Introduction
So I bought a clone Long Branch 90L###X-series No 4 Mk 1* (T) Sniper Rifle, complete with a custom, Canadian R.E.L.-marked No 32 Mk II Scope. That scope is one of a batch that were commissioned by our very own Warren Wheatfield a while back. Unfortunately my scope had a broken Deflection Lead Screw that the former owner did not know about, so I had to immediately send the scope off to Warren for repair, as the repair of No 32 Scopes is his particular forte. Besides which, I’d have made a terrible mess had I been foolish enough to attempt the task armed only with Peter Laidler’s guide to the WW II British scopes. With my scope sitting in Warren's repair queue, I needed a replacement so that I could at least shoot my new rifle. That is what led me to eventually obtain one of each of the two Repro No 32 Mk II Scopes that are currently for sale on the international collector market. The idea was to keep the better of the two and sell the other.
Both scopes arrived within a couple days of each other, approximately a month after ordering (presumably due to CBSA retention). I did not do any torture testing" nor any live-fire evaluation of the Scopes because I had to keep them in "As New" condition in order to sell one of the two after my initial examination was complete. What I will provide here are simply my general first impressions, including some specific points that I noticed about each of the scopes. I will wrap up with my recommendations for future purchasers.
The Red Star Mountain (RSM) Chinese Repro No 32 Mk II
Red Star Mountain (RSM) is a Chinese company that reverse-engineers classic WW2 scopes, including the subject of this section of the thread. They then sell their scopes to collectors through their website (www.redstarmountain.com) as well as through ebay.com where they are the ones noted as being shipped from China.
The RSM Scopes are most readily identified by their matte-black, British “Suncorite”-style, baked-on Painted Enamel Finish. The first thing that my critical eye noticed about the finish on this scope is that it appears to be a bit inconsistent in several places on the main drawn-steel Scope Tube. I do not know if this is a function of the paint or the underlying metal, but I believe that it is just how the paint reacts to being baked. As far as resembling British “Sunkorite, the finish is pretty convincing.
My next observation related to the finish was that the Numbers on the Turrets and the Scope’s “No 32 Mk II” markings are not painted white but rather have been left black. They did go to the trouble to paint the triangle “pointers” on the Deflection and Elevation Mechanism Housing, but that was the extent of it.
The “No 32 Mk II” markings are complete, but in the wrong format and engraved in a very small font. I am sure that they would have looked better had they been highlighted in White.
The one and only thing that I could “function test” were the Deflection and Elevation adjustments and the movement of the Turrets themselves. The adjustments appeared to move the Graticle in the correct fashion and in consistent increments. The thing that jumped out at me here was that the Turret Adjustment “clicks” were not quite uniform. Rather, the turrets seemed to almost skip over a few clicks before they would snag on a particularly sharp detent. The Turrets turned freely enough, but the inconsistent “clicks” with their less than smooth adjustment were just a bit off-putting.
On the positive side, the RSM Scope did come with a Deflection and Elevation Mechanism Housing that appeared to be cast rather than CnC Machined as is the case with the competition. The Scope is correctly configured and to correct scale, with genuine Brass Diopter, Turrets and Sun Shade, all appropriately blackened.
Optically, the RSM Scope was (to my eye) surprisingly crisp, clear and bright. There was no edge distortion that I could see, and colours appeared true. The factory focus was fine for my corrected vision, so there should be no reason to have to attempt to rotate that thin Brass Diopter.
The “Waffenmeister” / Taiwanese Repro No 32 Mk II
The other repro No 32 Mk II Scope on the international collector market is purportedly a Taiwanese product, fronted by a US Company called “Waffenmeisters” (www.waffenmeisters.com). The US company sells the repro Scopes both on their dedicated website and on ebay (where they are noted as originating from the USA).
The Waffenmeisters Scope is readily identifiable by the highly-polished, Blued finish on the drawn Steel Scope Tube. As counterintuitive as it might seem to have a shiny sniper scope, that is precisely the same finish as found on my genuine Canadian R.E.L. No 32 Mk 3 Scope. They are dead-ringers, finish-wise.
My next observation related to the Scope’s finish was the attention to detain in the white painted markings. The numbers on the Deflection and Elevation Turrets as well as their triangular “Pointers” and the Scope’s “No 32 Mk II” markings are all crisply painted, just like the originals.
One point that I did ding the “Waffenmeisters” Scope for however, was the overly large size of the font used for the Scope’s markings. While not a show-stopper, the markings are about 30% too large – perhaps to clearly distinguish the repro from a genuine No 32 Mk II Scope? I cannot say. The content of the markings on the other hand, is excellent and very authentic as opposed to the Chinese competition with its 2014 date engraved among the markings.
I noted that the Deflection and Elevation Turrets on the “Waffenmeisters” Scope turn easily and with very consistent and even “click” detents. The Deflection and Elevation Mechanism Housing features much Sharper edges than those on my original R.E.L. Scope, along with a smooth, CnC machined finish rather than the slightly pebbled finish of the original’s fine casting. The Scope is correctly configured and to correct scale, with genuine Brass Diopter, Turrets and Sunshade, all appropriately blackened.
Optically, the Taiwanese “Waffenmeisters” Scope appears to be the equal of the Chinese RSM version. The Graticle appears to track evenly and accurately. Edge to edge clarity is very good and the image is bright and crisply focused to my corrected vision.
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