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Lyman Alaskan Scope?
SP45
Member Posts: 1,758 ✭✭✭
It seems I always find the weird and unusual stuff. I have a scope up for auction, a Lyman Alaskan. They are in demand now as the military used them in WWII on some of their sniper rifles. I had a question asked about the serial number. I checked and this scope does not have a serial number and never did. I have several others and they do have a serial number, also the lettering is filled with white. On this scope the lettering is not. A search online and all the Alaskans have a serial number. I checked Strobels book and there is no mention of serial numbers. The only thing I can think is that it may be a very early scope unless they were made specifically with no numbers. Anyone have any idea?
Comments
If by chance it actually dates to W W II it will be marked M 73, (very rare). But during the bad days of 42 & 43. Who can say? Are guys need scopes, they used what the could get their hands on.
With out some form of provance, tracing it back to a military rifle used during the war. It would be just another Lyman scope though, IMHO.
https://www.lymanproducts.com/contacts/
About 6 or 8 years ago I called them about a gun they used to own. It was a pre war model 70 in 22 hornet. Four digit serial number. Back then they would buy a gun from the manufacturer and use it as a template to make their sight. This one had a flat milled on the front receiver where the serial number was and then remarked Lyman EXP and the serial number put back. At that time there was no issue about serial numbers. Lyman sold the gun to or through a local gun shop on Rt #66 in Middlefield, Ct.which was about a half mile from Lyman. The gun was sold to a customer in 1962 and he told me that it was from Lyman. I called Lyman but they no longer had a historian and Lyman had been sold. When I explained that was trying to trace the history of this particular gun they just about had a runaway and said that they no longer had guns and that Lyman would never have removed a serial number. So much for revisionist history.
A few M1D rifles turned in by a Special Forces Army Reserve unit about 15 years ago came with a Lyman Alaskan scope; the scopes were likely purchased commercially.
Given the scarcity of original WW2 & Korean War sniper scopes, a commercial Alaskan will probably be close enough for most folks.
Neal
Some were used as sniper scopes.
Mine was just a plain jane with the little black dot reticle.
I listed a old Alaskan Lyman scope on ebay and the collectors got to fighting over it, brought like $250.
Some were used as sniper scopes.
Mine was just a plain jane with the little black dot reticle.
EDIT # 1,
Lee Dots were after market reticles, that a number of shooters. Had added to their scopes, back in the day. Fine crosshairs were hard to see, in dim lighting conditions. You had to send your scope back to Mr. Lee, to get it reworked for the dot reticle.
Maybe the scopes, with the Lee dot reticles, are collectors items now?
The little black dot in the center of very fine crosshairs was very hard to see when in a shade, but with a snow or bright background it was easily seen. (not any good for squirrel hunting, too long to find the reticle.
When I listed the scope I did not know it was a desirable.
I think I set it in at around $15 and the collectors went wild, the buyer emailed me and said he needed to go to the bank and borrow some money and asked if I would wait 5 days. He was a Redneck from like maybe Alabama. He paid in about 4 days, probably had to get a loan from the bank or sell some weed.[;)]
I think Leupold did a factory limited run of the Alsakan LKyman scope few years back for collectors.
I think may the Lyman scopes had a 7/8 inch tube, but not sure.
I think Leupold did a factory limited run of the Alsakan Lyman scope few years back for collectors.Yes they did. I purchased one as soon as they came out and it is still mounted on my Winchester Model 75 Sporter. It is a 6X Duplex scope.
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