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bausch and lomb scopes

joshmb1982
i have one of these on a marlin 226 in 30/30 i picked up a while back. its a balvar 5, 2.5-5 x im guessing 32.how do these scopes rate? typical walmart value scope or better?
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6 comments

Date Votes
  • Lucky007
    I had one of these scopes for many years, but it was in 3x9 40mm on a 300 Win Mag bolt action rifle. It never gave me any problems and I really put it through some harsh conditions and weather changes. At the time I bought it, around 1989, A Bushnell factory representative told me that the B&L line was made to a higher standard than their base line scopes, and from what I can tell, he was right.
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  • PA Shootist
    The older Bausch & Lomb scopes, made in Rochester NY, with the external adjustment mounts for windage and elevation were among the best quality scopes of their day, and also among the higher priced. I still have and use 2 B&L Balvar 8A's, one on a 7 mm Remington Magnum Model 700 ADL rifle that I bought new in 1968 (!), and the other on a Mannlicher-Schoenauer 1903 6.5x54; they have been perfectly reliable, they remain clear, images are sharp, and they always hold zero.
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  • GuvamintCheese
    quote:Originally posted by joshmb1982
    i have one of these on a marlin 226 in 30/30 i picked up a while back. its a balvar 5, 2.5-5 x im guessing 32.how do these scopes rate? typical walmart value scope or better?
    One of the best for there time.
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  • He Dog
    In your post it is not clear you understand that B&L scopes the age of Balvars were not made by the same company as the B&L scopes of today. At the time of the Balvar they were among the best scopes made in the US. Now B&L is made and sold by Bushnell, is Pacific rim produced, and is still among the best of the economy scopes, but no where near top of the line.
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  • joshmb1982
    one of the best of its time?? so these would compete with leupolds?? what kind of an age am i looking at? back in the 30s, 40s?? dang. sounds a little out of place on a 30/30. [:D] the low end at 2.5x would work good in the thicker areas though. thanks for all the info
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  • He Dog
    Balvar 5 was produced from 1963-1968 and yes it would equal or better the Leupolds of the day. To keep this in perscective though, optics have changed so dramatically since then that you can buy a better binocular today for $100 than you could by at any price in 1963.
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