Looking for recommendations for a vintage higher powered scope, maybe 8 power, to be mounted on a 1947 Husqvarna Mauser in .220 Swift. Don't want to break the bank but would like something with good enough glass to use on crows at distance. Have had a Lyman 25X LWBR on it for over 20 years, but took it off to use briefly on another rifle to work up a load, and am considering putting something not quite so strong back on it.

Any ideas?

A Fecker Woodchucker comes in at about 8x usually. It has a fairly large objective. There are many Feckers in the 8x range, but most are unmarked. They are all very good scopes but have smaller objectives and may be slightly dimmer. Any Lyman Supertarget Spot will do the job but I don't see many as low as 8x. Unertls of course, but they are a bit overpriced in my opinion. Still, the Unertl "Small game Scope" is one hell of a good piece of equipment and is misnomered. It will work on any centerfire sporting rifle.

In modern made, "vintage" there are Dan Zimmerman's scopes with Unertl/Fecker style mounts. They are available in 8x and 10X and probably others.

Finally, but not least by a long shot, Montana Vintage Arms scopes are top drawer as well. I use their Winchester B5 (5x) as my competition scope, and it would look good on an old Mauser, as would the other non-Malcomb style MVA scopes. However, those scopes are not on their website. https://montanavintagearms.com/scopes/

Lots of other options too. But these are the most common, easiest found, and probably best.

Since the Lyman 25X LWBR uses 1" rings and not the Unertl system, I would sugest the Weaver K-8.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Weaver-K8-60-B-with-Adjustable-Objective-Lens-Clean-Made-in-El-Paso-TX/224281869799?hash=item34383dbde7:g:MZEAAOSw3ZFf2sJK

Buy it now $195.00

Brent pretty well covered the bases. I'm partial to the Unertl's of the era, as well as the Targetspots. Two of my Unertl's at the moment, a 6x 1 1/4" objective and 10x 1 1/2" objective would fill the bill nicely for your needs, I think. (Not for sale by the way.) Though Unertl's are pricey these days I feel they represent fair value for the money they command. A bit of astute shopping can usually beat the commonly held pricing found for low-medium power Unertl's, but it might take time.

I recently fell into a Fecker Small Game scope, 6x (I think, it's not marked), and a Lyman 5A. Both are good fits on hunting rifles, but in my opinion a bit lacking in brightness due to their straight tubed objective lenses. (If that's correct terminology.) Still and all I like them muchly on the couple of rifles they found homes on - an original NRA Sporter (Lyman) and a Low Wall .22 rimfire (Fecker)- and wouldn't hesitate to employ them on more "serious" rifles.

Addendum: I have a Lyman Junior Targetspot 8x on my Winchester 54 .22 K-Hornet and have never felt handicapped when using it at "normal" Hornet distances, say 200-250 yards max (max for me).

One must realize that such "period correct" scopes will never display the optical quality of even current low end scopes, but they're darned good nonetheless and quite capable of returning very usable performance.

Optical quality notwithstanding, the target scopes of the 30's-70's with their external adjustments are foolproof in their simplicity of adjustment, or I should say basic repeatability/accuracy of adjustment- something not enjoyed by most of the aforementioned low-medium end internal adjustment scopes of today. (Foolproof in simplicity but still demanding of the user to use his noggin.)

Unertl Vulture 8X or 10X would be my choice. They come with either internal or external adjustments. I prefer the external.

They also have parallex adjustment.

I have been using a short length Malcolm 6x straight tube scope on my Krag lately.

The glass is precisely made, multi-coated etc.
Very clear.

They also do an 8x with the larger objective lens for more power, parallax adjustment, and changeable reticles if you like.

Mounts are very precise and repeatable.

Here it is, shooting at 650 yards the other day.




This setup is only $450 with the mounts.

Their 8x goes for $575 with different (even nicer) mounts.
This image is from a Gun Digest article



I haven't used one of their 8x scopes yet, but I am looking at giving it a try.

Thanks for the wealth of information so quickly. I'd be partial to a Unertl, based on my experience with their sporting scopes. I have had one of them, in 20X, for probably 30 years. But, I understand the problem with availability. Unertl scopes seemed always hard to get, even new.

I like the looks and the pricing of the Malcolms but I'm hesitant about hauling one around in the farm truck, looking for crows. That's really about the only usage it would see. I don't do much paper punching anymore.

Stan that photo of my Krag was on my ranch.
It's a daily user.

So, the external adjustment mounts are tougher than they appear? I assume so, if they held up in the jungles of 'Nam, and other places where scout/snipers would likely subject them to rough duty.

Admittedly, I'm severely ignorant about external mounts for scopes. I understand how they work, but that's about it.

It's not like a Leupold in a one piece mount, but it's a lot more robust than you might think.
Zero is zero, and the adjustments are right there for you to see and verify.

I have and use different other rifles here, some modern things with rocks and mud durability.
This one is a lot of fun for the vintage aspect of the setup.
I like it. It's not a 35mm tube Steiner Military, but it's right for an accurate and handy field rifle.

I think I would like it, too. Like you I have other tougher rifles/scope combos. In reality tho', all of them can have their issues. My ATN Thor thermal recently "crashed". I think the core is shot. That's a lot of money gone with the wind, because it was out of warranty.

I need to look closely at the spacing for the bases on the Husky, and see what it is. I'll snap a pic or two and put them up here. Perhaps someone could help further with mounting suggestions.

Thanks, SRH

The scope mounts should ideally be 7.2" apart, center to center.
With proper spacing, the knobs yeild properly graduated MOA adjustments.
With other spacing, the values will be different.
Lyman addressed this in their product guide for the 5A

You will probably also need 7.2" spacing to reach back far enough to prevent stock crawling. The next width is 10.8" which is a bit less convenient (3 units per C" at X00 yds) and moves the rear most scope position 3.6" further forward.

You do not need and probably don't want a recoil return spring, thought I suspect in a .220 Swift recoil is pretty minimal.

Try http://unertl.alexweb.net/for_sale.htm. He usually has a pretty nice selection, including Vultures.

Thanks!

There are some good looking deals in there.

He must have changed his pricing philosophy then.

The Alex Web site has not been active in years, and he hasn't updated those scopes and prices in years. I'd not plan on getting a scope from him, or especially not at the prices listed.

Pic of the Swift. With only one dovetail in the barrel would I be better off just to stay with a vintage internally adjustable scope, like the Weaver K8 skeetx mentioned, and use the bases I already have mounted? The barrel dovetail is 6" from the front action ring base, ctc. The two bases on the action are 6 3/16" apart, ctc.



SRH

Stan, It looks like a commercial Mauser with standard Weaver bases, I'd think a more conventional, modernish scope. Even with optics advances, a Leupold fixed 6x can be surprisingly good glass with an overall appearance along the lines of the Weaver. You might miss some magnification from previous, but it should be plenty for pests out to a few hundred yards. Best of luck with it.

I'd take skeetx's advice given that

Hmmm. I wonder if the scope block setups intended for use on M54 Winchesters would be adaptable to this rifle? Ie: one block in the barrel dovetail and the other one on the receiver ring.

I'm a big fan of Leupolds, and have been since I bought a M8-3X and a M8-4X many, many years ago. I do want good glass, as I said earlier, but I just want a scope that looks to be approximately the same vintage as the rifle. I've owned some decent Weavers, too.

While we're talking about these scopes, what is the vintage of the Lyman LWBR 25X that I pulled off it recently? Years of production, maybe?

Thanks for all of your responses and time. SRH

Stan, I'm assuming you have mounting blocks on your rifle. Without blocks, you won't be using a Unertl type external adjustment mount. I use both the external adjusting Unertls and regular top mounted Vultures. Both work fine, but the Vulture is probably limited to 10X. For some Unertl prices, search "unertl" on Poulin's December auction. If I had my choice of a vintage rig, it would be a external adjusting Unertl or Lyman Targetspot. My light Swift is a Model 70 light National Match Sniper with a Lyman Junior Targetspot, 10X if I recall. I shot two sighters with it and am looking forward to moving those sighters over about an inch.

1976-1985.

How about a Bausch and Lomb Balvar?

Definitely different and cool circa 1955

Thank you, Brent. I'll take a look at the B & L Balvar.

I used to shoot a buddies .22-250 that had a B & L on it, I believe, and it had the most unusual reticle. Where the crosshairs intersected it was not a space, nor a dot, but a tiny circle. You could actually see a crow's head in the circle at 200 yds. Interesting, but I never was too crazy about it.

Are you sure about that date? I read this..............

"In 1962, Bausch and Lomb marketed their first series of rifle scopes, called the Balfour. BAL was an abbreviation for Bausch and Lomb and “four” was the power of the scope. This scope was a success, which led to the introduction of other B&L models, including a very popular variable model called the Balvar (var meaning variable). Many people commonly think that the scope series was a “Balvar” and didn’t realize that it was a combination of the abbreviation and the scope settings. Most of the Balvar models were a variable 2.5 to 8 power scope."

here....................

https://rifle-scope-guide.com/bausch-and-lomb-scopes/

I think I'll pass on the Balvar. I don't want a variable. What I really want is a fixed 8 or 10. May end up with a nice old Weaver K.

SRH

K10 60-B is a really cool option.

Just to clear up some misinformation about B&L


"In 1945 B&L stopped supplying lenses to Lyman and in 1949 started manufacturing and marketing scopes of its own
design. With extensive background in optics and design, the company was soon producing a premier line
of straight and variable power rifle scopes.
In 1950 there were three low power scopes offered:
the 2.5X Baltur, 4x Balfor and the 2.5-4X Balvar 4. All
were 1 inch tube scopes with straight objectives and
1.34 inch ocular lenses to improve field of view. The
mid-50s saw the introduction of the 6X Balsix, 8X Baleight, 2.5-8X Balvar 8 and 6-24X Balvar 24."

From Nick Stroebel book

Thank you. Which goes to show that one cannot believe all they read on the internet.

SRH

If not a Balvar, how about a vintage German scope as would be fitting for a Mauser? I don't know much about them, but an old Zeiss would be pretty cool.

For a while, I was buying and trading American scopes, and I really was amazed at the variety out there.

A copy of Stroeble's book(s) is pretty darn handy, though the prices will seem a bit optimistic in today's world.

An older Weaver "T" series might work. Several power choices available and not horribly priced.