old weaver scope... any good?

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futureranger

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found an old weaver scope and i am thinking about putting it on my 30-30 in place of the tasco pos that wont hold a zero that is on there now. i think was made some time in the mid 70's all it says on it is "weaver k4-1 USA". it has the old german horizontal line and post type cross hairs. i was thinking about getting a new Leupold for the 30-30 but if this will hold a zero ill save the money. thanks for the help
 
Call them and ask if they will look it over and do the same with the tasco. They both might get rebuilt or replaced. I had a redwing sent in , Just side the scope was not clear. It is atleast 30 years old and still don't know if they replaced it or rebuilt it but like new. Give them both a call.
 
Give it the test... Box test for tracking and 'hold', freeze test to see if it's going to fog, if you are comfortable with doing a submerssible test then do it also... if your new found scope 'passes' all the test, then mount it and shoot it.

I don't know if you 'must' do all the above stuff, but it is what we do with trade in scopes so as to see if they are of any count, keeps the po'd customers at bay.

Good luck with your find-

Also, what hardluk1 said is a good idea if you don't want to fool with it-
-:D
 
It may be one of the old steel-tube Weavers. Is it magnetic?

They were well thought of, in the day. Durable. (There was a time when aluminum scope tubes were considered 'cheap'.) My bet, it holds zero and tracks nicely.

The clarity, however, may not be like what is available today. A good cheek weld is also probably more important. (Move your head and look through the scope, rifle on bags focused on something. If it appears the aim changes as your head moves, it demonstrates parralax issues. A consistent cheek weld can help.)
 
The optics will not be as clear and sharp as more modern scopes. But to get that big improvement you need to spend a couple hundred dollars. I have older Weavers on a couple of rifles and they work OK for what I do with them. For really serious shooting I prefer the recent Leupold designs as a good compromise of quality and price.

I like this K3 on my Tropical.


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The Henry on the far left wears a K2.5.


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But this rifle requires a more contemporary sighting system.


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You don't mention the type of rifle or how you use it other than it's a 30-30. This caliber isn't exactly a long range number and the rifles shooting it aren't target grade so an old Weaver would likely work fine for most shooting.
 
Just stick it on, sight it in and then forget it. It's not gonna be the brightest scope in the world, but it will work okay for deer hunting. You sure don't need more than 4X on a .30-30, and about the only time you'd need a brighter scope is the first and last five minutes of legal shooting light.
 
mmm..... you seriously have the best reticle ever made, for both speed and accuracy. That is a good one my friend. Too bad it does not say el paso made, but usa made is still good. if it has not lost zero, then that will be a very fine scope to hunt with, as long as the glass is still clear, it has not lost it's gas, and the glass isn't turning bluish.
Old weaver scopes are desirable, simple, and rock solid.
 
when the old weavers have a problem, there is a dude, somewhere here in america, that has the rights to work on the old weavers. i think he charges about 30 bucks, to do a overhaul. Hopefully, yours is all working fine.
I so love that crosshair/reticle setup...
 
I have a Weaver K4 - plain crosshairs - from at least the 70s, maybe the 60s. It came on a used Rem 700 that Dad bought in '82. He sold the rifle; I got the scope. I keep it on an old Marlin .22 bolt action. It's been banged around, bumped, used as a carry handle, and generally USED HARD. It still holds zero. In fact, I can take it off the Marlin, shoot open sights, and then remount it (using Weaver tip-off rings for .22) and it'll still shoot at or very near zero.

IMHO, it's an excellent scope and I will neither trade nor part with it.

Q
 
thanks for all the help. and its a old steel tube weaver. i would like to test it out but i cant find any 30-30 ammo around where i live. the coating on the glass is coming off and about half of it is gone on both lenses. its a neat old scope but it isnt nearly as bright as the junker tapco. would weaver take and refinish a scope that is almost 40 years old? thanks again
 
The old Weavers are built like a tank, but have poor optical characteristics when compared to modern scopes. I would have the Weaver rebuilt using glass with modern coatings, then you'll really have something. I have nothing good to say about Tasco (other than possibly the SS scopes). :)
 
Mount it and try it. You may not need to do anything to it except clean up a bit. I bough a 1.5X4.5 at a garage sale for 5 bucks. Had some rust and the exterior glass was dirty. Cleaned up well. Stuck it on a Rem 597 and that's where it stays. The Weaver G6 scope was put on my R3m 512 in 1950 and has never been off the rifle.
 
You will notice a difference though in performance easily. There have been leaps and bounds made in optics since then. If you are looking for that old school look and don't mind giving up light gathering, resolution, color separation, clarity, anti fogging etc. go for it. If you want a modern optic though that will truly perform, look at a modern scope. I'm sure if you give us your budget and what you want it for we can give you some good options.
 
I love those old scopes, my dad has a weaver 1.5 (or some real low power) that is still 50yrs later solid as a rock!
 
Have had an old weaver 4X on an old Marlin 336 in Rem .35 cal since the mid 60`s. Never been off and still "on the money." :)
 
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