Help with an older rifle

[DVSmith]

I figure that one of you guys must know the answer to this.

I have acquired a rifle that my uncle used to deer hunt with. It is a Fabrique Nationale Mauser in .270 and the barrel is stamped made in Belgium.

It has scope mounts on it, but no scope. I am guessing it was purchased in the 50's or 60's.

What scope do you guys think would have most likely been used?

I want to find one to put it back as close as possible to the way it was when my uncle used it for hunting.

Thanks!

[bgoodman]

considering that the rifle was more likely sold in the US through sears and roebuck, an american scope of the same vintage would be logical. Maybe an old redfield?

[dfletcher]

Steel Weaver, 1" tube is always a safe bet. A 1.5 to 4.5 or fixed 4 or 3 to 9 are typical. I have quite a few older rifles and like to keep them "period correct". Check out EBay and type in "vintage rifle scope" and you'll see many.

Few things to remember. The optics on a 50/60s scope are not as good as current scopes, even the $100.00 low end types. I wouldn't buy one on line because there may be fractures/defects in the glass, buying at a gun show is the way to go.

If you go more towards the 60s you'll get into the enamel covered aluminium tube and better optics - Redfield and Bushnell's are pretty easy to find.

Using the Weaver tip off rings (hook on one side, 2 screws on the other) would go along with the scope & gun look from the 50s/60s.

[Trapper]

+1 on the steel Weaver or Redfield. Rifles of that time often used fixed power scopes with lower magnification. The Weaver K-6 6x scope would be a good fit for your rifle IMHO.

[DVSmith]

considering that the rifle was more likely sold in the US through sears and roebuck, an american scope of the same vintage would be logical. Maybe an old redfield?

I suspect you are right on there.

Steel Weaver, 1" tube is always a safe bet. A 1.5 to 4.5 or fixed 4 or 3 to 9 are typical. I have quite a few older rifles and like to keep them "period correct". Check out EBay and type in "vintage rifle scope" and you'll see many.

Few things to remember. The optics on a 50/60s scope are not as good as current scopes, even the $100.00 low end types. I wouldn't buy one on line because there may be fractures/defects in the glass, buying at a gun show is the way to go.

If you go more towards the 60s you'll get into the enamel covered aluminium tube and better optics - Redfield and Bushnell's are pretty easy to find.

Using the Weaver tip off rings (hook on one side, 2 screws on the other) would go along with the scope & gun.

That is exactly what I am going for.

My uncle was one of those guys that would buy the best he could without being silly about it. Case in point, he bought a diesel Mercedes to commute to and from work in 100+ miles each way. He ordered it without all of the fluff you see on Mercedes in the US today. It was bare bones. He had a source for cheap diesel, had an auxiliary tank installed and bought a Mercedes because he felt he could keep it on the road for 300,000 miles or more with proper maintenance and rebuilding. And he did.

So my goal is to find a well thought of scope in that period that would have had good optics. That is most likely what he would have bought.

FYI, the scope mounts that are on the rifle are two piece and have a half circle cut-out going across the line of the bore. I don't know if that means anything or not.

[telcolineman]

I would agree, Maybe a 4 power redfield. My 03 springfield sporter has this scope on it

[Fjold]

Weaver or Redfield 4X would be my guess.

[gun toting monkeyboy]

Yeah. A basic 4x fixed power scope was de rigueur for these kinds of rifle. Or a fairly low-powered variable. Some even had a fixed 2.5 power scope. The tube size was normally 1 inch. But older scopes like the Lyman Alaskan in 7/8 inch diameter were still in common use. The Weaver "K" series, especially the K4, was probably the dominant scope on the market for the average sportsman.

If you do go the Ebay route, be sure that you get some sort of assurance from the seller that you can return it if it is not in the condition they represent. And use paypal (yeah, yeah, I know, they suck) or a credit card so you can get your money back if they send you crap. I have a 1951 vintage FN commercial in .257 Roberts that came with a vintage Weaver or Redfield 4x and some weird mount. Since they were both correct for the period on the rifle, I have left them. I have other toys if I want to go modern. And I have other old guns wearing newer optics. But there is just something fun about using a vintage rig.

-Mb

[DVSmith]

Great input everyone!

Thanks a lot. I will start looking around for scopes of that vintage.

If anyone else has any other observations, please share!

Thanks!