Military Binoculars

[Light Infantry]

Hey Guys

Found an interesting website that is about collecting military binoculars. Hopefully it provides some interest and use for some of our members.


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[harlton]

I've found this site very interesting too, when you're starting out in Bino's, it quickly becomes very bewildering, maybe just me. Not helped by unscrupulous dealers making all kinds of false claims too. Then understanding condition, and what you can do, to attempt a fix, plus what is beyond help, can be daunting and not found out until your elbows deep.
There's a good book available on e-book from, I believe Lulu, for not too much, and called strangely enough, Binocular repair guide. I found it very useful, lots of illustrations and tips. Plus a lot of wartime glasses are on/in the public domain and available for download, lots of US ones but not many of the others, but I've found them useful.
Another site called :- http://www.europa.com/~telscope/binotele.htm, is another very helpful site, all kinds of data on many makes.
This started out, as me buying two pairs of British sniper Glasses, and has quickly become almost as interesting as the rifles, just without the thrill when they don't go bang.
In the year or so that I've been at it, competition for them and therefore prices have gone up considerably, so it has brought out all kinds of crap, mostly non wartime stuff claiming to be.

Most german glass is more expensive, has the edge usually and was used by both sides due to distribution arrangements.
Next is British and French and hard to discern, as British retailers also sold it as there own. In the prismatic's Huet, Colmont, and Hunsicker, stick out as the best and often marked as S1 by the British grading system, Krauss appeared later, again with ties to Zeiss and I find them to be very good. Both Huet's and Krauss, had ranging systems fitted, Huet in particular came out with one, very early in the game around 1905, and it requires the two metal plates to be still fitted on the outside of the Bino's, and the little lever in the eyeglass to work and compare to. Lots are kicking around as and are good glasses, now getting expensive only for you to discover this is all missing and next to impossible to find.
The Brit's have all the brands you're familiar with, if looking for ranging bino's, check with the seller first, that they are still in there, some got scrubbed off following the War, and some just never got them fitted, even thou it say's so on the plate.
I've found most British glass really good, post WW1 Ross are excellent in my very, very humble opinion, and if you're just looking for good glasses, the same period Kershaw's like the 8x olympus are fantastic, for usually less than 10 quid, or 20 tops. Then there's all their offshoots, but most of these are not and never where military glasses, even though you often see it claimed.
Ross did have some go out to trial, and I have some, that I won't be parting with. Then Ross did also make a lot more military models as well.
A store I found called Quicktest sells Bino's sometimes, I've found them very good to deal with and honest. All so while I'm at it Surplus shed in the US carries all kinds of spares.
Hope this is of some help, one more thing nearly forgot, personally I find the USA Bausch and Lomb a good buy, the quality is very high, used in WW1 and WW2, then also the WW2 ones are great, along with the REL's a great Canadian product, all built to last forever.