telescopes

[Lovatscout]

this topic has probably been coverd before... so i do apologise..
so draw tube scope anybody use them are they worth the money????
i have an ols ruess scope ive had a dogs age and it works well for me , i stalk with a couple of older guys who stalk the hill a fair bit one has a grays draw tube and the other a swaro both look fab bits of kit but do same as my old ruess scope
so any thoughts comments? do any of you use draw tubes enough do you think to warrant laying out one large plus on a scope?
just wanted a few opinons
cheers
scout

 

[saddler]

I like them too

I've relegated the Scout Reg't models I have to fair weather range-only use

I've a really nice commercial 3-draw J H Stewart telescope I use in the field sometimes & recently picked up an Edinburgh made 3-draw that has adjustable magnification from 20x-40x. I also use an old Ross/Parker-Hale fixed telescope & sometimes one of the old M49 telescopes has a trip out.

I like rebuilding/renovating old ones I find on my travels (the Edinburgh one ended up as payment for a leather job I did for a local, spotted it in the corner of his living room & got chatting about it!) & I'm always getting asked to repair the cases/straps/re-cover them too

Much prefer the older ones to the newer made products

 

[caorach]

I've just acquired a 30X80 Optolyth to have a play and see what I think. To be honest I wasn't expecting it to be as good optically as it is, though I haven't had it out stalking yet. However it is relatively short even when extended and I think I'm going to have problems keeping it steady when stalking unless I use a tripod. The low light performance is also better than I expected, during the day I was reading street names at 850ish yards and after dark I was nearly, but not quite, able to read the name on the sign with the street lighting. This was done from inside my house through the double glazing so if I'd gone out in the cold there might have been enough light/resolution to read the sign as there is a lot lost at the junctions in normal window glass.

I was also looking at some workmen doing work on a chimney at 2055 yards. I could see the individual bricks in the chimney and would be pretty certain that if I'd known the bloke I would have recognized him.

One of the things that helped me decide was the fact that the Optolyths seem to be of an age where they are now holding their price or even increasing in money so I thought I could have a play and if it wasn't for me sell it down the line and not lose much cash so it seemed like a deal to get to play for free.

Once I get it out stalking I'll know if it is worthwhile for that - mostly I want to use it in forestry where there are large areas of clearfell or other open areas that can be spied from a distance so it may be that this sort of use will be suited to setting up on a tripod and taking a look.

 

[Dalua]

I've got a one-draw Optolyth 30x70 and a no-draw 15-45x60. Both are optically very good for the second-hand money, but even the one-draw is too stumpy to use in the traditional three-draw hill style. Still useable, but perhaps better for range use, or for sitting up somewhere with a little tripod or a clamp-on holder.