Help identifing german optical sight

[mrclean89]

Good evening everyone, I know this isnt a firearm but I thought I would see if anyone had any thoughts as to what this might be.#

So far ive determined that it was made at "Emil Busch AG, Optische Industrie, Rathenow" after 1940 when they brought in ordinance codes.#

It is a greenish "feldgrau" i think colour and has a red layer underneath like other german ww2 optics Ive seen.#

The reticle it a triangle and inverted triangle with a top and bottom post. I have seen the same reticle on the large lafette gun sights for the mg42 except they have one triangle and post.#

Also was thinking it may be for a anti tank gun like a pak 36.#

Thanks in advance!#

Cheers, McLean#

 

[buffdog]

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Interesting sight, I have not seen one of these before. I am thinking Machine Gun or light Cannon sight. Anti-Tank sights usually have a Horizontal part to the cross hair, with graduations, so that the speed and thus the lead, of a crossing vehicle can be estimated.

 

[MauserMike]

I don't know what that is but "cxn" is Emil Busch, the manufacturer. I have a zf41 scope and mount made in the same place.

 

[buffdog]

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The KF is a WWII marking that indicated it was serviced for Cold Weather use.

P.M. sent with a Website address.

.

 

[gaff]

the mount is the generic one for german machine guns ,and I've seen these mounted on maxims. will fit 34and42 tripod.

 

[mrclean89]

Awesome thanks for the info, Any idea what they are worth ?

 

[Klunk]

I was gonna say maxim sight....

How bad do you want to keep it?

 

[buffdog]

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The sight for the Maxim was the ZF-12 and the sight for the MG-34 and MG-42 was the ZF-40. Both of these sights had the usual "micrometer" type dials for adjustments.

This sight appears to have no provisions for adjusting fire or for zeroing it to the gun. It may possibly fit on the Lafette tripod, and the tripod adjustments used for putting the fire on target, but it would have to have observed fire to do this. If this was supposed to be a simplified version of the ZF-40 sight, made near the later part of WWII, then it certainly would have been easier to make as none of the precision gears would have to be made for it, and with a fixed lens and cross hairs it would not require the precise machining of the ZF-40 sight.

 

[gaff]

This is similar to the picture I was thinking of.

 

[mrclean89]

Wow that is a sweet setup haha

 

[mrclean89]

so I showed it to an older gent here at a gunshow who was in the Waffen SS during the war. he was a tiger tank commander. he said they had one in their tank, he was pretty sure that it went on one of the machine guns. when I brought it out he said wow I haven't seen one of these in 70 years!

 

[Mr. Dynamite]

so I showed it to an older gent here at a gunshow who was in the Waffen SS during the war. he was a tiger tank commander. he said they had one in their tank, he was pretty sure that it went on one of the machine guns. when I brought it out he said wow I haven't seen one of these in 70 years!

Nice! Love to hear some stories from him! I talked to an old fella on the island there just south of you who was a kid during the war. Right after the Americans came through he and his friends were out and playing in the war wreckage. They found some german helmets and put them on to play war - next thing you know they were getting shot at! He said they ditched them real fast!