I’m trying to fix up my dad’s 760 Gamemaster. I wanna put a scope on it. I was thinking about an older redfield, weaver, or similar scope.

My question though, would I just be better served putting a newer design 3-9 on it and calling it a day.

Weaver made a vintage line a few years ago. I bought one for my Ruger RSI.

If you are trying to keep it 60’s vintage, nothing wrong with that.

My neighbor had a very marginal scope on his 308. He asked about getting a better scope, while being on a tight budget. I told him it’s hard to find a $700 scope for $200.

I did find a 3-9 Vortex Diamondback on sale for $200, got him that. The reviews are good, with a casual check the ‘eye relief’ seemed a little tight, but workable.

https://vortexoptics.com/vorte...e+reticle-V-Plex~MOA

I know conditions vary, but most of us are shooting deer at 50-100 yards.

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
If you are trying to keep it 60’s vintage, nothing wrong with that.

My neighbor had a very marginal scope on his 308. He asked about getting a better scope, while being on a tight budget. I told him it’s hard to find a $700 scope for $200.

I did find a 3-9 Vortex Diamondback on sale for $200, got him that. The reviews are good, with a casual check the ‘eye relief’ seemed a little tight, but workable.

https://vortexoptics.com/vorte...e+reticle-V-Plex~MOA

I know conditions vary, but most of us are shooting deer at 50-100 yards.

I'm in that boat, 2 I took this year were at 25 and 10 yards, beyond 100 is hard in the flat south.

I'll keep looking for a vintage Redfield.

I have found vintage Leopold, Weaver and Redfields at.... Yard and garage sales. Cheap!

I had the opportunity to pick up Remington 510x. This was my first rifle and got sold. I put an El Paso Weaver K 4 steel tube on it looks shoots great.

An interesting question, and what do you want: Having a gun with a certain “look,” or one that’s best for an intended purpose such as hunting? Countless game animals have been taken with “vintage” scopes, including the old real ones, not just reissues, but in general new designs and materials will be better for the latter purpose.

I have a Redfield 3200 scope that I mounted back on my Winchester model 52E when I wanted to get into precision shooting with the rifle. It didn’t take long, though, for me to realize that much more modern scopes would be better for the purpose. I get looks, and even comments when other people at the range see the Nightforce 7-35× ATACR mounted on an almost-antique firearm, and one chambered for 22 Long Rifle at that, but I’m not trying to impress anyone with an “authentic” retro look. The old/new combination works very well for my intended purpose of getting the most precise results the rifle, ammunition, and I, the shooter, are capable of.

When I bought a 1955 Winchester 70 Featherweight years ago I wanted to make it as period correct as I could. Found a Lyman at a local show that was still clear. It looked great. But around an hour before the end of shooting light the image degraded and I found a 60s Redfield 3-9. It also looked great. But right before the end of shooting light I couldn't make out antlers at 100+ yards.
I put a Vortex Diamondback HP on it. It looked OK, like breeding old to new. But I could see anything up until the end of shooting light and that's why I was out there anyway, to take meat home. I came to terms with it.

you can still find the vintage stuff in good shape, but just know what you are buying

vintage tasco, even japanese, forget it,

a good vintage Leupold, Redfield, Burris, B&L can be had reasonable, and , places like IronSight can rebuilt them if needed , resonably,



the new stuff usually has an edge in light gathering, if you do a lot of dusk or dawn hunting,


also look on places like ebay for the Unertl hunting scopes, same great glass as the target long tubes, but in a compact package

quote:

My question though, would I just be better served putting a newer design 3-9 on it and calling it a day.

That depends entirely on your taste & sensibilities and whether you wish it to look "period-correct" or not. If you had a 60's muscle car, would you put Cragar SS (very popular at the time) wheels on it, or a newer style?

I put an older Leupold Vari-X II on a recent rifle. It's a glossy Ruger M77 in 7x57 and I wanted it to be like the rifle with which I killed my first deer. That gun wore a 1.5-5x20 Vari-X III but I found this 1-4x20 Vari-X II for cheap.

It's low light capabilities are pretty poor compared to more modern scopes. To the point that I had it with me on a deer hunt this past season and a nice deer stepped out right at dark and I didn't shoot because of the scopes capabilities. I could have killed the deer, but through that scope I could not assess the deer and I believe I definitely could have with one of my more modern scopes.

I am currently saving up for a new VX3 Fire Dot for this rifle now. I might order one in glossy if Leupold still does that.

There was a scope from that era that had elongated, vaguely oval lenses shaped roughly like an old tube TV screen. It supposedly gave a wider field of view. I think it was called a Redfield, or possibly a Burris, Widefield, Widescreen, something like that.

I would like to see the gloss blue finish offered like scopes manufacturers used to offer.
I have several rifles (Weatherby) with beautiful wood stocks and deep blueing on the metal parts. Having a matching scope finish would be nice.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
There was a scope from that era that had elongated, vaguely oval lenses shaped roughly like an old tube TV screen. It supposedly gave a wider field of view. I think it was called a Redfield, or possibly a Burris, Widefield, Widescreen, something like that.

Redfield and Weaver made Wide view scopes,

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

quote:

My question though, would I just be better served putting a newer design 3-9 on it and calling it a day.

That depends entirely on your taste & sensibilities and whether you wish it to look "period-correct" or not. If you had a 60's muscle car, would you put Cragar SS (very popular at the time) wheels on it, or a newer style?

With my eyes I would want every damn advantage I can get, even on a vintage rifle. Going 'period correct' for a gun that I intend on shooting with the intent of getting the most out of all that relatively expensive ammo that it's going to be fed is just a waste of time and money to me. About the only time I might prefer a vintage optic is on some period military long gun. But that would be a rifle that's less about the shooting and more about the collecting. Old bolt guns--even ones handed down through the family--is for me always about the shooting.

I had an old Leupold Gold Ring in a fixed 4X power that was on a very early Winchester 70 in 30-30 when I stumbled onto it a few years back. Not exactly "period correct" even with that scope since the Gold Ring scopes didn't show up until the 1960s, but I sure as hell wasn't going to try to figure out what now ancient optic might have been available for that vintage of M70 that left the factory in the late 1930s. So the fixed power Leupold stayed. But once the sight picture of the 4X started to get quite cloudy, I put on a Vortex Diamondback 4-12 that I had lying around, and haven't regretted the decision at all.

As for the muscle car question: initially I was aghast at the thought of restomodding the look of classic 60s muscle. But the more I look at the various updating that's being done by younger generations to that era of performance cars, the more I've come to appreciate the performance improvements and aesthetic differences that come with restomod versions of a classic muscle or pony car. The 15" Cragars might evoke a certain era-appropriate time and place, but there's something to be said about how wickedly good old American iron looks with 19" American Racing AR952s or Shelby CS-3s.

quote:

Originally posted by armored:
I would like to see the gloss blue finish offered like scopes manufacturers used to offer.
I have several rifles (Weatherby) with beautiful wood stocks and deep blueing on the metal parts. Having a matching scope finish would be nice.

I do also. I have to believe there is enough of a market that a manufacture could run a few models with gloss black finish, at least in batches on a special basis. Look at what used, later production, polished scopes are selling for now!