Post elbow grease and touch up blueing.

What do you think Frank?

Jack

Planning on using it on a BSA 12/25 .22 mag I picked up in Oregon.  I have been using a 6x Unertl that I can now look at selling. Frank got me looking for a Wollensak and I was very pleased with this one

Jack

Just curious ... what sort of values are these Wollensack scopes?  A friend of mine has one that he showed me the other day.  It is nearly a twin to yours with the blackened mounts and a brass tube.  He doesn't want to sell it, but I'd like to give him some idea of it's value just so that he will know.
Very nice looking scope!

For those who don't already know, "japanned" should mean that the part was baked to harden the enamel paint and thus increase its wearability.  The further one gets into the 20th century, however, the greater the chance that what's called a "japanned" surface is unbaked, though often still enamel for the high glass.

Also, for what it's worth, there are several solutions available, the best in my opinion made by JAX, that if the directions are followed exactly will color a brass surface anywhere between a light brown through a deep brown to a rich black (and other "patinas" such as shades of green, though I don't think those are pertinent here).  After aging, the new surface can be clear-coated to increase its durability.

Bill Lawrence

marlinguy wrote on Jan 26^th, 2019 at 12:45pm:


That's the only type rear mount I've seen, & a catalog description I have lists only this one mount, with no options except for reticle-- X-wire, post, post & X-wire. 

Surprising that the finish on these mounts is so much better than the tube's finish.

Jack,
Sorry to be AOL but, I was gone. You got a good deal, bring it to Spokane and I'll go over it with you.

The mounts you have are common for these Walensak's but, you can find them with Marlin or Mossberg rear click mounts. I think Walensak click mounts are Marlin and I think Marlin scopes are Walensak.

Your tube is turned down 90 deg. The adjustments are much easier to get to, when they are up.

I'm going to include the Marlins and Mossberg's in this but, 5 years ago, I was buying them for $80 in a little better shape than yours. Depending on condition, down to $40. Now I think they start at $80 and a lot of sellers think they are worth $150. Mossberg made a 8X version than can go for $200. Mossberg also made a reversible post recticule. I quit buying them (all three brands), when I ran out of space to keep them

While the power of the scopes aren't enough to spot holes, they will work, very nicely for OH at 1 or 200 yards. The 8X Mossberg would be better for 200.

BTW, all three brands are variants of the Stevens and Lyman 438's.


Frank

Frank,  Are all those scopes made with the five lens system we discussed several years ago?
Chuck

Nice catch Jack!......

Chuckster wrote on Jan 27^th, 2019 at 10:17am:

Yes, they all have 4 lenses in the ocular cell and one objective lens.

I've boosted one of mine with a 470mm FL objective lens to give it 12X. The FOV is small but, usable. I'm sure the FOV is on par with any long 12X scope, of olden days. The brightness is OK, too.

Frank

Frank, Thank you.
Still not sure I have figured out the optics but, obvious, works very well.
Learned a great deal about scopes and optics from discussions with Frank.
Chuck

Now we have to contend with Jack in the heat of competition with his new brass scope,of which the reflection off the Sun  will give Jack another advantage.....is that A smile I detect? Back to my shop to make sawdust......

The old Nickel plated finish would be more appropriate and just as distracting.

Good point BP.  Looks like Frank has it covered with his converted scope anyway.   

Jack

Marlinguy I was thinking in terms of distracting the others sort of like the glare coming of a signal mirror. Someone else I believe was joking about this and I just jumped onto his same theme. All though the part of the old Nickel finish would hold true to being more period correct than what chrome might do.

JLouis wrote on Jan 31^st, 2019 at 11:15am:


"Period correct" on a item that was originally enameled?

Sonny,
What is it you're trying to say here?
I read your reply 3 times and can't figure it out.

thanks,
Auggy

Just saying it doesn't matter what kind of finish the owner wants to put on it and its his to do with as he pleases. There were nickel plated Schuetzen butt plates and a few actions or other related parts and they were not chrome plated. So simply saying the latter might be more appropriate to reflect those times as the owner was talking about having it chromed.

About 40 years ago, at an Ohio Gun Collectors show, I was temporarily minding Dick Binger's booth when a very old man came by and said he had something to sell.  What he pulled out of that soft leather case was a very highly finished Ballard with a full-length silver-plated Malcolm scope in matching mounts.  The gun had been his father's and was pristine and completely original.  I was speechless.

Since then, I've seen one other plated Malcolm, on a gun offered by Minnesota Jim.

The point is, yes, period "shiny" scopes are very rare, but they were made.

Bill Lawrence

So far, that's a total of 3 plated scopes, and zero tube sights, out of how many produced?
Were they mounted on barrels whose top surface had been matted to reduce glare?   

First of all, you're looking through the scope, not at or around it, when shooting.  Second, the two I saw were on target rather than hunting rifles - i.e., no "wild animals" or two-legged beasts would be alerted/scared by sun flashes.  Third, if a competitor is somehow distracted by the - aah - magnificence of your outfit, you've already made sure that's not against the rules.  Fourth, who you callin' a pimp?

Bill Lawrence

We keep a can of flat black spray paint on the firing line at Tacoma in case the sun comes out when there is a shiny scope on the line.

Some years ago Tasco made a long 4x brass scope for blackpowder rifles.  I thought I had seen every imaginable finish method applied on those ranging from very nicely aged brown look by wiping with black powder residue to a garish extremely highly polished GOLD, until a guy pulled one out of a case mounted on the most highly polished Thompson Center Hawken I had ever seen. Everything, including the wood was polished to a mirror finish like an early Weatherby, but the entire length of the scope was engine turned.  Darn near vomited at the sight of the thing, but the owner was proud as punch of all the polishing work he had done on the rig, waves and all.  Ugliest damn scope and rifle I ever saw.

Hayface

Hayface wrote on Feb 2^nd, 2019 at 12:31pm:


I've owned a couple of those, and one marked Tasco, and another marked NAACO. Not sure who NAACO was, or if they were built by Tasco, or for Tasco? But everything was the same, including those horrendously ugly cast brass mounts! Both were polished as Tasco originally sold them.

I had one rebuilt by a friend, and fitted it with better target type mounts. My friend used brass blackening to age it and make it look more antique. He also changed the lenses to increase power from 4x to around 6x-8x? It's a very good scope with the optics and mounts now on it. 
I have a 2nd one that has Malcom style long range mounts, and that makes it more useful for distances over 200 yds. 

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Thanks Hayface. 
Not a great picture, but the Hepburn in the top of this photo has another mounted in Winchester mounts. Both were blackened with Birchwood Casey's brass black.

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Thanks Al! One of mine is marked NAACO. I used to see these all the time for $75-$100, and passed on them if they wanted over $100. Haven't seen any in awhile, and the last one I saw a few years ago the seller wanted $200 and it had a chipped lens!

Link just takes me to Joe Salter's home page.