I have a Burris 4x32 hi lume scope and a Bushnell 4x32 scopechief iv that are still going strong. One on my 270 and one on my 30-06. Excellent scopes and have been for the last 30 years.

I have three old Weavers in use. A MicroTrac 4x, a '73 3x and an older one refurbished by Mr. Ruiz before he hung them up.

Also a bunch of Vari X III's, some friction, some click in 2.5-8 & 3.5-10. And another M-8 3x. They still work,as does my old UL 3-9 EFR which has served on Air rifle, .22, and a light .243.

There is also,a twenty five year old Zeiss that I'm still fond of. These supplement several newer scopes for the most part. They are all too good to toss even though glass has made leaps in the recent times.


I suppose that I'm just a little antiqueish. Most of my rifles are older as well. Pre war through the sixties for the most part.

Jack

I have a Weaver K8 on a Mauser ES340B 22 rimfire. I also have a Leupold vari-x ii 2-7x33 on a beat up Savage 23-C.

Last but not least a Bushnell 10x on a Savage 340 in 222 Rem

I've been upgrading optics on the rifles I use the most to more modern scopes with better glass and coatings. The old eyes aren't what they used to be. The only rifle that I still use of the three mentioned is the Savage.

Dan

Not regularly/regularly, but I have a 1960s vintage B&L Baleight on a Remington 722.

Two steel tubed Weavers on a 30-06 and .416 Ruger. Also a 2x7 Redfield.

I believe my oldest scope is an early 90's vintage Nikon 3-9x40. This was when there weren't multiple lines in the Nikon catalog, just one line with a half dozen or so scopes.

It's still a very decent scope.

I just mounted this old Redfield 4x Widefield on my "new" Sako .30/06. I used a Buehler mount I bought online for another project. The scope came on my pre-64 when I purchased it back in the 80s. It's been in a box for about 20 years but cleaned up okay. If it works okay at the range, I'll let it stay for a while.

A Leupold M8 7.5x and a Weaver Micro-Trac K6.

2.5 Weaver, 12x Weaver, 6-24 World class Tasco, 2.5-8 Baush & Lomb, 6x Lyman... Leupold 12x bought about 30 years ago..

Balvar 8A on a 721 06. Several weaver steel tubes. Was addicted to buying those a while back

The oldest scope that I have on a rifle in the rack is a Lyman Alaskan on a Savage 1920 that once belonged to gun writer Larry Koller. Larry's Son, Paul, told me that his father owned several Savage 1920s and 20/26s over the years and that this rifle was not likely to be the one that he wrote about in Shoots At Whitetails.

Hi,

I have in regular use:

1-Redfield Bear Cub 4x32 26 mm one piece tube (a Kollmorgen, really...)from the Sixties. I changed the thin cross hair reticle for a N 4 German. The BEST optics in a 4x scope I ever seen. Period!!!
2-Redfield Bear Cub 4x32 1' tube from the Seventies. The Denver Refields. Duplex original reticle. Great scope, also!
This periods Redfields are, IMO, among the best fixed scopes made in USA.
3-Zeiss Diatal DA 4x32 from 1973. Reticle N 1 German, non centered reticle. I bought it new. 26 mm tube. A great scope!!!
4-Zeiss Diatal ZA *T 4x32 from the Eighties. Reticle N 4 German, centered. IMO THE BEST ZEISS SERIE SCOPES EVER MADE.

All of these work perfect in every way.

my most used rifle/scope is a M70 .270 which wears a Leupold Vari-X 2x7 I bought new in the early 80s. As good as ever.

The other is a Vari-X III 2.5-8 that sets on another M70 that went mountain goat hunting last fall on Kodiak Island. Performed just fine.

Two M8 4xs. One on a Model 70 30-06 the other on a 95 Mauser 7x57.

Picking up a Weaver Classic 400 this week for an old Springfield 187...

Leupold M8 6X from about 1979, couple of Bushnell Scopechiefs from the mid 70's and a Weaver K4W that I bought used in 76.

The Weaver has been rebuilt in the mid 80's and I think it's gone belly up again, need to check it out sometime. The Leupold was rebuilt about 5 yrs ago, the Bushnells have never had a problem.

I've swapped them around some, the M8, the Weaver and one Bushnell have been on a 270, 358, 22LR and a 12 gauge. The other Bushnell has been on a 300 Savage since 75.

Dale

A couple of Leupolds, a Vari-X III old enough to have friction adjustments, and an M8 10X with AO that's even older.

Like 260Remguy, mine is an original Lyman Alaskan, on a custom 1930 Springfield made by Frank Pachmayr before WWII.

Also have some 1950's and 60's Weavers and Redfields, but my oldest scope is a Lyman 5A. Am still looking for exactly the right rifle to mount it on! Have come close a couple of times, but so far no winner.

2 B&L Balvar 8s bought in 1959 in one case and the other in the early 60s. No internal adjustments, those in the bases, and tapered cross hairs. excellent, but have noted that the brightness, compared with todays scopes, not as good. Not do to them getting old, just glass and coatings back then not what they are now. I used to have one scope that was so old/primitive, the cross hairs actually moved out of line.

Also have a Redfield 3x9 from the later 60s.

Two 6x36 Leupolds from the 1980's on my 270 Win and 35 Whelen and a Leupold 8x40 AO from the 1970's on my 260 Remington. They all work great.......

Just like brand new and over 65 years later...

What mod 70 is that shrapnel ? caliber ? Looks nice.

It is a 30-06, made in 1950. I still have the original barrel sight in a little flannel pouch. The guy that I got it from was a doctor and set the gun up for hunting with the Stith scope and base. I don't think he ever hunted it, it is nearly mint...

220 swift and Lyman All American...

Stevens 416?

I had a like new in the box Weaver Classic 400 for a few years. It was brighter than my leupold 2-7 vari-x ii from the early 1980's.

Those old Classics had great glass for their day.
Hope you enjoy yours.

Dan

Thanks. It looks brand new. I like it. Looks like Buehler mounts too.

I like the Lyman All-Americans with the Perma-Center reticles. Here's three:



Lyman 3X


An older Lyman, pre-Perma-Center. Post and Crosshair reticle. Mounted on a battered, but cherished .270 M70

Hello shrapnel,

Your Stith scope is also made by Kollmorgen, isn't it?

I have two rifles with 3-9 Redfield Lo-Profile scopes that are sentimental favorites and an old10x Lyman All-Ameican that isn't sitting on a gun right now.

Not Schrapnel, but the scope on the Winchester 70 appears to be a Kollmorgen built Stith branded scope installed via a Stith Master Mount.

Kollmorgen built 26mm diameter tube scopes for Stith and when Redfield bought the Kollmorgen's scope business, they initially continued the "Bear Cub" line with 26mm tubes, before transitioning them from 26mm to 1" diameter tubes. The 4x and 6x Stith Bear Cubs were available with internal windage/elevation adjustment and without any windage/elevation adjustments, the so-called "straight tube" style, that required Leupold or Stith adjustable mounts. The Stith Master Mount on Schrapnel's Winchester 70 is an adjustable mount.

While they are very uncommon, Weaver make some "Stith" branded scopes somewhere along the Stith line. I have a Weaver built Stith 4x that looks almost exactly like a K2.5 or K3, featuring a straight, rather than a belled, objective. It is the only one that I've ever seen and came to me from Nick Stroebel's personal collection.

Thank you 260!

El Paso built steel tube Weaver K-8 on my Ruger MK77/II in .22 WMR

El Paso built steel tube Weaver K-4 on a sporterized 98 Mauser in 8x57

Bausch & Lomb 1.5x-6x on a Winchester Model 70 rebarreled to .358 Norma Magnum

Not as dated as some, but not NexGen...

Those were excellent scopes. I still have a V700 Classic.

I have a vintage Zeiss Diatal 4x32 on a LW M-7/Brux fast twist .22-204 and a 10X Diatal on a 722/Hart slow twist .22-204, both duplex. The Zeiss duplex is very easy to see, even in dim light.

Those are great scopes. You can sometimes find one on Ebay.

DF

This one for sure.



It's a 1916 1899 Short Rifle, scope is a Lyman Alaskan with a post and crosshair. Also got a couple other early Weavers on '99's, a Weaver K6 on a 1950 vintage Remington 721 and earlier Leupolds on our Browning B78 single shot 7mm's.

yooper

Several low power Weavers, 1x, 1.5x, 2.5x and 3x, Leupold 3x and 7.5x, Redfield 2 3/4x PCH and a 12x, Lyman All Americans 2.5 and 4x.

Have been using a leupold vari-x III 2.5x8 that I bought new in 1998 have not had to sight it in since, A 80s williams twilight on my 22 and on my new to me 1957 husky 270 a early 80's burris 2x7 fullfield that I am totally impressed by the quality. I don't think the burris has ever been in the woods I am now looking for another one in 3x9

I like those old burris scopes too. My 4x has nice glass and the adjustments are probably as precise as any scope I have ever owned. Frankly it is brighter than the M8s I have owned

I put Weaver .15 - 4.5 on my .375 Mausers thirty years ago -they're still there. Also have several old Bushnells and Redfields - 3x9 that are as good today as they were lonnnnggggg ago.

Terry

I have an early 80's Japanese Tasco 4x40. Still sits on a 30-06 and have yet to move zero. I am not sure about how waterproof it is, but we mainly hunt during the dry season.

The scope endured more than 2000 shots.

Pieter

Kahles Helia L 1.5-6x42 with the 4N illuminated reticle. It's the late 80's vintage. Not old compared to some of the others, but it's my oldest scope and hangs with even the newer Diavari Varipoints and Leicas.

El Paso-built steel-tube Weaver K4 w/ standard hair I got here sits in my Marlin 22lr.

Close up...

Geez, what a beauty, what is it?

Thanks! .30-06 M70 standard grade from '55, wearing a Lyman All American 4X in the older Redfield Jr mounts. Classic but still relevant.
Bob

A bunch of 3X, 4X, 6X, 2x7 and 3x9 Leupolds from the 70's and 80's....

I like vintage scopes on my rifles, I have Permacenter Lyman All American 4X with LEE 2 min. dot, Leupold Vari-X II 2-7 and Lyman Alaskans along with a Weaver V4.5 on my rifles. Never had a problem with any of them.

Old Weaver K4 on my .270. Still gets hunted hard.

I also have an old Denver 4X Redfield that has been on several rifles and is still in use.

Had a 1930's Ziess Zeiklein 2.25x on a Savage 99T in .300 Savage for a while. My good friend Angus1895/John owns it now. Amazing that it was clearer than 90% of the scopes you see and was 80 years old.

Here's a 1962 Win M70 .270 with a 6x Lyman All American Perma Center scope. Both have found new homes since this was taken but it's a classic combination.



yooper

I use a Lyman All-American 4X with a permacenter and a post reticule on a 50's 99F each deer season.

I bought this 1969-70 vintage Sako L579 Forester in .243 from the U.S. servicewoman that brought it back from her tour in Europe. It was her personal hunting rifle and caries a Pecar Berlin 2.75-7 scope. I will take it afield a few times a year.