Period or modern scope?

[ID-shooting]

My wife has a 181 series mini-14. She likes her "vintage" rifle but wanted a scope. We played around with a couple of side-saddle mounts but she just could not like them. Finally came across a complete, lightly used "vintage" Federal Ordnance weaver base that replaces the rear sight. I had some old weaver rings and a crappy scope. Put it all together and she is digging it.

For Mother's Day I want to get her a "good" scope. I am torn between finding a quality used Leupold, El Paso Weaver, Redfield, or go with any of the modern equivalents. She really likes the vintage stuff, whether it be guns (her favorites are her 3-screw Ruger Single Six and her Remintion pump .22 if that tells you), furniture, art, and her antique collections.

Any good period scopes to reccomend to keep an eye out for or just get a good new one? Oh, 2 bills it my budget.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I really like my vintage steel Weavers. I have them on several rifles and have never had an issue.

 

[greyling22]

new. Way better optics, and a mini-14 isn't really a "vintage" gun. I guess if you're committed, I might have an old denver 2-7 redfield wideview laying around somewhere I might let go cheap.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Ruger developed the Ranch Rifle because the upward ejection of the Mini-14, along with the tuning fork effect that transmit energy from the receiver into the scope mount, ruined scopes. Better to have the barrel mounted long eye relief system on a Mini-14.

 

[hang fire]

I really like my vintage steel Weavers. I have them on several rifles and have never had an issue.

Same here. Using a Swiss Products clamp on mount, I just installed an old Weaver 1.5 power Micro-Trac on a K31 rifle.

Really like how fast target acquisition is, but being low power, can see the usual front sight effect.