Yes, I've put a repro scope on my No.4 Mk1 T.

If you did not see my previous post about this rifle, long story short, it belonged to my stepfather when I was a kid. He parted ways with my Mother when I was in my 20's, and for the next 45 years, I never knew what happened to it, but I found it was hidden away by my stepbrother, and now it's in my collection.

It never had the scope and mount, so I decided to put a repro scope and mount on it. I obtained a "not Chinese" No32 Mk1 scope and mount, and to my amazement, it fit perfectly on the pads, and even more surprising, it was nearly perfectly aligned with the bore. In fact the first shot fired at 100 yards was only a couple inches high and left. Please don't judge me, or accuse me of making a "fake", as this is truly a family heirloom, and will never be for sale, but the brand new scope and mount just didn't look "right" on the gracefully aged rifle. I decided to stamp the ring numbers, and rifle serial number on the mount. I then aged the assembly to match the patina of the rifle. I did, however, etch my initials and date, and the word "replica" on the underside of the mount in a place not visible when on the rifle. And of course the markings on the scope itself are larger than the originals, so it is pretty obvious that it's not original to any collectors anyhow. There are more photos of the rifle in my Photo Gallery, sans scope.

You could slop some black paint on the repo scope too. Give it some extra realism. :)

You did a real nice job aging that scope and mount.
I don't own any repro's nor do I plan to.
I don't knock people that do as not everyone has the disposable income needed for an original especially (at least here in Canada) when your government continues to dream up additional ways to tax its citizens yo death.[COLOR="black"]

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Which make of repro is it? Keen to know what isn't made in china

I bought the scope from Waffenmeisters.com They claim on their website (and they have them listed on ebay) that "Our optics are sourced from Japan, not China", and they do warranty them for a year. However, there is no indication of country of origin on the scope, or the packaging. I can only tell you that I have a friend that bought a Chinese copy, and mine is of much nicer quality and clarity. I have two of these scopes, the one pictured, and another on a Long Branch "clone" that I built.

I've had but one problem with them so far. After several hundred rounds through the one on the Long Branch, the focus started to get a bit blurry. I took the top cover off, and underneath, instead of the expected brass locking piece, there was a small thin plate with tiny set screws. And under that was a blob of what looked to be black RTV silicone. I carefully cleaned that off, and the "threaded" tube underneath did slide fore and aft as it should, and I corrected the focus. But when I replaced the little inner plate and tried to tighten the screws, they all stripped with almost no torque. So I simply tossed that part, and put a spot of hot-melt glue in the oval cutout, trimmed it flush, and replaced the top cover. It has not moved since, and I suppose if it ever does, I can simply heat up the hot-melt, shift it as needed, and let it re-harden. (I should have taken photos.)

They may be sourced from Japan, but the question is where did they originate! I have Gale McMillans amusing and revealing comments on the optics game of 25+ years ago saved somewhere. He recounts being at one large factory in Japan where they would fly the flag of the country they were producing for on those days. When Gale visited this factory the German flag was flying and a contingent of Germans were on site, though they were at pains not to be seen or spoken to by any other "round eyes"! :D

Another very prominent collector and restorer in the UK told me how on his tour at Zeiss plant in Germany 10 or so years ago boxes of Howa glass could be seen here and there on the shop floor.

Had a look through a cheap Chinese scope in a pawn shop the other day: the optics were nothing short of brilliant, dead clear, almost no spherical distortion and bright as bright could be. All the talk about "Chinese optics" is mostly BS IMHO. China is where many, probably most of the big names are buying their glass now, finished or unfinished, and I'd bet even the Japanese buy a little now and then, especially if the end-user asks for it. ;)

As for finished scopes most of those come from China as well, where the markup is biggest and fattest by the time they've been retailed here.

A friend of mine imports and retails scopes made in China under his own Brand. The factory in China where his are made also makes well known Brands and ships them out to wholesalers.
His words not mine as he goes to China on a very regular basis he sees things a lot of things.

Lots of well known scope manufacturers have product lines made in china , such as leupold with the VX Freedom Line, US Optics with their TS line, Vortex with their Crossfire, Venom and other cheaper optics as good examples. Most don't hide it, some do.

That aside, scopes are made in many other countries too, so while the anecdotes of posts about scopes being made in China are fun , it would actually be helpful to know if these No32 clones are actually being made in Japan.

I have had 2 x the chinese No32 Repros made by RSM.
Both were junk.
On both examples the finish scratched off easily, even with a fingernail in parts.
On both examples the screws were exceptionally easily stripped, and i stripped the heads on some of the mount cap screws.

On the MK3 copy, the elevation drum BDC disc would slip on turning the elevation turret, meaning the zero was lost every time the elevation turret was turned.
On the MK2 copy , the reticle would bounce all over the place when dialing and never land in the same spot.

On any scope where it is intended to dial for elevation/ windage, glass quality is secondary to mechanical accuracy and repeatability.
No point having great clear glass if you cant hit what you can see, and all modern glass is generally sufficient to ID a target.
The Chinese scopes don't fail in the glass brightness or clarity department, its the mechanics.

So anecdotes aside, it would be cool to see a reproduction No32 that's actually usable, if this one is, and good to know if it is made somewhere other than China.

The Chinese are great 'copyers' and superb engineers and manufacturers.

Give a detailed drawing, (or a part to copy) and a 'price point' they can manufacture anything.

The same factory can/will produce the 'same' part at differing price points, and hence quality, for different buyers.

I was working in the Automotive fastener business and some parts we sold we did not manufacture, we bought-in. We started working with a new Chinese supplier and we wanted to be tough on quality so we told them we would accept a reject rate of 5 parts per million.

On the first delivery of 5 million parts there was a small parcel attached to the outside of the shipment - on opening the parcel we found 25 pieces and a note saying "please find the 25 reject parts as requested"

The Chinese can make anything to any quality you specify.

Might be "Made In India" next, I watch some of the stuff they repair & make they do not believe in OHS nor air quality some of the builds I watched are truly horrendous quality.

There is a reason that "Chinese" has become a synonym for junk in the United States. We "protected our economy" with high tariffs. For a Chinese product to compete with an American product, which it absolutely could do if they wanted it to, it has to be made cheaply enough that the tariffs can still keep the final price low enough to be cheaper than the American-made product.

When the price on the shelf is comparable, Americans will pick the product with the cutest girls on the commercial. But if the price difference is sufficient, we will buy the cheaper one if our friends aren't watching. So for typical products, we only bother getting Chinese versions that will be the cheapest version we can put on the shelf, and reserve the higher-quality items for the American supplier.

When I worked in the South Pacific, the tool stores had some American-made products and Chinese-made products, at the same quality and near the same price points. The Chinese tools were EVERY BIT as high-quality as the American-made tools. These were brands you couldn't buy in the US, though, as the tariffs would price them past the American-made versions.

There are some industries that have completely left the US, however, usually taxed, regulated, or labor-priced out of the market completely. Now you get your choice of high-quality, or low-quality, and they will both be Chinese, perhaps even from the same factory, all depending on the specifications provided, as mentioned.

China built some of the most advanced infrastructure in the world. You think they did it with tools they bought at a 1990's Harbor Freight?

Now, you can argue communism, environment, and human rights all you want, and make very valid points. But not that they make crap because that's all they can do. It's just usually what we ask them for.

I work primarily in air conditioning repair. I can install US-made or Chinese-made motors. My customers will pick the Chinese motor every time when I give them the price difference. And that's after the tariffs. The Chinese have gotten so efficient, they make up for it. Of course, the new economy has caused a motor that wholesaled at $70 two years ago, to be $100 now.

I should have added this to my post about my scope itself as compared to the (only) Chinese copy I've seen. The optics of both scopes are sharp and clear, but the overall finish quality of mine is much better than the Chinese one. (His Chinese scope has phillips head screws on the turret plates....) And most importantly, the "clicks" on the adjustment knobs on my scope are very distinct, while my friends scope is somewhat mushy and inconsistent feeling. They may well have been made in the same factory, but to two different levels of quality.

So regardless of exactly where they were actually manufactured, Japan, China, wherever, the two scopes I have seem to be as good as one can expect.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CINDERS

Might be "Made In India" next, I watch some of the stuff they repair & make they do not believe in OHS nor air quality some of the builds I watched are truly horrendous quality.

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Well worth watching


Brilliant technique of lead acid battery restoration - YouTube

As a counterpoint, a Chinese ex-pat explained to me that the really high quality stuff made by Chinese companies, whether industrial equipment or tea, is so easily swallowed up by the domestic market that it doesn't need to be exported.

Obviously there are operations that build specifically for foreign customers. Think iPhones for example.

But yes China can build good stuff and foreigners can get it. But they do build a lot of junk too, betting that the Barbarians won't know the difference. Cheap knock-offs are an East-Asian thing.

I've watched them do the refurbing of dead batteries the lead fumes alone from melting the new cells is totally ignored, I've seen acid dipped stuff where they have no shoes on, no protective gear whatsoever the best one I ever saw was carving figurines out of marble dry.
They were just covered in the white marble dust, no respirators on, no safety glasses nothing, so in 5-10-15 years their lungs will be shot from all the respirable dust particles trapped in their lungs from years of abuse so sad to see.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alan de Enfield

The Chinese are great 'copyers' and superb engineers and manufacturers.

Give a detailed drawing, (or a part to copy) and a 'price point' they can manufacture anything.

The same factory can/will produce the 'same' part at differing price points, and hence quality, for different buyers.

I was working in the Automotive fastener business and some parts we sold we did not manufacture, we bought-in. We started working with a new Chinese supplier and we wanted to be tough on quality so we told them we would accept a reject rate of 5 parts per million.

On the first delivery of 5 million parts there was a small parcel attached to the outside of the shipment - on opening the parcel we found 25 pieces and a note saying "please find the 25 reject parts as requested"

The Chinese can make anything to any quality you specify.

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That's remarkable as I recall hearing almost the same story from a US executive referring to a Japanese company who were producing chips or some similar computer part for them: it's in a video somewhere on YT IIRC. He mentions how a small bag was attached with apparently the same parts as the order itself. When asked the Japanese firm replied that "those are the defective parts you asked for".

A year ago at a wedding I was talking to a plant manager that fills aerosol cans. WD-40 was a big contract for them. He says they can buy in Chinese cans and the reject rate is far higher than those from US suppliers, but even with the scrap charge they cost less. I think there is something wrong to be generating waste like that, but maybe that's just me.

Let's face the facts: the work ethic in China is in general much superior to that currently found in the West, or most of it.
One can argue about the reasons for that ethic; and IMHO it is primarily a hunger for improved quality of life and the "face" that goes with material success in Asian societies, as well as ours.
Nevertheless, it is what it is and what we have to compete with.
The culture of mediocrity and entitlement carefully fostered in the West since the 1960s at least is bearing fruit.
People who can write 2500 or so complex ideographs learn how to pay attention to detail. People who can't write 26 letters properly are fit for what exactly?

The OP has put a nice rifle back on the range. Well done while he waits for the Gods to open the sky and have an original fall in his lap.

It does happen, it has happened to me more than once.

I'll give him a well done and hope he keeps reporting his results.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../0C9FIyw-1.jpg

The West will never be able to compete with China on cost until 7yr old kids are prepared to work 16hr days for a few pennies a day and the prisons are full of Political Prisoners who work for nothing!


I wanted a small metal component made in the UK. Only found one machine shop that would consider it. They wanted £600 GBP.

I paid someone in Vietnam $50USD for a CAD file for the part, reverse engineered from photos, scratch, then I got 10 made in China for $180USD.(Minimum order)

Even with shipping it was way less than half the UK price, for 10, not 1.

As you say in the US - Go Figure?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MJ1

The OP has put a nice rifle back on the range. Well done while he waits for the Gods to open the sky and have an original fall in his lap.

It does happen, it has happened to me more than once.

I'll give him a well done and hope he keeps reporting his results.

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Many thanks!