I recently bought several rifles in an estate sale that have 60+ yr old scopes on them. I took them all out to shoot and they shot, and the scopes tracked, just fine.
Problem is they are all a little bit hazy. Does anyone clean up old scopes? They are 26mm.
ALaskans and K2's or maybe K5's, can't remember.
Any market for resale?
Thanks.

Perry

might be interested if rings come with scope, dependent on price.

Post them in our Classifieds. There are always people who are interested in period scopes for vintage rifles.

Don't expect big money for them, though.

mbogo

There is a market and I would be interested myself except that export laws make it a problem.

Nick Stroebel's 'Old Gunsights & Rifle Scopes' pre- GFC values are probably still somewhat applicable.

Let me know the exact models you have and I'll tell you what he valued them at.

Ironsight Inc. in Tulsa Oklahoma specializes in refurbishing old Redfield and Weavers. I've had scopes that he has rebuilt and they are great.

http://ironsightinc.com/index.php?route=common/home

well the Lyman Alaskan is a highly sought after scope by the WWII military collector crowd. I believe they were used on sniper rifles of the day.

A Lyman Alaskan will fetch up to $400 these days. The K-Series Weavers about $100 if clean.

Ray's estimates seem fair to me, though Nick's book suggests bigger Weaver K models might get $200 or more.

He doesn't mention a K5, though. If that is the real model name of what you have, it might be rare.

It was called the KV. It was a variable up to 5 power.

... Apparently made between 1950 and '64, and worth from $100 to $225, presumably before the recession of 2007-8.

Is the reticle constantly centred?

K6 Weavers, especially Steel Tube El Paso made, are something I am always interested in. As long as the lenses are clear I am open to negotiation.

I'll pull them out tomorrow and see what all I have.

One of them is a hybrid scope. A Weaver K2.5 with a Litscherts Targeteer magnifier, pretty cool piece of history. One is a Lyman Alaskan too.

Perry

Sambarman is correct the Weaver K-10 for instance will fetch pretty good money these days, I have seen that scope go for as high as $275..Fixed Weavers seem to be in demand but for not a lot of money, $100 to $150 maybe less the further North you go.They make excellent .22 scopes for one thing but in the Southwest they still a decent scope on a ranchers 30-06..My only objection to old Weavers is they will fog in inclement weather,warm Humidity or sub zero weather is their enemy..In real cold weather Ive seen the cross hairs pop and seen them fog so bad it took days for them to clear up..In SW Texas the performed with excellence, In South Texas humidity they fogged a lot of the time. My first scope was a Christmas present from Dick Shaw, Bill Weaver and Jack O'Connor, who hunted on the family ranch for Mule deer and Coues deer. The Atkinson clan all got a scope that year. None of us had ever used one.

They were definatly inferior sighting and you couldn't hit nothing with them, welllll, that was until Bill Weaver advised us the scopes had to be sighted in and sent details how to go about that!! Wow! did they improve our long range shooting in those high mountain rimrocks.

Ha ha - as said, there's got to be a book in it.

Sambarman338,
Im too old and shakey and my memories are fading, in fact my spelling never was all that great, and Im basically too damn lazy to do anything but hunt and shoot, with a little fishing mix up in the equasion

You could give it a quirky, legend-like twist, with no promise of exactitude - perhaps even pitch it as a novel.

Scott Fitzgerald's spelling was lousy, too, but there's always an editor or lesser flunky to fix stuff like that.

I looked at the scopes last night to see what they are.
First is a 26mm Weaver K2.5 with a Litschertz 8x adjustable objective. The scope itself is foggy in the front side. It also looks like the two little cut aways are scratched where someone tried to open it up at one point to clean it. I gave it a turn and it did not unscrew, too tight and I didn't want to force something I know nothing about.

Second scope it a 26mm Lyman Wolverine 8x and it is very clear.

Third is a 1" Bushnell Scope Chief in 4x and it is also very clear.

All three scopes have target dot reticles which I have to assume were done after market.

I wish the Lyman was clear as it is really neat with the early adjustable objective. While it is probably worth more in it's original form it's cool, to me at least, to see some early modifications.

Perry

The Weaver K Series 2.5x scopes are actually one inch scopes. Maybe so the Wolverine?? Lyman Alaskans are 7/8" tubes. The newer Leupold(circa 1980ish) Alaskan is a 7/8 tube and worth a bucket of gold. I suspect the 8X would fetch a pretty penny if you sent it to be cleaned and tuned..

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Sambarman338,
Im too old and shakey and my memories are fading, in fact my spelling never was all that great, and Im basically too damn lazy to do anything but hunt and shoot, with a little fishing mix up in the equasion

Get yourself a ghost writer and go for it.

quote:

Originally posted by perry:
All three scopes have target dot reticles which I have to assume were done after market.

What makes you think the Lee dots were added later? They used to be quite common years ago, before duplex reticles replaced them, plain crosswires and flat-topped posts.

And yes, Atkinson, you have a great story to tell. If you can't find a ghost writer, just hammer it out - I would be glad to edit it for you. Your family (and modern hunters) need you to get it down.

I lucked up a few years back when I picked up a nice Savage 99EG in 300 Savage. It had a good Weaver K 4 with a Lee dot. Scope is nice and clear, no hazing.

Have a Redfield BearCub 4X on the shelf that came off of my Father's 375H&H.

quote:

Originally posted by Zephyr:
Have a Redfield BearCub 4X on the shelf that came off of my Father's 375H&H.

Keep it on the shelf. As one of the first scopes with a constantly centred reticle, it is collectable for that reason, if no other.

Having been on a .375, it may have long passed its use-by date. Other makers have been trying to beef up that design to take heavy recoil ever since, so there is no reason to imagine the original may have been better than the successors.

I remember when a 3X Leupold could be had for $50.00 if in real good shape, today that not so old scope is fetching upwards to $300 last count I had. I have 3 or 4 of them, one of my all time favorites scopes. I also like the Leupold 2.5X Lyman Alaskan that's been discontinued for several years. The made a run of them for one year as I recall and in 4X and 6X also..Really neat little scopes and today the will sell for at least $400 and some for more.