Weaver K series scopes fixed power. Need advice

I found an old cheapo for sale. Considering buying it. How do they track?

All experiences welcome

Rock solid not quite all steel construction.

I did this. You likely will get some condensation. I tossed mine in the oven to purge all moisture before mounting - worked pretty good in the field. 20 minutes w/ steel wool, IPA or MEK, and cold blue cleaned up all the rust. Looks like it belongs on my HVA 1600 Mauser in .30-06. Later I learned you can take the black finish off the brass inserts for a great look so I need to do that.

My other scope is a more modern Redfield Revolution 3-9x40 made when Leupold owned them. Both are great scopes that are affordable and don't have the gaudy unnecessary housings that do nothing except make you get real high bases to clear the bolt. I think there is no practical difference between a USA K series fixed power and a modern variable power scope - except the new ones won't fog up on you. The coatings do likely help cut glare, etc. but quality optical glass is not a new thing.
 
I have multiple here - you will discover they were in various series - so was like K3; K3 60; K3 60 B; K3 60 C, etc. - usually marked as "Made in El Paso" - some of the very later USA made ones - like K"X"-I - the "dash I" or "dash-II" were likely gas tight sealed and purged when made - often marked "Made in USA". It is my understanding that very best ever made would be K"X" dash I or II, with the word "MicroTrac" on the left side of top turret. Some time after Bill Weaver died, the brand name was bought by some corporation that also owns Bushnell, Redfield and Tasco brand names - most production moved off shore - so like "Weaver Classic" was no longer made in USA - about nothing whatever to do with the older "K" series.

You asked how they "track" - again - 30 and 40 years ago - sighting them in was "work" - like inside guts not really highly polished - so can sometimes turn turrets several clicks - cross hair does not move - no change in POI on target for group - as if "hung up" - move one more click and get 5 or 6 clicks worth of movement. Why you will see old dudes like me tapping on turrets with fired cartridge cases when "sighting in" - to try to "jar" the mechanism inside to move. Another "trick" - seems better to be turning turret "in" - not relying on the bias spring to "push" - so if you want to go "out" two clicks - go out 10 clicks, then go back in 8 clicks. YMMV. So, once "sighted in", did not often turn those turrets - they were rock solid permanent in my experience - but not for "twirling" the turret settings for each shot like modern scope might be.

As mentioned - earliest ones were not sealed - so if you hunt in cold - into and out of warm vehicle - going to get fogging on inside of the lenses - and that means condensation in there as well - leads to corrosion, etc. Not like modern stuff. But, to repeat - is my experience that once you are sighted in, it stays there for hundreds, if not thousands, of rounds. Your mileage may vary.

I am describing likely low powered - K2.5 through perhaps K6 - I do know they made higher magnification and target series, but I never used them. I do have one variable - a V9-II, that is marked MicroTrac.
 
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The Micro trac models (which were from the mid to late 70s range) typically are the best. Sealed well and hold zero great. Set it and forget it type scopes.

Non Micro trac models are still great, but you may get some fogging or stuck reticles as mentioned above.

Oh and the "60B" models were the first models that had the permanently centered reticle. Prior to that, the reticle moved to sight in.
 
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