I'm looking for a classic period varmint scope to go on a 1970s 700 Varmint in 222. Doesn't have to be from the 70s but needs to "look right" on the rifle.. Fine reticle is good. Gloss. This will be a range blaster. 200yds max.

Not in a hurry. Already have a couple newer 4-12s here that I can use in the meantime.

Any suggestions?

I have an older Leupold 3-9x40 AO Gloss that I'm looking to sell. PM me if you are interested.

Classic from that era on a varmint rifle would be a Unertle target scope.

Supercub;
Good morning to you my friend, I hope spring has arrived in your part of our land and that despite our current political morass, all in your world are well.

Way back in the day, the early '90's I want to say, I found a fairly good condition El Paso Weaver 4-12 with dual reticle crosshairs and an adjustable objective.

A gun trading buddy talked me out of it one day and honestly I never should have sold it. It wasn't the brightest scope, but I'd figured out how to use the goofy double crosshair system well enough to hit coyotes far enough away that the coyote, my hunting partner and I were surprised.

I'm not sure where one might locate one other than run it up on gunnutz and see who has what. Mine can't have been the only one in Canada.

All the best to you all as we head into spring and good luck and have fun finding your old school glass.

Dwayne

Thanks .... I am in Canada. Shipping scopes can be a bit of a hassle plus the exchange can make it a bit expensive.

Really just looking for suggestions.

Thanks

Good morning Dwayne ....

Spring is spinging here this week. Still lots of snow in the woods and some ice is still in. The dog got on a couple early woodcock this past weekend. They are usually here before the robins.

An old steel Weaver is one scope I did think about but they seem to be getting fewer in numbers for sale. Maybe an older Leupold 12x fixed would be another to consider.

I will be watching CGN but as mentioned, no hurry.

Paul

Supercub;
Thanks for reply and weather update my friend.

Yes, there's less and less of the older Weaver scopes out here too and the dearth of gun shows hasn't helped one bit.

I'm on a small BC forum that has a few "traders" on it, so if you figure out what you're looking for I'd be happy to send that out into the ether space and see what might be lurking in the back of gun safes here out west.

The 12X Leupold would be wonderful. I've got an ancient straight 12X El Paso Weaver on a very reworked .22, it's so old though that the crosshairs don't stay centered and that takes a wee bit to get used to. It's the one on the right.



Anyways sir, if I can be of any assistance out west here by all means give me a shout.

All the best.

Dwayne

There will be a fine line between classic and functional. It needs to work well.

Supercub;
For sure functionality is the most important thing on a scope.

I'll have to say that from at least a dozen various models of the older steel El Paso Weavers, all worked perfectly. There was one variable that was the cheaper line they offered at the very end of El Paso production - I want to say it was an aluminum tube too - that no longer adjusted.

The shortcoming on them was that they didn't have wonderful glass, but they all adjusted easily and as far as I recall repeatedly too. The hash marks or clicks made sense too, which I can't honestly say all the Leupolds in the safe do...

When they're not asking crazy prices for them at gun shows I still buy all the 2.5 and 3 power straight tube Weavers that I can find. As you can see on the photo above, the left rifle runs a 4X El Paso and second from left is a 2.5X.

For me a lot of the fun of a build is the hunt for parts and pieces so again have fun and good luck.

Dwayne

Don't forget the Redfield's. A friend bought a Redfield 6-18 for his varmint rifle in the mid-70's, at that time I was wowed by the magnification and view. I remember it being quite a bit brighter than the Weaver's of period, plus it was a gloss finish which matched the 700's of that time frame.
But certainly a Weaver 4-12, or Leupold 8.5 power, or 12 power, or 16 power (rare) would be appropriate also. There were even some pretty good Japanese Tasco variables being made during that time frame, they may not have the cachet of the others but they worked.

Perhaps a WTB on canadiangunutz may bring something out of someones closet.
drover

Depends on whether you're thinking early 70s or later 70s.

By the mid 80s, a friend was shooting a Burris 6-18X .. think it dated from the 70s. Leupold 6.5-20X should be that old as well. Leupold also made some fixed 8x and 10x scopes in those days. Not sure when the B&L 6-24 came out but it'd be a proper choice as well.

The one from that period I want, though ... I've only ever seen one, but it was a Leupold 3.5-10X AO. Didn't know they offered that magnification with AO ... I'd like to obtain it for a Hornet or walking varminter in .222/.223 but it lives on a .300 H&H Rem 721 a friend inherited from his dad and that's where it will stay.

In the middle 60's a good friend of mine was a shooter at Camp Perry.. He had a 6-24 B & L on his 7x61 Sharp and Hart match rifle... So it came out before that...

Super Cub.. I started varmint hunting in the 60's.. My first scopes in 1" were Unertle 4x, but they made 8 and 10 I believe... I also used Lyman All American in 6x for my .222.. They made 8 and 10 also.. Weaver were very common also.. But my shooting buddy ran a small gun shop and often picked up used Lyman scopes... Some Weaver also.. I think I have a 12 x Weaver at home... It was not as clear as the others, but was typical of the time... I will look when I am there next week.. If you are interested let me know... I will have to see how clear it is...

I hadn't thought of Redfield. Good suggestion as well as the older Tascos.

I will keep an eye on CGN, and see what pops up.

I have a leupold M8 12x in a box. Not using it at the present time. Has seen very little use and is in nice shape. Might consider selling. Wayne.

SuperCub: I have a similar vintage Remington 700 BDL Varmint in 222 Remington and I put a Redfield 6x18 variable power scope on it - it is cool, in the old timey sense of the word.
I also have a pair of 1970's vintage Remington 700 BDL Varmints in caliber 22-250 Remington - one has a period correct Weaver 3x9 variable on it (which I am going to swap out this year for more power) and the other has a really cool and kind of rare Redfield straight 12 power (gloss) scope from that era.
Last fall I bought another old timey Remington 700 BDL Varmint in caliber 243 Winchester and had no period correct scope to strap on it - so I put a Leupold 6.5x20 variable on it and boy YOU should see that one shoot.
I had planned on getting a period correct Redfiled 4x12 or another 6x18 Redfield for this one but it shoots so good I am leaving it as is.
As mentioned above I swooned when Leupold came out with their straight 16 power Varmint scopes and bought 3 or 4 of them - alas when the folks at Leupold later came out with the 6.5x20 power variables I traded off all my 7.5, 8, 10, 12, 16 and 20 straight power Leupolds for the performance of their 6.5x20's
Wish I has some of those old straight power Leupolds back now!
As much as I love the older Leupolds those 70's and 80's vintage Redfield high end power variables sure look great (and perform pretty well also!) on Remington 700's.
Best of luck with whichever you choose.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuty

Redfield or Weaver 4-12x40 AO or a straight 8x, 10x, or 12x.

Agree with Varmintguy, a Redfield 6-18 would look good. It will be good enough to look through.

Some good pictures from various angles (not mine)
https://ukrainetzauction.hibid.com/lot/63081-263567-190912/ruger-77-22-w--scope/

Lots of good suggestions. I'm thinking I'd like a minimum 12x fixed or variable.

Thanks

I just sold a Leupold 8 x 40mm with AO, gloss and fine cross hair. It would have been perfect but sold it with a Winchester M69A .22 to a friend two weeks ago. Great scope, but I had a surplus of them as I have it's mate (with a dot reticule) on my custom 10-22 Sporter.

That would be a good choice

Yup, am looking for a 12x for a Ruger single shot.....thats actually in 219 wasp LoL

Back in the early 70's in my neck of the woods a large percentage of groundhog hunters were using target scopes like Unertl and Lyman Targetspot. You wouldn't be undergunned by using a 10 or 12x Unertl on that .222. What's not to like- excellent optics, adjustable for parallax, and with turrets to spin, besides being retro cool.

May not be your taste, but I like lots of magnification when shooting at the range especially, but also when shooting critters that like to hide and/or just peek out to see if anyone is around... About the best scope I found for that purpose that was somewhat period correct for what you are doing is the older Balvar 6-24 x 40 scopes , which became the Bausch & Lomb Elite scopes later on. The glass on these is superb- I would put them up against any Leupold I own any day. The early scopes, however , are quite dark compared to the newer scopes from my experience and my search would start with the Bausch & Lomb Elite series . The older Redfield scopes were also very popular in those time periods along with the Weavers....

In any case, the search is half the fun, right?

Bob

That's right and it's not like I don't have a scope to put on it to get me going. That gives me lots of time to find something else.

Ah, the quintessential pondering of calibers, scopes, and rifles. Ain't it great.

Here's an old Tasco that was listed here in Canada. Any comments are more than welcome.

Ad description as follows ......



Marked on eye piece .... W618x40, Japan, AO-58 11

........... I second that motion. I've had a 12x M8 since 1979, and it was used when I got it. Great scope and it's currently on a late 1960's Model 700 Varmint Special.

Dang, i have a big 6-20x50 Redfield Illuminator sitting on a safe top gathering dust, but, it's matte finish.

A Unertl 15X Ultra Varmint would fit the time period; but might be overkill. Great glass for the time though. You could write your name with one of those on top an accurate rifle.

You don't see many of those Unertl scopes in Canada and when you do, the price is surprising.

A Weaver 4-16x42 or old redfield 6-18:

This one is on my 22-250 and it works very well:


Minute of squirrel head..^^^

I know getting them over the boarder is a chore...

but I'd suggest a V 16 would be a good fit...

or an old Weaver 24 power if you are using it for varmint stationary shooting or range target work...

When I got into varmint hunting in the early '70s, I started with a variable 3-9 with AO. I left it at 9x because the zero shifted as I zoomed through the power range. Variables were notorious for that at that time. Most folks who wanted more magnification bought 4-12 or 6x18 variables and tested the scope zero at different ranges so they could reduce the mirage during the heat of the day by reducing down to 8 or 10 power. Or they used a fixed power scope of 10 or 12 power. I finally settled on a Weaver K12 and used it until the groundhog population collapsed.

That is exactly the same Tasco I was referring to when I mentioned the older Japanese Tasco as a possibility. I owned on just like it for quite a few years, I used it as a varmint scope on one of my 223's. I also used it as a Highpower Silhouette scope on my 7 BR silhouette rifle, as a consequence I can tell you that the one I had tracked just fine and held up to a lot of dialing and shooting. I eventually sold it to a friend who really wanted it and he is still using it it. The only downside to them is that the view is a bit dim compared to todays brighter optics.

IMO - The asking price is over the top for that one though, it is just too beat up for the price he is asking. Your rifle deserves a better looking scope than that one.

dover

I also have a 11/2 Unertl target scope in 20x [in Canada] Would like to sell it but have no idea as to value.

PM sent on the 12x Leupold.

Thanks .... I agree on the pricing being a bit optimistic given the condition.

i liked the old lyman scopes, had a 10x that wally seibert[sp] bumped to 16x. great old scope.

Ed

When I was doing "serious" woodchuck shooting in the early to late '70's I didn't trust variable scopes and, on a varmint rifle, figured I didn't need them. My .222 wore a 6X Bushnell, my 77V .25-06 a 12X Redfield with side parallax adjustment, and my 77V .220 Swift a 16X Leupold with fine crosswire and adjustable objective. I still have the .222 and the Swift and am hoping to put them to some use this year.

Another good fixed scope to consider is the Weaver KT15. Beautiful gloss black scopes with a duplex reticle.

Looks like I have a nice Leupold 12x fixed coming from 219 Wasp. I think that will be perfect.

Thanks for the replies.

Yes. 12x Leupold sold to SuperCub. Heading to the other shore. Thanks. Saved me having to buy another rifle!

Great to hear everyone else has same problem with trying to put period correct scopes on rifles just makes the package look that much better sitting on the bench

A perfect match IMO, glad you were able to find one.

drover

I agree ..... I recently bought a 721 in 300H&H that came to me with no pad. It was not cut and all else was original. I didn't want to use a modern pad on it so I used a NOS Jostam pad that I got with my grandfather's gun stuff 25yrs ago. He died in 1982 and the pad was old then, marked $1.39 on the pkg.

It's perfect for the old rifle as is the Leupold M8 4x in Weaver R&B..

Repros of most old pads are made. That 721 would have had a Pachmayr pad marked Remington.

Almost identical to this. https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands/pachmayr/recoil-pads/field-pads/f325-deluxe-shotgun-rifle

Repros of most old pads are made. That 721 would have had a Pachmayr pad marked Remington.

Almost identical to this. https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands/pachmayr/recoil-pads/field-pads/f325-deluxe-shotgun-rifle

My first 222 Rem was a single shot, heavy-barreled Savage 112 JRS. I bought it in 1979, and quickly mounted a Leupold 6x on it. It served me well as a woodchuck rifle.

The Leupold 6x scope was a classic in 1979, and still is today.

My Leupold 6x was good for 300 yard shots. It was a well-balanced outfit.

I considered that but gun parts sellers in the States will not ship to Canada and there would be very limited if any selection like that here.

Super cub, more pics of the H&H please. Sounds nice!

This one popped up last year. It be a BDL variant with checkering. Most have none.

These are all the pics I have right now. Imjur is being quirky today..

Nice .... There used to be a lot of 222s in southern Ontario farm country in the 70s. All used for sniping groundhogs. Classic set-up for that.

That 300 H&H is a 721A that was put in a 721B stock (no such thing as 721/2 BDL).

If the rifle were a 721B the receiver would be stamped 721B not just 721.

The "B" was usually a ham handed effort done with a stamp and hammer.

This one of the better efforts on a 722B in 222 Rem.

OTH .... Thanks for that update. I do not know the history of that rifle and the stock may not be original, but I am glad for the checkering being present. The price paid was well worth it either way.

I may have to get the "B" stamped on it to make it official.

My Savage 112 JRS 222 Rem with Leupold 6x was used mostly in central NY ( south of NY Thruway north of I-88, east of I-81, ie Richfield Springs). Overall, not too far from southern Ontario. I really enjoyed reading Landis' book "Woodchucks and woodchuck rifles", about his woodchuck hunting and rifle evaluations in post-WWII Ontario. Great reading.

Many woodchuck shooters (not hunters) were in it for very practical reasons. They needed to rid their fields of this pest to prevent damage to machinery from the mounds of rock and gravel built up around the holes and injured livestock that get into the holes themselves.

My grandfather had a 222 for those very reasons.

Yup, just bought an A in 257 Bob and a B in 222. Also have an A in 244 and chasing another B in 222.

Stock switches in the future.

Purists will never know after I get out my letter stamp kit.

244 A

I ended up buying this scope from Wayne.

Very pleased with this scope. It will be perfect for this rifle and Wayne is a 1st class guy to boot!

Thanks!

Good news that the scope is alright. You need to put up some pics of the outfit. Make sure that old barrel is clean. I traded for a used one of those in 22-250 back in the 70's. It shot real poor before I almost wore my arm out cleaning it. Eventually it shot VERY well and never fouled at all after that.It preferred that 52 Speer hp. Cheers.