A guy walks into a hardware store

Gun Nut 44

It's 1966, and he's buying a new deer rifle to hunt in central PA. Being a lever action fan, he settles on a Winchester model 88 in .308. He pays and fills out all the.......wait, there is no paperwork. He turns to leave and the salesman says "how 'bout a scope?". That's where I'm at. Vintage scope choices. I'd really like a compact 2X7, but a K4 would also be in the running. Redfield, Weaver, and Leupold are well represented on the auction side. Any real world experience would be appreciated. 

pulsarnc

First deer rifle, Savage 99 , in .308 , sported a Weaver K4 . Used it for some 10 or 12 years . Worked great for the style hunting I was doing . Back then if I could see it I could hit it , within reason of course .

Gun Nut 44

Clear optics? Holds zero? Or never thought about it cause it just worked every year?

varian

my secret is out.  i have been buying vintage "period correct". scopes for years to go on my older rifles.  most are weaver, one lyman, and a couple of redfields.  evidently others are catching on to this and the prices have really gone up.  you take a chance when buying a scope of vintage age but all the ones i have purchased have been very serviceable.  if you want some sticker shock check out the price of a rebuilt weaver.  also i try to buy ones with the correct age rings on them, sometimes those are hard to find.

Gun Nut 44

Varian- Yea, tell me about it. The Win 88 I just got wasn't cheap either, but those acorns and oak leaves have been calling me for 40 years. Hows the glass on those old ones? Any better than the others?

pulsarnc

I never had to think about it . Checked it every year but never had to change zero unless radical change in ammo . Optics were clear N fog free . Went to variable because I changed from woods hunting to longer distance open fields as my hearing deteriorated . I could no longer hear the deer coming thru the woods . Don’t forget that even the best snipers of ww2 were generally doing their work thru fixed 3 and 4 power scopes

Gun Nut 44

pulsarnc- There were K4's and K6's in deer camp when I started hunting in the late 70's. Those guys never said much when there was a discussion about scopes. They were also the ones that got a deer every year.

savage170

Most of my vintage rifles have the old steel weavers on them and a couple with the Bushnell scope chief that still work fine

Gun Nut 44

savage- Any 2X7's weavers in that collection?

savage170

The Weavers are all fixed power mounted on Remington  models14 and 141 and a Marlin 336 44mag

jimdeere

Deleted

Gun Nut 44

All my .22s are pistols. Read OP please.

Grasshopper

Kent those old Japan Tascos are imo very good underrated pieces of glass .

savage170

Forgot about the Savage 99 chambered in 300 savage that has a Weaver KV 2.75x 5 on it used it a couple a years ago to take a nice 8 point buck

Gun Nut 44

Thanks guys, but I'm not putting a $39 tasco on a classic Winchester. Tell me about the scope itself, not the great deal you got on it. I can find my own deals. "Real world experience" means: Did it fog in the rain, elevation and windage adjustment worked, etc. Please make your post to me, not each other.

Gun Nut 44

savage- I think there's one listed. Was there much difference in FOV between 2.75 and 5?

Ricci.Wright

A few years ago I bought three nice old Texas Weaver scopes from a shop. I returned a few weeks later and the guy asks if I would be interested in another Weaver. He had just gotten it in but had not had time to take it apart and clean it. I bought it and as I was leaving my brain kicked in and I turned and asked if he had taken apart the other scopes I had bought. Oh sure he had. 

mmppres

I like the old bushnell scope chiefs especially the command post. Going from the regular cross hair for target shooting sight in. To the post when hunting is great. If you need an older scope let me know might have a few floating around the shop. Get them on alot of destroy guns,

varian

to answer your question the glass is not nearly as good as we have now but it is what it was.  like i said the ones i have are completely serviceable.  i really like the weavers with the post and crosshair, its like using a good peep with a blade front sight.  its not for target work but is more than adequate for hunting.  

RobOz

The old Rochester Bausch and Lomb's had great glass.

savage170

 I don't notice too much difference between  the settings. I have a old Remington 760 that wears a Bushnell scope chief 3x9  that is a better variable power then that Weaver that may be even more period correct the the early Weavers.   

edited a few time the auto correct on my phone doesn't  like scope  chief for some reason keeps wanting to change it to sport

Gun Nut 44

varian- Was that a fixed or variable?
savage- That's what I thought. A fixed power would work just as well and maybe be a little clearer.

Gun Nut 44

Sorry about the oversize comment box. I couldn't fix it.

varian

i think all the post scopes were fixed, all the ones i have are.

chme

A good scope that was from that period- is no longer made, and there is NO warranty on the original  "made in Colorado" scopes- but I have  one on a BAR and love it- Redfield Widefield 2x7.  Yes, it looks.... different- because it ain't round.  But a really good scope that you can mount very low.  

hillbille

didn't bushnell make a "wideview" scope also???

pulsarnc

Oddly enough when I replaced the k4 it was s 3x9 Redfield wideveiw that took its place . It served faithfully for 15 years until a ladder stand buckled on me and we , meaning me and the gun and scope rapidly came to earth . . Apparently shatter several of the elements in scope

wolfpack

I have the same set up savage does.  A savage 99 in 300 Savage wearing a KV 2.75x5 that came with it. It  had  nice leather scope caps on it but the reticle in the scope was non existent. Sent it off to ironsighter and they rebuilt it and put a post reticle on it for me. Steel tube with better than expected glass. I like this set up, a classic rifle with a period correct scope.