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Thread: Kassnar Night Owl

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    Kassnar Night Owl

    Recently I have picked up two nice Kassnar scopes, very nice glass and suitable for period springers of a good vintage.

    Doing a bit of searching I have found one which is a 6x42 and I think over priced at £100,,,,,buts last night having a browse I found a rare thing, a Kassnar 3-9x56 PA(AO),,,,,,,labelled the night owl, these were hens teeth,,,,,but for the love of god the price is £175

    I do have a nice x56 Nikko Diamond and not sure something 30years old as the Kassnars are, is worth considering at that cost...somebody will no doubt.
    Nice things happen to nice people.

  2. #2
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    Kassnar were branded Jap scopes probably done by Hakko in the budget offerings. Same as Optimas in so many ways. Branded so features and glass taken from a list to hit the target market price that the importer wanted.

    Yes, they are correct for vintage 1980's rifles. They are just about robust enough for springers. Glass varied but generally average especially once seen through the over hype. Being selective then many a Tasco are better, not later ones and not all. 80's Optomas were good though in the last years were showing their age, cost cutting.

    Seen that Kassnar and its a big scope. Value possibly £100 and thats being generous.

    The mid 80's fashion for huge front objectives was always going to be disappointing. These huge scopes were a lump and in truth the optics weren't that good. The smaller scopes were often brighter, lighter and didn't throw the balance of the rifles they were going on. Dusk these budget scopes failed as the coatings and glass, plus a lot of masking because of poor edge definition, just didn't match the expectations. Even Tasco failed when going big. Just not enough money in them to work.

    Circa 1992 and Simmons blew the budget market out of the water with their White Tailed Classic. Tasco with their Euro Class and TR range. Then it was down hill all the way.

    Leupold were still king. Bausch and Lomb were Jap class. Both could be found with parallax for Air Rifle ranges. More and it was European and very high ticket prices and the wrong parallax

    My view is don't pay over the odds for Kassnar.
    Mint scopes from the 80's are worth a huge premium to be put on mint rifles. For anything well used then don't pay much. Very nice then a fair price, but there should be one set of scope mount marks and best if the mounts are included and correct. Best if mounts are both in the right place and match the rifle too.

  3. #3
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    Fully agree with that Muskett.

    My latest little Kassnar was from here a week or so ago 4x32ao wide angle, its unused in the box with everything never mounted, its going on a mint HW 85K Mk1.

    I have a mint Simmons 8 point 3-9x 50 that was cheap in its day, never really used as it was on my Longbow which was sleeping for a decade or more, but I think its better that some Hawke Vantage 44 or 50 offerings.
    Nice things happen to nice people.

  4. #4
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    I had a peek through a Kassnar "4x" scope in the dimly lit back room of a gunshop last week and I was impressed with the clarity. I think the scope was from a later period than their 80's heyday. Unfortunately, it had quite a scuff on the objective bell so I left it where it was.

    80's era Japanese scopes can be an addiction but I've not got it to the extent I'd pay big bucks.

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    Its been a pet subject of mine for a while and I've had a whole lot of scopes now from that period. Most are budget average. Some 40x4's are bright, not all. Many 3-9x40's are bright but let down with parallax being fixed too high. Sometimes the parallax can be improved on but thats if the front glass can be moved far enough forward for x9 mag. Some can, some can't; its scary doing it.

    The best Tasco's are very good indeed. Best Hakko can be very bright. Other branded can be good too but its all in the glass.
    The odd fixed can be very bright indeed both x4 and x6. I have an early Tasco World Class 6x40 that is very bright; not the same as a modern equivalent.

    Sadly, every once in a while specs were changed and performance dropped. Few large objective scopes from the badged budget ranges are any good.

    Get a good modern scope and the etched cross hairs don't break. How bright varies from average to excellent. The better ones, even low costs ones unless rubbish, are a match or better than yesteryear.

    Collectable rifles require period scopes and mounts. Loads of mint vintage rifles, few mint vintage scopes. For good examples then they do warrant a premium; how much a premium is anyones guess. Broken or beaten up then little value if any. Fixing an old scope starts at £50, if you an find some one to do it.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Dudley
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    9,211

    Kassnar

    The top of the range was the Beta 3. They did a 4 x 32 , 6 x42, 8 x 56 and a 3-9 x 42 and we're expensive back in the day and nice glass. Mach 1.5

  7. #7
    Join Date
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    I love old Kassnars and have quite a few.....i have the 3×9 x56 monster scope....not for a little rifle.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    Quote Originally Posted by Muskett View Post
    Kassnar were branded Jap scopes probably done by Hakko in the budget offerings. Same as Optimas in so many ways. Branded so features and glass taken from a list to hit the target market price that the importer wanted.

    Yes, they are correct for vintage 1980's rifles. They are just about robust enough for springers. Glass varied but generally average especially once seen through the over hype. Being selective then many a Tasco are better, not later ones and not all. 80's Optomas were good though in the last years were showing their age, cost cutting.

    Seen that Kassnar and its a big scope. Value possibly £100 and thats being generous.

    The mid 80's fashion for huge front objectives was always going to be disappointing. These huge scopes were a lump and in truth the optics weren't that good. The smaller scopes were often brighter, lighter and didn't throw the balance of the rifles they were going on. Dusk these budget scopes failed as the coatings and glass, plus a lot of masking because of poor edge definition, just didn't match the expectations. Even Tasco failed when going big. Just not enough money in them to work.

    Circa 1992 and Simmons blew the budget market out of the water with their White Tailed Classic. Tasco with their Euro Class and TR range. Then it was down hill all the way.

    Leupold were still king. Bausch and Lomb were Jap class. Both could be found with parallax for Air Rifle ranges. More and it was European and very high ticket prices and the wrong parallax

    My view is don't pay over the odds for Kassnar.
    Mint scopes from the 80's are worth a huge premium to be put on mint rifles. For anything well used then don't pay much. Very nice then a fair price, but there should be one set of scope mount marks and best if the mounts are included and correct. Best if mounts are both in the right place and match the rifle too.
    Quote Originally Posted by Muskett View Post
    Its been a pet subject of mine for a while and I've had a whole lot of scopes now from that period. Most are budget average. Some 40x4's are bright, not all. Many 3-9x40's are bright but let down with parallax being fixed too high. Sometimes the parallax can be improved on but thats if the front glass can be moved far enough forward for x9 mag. Some can, some can't; its scary doing it.

    The best Tasco's are very good indeed. Best Hakko can be very bright. Other branded can be good too but its all in the glass.
    The odd fixed can be very bright indeed both x4 and x6. I have an early Tasco World Class 6x40 that is very bright; not the same as a modern equivalent.

    Sadly, every once in a while specs were changed and performance dropped. Few large objective scopes from the badged budget ranges are any good.

    Get a good modern scope and the etched cross hairs don't break. How bright varies from average to excellent. The better ones, even low costs ones unless rubbish, are a match or better than yesteryear.

    Collectable rifles require period scopes and mounts. Loads of mint vintage rifles, few mint vintage scopes. For good examples then they do warrant a premium; how much a premium is anyones guess. Broken or beaten up then little value if any. Fixing an old scope starts at £50, if you an find some one to do it.

    Agree with all of that and I have a bunch of 80s Jap glass.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    East Sussex, Nr Rye
    Posts
    17,110
    The two Beta 3's I've had were a disappointment when considering the price first asked. Have a Hakko and a Tasco that better them by quite a margin. I'm still looking for a bright ASI which did exist, though only for a short time before reverting to average.

    Those with a collection do chip in with some detail of what ones surprised you.

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