Baush & Lomb Balvar 8A Scope

[GAMALOT]

Hi all and thanks for reading this.
I am purchasing a rifle that has a B&L Balvar scope on it.
The scope is very nice 2.5 - 8 power on a very interesting mount which is also the adjustment base for windage and elevation.
I know nothing about these except that B&L is a great name in optics.
What I need to know is how much to add to the price of this rifle for the scope.
I have a very nice Leupold Vari X 3 that I will use on this gun so will be looking to sell this Balvar at a later date.
Any info or advice will be appreciated.
Thanks
Gary

 

[steveno]

it was a pretty good scope in it's day and if it is in good condition it is still a serviceable scope. however it isn't a special scope so I wouldn't give it any special considerations.

 

[JohnBT]

$225 to $250 in excellent to mint condition... www.hegibbs.com/prices.htm

FWIW, in the 1967 Shooter's Bible the 8A has a list price of $99.95 and the 2-piece base is $16.95. A Remington 700 ADL was only $129.95.

John

 

[GAMALOT]

Excellent info and thank you kindly.
Scopes mounted on rifles are funny ducks to say the least.
When you want to buy and mount a scope they get pricy quick.
When purchasing used rifles, no one seems to want to give a dime toward the value of the already mounted optics.
This one is very nice and of good quality but I fall into the later group and would prefer a new scope.
Gary

 

[Chris Rhines]

Funny that you should bring this up - I have the exact same scope and mount on a sporterized Springfield M1903A3. Never knew anything about it until now. Thanks!

- Chris

 

[GAMALOT]

Chris, I spoke with a couple of local seniors who are very fond of the Balvar scope. According to them and this goes back to the early '60s, it was the best scope money could buy and to this day still deserves some recognition.
What they really like about it is the absence of reticle adjustments. They claim it is probably more durable then most high end scopes simply because there is less to go wrong and they are famous for rarely fogging up or loosing their gas.
I do have to admit I love how crystal clear the optics are and one look thru it tells everyone there is quality glass in there.
I am not overly impressed with the adjustable scope mount mechanism but this might be out of ignorance. I did remove the scope and the front mount to se who made the gun. When I shot it yesterday figuring I would have to re sight it, I was quite surprised to find it never moved enough to make resighting necessary. The old timers tell me they bought one Balvar and set up each of their guns with the same mount. They could switch the scope tube to any gun and it was right on the money.
Don't know if I can believe all that but I would not doubt they could be close enough for deer hunting around here.
I don't plan to be playing musical scopes so as far as I am concerned this one can stay right where it is as long as it stays so perfectly clear- WOW!
Gary