SCOPING A VINTAGE RIFLE

Proceed with caution when  mounting  scopes on older rifles.

When it comes to vintage rifles, I have the same problem that faces many humers: Shooting iron sighted rifles is difficult and I rely on scope sights for my serious hunting rifles. I do own and shoot several iron-sighted rifles and have hunted with my lever ac­ tion Marlin .35-55 in recent years. I love the rifle, but I confine its use to brushy river bottoms and short-range pursuits. I wouldn't even consider drilling it for scope mounts.

If you've been accumulating, or seriously collecting, any particular type of vintage rifle, you've seen it: the pre-World War I Kurtz-length Mauser driJied for a Redfield scope base or an early Model 94 with four side-mount holes Swiss-cheesing the action.

I'll say it once, and then offer some alternatives: Please don't drill any holes in unmolested rifles. Thanks.

One of the reasons bolt-actions make popular hunting rifles is the ease of mOtmting scopes, but there was a time when the actions were not driJled, and the universal way to mount a scope was a European detachable clawmount. They were commonly mounted very high­ you could see the sights through sloes under the scope and seldom were the riflesrocks correct for the scope. If you would like to mount a scope on a vintage bolt-action rifle such as a Mauser, I would suggest finding one that has suitable claw­ moum bases or that has already been drilled. There are lots of them arou nd and there are also a few gunsmiths versed in adapting modern or quality vintage scopes to existing claw mounts who can help you out.

Bolt rifles that have been converted to hold scopes often have had their bolts altered (by bending or welding) for low scope clearance, including a deep groove carved in the stock, and sometimes the action has been grooved in the same place. Returning a rifle so altered to its original state presents a very compli­ cated and difficult restoration requ iring serious metal and wood repairs. This is both expensive a nd requires a very expe­ rienced gunsmith.

In the case of vintage single-shot rifles, only the last of the American and European vintage guns were set up for scope sights. The American rifles sometimes had the barrel drilled  for scope blocks and there are a few high-quality reproduction scopes on the market as well as original external-adjustment Peeker, Unertl, and Lyman scopes. Although somewhat delicate and cumbersome by modern standards, these can offer a con­ venient alternative, and I have friends that regularly, and enjoyably, shoot varmintS with this setup. I've shot gophers with my buddy's Low Wall. 22 and a 6x %-inch tube scope, and it's a hoot to put the dot on the spot and tip them over.

Many vintage British and European singleshots had some kind of detach­ able scope mount, and a savvy gunsmith might be able to refurbish it or make a second unit for a modern scope.

Respected names in European vintage scopes include Nickel (Supra Models, 26mm) Zeiss (imported by Stoege1), Pecar (steel and alloy, .875" and 26mm), Kahles (1", 26mm) and rhe highly regarded Hen­ sold (various rubes).Be certain of the ring-to­scope-rube compatibility prior to purchase.

The other solution is to find a vintage mount to fit the holes already in your rifle. If your vintage Springfield sporter has five holes drilled in the side, believe it or not, you might be in luck. Griffin & Howe side mounts used five holes, three tapped for screws with two more for ta­ per pins. The G&H mount had a base anached to the action, a bar holding the rings that slid on and clamped co the base with two levers, making the scope de­ tachable. These were often professionally installed and it may be possible to find an appropriate mount to fit existing holes. Gri ffin & Howe still offers the mount, and i nstallation, on the firm's Web site.

The M. L. Stith Company offered a unique type of scope mount beginning in the 1950s. The Streamline model was designed to be installed without any altera­ tions to the rifle.The front mount used the rear sight dovetail and the rear mount fit in a factory-dri lled hole for a receiver sight.

While made for a variety of rifles, one of the more successful current applications is the Savage 99 and other lever-action rifles. They do require a very particular type of scope. Stith also offered high-quality hunting riflescopes in rhar era including the Bear Cub line.

Vintage scopes can be lumped into two categories: internal or external ad­ justments. In other words, do the knobs on the scope adjust the cross hairs, or the dials on the scope mounrs? Scopes with­ our internal adjustments require mounts with external adjustments.

As mentioned, companies like Unerd and Lyman made external-adjust­ ment scopes of extremely high quality that are much revered to this day. Pro­ duction of the %"-diameter-tube scopes began prior ro World War I and continued until sometime in the 1980s. Quality was maintained at a very high level, bur the sophistication and size of the scopes varied over the course of production. To greatly simplify, the newer the Unertl scope, the larger the objective lens and the greater rhe possible magnification. Unertl also made hunting-type scopes with a couple of different tube diameters, with either i nternal or external adjustments.

Vi ntage riflescopes represent a vast special-interest field, and the best informarion I've found was from old editions of Shooter's Bible and Gun Digest and the modern book Old Rifle Scopes by Nick Stroebel. If you are considering a vi ntage scope purchase, be sure rhar rhe rube di­ ameter matches the rings or scope bases planned for mounting. American-made scopes commonly have %" or 1" rubes, but the well-respected, Cali fornia-made Noske Scopes had .875" (22mm) tubes.

Lyman Alaskan scopes with%" tubes are quite desirable (both original and Le­ upold repros), as are the 1"Unerd Falcon, Hawk, Condor series. The externally ad­ justed Bausch & Lomb 1" sporter scopes were very h igh quality.

There were quite a number of models and powers of Weaver scopes and while they have a reliable standard of quality they are not considered on par with Euro­ pean scopes of the era. They are, however, of known rube diameter.

Unlike current offerings, most vintage scopes can be disassembled, cleaned, and adjusted internally, bur I have no recommendations for where to get them serviced.

There is a thriving Internet market for vintage scopes, sights, and mounts, bur ir is best to do your homework and research the subject thoroughly prior to purchase. Otherwise, you might be in for a disap­ pointing and expensive lesson.