crude, but it worked.

We were too poor to buy meat, so I was shooting what we needed locally (don't ask <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />). Anyway, I had a Mannlicher-Schoenauer Carbine 7X57 that was a bit of a local legend and I prolly killed 50-ish deer with it. Maybe more.

The Speer Manual said I was getting 2800+ fps out of their 145-grain Spitzers and I was soooo proud of this killer-diller load.

The Oehler chronograph proved Speer a liar, I was getting about 2,450 fps with the load. Heck my shots on blacktail deer up the Clackamas river were not long, maybe an average of 50 yards in that brushy country. A looong shot would be 200 yards and I shot one heavy-horned three-point blacktail at a measured twelve-feet (exactly between the friggin' nostrils, it was a beautiful thing).

Showing wisdom that is uncommon for my age and immaturity, I continued to use the load. Hey, it killed on the first shot every time and it didn't bust up any of the precious meat.

It's all about the killing and the meat, the rest is just meaningless details that the armchair non-shooting dickheads worry about.

Steve

Steve,
Thanks for the words of encouragement and the interesting anecdote. I've used a 35P for at least 15 yrs now. A couple of years ago the printer quite feeding paper. I called Oehler on the phone, and they said send it to them. I put a note in the box, asking them to call me before making any repairs with an estimate.

When they called, they said there would be no charge for the repair. This unit was at least 12 yrs old at the time. I was so tickled, I went ahead and ordered a pair of screen stands. My homemade stands were a pain to carry to the range, and there's are much easier to set.

When the unit was returned, [color:"red"] [/color] IT WAS BRAND NEW! [color:"black"] [/color] I couldn't believe it. They had replaced my worn unit with a new one. With a little luck, I should be good for several more years, if I can continue to miss those skyscreens! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I set mine up nearly every time I punch paper these days. My experience has been, the more shots I put over it, the more I learn. Sometimes those "weird flyers" and other issues can be diagnosed a lot quicker when you know the velocities.

I hope you and your wife are well, and your shoulder is healing quickly. I can't wait to hear some more of your "heart stopping" stories in the near future. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Take care,
Steve

I'm going to have to find one of those on ebay. Dang!

Rick

fwiw,
Do believe there is a guy on Sniper's Hide For Sale section who bought the last few 35s and is selling them. He had one 35, not a 35P, left as of yesterday...

Regards, Matt.

So what do we buy instead of the 35P?????

Whats the next best thing to the 35?

For those of you who, like myself, are fans of Dr. Oehler, you'll be happy to know that he is now contributing a monthly column to Shooting Times . Dr. Oheler calls it like he sees it in his column. His first installment is in the Sept. issue. The subject is psi vs. cup.

Cool, very cool.

Steve

I spoke to the folks at Oehler after they announced the discontinuation of the consumer chrono's. It was due to the availability of parts. More specifically the printer for the 35P. With technology progressing, the printer units (adapted off of calculator units) are no longer current and difficult to get. They haven't ruled out bringing them back to market, but for now, they won't be making them. You can still find them on the secondary market, but be prepared to pay a substantial premium over even the last "new" price.