M49 us army/usmc sniper spotting scope

[mjac]

I have come across one of these in good shape. The 20x scope come complete with front and rear lens covers, standard issue tripod, offset, one height extension, and original water-tight case.
Anyone have an idea of what a reasonable price would be?

TIA

[horsesoldier]

I have been looking for awhile for one of these, havent had any luck

[mtnman31]

Just curious, why do you want one of these? Having used them for years, they are mediocre at best when compared to some of today's modern coated optics. They are pretty robust when taking physical abuse but the optical clarity and magnification is easily bested by newer scopes.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

why would you want an old Model 70 when the new ones are "better".
why would you want a 1969 Hemi Charger when the new ones are faster, and besides, they have four doors.
why would you want an old Colt SAA when a ruger is stronger and has adjustable sights.

Old stuff that has survived has done so because it worked. It worked then, and it will work now. There's history and tradition there.

Today, so many people get caught up in the "if it's newer, it must be better, and I need it..."

It's like the USMC carrying around swords.

[shooterg]

I had a couple of 'em, one had the tripod and it's canvas case, the scope,manual, scope case.
Almost new looking, sold for $450, other one just scope and tripod, got $250. On the-site-that-must-not-be-named, folks are paying big bucks for 'em. I used one when I was shooting M1A in High Power, could see the .30 cal. holes at 200 usually. And they were by God Made in USA !

[M-Tecs]

When I was team captain for the State Army and Air guard marksmanship team I had 24 M49’s on my account. They are a very rugged spotting scope but optically dated. If the shooter was serious and stayed with the team they invariably upgraded scopes on their own dime. Also quality seemed to vary widely. I don’t know if more than one vendor manufactured these but some were nice and clear and others weren’t much better than a coke bottle

For $150.00 I would jump on it if it was one of the clear ones. If you are looking at $400 or $500 I would go with something with better optics.

Off the bench the straight eyepiece is not an issue but if you shoot prone you will be happier with an angled eyepiece.

The holy grail for that era spotting scopes are the Unertl’s. They compare favorable with today optics. The M49 are not even close to the same league as the Unertl’s.