Another old, and a new rifle scope!

[marlinman93]

Had our monthly OAC gun show this morning, and weather was fantastic, so crowd and table holders were both thin! But I'm thinking about leaving when a guy walks up to my table and asks if I'm interested in an old John Sidle scope! Well of course I am, as I don't own one and want to! I looked it over, and optics were perfect, 6x power, and exterior and mounts are just as nice. Late 1800's vintage, and Sidle died around the beginning of WWI.
As I was looking it over, and wondering if I wanted to pay his asking price, or try to make an offer maybe $50-$75 less, he tells me he'll knock $200 off if I want it! So it came home with me!




The guy thanks me and walks away, and a minute later another guy walks up and ask if I want his scope? It's modern, and the brand is "Leapers" which I figured must be some Chinese made or whatever? I ask what's wrong with it as I'm looking through the scope, and he says the illuminated reticle doesn't work. But he tells me it's free if I want it! So hey a free scope is good, even if it's maybe cheap!
I thanked him, and put it under my table. But before I did I turned the illumination knob from it's highest setting to "0" setting mark. I got home and looked it up, and appears Leapers make all levels of price range from under $100 to $1600! Yikes! This one appears to be one of their mid level priced around $265. So I figured maybe I'd buy a new battery for it? But I turn the power knob from "0" to one of the low settings, and it lights right up! I tried all the level settings from 1 thru 11 and it gets brighter, and seems to work great! It seems the guy left it turned on when he was done shooting, and drained the battery! It may be weak, and not stay lit long, but I'll go ahead and get a new battery and see what to put it on. It's basically like new, and seems to have great optics! 3x-9x variable power.




Didn't sell much today, but two good scopes made for a great day!

[koger]

Wow, talk about falling into the deals. Could not happen to a better feller, congrats Val.

[marlinman93]

Wow, talk about falling into the deals. Could not happen to a better feller, congrats Val.

Thanks! The John Sidle scope is a great find, at a great price. But tough to beat a free 3x-9x scope with illuminated crosshairs, even if it didn't illuminate! It still would be a silly thing to give away.

[Txcowboy52]

Hey marlinman! I’ll give you twice what you paid for the Leapers !! Lol 😉

[marlinman93]

Put the Leapers scope on my old elk rifle in .30-06, a custom stocked Remington Model 30 from the 1920's as it needed an upgrade anyway. Haven't been elk hunting in years, but now I'll have an excuse to take it to the range and sight it in.
The Sidle went on one of my Schoyen Ballard rifles in .32-40. It was already set up with target scope bases, but had to remove them and take some metal off each side so the Sidle mounts would slide on the Unertl bases.

[RustyReel]

marlinman93 I love your stuff and seeing the pics of your rifles and other goodies, but I have to say I bet that classic Model 30 is gagging with that leapers on top of it.....that ain't right, even if it was free.....

[BLAHUT]

Had one of the Leapers scopes years ago, may still be around here some place if one of the boys didn't get it, if I remember correct a special ops guy out of viet nam started making them. If it wasn't for a poor memory I wouldn't have one at all...

[marlinman93]

marlinman93 I love your stuff and seeing the pics of your rifles and other goodies, but I have to say I bet that classic Model 30 is gagging with that leapers on top of it.....that ain't right, even if it was free.....

The old Model 30 has been with me since I bought it used in 1978 to hunt elk with. At the time the older gentleman I got it from had custom stocked it, and rebarreled it with a Douglas Premium barrel. It's a gorgeous rifle (I think) But far from original, or a classic now. It's the typical nicely customized style stock work they did in probably the late 40's or 50's I'd guess. Has a fairly plain walnut stock with myrtle wood forearm tip, and grip cap, and thin blonde wood spacers at both joints. A squarish forearm, and a nice palm swell to the right hand pistol grip stock. It had an old Valor brand 3-9x Japanese scope before, so it's used to inexpensive optics.
So I think the gun, is OK with the satin black scope, and since it likely wont be hunted with again at my age I'll just keep it for playing at the gun range, and someday give it to one of the kids.

[marlinman93]

Had one of the Leapers scopes years ago, may still be around here some place if one of the boys didn't get it, if I remember correct a special ops guy out of viet nam started making them. If it wasn't for a poor memory I wouldn't have one at all...

I went to their website, and it states they began in 1992, but not much else. They offer a lot of products beyond scopes, but says they started out selling a 4x28mm scope. No info on where their scopes are built, or much else about their products beyond dates when the company did various changes.

[marlinman93]

I finally took time to consider which rifle I might install the Sidle scope on, but everything I had required me to D&T a new pair of holes farther out on the barrels, until I pulled out the Schoyen I had restored about 6 years ago! Before sending it to Al Springer for rust bluing, and color case, I had filled numerous extra holes in the barrel. One set of filled holes was exactly where this front scope mount needed to be to use the Sidle scope! So set the gun up in my drill press and drilled out my plugs, and threaded it again for the same 8-40 scope screws.
I was a bit concerned that the threads might be slightly off the old holes, and could pull the old threads out, which could mess things up. But I had Loctited the plugs, and peened them before draw filing. So they D&T out just great, and tightened down without an issue. Scope looks like it's been there forever, and fits the gun era great.

The Sidle scopes were unusual in they had a 7/8" tube when all others then used 3/4" then, and even smaller tubes a bit earlier. Sidle's shop was initially in Philadelphia, Pa. but in 1908 he moved his business to Corning, Ca. and continued making scopes until 1918 when he died. Sidle is credited with being the first scope maker to build scope tubes with larger objective bells to better gather light.

[Funky]

I really like your pictures of your rifles, Keeps me looking. Good Luck Chris