The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

I had a lesson yesterday in how good some old scopes can be.

i was trying to fit a scope to my rifle and couldn't get the 'tilt' of the scope right, even shimming the mount didn't do it! This was using EAW swing off mounts where the 'rear sub foot base' as they call can be altered to suit. I didn't have the right one.

In desperation I looked at my collection of old Zeiss scopes and found a 6 x 32 Diatal - so old it didn't have windage adjustment (catered for in the EAW mount). This had a rail mount and I had the appropriate EAW parts to get it to fit.
It has an No.1 post reticule which I love.
Anyway, I sighted it on a target in the garden and got the scope and rifle bore aligned as best I could.
I took it to my permission where there is a nice quarry and it only took 5 shots to get it spot on.
The view through the scope is crystal clear and the post reticule is perfect for deer stalking (not so shabby on targets either).
All this for not a lot of money off of the German Evil bay.

Who else uses such old scopes?

The PSO-1 4x24 I have mounted on my Dragunov is around 47 years old and the optics are amazingly clear.It has no focus adjust, holds zero perfectly regardless of how many times it taken off and still has a functioning IR detector.

Russian PU, German 50's Pecar and I think even older Ajack with elevation adjustment only.
Despite being metric, I am sure Dromia would approve

I am a big fan of Pecar scopes and interestingly they have a 1" tube. I cannot bear to see a Pecar unloved.

All my .222s (BSA's), most of my .22 (BSA's)/.17 (CZ) Hornets, my 6mm Musgrave (Musgrave Enfield No1 action) and my .244 Remington (PH G98 action) are fitted with Pecars. My Lithgow made .22 Hornet Slazenger 24 (Enfield No1 action) has a very old Weaver "El Paso" marked 2.5 scope with a 4x magnfier fitted

I have an Ajack 2.5 on my 303 (PH Enfield No4 action) deer rifle and a 2-4 Dinox on my 218 Bee (Martini action).

I do have an old Schmidt and Bender 2.5-10 x 56 ballistic turret scope that came of an L96 on my .270" (PH G98 action) another fine scope but the fecking mil dots irritate the s*** out of me, they just look like floaters.

They are all that I need and do everything I need from a scope which is mainly light gathering.

I have a Leupold M8 6x compact on my Tikka 595 in .223 and this is really bright with excellent light gathering, I am going to get round to mounting that on another rifle as the .223 has no interest for me, there being far superior rounds for my needs, so the Tikka rarely gets shot.