New after market copy of Unertl 8 power

[DMark]

.... A cheap copy will not do. They learned that with the A5 fiasco.....

Greg,

What and Who are you referring to in regard to the A5 fiasco? I must of missed that one.

Thanks,

Mark

[MJ1]

I wish you guys good luck in this venture. Poor copies suck.

[Greg Ficklin]

I was referring to the scopes on the Gibbs repro A4. They just weren't up to the task of competition in the CMP vintage sniper matches. They have since been improved, and I am sure they are fine now. For the Unertl reproduction to be successful, it must be indistinguishable from the vintage scopes, and not just a look alike that cannot perform. The standard of performance of vintage Unertl scopes is widely known. A true reproduction should meet or exceed that standard. A good example of this would be the Japanese manufactured 52 Winchester sporter from the early to mid 90's. These rifles are every bit as good as the originals, and have risen in value as a faithful reproduction giving nothing away to the originals with respect to quality. That is the goal of any reproduction.

[jgaynor]

FWIW the early M73B1 replicas offered by Gibbs were marked M73G1 They also had the manufacturer's name "FM (famous maker) Optics" on the tube. A couple of months ago Val Forgett posted that he had found a new supplier and that the new scopes would be marked M73G2. He was offering a trade-in upgrade to purchasers of the G1 at a discounted price.

The real issue here is not where a scope is made but the quality of materials and engineering utilized and the extent of quality control exercised during the manufacturing process. All of this stuff costs money and as always you get what you pay for.

Regards,
Jim

[1903shooter]

I would be more then a little surprised if any reproduction of a Unertl came even close to the originals. We'll just have to wait and see.

[DMark]

I was referring to the scopes on the Gibbs repro A4......

Understand now.

Based on your first comment, I thought that somebody had tried to make a copy of the Winchester A5.

Thanks for the reply.

[Greg Ficklin]

There is nothing magical, or a mysterious trade secret to the quality of Unertl scopes. They used good materials, and built the adjusters to last a lifetime. They are just straight tube telescopes with a secure mounting and adjustment system. This is old technology that just works. Today's full featured hydrogen filled optics with internal adjustment, state of the art coatings, and superior glass are standard on even the most economical scope. With today's technology, these scopes could be made even better than the originals at a fraction of the costs. The price per unit will be high because the demand will be low when compared to high volume units that spread the cost of manufacturing over thousands of unit buyers. Take your smart phone, or laptop computer into consideration. These things use state of the art micro processors, memory chips, and 21st century battery technology. They pull components from dozens of manufactures, each with a profit margin and manufacturing costs. But they are so affordable that everyone has one. They are cheap because the demand dictates that they make these things in the millions of units and not for any lack of quality or simplistic design. The old tube scopes are simple, and there is no reason they cannot be made as good or better than the originals.

[DMark]

I think what is really comes down to is the old saying...., "The Prefect is the Enemy of the Good."

No question that an Unertl is the Prefect example of the straight tube telescope art.

But, it has become a unrealistic reach for most due to the high cost now being asked for Unertl. Its now a collector piece for many.

A Good copy would fill the desire for many who wish to shoot a period-like scope.

[Greg Ficklin]

The demand for theses things is high enough at this time to make reproduction a profitable endeavor at very low production given the inflated cost of the original non USMC scopes. There is no reason to insist on an ultra rare USMC scope for use on a tribute 03 sniper. The price for one of these represents collector value in the same way that an original E body Hemi Cuda is worth nearly 1 million dollars. The collector demand is higher than the known supply. The non USMC Unertl 8X was made into the mid seventies, and was continued by the Davis Optical Co into the mid 80's. Lower and lower demand for old technology eventually made these items obsolete and unprofitable. They are not particularly rare but higher demand today inflates prices. With a slow economy many of these things are coming out of the woodwork with the innovation of web based classifieds like Ebay.
Most scopes of this type are found in the north eastern US where smallbore leagues, and post war gun clubs were numerous.

[DMark]

.... There is no reason to insist on an ultra rare USMC scope for use on a tribute 03 sniper. The price for one of these represents collector value in the same way that an original E body Hemi Cuda is worth nearly 1 million dollars....

Here is a current example that backs up Greg's comments.

Only $3800.00 with free shipping!

http://forums.thecmp.org/showthread.php?t=51761

Pound-for-Pound, a Unertl USMC Sniper might be worth more than a Hemi Cuda!

If that is the going rate for an USMC scope, then the "plain-jane" 8x Unertl will be crossing into the $2000.00 range.

This reinforces the idea for a $600-800 copy that somebody can go out and shoot with.