Pennsylvania Game News - August 2011 - 60

popular into the 1950s. Scopes from the 1920s to 1930s ranged from short 10- to 15-inch, ¾-inch diameter tubes with external adjustments ranging in fixed powers from 2x to 8x, such as the Mossberg series of scopes (Model #9 and #6), and the early Lyman A5 (which was the Winchester 5A), to the longer high quality 25-inch target styles with 1- to 1½-inch objective tubes, such as the Lyman “Target Spot” series, along with the Fecker and Unertl. These were available in fixed powers from 3x to 20x for those who demanded the best. Early internally adjusted scopes came about around 1930, such as the expensive custom Noske, to the very affordable Weaver ¾-inch straight-tubed 3x Model 330. The Noske didn’t last long, but the success of the Weaver 330 brought on future models, such as their other affordable models, including the 440, 333, 334, 335 and 29, which ranged in fixed powers from 3x to 5x. Another landmark internally adjusted scope was the 2½x Lyman “Alaskan” (1939), which was a ¾-inch tube with an enlarged ocular lens. The foreign manufacturers, such as Zeiss and Hensolt, made good scopes that ranged from 2½x to 8x, but they were expensive and out of reach for most sportsmen during the Depression years (Weavers were going for $19, Zeiss $40 and the Noske about $50). During the World War II years not much happened in the way of cartridge and scope development, because material and labor were needed for the war

effort. But in 1950 Remington came out with a newly developed scaled down bolt action called the Model 722, along with its partner the rimless .222 Remington cartridge. The .222 could throw a 50-grain bullet at around 3,100 fps, and the brass had a long case life as long as it wasn’t pushed too hard. This dual creation was such a success that firearms companies adapted existing actions, such as Sako with the Model 222 (which was a slightly longer Model L46), the Savage Model 340 and the Birmingham BSA (which looked like a cross between a small Lee-Enfield and a mini-Mauser). About the time I was being taught to shoot (the late 1950s) the triple duce was on its way to making most 22-caliber wildcat cartridges obsolete (except for a few like the .22 Varminter, which in 1965 became the .22-250 Remington). The long target Unertl, Fecker and Lyman scopes were still in high demand, and the shorter ¾-inch tubes began to be replaced by the 1-inch models, with their enlarged ocular and objective lenses that improved light gathering for a brighter view and faster target acquisition. Many early 1-inch models had no adjustments on the tube, but were sighted in via adjustments

FROM TOP to bottom: 1950s era Savage Model 340 .222 Remington with Lyman 10x All American scope; 1970s Ruger Number 1 .22 Hornet with Unertl 8x scope; 2004 Savage M12 .22-250 with Burris 8-32x scope; 2008 Savage Model 10 Predator .223 with a Leupold 4.514x scope.

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Pennsylvania Game News - August 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - August 2011
