Who has rifles fitted with Optimas?

[Muskett]

Just for fun, who has rifles fitted with Optima scopes?
What on and how fitted mount wise?

My all time favourite combo is the FWB Sport with a 4x40 Apel Mounts; just for pure looks.

I prefer the Moonlighter over the Super Moonlighter just because of the size match to rifle.

[Drew451]

My good pal has a 3-9×45 on his mk1 HW80. Period one piece mount, make unknown. He bought the combo from Optima Leisure Products and still has the receipt.

[I. J.]

Ive owned several Optimas in my time bought direct from when it was based in Ginlow Mill in Bolton. Some scopes used to come back off mail order by unsatisfied customers and some of these had slight mount marks and could not be sold as new while boxed etc and only a few days old. These could be had for a fraction of their new price if you knew the right people. This was also the system with their lovely thick padded gun slips (GC ?) . Some were brand new and had only been damaged (nicked) with knives when opened carelessly. Again, I was offered these at a fraction of their new price. Problem was when you went to the local gun club dozens of members had the same bags so you has to mark yours.
This was also the system with some airguns. FWB Sport and HW35 especially. I once owned a .22 'Sport with a spare .177 barrel bought for a fraction of the new cost.

Personally I favour the early Tasco FM & AG scopes over the Optima (Hakko) ones. [Im off now to hide in my gun room.]

ATB
Ian

[Geezer]

Personally I favour the early Tasco FM & AG scopes over the Optima (Hakko) ones. [Im off now to hide in my gun room.]

ATB
Ian

No Optimas. One definite Hakko, an SS-1 4x16. One probable Hakko, a Sussex Armoury branded 3-9x40 with BDC top turret very similar to the later BDC Optimas.

On Ian’s point I’d just note that for a year or two in the early 80s, the 2-7x32 Tasco A.G. with AO was the FT scope of choice.

I also remember the Optima GC gunbags. IIRC they were advertised as “PVC leather” or something like that. So not leather.

[Big Seth]

[QUOTE=Geezer;756

I also remember the Optima GC gunbags. IIRC they were advertised as “PVC leather” or something like that. So not leather.[/QUOTE]

Zip broke on mine on the way back from Bisley in '82. Tied it up with a shoe lace. Cops asked me what was in the bag at a train station in London on my way home . Told them it was my airgun and that was OK. I was 16... The barrel was poking out the end! Optima replaced the bag as it was under a year old.

[I. J.]

No Optimas. One definite Hakko, an SS-1 4x16. One probable Hakko, a Sussex Armoury branded 3-9x40 with BDC top turret very similar to the later BDC Optimas.

On Ian’s point I’d just note that for a year or two in the early 80s, the 2-7x32 Tasco A.G. with AO was the FT scope of choice.

I also remember the Optima GC gunbags. IIRC they were advertised as “PVC leather” or something like that. So not leather.

Deffo not leather and, thankfully, easily damaged when they were opening the crates with craft knives.

And yes, I do prefer the Tasco 2-7AG (Jap) over any Optima. I say Jap because the later Tasco 2-7 were made in Tiwan (?) and bizz.
Mind you I also have a Optima 2-7x32 p/x adj scope made at the end of the companies life, when it was owned by Target Sports and thats bizz as well.
ATB
Ian

[Muskett]

Tasco was a brand as was Optima. At sometime in the 90's Hakko or whoever were making the Tascos sent their mchinery to Taiwan to continue the manufacture. Funny you I have two identical Tasco 3-9 x40 Prohorns one Jap and one Taiwanese, but I'd give the later 10% brighter.
It did seems that coatings and just something coud change from year to year with certain models.

With Optimas the first few years they came parallaxed to air rifle ranges. Later this feature changed to the standard 100m. Thankfully the design allows them to be parallaxed back. Some scopes do not have the space to more the front lens forward so they are stuck at 100m. Some scopes can and some can't be reparallaxed.
AO scopes that allow for ten to infinity parallax are the way to go. However, have a poor one and there can be POI shifts; really has to be made well.

In the early days a 4x40 was all air rifles shooters demanded. That was a huge leap from iron sights. It also showed up how poor rifles grouped once beyond the farmyard ranges. As shooters could get a sight picture on targets further out then they demanded more from their rifles. And more from the pellets too.

I agree the better Tascos were great. They didn't stay great and not every model in the line was equal to the task. Basically you had to pick the good'un model. Kassnar was another brand which started well and then went very average. The real change was the trade changed in 1992, and the who scope world was different again. Simmons hit the market with their WTC range.. the rest is history.

The early Optimas were well matched to the springers of the 80's. Good quality to price. By the 90's they lost out to cheaper and the fact they were showing their age. Really didn't matter what additional features or models they brought to the product range.
To me certain 80's rifles look the part when fitted with an Optima. HW35E, 80, 77, FWB Sport, Original 45, even Omega. Certainly German rifles of the 80's.