Vintage Rifles, Vintage Scopes

[Mustangs Rule]

Vintage Rifles, Vintage scope. Anyone else have this habit.

I just cannot bear to put a modern variable powered scope on a vintage rifle.

I have a 30-06 pre-64 Featherweight model 70 with a Denver Colorado Redfield 4X.

My Custom FN 35 Whelen has a 2.5 X El Paso made Weaver on it with the big fat vertical tapered post. I used it to shoot boar in the moonlight on depredation permits. It worked so well for that and also deer and elk in the black timber.

I have two antelope rifles. Both Winchester model 70’s. One is the 6.5x55 Swede. That has fixed 6X.

The other is a 1950’s Standard weight model 70 in 270. To keep it “pure Jack O'Connor” it wears a older Weaver 4X. Most of these scopes have been restored by Iron Sight scope repair service.

I do have a “lucky scope” a fixed three power vintage Weaver. It has been on several rifles over many years and I have taken deer, antelope (lots of them) and wild boar out to 400 yards.

When I bought a Kimber Hunter in 280AI. I planned to put a fixed 4X on it but my friend got so irritated with me he gave me a used but not abused Leopold 2.5 to 8X as a gift. I took a nice buck with it last year. The scope was set about 3 - 4 power.

Anybody else like the old scopes. One thing I hate about new big scopes is that they are not saddle scabbard friendly.

 

[BrentD]

Yeah, I have that problem. Big time. But "vintage" is subjective thing.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

"I get it, I got it", What state was the lower photo taken in, Utah, Wyoming????

Actually, were I not so old, 73, with aging eyes, my favorite vintage rifle to hunt with would be my Model 54 Winchester with fact
ory installed Lyman peep sites. The model 54 was still totally committed to appeture sights. Among many other things the bolt stands out so proud, not being recessed into the stock for scope clearance, that it lends it self to being worked fast and high right from the shoulder African style.

I really admire your rifles and commitment. Way cool!

I have made up similar shooting sticks but use 3 48" oak dowels. Nice touch with the leather sling set up too. Sling swivvels are way to modern for that rifle.

My model 54 was pre sling swivvel. It had studs of a different style made for a different and early style of swivvel.

Obviously deer and elk will refuse to be shot unless our gear is 100% authentic.

Just for reference, when look at these 1000 yards plus long range rifles, especially the skeletal versions, I feel ill at heart.

Thanks for the great response and photos. What caliber are they?

MR

 

[BrentD]

MR,
The top rifle is a .22 lr in Iowa and the bottom is .38-72 in Wyoming. Those sticks have been with me for over 25 yrs now.

I normally use apertures for big game, but I'm trying to learn to use scopes.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

I used to live in Wyoming, the land in your photo looked familiar to me. Cool rifle for sure. Thanks

 

[MarvB]

The venerable K4 Weaver!

 

[Harrier]

I do have a modern Leupold VX-1 on my old sporterized Springfield rifle. But I put a 6x Weaver on my dad’s old Remington 742, and I bought a Weaver 4x on eBay to top my new-to-me FN Mauser. I am a fan of the old Weaver fixed powers.

 

[geetar]

We were near this USFS rental cabin in the Book Cliffs region of Utah. I propped my 1979 Remington 700 BDL chambered in .30-06 and topped with a Weaver K4 as pictured in the previous post on the porch for a picture. I don’t know if 1979 counts as vintage to some but it’s older than me so to me it does. Anyway I always liked this pic ever since.

 

[shb]

I know some guys with a vintage scope business. They are always busy.

Never would of guessed that was a thing.

 

[88man]

We were near this USFS rental cabin in the Book Cliffs region of Utah. I propped my 1979 Remington 700 BDL chambered in .30-06 and topped with a Weaver K4 as pictured in the previous post on the porch for a picture. I don’t know if 1979 counts as vintage to some but it’s older than me so to me it does. Anyway I always liked this pic ever since. View attachment 182090

American Classic

 

[dan valasek]

i inherited an old j.c.higgins model 51 in .270 cal. it has an old weaver scope on it. my deceased father in law said that the last time it was fired was in the mid 60s.

 

[Don Fischer]

My all time most favorite hunting rifle was a Mod 660 Rem in 308 and that is the rifle I'd bought my old Denver Redfiled for so many years ago. Still have that old Redfield but some how my son ended up with that old Mod 660. That was my go to rifle for everything for about 20 yrs, maybe more!

 

[shrapnel]

That is what the classics deserve. Sako L46 in 222, and 218 Bee with B&L Balvar scopes and Kuharsky bases...

 

[mtmuley]

View attachment 179317View attachment 179318The venerable K4 Weaver!

I just looked at the ad you posted. I have two K4's and a K10 I think. The K10 is a variable. Thanks for posting that. mtmuley

 

[MarvB]

@mtmuley I remember buying my first Lupe... couldn’t believe I was gonna pay over $100 for a scope lol

 

[BuzzH]

View attachment 179317View attachment 179318The venerable K4 Weaver!

Went and started counting the K4's that I have.

I have 2 K4's one with straight crosshairs, one duplex. Have 2 K4 60B's one with a dot and one with duplex, one K4 W duplex.

 

[MarvB]

Duplex on the .350RM, fine X on the 6mm for my pair They’ve def stood the test of time!

 

[Nick_CO]

This is the old scope that came with my 1950 Marlin 30-30. It looks to be of the same era but there are no identifying marks or writing on it for me to verify. It's a sweet shooting combo however, and I will never separate the two.

 

[T.R.]

My sporterized Mosin Nagant.

 

[Durango Mike]

Probably my Ballard 40-65 is the oldest, but hunt consistently with several old pre war Model 70 and 54 Winchesters. Just completely tuned and cleaned a Winchester saddle ring 1895 in 30-40 Krag that I returned to Wyoming to be passed to the next generation to hunt with, serialized in second year of production. I will have to go to the safe and pull out a custom Mauser in 35 whelan built by P O Ackley that was an ultra lightweight, 17 1/2 inch barrel that has several graduated tapers, built sometime in the 30's and tips in at 5 1/2 pounds. Even with a primitive muzzle break that sucker kicks like the proverbial mule. Loaded it down with 210 gr bullets at 2200 fps made it tolerable to shoot off hand. This is why the gun business is terrible, nothing in North America and most of Africa that can't be killed with a 100 year old rifle shooting a cartridge designed in the 1890's!