Vintage Scopes

[harvey_s]

Learned collective a few questions on the subject...

Moving image types...are there any pros & cons to this system, I believe sometimes the recticle can appear one-sided in some cases? are there other alignment issues? are all of them marked 'moving image' and if not how can you tell without cranking the adjusters right over?

Reticles... if one breaks, is either a DIY or professional repair viable or does it usually scrap the scope and if a DIY repair is possible does the loss of nitrogen (is there actually any left in a 20-30 year old scope?) cause issues.

Anything else one should consider?

Apologies about all the questions, it's just I'm only just beginning to appreciate some of the better older stuff

[bill57]

It can be hard to tell without testing whether the reticle remains centred. Pecar scopes are marked on the adjuster saddle, just a dot means moving reticle, a dot in a circle means permanently centred reticle (I think, happy to be corrected). Some old scopes have no windage adjustment, so they're easy to tell. I have a Nickel scope with elevation and windage turrets, but the reticle does not stay centred.

If the reticle is not much off centre it's not too bad, but I prefer them centred. Look for mounts with windage adjustment built in, and depending on the mount design, you can use shims to correct the elevation. In my experience they hold zero very well once set.

[harvey_s]

Thanks for the input Bill, I'm surprised at just one person with any interest in the subject here...has no-one ever had or attempted repairs to old scopes?

[averageplinker]

I suspect the general feeling is if it is broken it is to expensive to get a professional repair done, and not really worth the effort for an amateur repair. It is more time or cost effective to find a working one.
Rich.

[Shed tuner]

Image moving is a good thing - like all modern scopes - it means the reticule stays centred.

the old scopes that are not image moving are those where the ret moves, and can be off centre. Not so good, but it works.

[bill57]

If you can dismantle the scope, then I don't think fixing the reticle would be too difficult. I have seen very fine wire advertised for crosshair repair on the auction site, so a basic crosshair should be achievable. I wouldn't worry about nitrogen loss, I suspect it will be long gone from these scopes.

[harvey_s]

Image moving is a good thing - like all modern scopes - it means the reticule stays centred.

the old scopes that are not image moving are those where the ret moves, and can be off centre. Not so good, but it works.

Ahhh... I see I've got it arse about face then

(I knew I'd learn something here )