Another Fuess, now what to do with it?

[ovenpaa]

As fitted to the first world war issue Mauser Gewehr 98 and interestingly, this one is not numbered. The thing is, what do I do with it, I would really like to fit it to a rifle, however whatever I do will be deemed to be wrong. Well wrong unless I add it to a Rem 700 which is a waste anyways.

Thoughts anyone?

[Gundog]

The sad thing to me is that this scope has claw mounts, and I presume no bases, that first and foremost restrict its usefulness, if needs must and it’s not deemed to be placed in a collection what needs to happen is those claw mounts need to be removed that is unless you were to manufacture compatible mounts, or find the equivalent mounts stateside!
The removal of these original claw mounts is not an easy task, the scope would in my opinion have to be completely stripped before commencing using heat to remove mounts.
It’s definitely WW1 period with only an elevation turret so therefore if the claw mounts were removed the scope would have to have mounts that had windage in the front or rear mount, the older Parker Hale steel mounts had this facility, then the world is your oyster the scope then could be used on any contemporary rifle of that period preferably German, a friend fitted a very similar scope to a little early .22 Mauser and looks great with Parker Hale see through mounts.
Failing all this how much would buy it ? Only joking!

Missed out the fact it has a sliding focus plate.

[FredB]

I have four of these early German scopes. One has claw mounts. I have bases, but they are not quite correct for the scope. I could manufacture bases if I had a suitable rifle to put it on.
The second is on my BSA 22 pump action. Thsi is one of a special edition produced in the 1930s. Jim Hallam had one in its original case, but I don't know if he still has it. These little 22s were fitted with every imaginable sight: a scope with windage adjustment in the mounts, which are claw mounts and so it is instantly removeable, A BSA number 8 folding aperture sight and a set of British folding leaf big game sights, which are totally useless.
The third scope is contained in a one piece mount, again with windage adjustment built in, which fits the rib on my Buechel Meister schuetzen rifle. Scopes were not used in German schuetzen competitions and so I assume that it was originally made for a hunting derivative of the Schuetzen pattern rifles.
The fourth scope is on a German boar rifle in 8.15 x 46R. It is also fitted in windage adjustable mounts.

[Gundog]

The sad thing to me is that this scope has claw mounts, and I presume no bases, that first and foremost restrict its usefulness, if needs must and it’s not deemed to be placed in a collection what needs to happen is those claw mounts need to be removed that is unless you were to manufacture compatible mounts, or find the equivalent mounts stateside!
The removal of these original claw mounts is not an easy task, the scope would in my opinion have to be completely stripped before commencing using heat to remove mounts.
It’s definitely WW1 period with only an elevation turret so therefore if the claw mounts were removed the scope would have to have mounts that had windage in the front or rear mount, the older Parker Hale steel mounts had this facility, then the world is your oyster the scope then could be used on any contemporary rifle of that period preferably German, a friend fitted a very similar scope to a little early .22 Mauser and looks great with Parker Hale see through mounts.
Failing all this how much would buy it ? Only joking!

Missed out the fact it has a sliding focus plate.

Just looked more closely at the scope by expanding your photo and it seems to be missing the elevation turret locking screw, looked more closely and the turret doesn’t have the marks that define distance ( maybe one to six hundred yards) so I will presume it’s sporting or commercial of that period.

[ovenpaa]

It is graduated 1 to 10 so 100 to 1000m. I have seen this model both with and without locking screws and with and without green paint. Always with a sliding focus plate

[Gundog]

My thoughts are with graduations of 1 to 10 it in my mind is still a sporting or commercial scope and you say no serial number that would link it to a Gewehr.
Are you prepared to remove the original claw mounts so as to be able to reuse the scope for any suitable rifle you have to hand?
Green paint ? Is it green painted ? If so I would have thought it would have been pressed into use from a donated source during WW2.
Not quite clear on those points you quoted.

Still a very useable scope and the glass ( optics) at that period in time was and still is phenomenally clear.

[ovenpaa]

My thoughts:

The civilian 'scope's of this era I have come across in the past, if numbered (Voightlander etc.) usually only go to 400 or by exception 600 or 1-4 & 1-6 and they are invariably not numbered. On the subject of numbers, They certainly were not all numbered and numbers when present were sometimes on the brass focus plate, on a claw and once I have seen a number under the focus plate. Also I have seen the same number used twice on separate optics!

The Fuess is one of the few I have seen with faint traces of green paint, from memory this was one of the few to be painted in the first world war, and indeed I have had my hands on a G98 complete with side mounted Fuess which was 90% intact green and with provenance.

They strip remarkably easily and the rings are soft soldered so easily removed if needed, not that I would. My preference would be source original bases, however I am prepared to make new, the front is not a problem, it is always the rear that is more of a challenge.

Ah, as a late edit:

https://snipercollection.com/category/1 ... -steglitz/

[Gundog]

My thoughts are with graduations of 1 to 10 it in my mind is still a sporting or commercial scope and you say no serial number that would link it to a Gewehr.
Are you prepared to remove the original claw mounts so as to be able to reuse the scope for any suitable rifle you have to hand?
Green paint ? Is it green painted ? If so I would have thought it would have been pressed into use from a donated source during WW2.
Not quite clear on those points you quoted.

Still a very useable scope and the glass ( optics) at that period in time was and still is phenomenally clear.

I must withdraw what I have just quoted above, it’s very obvious that you have done your research and I have not, Rudolf Fuess Steglitz Berlin 3x Prussian 11” long, marked 1 to 10 on turret, painted green, very uncommon during WW1 more common painted green during WW2 came complete with canvas case, also was seen unpainted, and without turret screw.

[Gundog]

Just as an aside, were the German scopes graduated in meters or yards, never really bottomed that thought ?? ( are you stupid of course they were graduated in meters).

[ovenpaa]

German metres by this time. Interestingly Danish open sights used to be graduated in ‘Els’