Quality of Repro scopes for NO4 T

I have done a few, albeit by default! Screws threaded into thin brass were useless. Never truly happy with any of the results. After the first miserably failed the standard 'fastness' test, I never subjected another to it. The No32's would just take it all in their stride.

Save twice to buy once I say. Even a rusty old No32 with a beat-up tube and double focus can be resurrected. Not so an Asian copy. Just my opinion of course Think Mickey Mouse watches. Good to look at but not so good when it comes to telling the time.

While there is still demand, maybe now is the time for an entrepreneur to start converting No42's or 53's to the simplified Mk3 spec. Simplicity itself with current CNC facilities.

Ask me for detais

I restored a No4t and started shooting it with repro scope and mount. Accuracy was okay, but nothing to get excited about. I put an original Mk2 scope and mount on the rifle and groups shrank astonishingly. In my experience, the originals are the best. Don't waste your time and money on junk.

Anyone have experience with the replicas sold by Waffenmeisters? -

https://www.waffenmeisters.com/optic...-mounts-c-83-1

They offer both Mk. 1 & 2 versions. The Mk.2 looks a lot like Numrich's current offering. Numrich's current Mk.2 is made in Taiwan they told me. Waffenmeisters told me theirs are made in Taiwan by a "reputable defense contractor using Japanese optics" plus come with a 1 year warranty.....maybe the same place Numrich gets theirs from?

A warranty sounds pretty good compared to sending your money to China and being SOL if you have issues. Numrich has no warranty on theirs.

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

Even a rusty old No32 with a beat-up tube and double focus can be resurrected. Not so an Asian copy.
Ask me for detais

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Exactly what i did in the end.

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That scope is not even HALF as bad as several of those that have come my way, believe me.

A genuine in woorse condition than that is better than a repro, any day, I say. Just my opinion though

Why not put a cheap 4 power scope on it like a Weaver to get you mobile then save up for a good MK 3/32 scope that way you can shoot the rifle then on sell the scope when you get your proper No32.

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Originally Posted by S12A

Exactly what i did in the end.

Attachment 130554Attachment 130555Attachment 130556

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There is a filler called Lab-Metal which is claimed to produce a smooth and indistinguishable surface under powder coating, so that could be the way to deal with extreme pitting.

Powder coating probably being the closest substitute for Suncorite these days.

I think JB Weld is similar. I recently had to redrill the locking screw hole in an objective shade for a No32 Mk1 & I used JB Weld for the first time for filling in the old hole. When rubbed down, lightly bead blasted, & lastly suncorited, it really looked the part.....

Many fillers don't take suncorite very well & look a different colour once the paint is dry.

However, if pitting is not too deep I spend the time it takes in carefully striking out as much as I can using a Swiss file, & being careful not to put flats in the scope tube. You just have to accept it's going to take time....

J.B. Weld is very good for filling, but I was told it would not work under powder coating; hence my inquiries which led me to Lab Metal. I have a tin, but haven't had reason to use it yet.

I polished a few No32 tubes on a wood lathe by mounting between a dead center in the spindle and a live center in the tail stock. The cone of the dead center fit the objective end of the stripped tube and the cone of the body on the live center happened to be about the right size to fit into the ocular lens retaining ring. One had to be careful not to put too much pressure on the tube or the files/paper!

It might be beginners luck then, but the suncorite seems to have 'taken' over the JB Weld. I use a broadly similar method to hold No32 tubes in my Myford, but the pitting on the Ex Indian scopes is very variable so I do much of it by hand, especially where there is pitting fairly close to the markings.