Weaver Classic K-Series Fixed Power Hunting

riggins_83 · June 9, 2011, 10:57 PM

I'm curious if anybody has used a fixed power Weaver scope (such as the Classic K-Series 4x38) in a low light hunting situation.
I'm considering placing one of these on a Savage 30-06 and want to be sure it does well in low light.

603Country · June 10, 2011, 11:06 AM

I can comment on that, having used a K4 for many years. The reason I got it in the first place was be able to see the deer in the fading light, when I could no longer see the iron sights. The K4 did a fine job for me, though I had much younger eyes then. And, scope technology now can give a much brighter image if you're willing to spend the money. I had the K4, which must be 40 years old now, on a lever action 22 LR until 2 days ago, when I replaced it with an almost equally old Leupold 2X7. I'm not sure, but the K4 actually seemed a bit brighter.

LSnSC · June 10, 2011, 05:33 PM

No Weavers, but I really like the fixed power Leupolds. I shoot a Leupold M8 4X on my 35 Remington and an M8 6X on a Savage 99. Both are good scopes but not quite as good as my larger objective VXIII scopes in really low light. I think this is a combination of larger objective and better lense coating on the newer scopes.
The 6 x 42mm FX3 is one of the brightest scopes Ive ever looked through, and my next fixed power purchase.

fatwhiteboy · June 10, 2011, 09:34 PM

I have a Weaver 4X on my Rem 700PSP in .308. I realized when hunting, I only used the lowest power when taking game. So I took off the 3-9X40 Leupold and put on a fixed power Weaver. No regrets....

jhgreasemonkey · June 11, 2011, 01:17 AM

My weaver scopes are pretty bright. Lots of people love the k4. I like it okay. It's hard to beat for the price. In my opinion if you wanted to get any notable improvement in brightness you would have to spend about twice the price. It seems that once you hit the $300 or $400 range you start going from the good to the great optical quality. I personaly am happy with a lot of the scopes in the $200ish range like weavers lower end models.

elkman06 · June 11, 2011, 06:27 AM

I have an old K4 weaver on my .270. Unfortunately it has very fine crosshairs which, due to the light gathering capabilities of the scope,,I am unable to see in the low light conditions. The scope does very well in that regard, I just struggle w/ the crosshairs.
elkman06

Wyosmith · June 11, 2011, 08:18 AM

I sure have. A LOT! I am very happy with my K-4s and I have also used them for long shots on antelope and deer on the Wyoming prairies too. When I was a Marine we used to fire our M-14s and even our M-16s to 500 yards in qualification, and they had only iron sights. So the idea that you "need' high magnification is not true. Remember, and .308" bullet doesn't get bigger if you magnify ma target. It's still .308" in diameter at 600 yards. If you have a 1/2 stadia in a K-4, you are covering a "box" at 600 yards of only 3" Can you, your rifle and your load hold within 3" at 600 yards? If the answer is no, what difference would magnification make?
A K-4 is a fine scope for hunting. I’d go higher if I were to make a dedicated prairie dog rifle, but for antelope, deer, bear, sheep elk and moose, a K-4 is just fine.

doofus47 · June 11, 2011, 09:33 PM

I have a K4. 4x, fixed. I use it from early day to almost dark.
I had one on my 30-06 carbine for years. I moved it to my AR-15 for deer hunting. It gives great light vriability, but it's real beauty was it's ruggedness--I've knocked it on every tree in my hunting district for years, and it still holds zero.

huntinaz · June 16, 2011, 07:42 PM

I love the Weaver K-4. I've shot a number of them, I'm running one on my 30-06 currently. Great scopes.

Jack O'Conner · June 17, 2011, 02:07 PM

I bought a K-4 in 1970 for $42. from CABELA's. This company was strictly mail order at the time. It was OK but not optically great. The O rings went bad after 4 years and it fogged badly. I bought a Redfield 2X - 7X to replace it and liked it a lot better. A K2.5 of mine lasted much longer: 1979 - 1997. It was mounted on a Glenfield 30-30 carbine. I replaced it with a Simmons 2X - 8X and still have it. Great scope by Simmons.

Weaver of yesteryear built economy scopes but not up to the quality of NEW imports. I have not handled a new Weaver scope in over 30 years.

Jack

603Country · June 17, 2011, 06:45 PM

I just sold a fairly new Weaver V10, and I only sold it to get a 4.5X14 Burris. Nothing was wrong with the Weaver, and if the neighbor hadn't wanted to buy it, it'd still be on my rifle. The Weaver didn't have parallax adjustment, that's an option that I did want. I'd buy a new Weaver, based on the performance of that V10.

The Burris was made in the Philippines. Had I known that, I'd have bought another Leupold. But...I have it now, and it seems like a fine scope.

And on the K4's, mine dates from about 1964 or so and still works just fine, though it isn't on a gun right now. I guess I need another gun.

jrothWA · June 19, 2011, 11:15 PM

Got a old K2.5 on a Win M88 that will see this fall season.

NEVER have a problem.

Local shop has a K4, that MIGHT end up on a recently acquired Win M70 post-64 7mmMag!!!!

bamaranger · June 22, 2011, 01:57 AM

I'm thinking there are old vintage, USA, steel tube K4's, and newer "classic" K4's of recent production that are imported from Japan or Phillipines or someplace.

The old K4 had a reputation for ruggedness and consistency year to year, and the posts here show many are still being hunted. I can't help but think that the 1960's era glass is just not as clear and bright, as well as coatings not as advanced as to whats available now on many of the mid price range scopes though. Bright enough, sure, but not as bright as others of a similar quality level today.

The new "classic?" K4's likely no worse than any of the other mid priced import scopes, say like a Fullfield II. or a top end Simmons or Tasco.

I have fixed 4x and 6x scopes on several rifles, mostly Leupolds, two vintage USA redfields, both the redfields rebuilt in the early '90's. My only
Weaver is a USA K12, all original, and still entirely functioal. It is not as bright as a Bushnell fixed 10 Elite (crossed fingers) that I just got.

Howard31 · June 22, 2011, 07:29 AM

I have a few Weaver ,El Paso scopes . I have the K1 , KV and K4. They are great scopes . Simple as a rock and just as tough . I have the K4 on my Remington 37 .22. It does all I ask of it. Sure there are better scopes out there but a state of the art ,oversize 10 to 40 tactical scope with tgt knobs just does not look right on a vintage rifle.
There still a lot Vintage weaver scopes still in the field. They work.they are more than adequate for all hunting conditions. Don't sell the old Weavers short.

June 9, 2011, 10:57 PM	#1
riggins_83 Senior Member Join Date: January 19, 2009 Location: Wherever I may roam Posts: 1,506	Weaver Classic K-Series Fixed Power Hunting I'm curious if anybody has used a fixed power Weaver scope (such as the Classic K-Series 4x38) in a low light hunting situation. I'm considering placing one of these on a Savage 30-06 and want to be sure it does well in low light. __________________ l've heard police work is dangerous. Yes, that's why l carry a big gun. Couldn't it go off accidentally? l used to have that problem. What did you do about it? l just think about baseball. -Leslie Nielsen

June 10, 2011, 09:34 PM	#4
fatwhiteboy Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Posts: 317	I have a Weaver 4X on my Rem 700PSP in .308. I realized when hunting, I only used the lowest power when taking game. So I took off the 3-9X40 Leupold and put on a fixed power Weaver. No regrets.... __________________ Fat White So Cal

June 11, 2011, 06:27 AM	#6
elkman06 Senior Member Join Date: March 14, 2006 Location: Wyoming Posts: 885	I have an old K4 weaver on my .270. Unfortunately it has very fine crosshairs which, due to the light gathering capabilities of the scope,,I am unable to see in the low light conditions. The scope does very well in that regard, I just struggle w/ the crosshairs. elkman06 __________________ "The right of the citizens to bear arms in the defense of themselves and of the state shall not be denied." Wyoming Constitution Article 1, Sec24 "Better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6"

June 16, 2011, 07:42 PM	#9
huntinaz Senior Member Join Date: September 21, 2010 Location: az Posts: 1,332	I love the Weaver K-4. I've shot a number of them, I'm running one on my 30-06 currently. Great scopes. __________________ "When there’s lead in the air, there’s hope in the heart”- Hunter’s Proverb "Feed me, or feed me to something. I just want to be part of the food chain." -Al Bundy

June 17, 2011, 02:07 PM	#10
Jack O'Conner Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2005 Location: Manatee County, Florida Posts: 1,976	I bought a K-4 in 1970 for $42. from CABELA's. This company was strictly mail order at the time. It was OK but not optically great. The O rings went bad after 4 years and it fogged badly. I bought a Redfield 2X - 7X to replace it and liked it a lot better. A K2.5 of mine lasted much longer: 1979 - 1997. It was mounted on a Glenfield 30-30 carbine. I replaced it with a Simmons 2X - 8X and still have it. Great scope by Simmons. Weaver of yesteryear built economy scopes but not up to the quality of NEW imports. I have not handled a new Weaver scope in over 30 years. Jack __________________ Fire up the grill! Deer hunting IS NOT catch and release.

June 10, 2011, 11:06 AM	#2
603Country Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2011 Location: Thornton, Texas Posts: 3,998	I can comment on that, having used a K4 for many years. The reason I got it in the first place was be able to see the deer in the fading light, when I could no longer see the iron sights. The K4 did a fine job for me, though I had much younger eyes then. And, scope technology now can give a much brighter image if you're willing to spend the money. I had the K4, which must be 40 years old now, on a lever action 22 LR until 2 days ago, when I replaced it with an almost equally old Leupold 2X7. I'm not sure, but the K4 actually seemed a bit brighter.

June 10, 2011, 05:33 PM	#3
LSnSC Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2010 Posts: 514	No Weavers, but I really like the fixed power Leupolds. I shoot a Leupold M8 4X on my 35 Remington and an M8 6X on a Savage 99. Both are good scopes but not quite as good as my larger objective VXIII scopes in really low light. I think this is a combination of larger objective and better lense coating on the newer scopes. The 6 x 42mm FX3 is one of the brightest scopes Ive ever looked through, and my next fixed power purchase.

June 11, 2011, 01:17 AM	#5
jhgreasemonkey Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2006 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 2,238	My weaver scopes are pretty bright. Lots of people love the k4. I like it okay. It's hard to beat for the price. In my opinion if you wanted to get any notable improvement in brightness you would have to spend about twice the price. It seems that once you hit the $300 or $400 range you start going from the good to the great optical quality. I personaly am happy with a lot of the scopes in the $200ish range like weavers lower end models.

June 11, 2011, 08:18 AM	#7
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	I sure have. A LOT! I am very happy with my K-4s and I have also used them for long shots on antelope and deer on the Wyoming prairies too. When I was a Marine we used to fire our M-14s and even our M-16s to 500 yards in qualification, and they had only iron sights. So the idea that you "need' high magnification is not true. Remember, and .308" bullet doesn't get bigger if you magnify ma target. It's still .308" in diameter at 600 yards. If you have a 1/2 stadia in a K-4, you are covering a "box" at 600 yards of only 3" Can you, your rifle and your load hold within 3" at 600 yards? If the answer is no, what difference would magnification make? A K-4 is a fine scope for hunting. I’d go higher if I were to make a dedicated prairie dog rifle, but for antelope, deer, bear, sheep elk and moose, a K-4 is just fine.

June 11, 2011, 09:33 PM	#8
doofus47 Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2010 Location: live in a in a house when i'm not in a tent Posts: 2,483	I have a K4. 4x, fixed. I use it from early day to almost dark. I had one on my 30-06 carbine for years. I moved it to my AR-15 for deer hunting. It gives great light vriability, but it's real beauty was it's ruggedness--I've knocked it on every tree in my hunting district for years, and it still holds zero.

June 17, 2011, 06:45 PM	#11
603Country Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2011 Location: Thornton, Texas Posts: 3,998	I just sold a fairly new Weaver V10, and I only sold it to get a 4.5X14 Burris. Nothing was wrong with the Weaver, and if the neighbor hadn't wanted to buy it, it'd still be on my rifle. The Weaver didn't have parallax adjustment, that's an option that I did want. I'd buy a new Weaver, based on the performance of that V10. The Burris was made in the Philippines. Had I known that, I'd have bought another Leupold. But...I have it now, and it seems like a fine scope. And on the K4's, mine dates from about 1964 or so and still works just fine, though it isn't on a gun right now. I guess I need another gun.

June 19, 2011, 11:15 PM	#12
jrothWA Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2006 Posts: 2,519	K1.4 for slug use in NE Ohio and Southern Michigan, Got a old K2.5 on a Win M88 that will see this fall season. NEVER have a problem. Local shop has a K4, that MIGHT end up on a recently acquired Win M70 post-64 7mmMag!!!!

June 22, 2011, 01:57 AM	#13
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,312	new v. old I'm thinking there are old vintage, USA, steel tube K4's, and newer "classic" K4's of recent production that are imported from Japan or Phillipines or someplace. The old K4 had a reputation for ruggedness and consistency year to year, and the posts here show many are still being hunted. I can't help but think that the 1960's era glass is just not as clear and bright, as well as coatings not as advanced as to whats available now on many of the mid price range scopes though. Bright enough, sure, but not as bright as others of a similar quality level today. The new "classic?" K4's likely no worse than any of the other mid priced import scopes, say like a Fullfield II. or a top end Simmons or Tasco. I have fixed 4x and 6x scopes on several rifles, mostly Leupolds, two vintage USA redfields, both the redfields rebuilt in the early '90's. My only Weaver is a USA K12, all original, and still entirely functioal. It is not as bright as a Bushnell fixed 10 Elite (crossed fingers) that I just got.

June 22, 2011, 07:29 AM	#14
Howard31 Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2009 Location: Hudson Valley,NY Posts: 231	Weaver Scopes I have a few Weaver ,El Paso scopes . I have the K1 , KV and K4. They are great scopes . Simple as a rock and just as tough . I have the K4 on my Remington 37 .22. It does all I ask of it. Sure there are better scopes out there but a state of the art ,oversize 10 to 40 tactical scope with tgt knobs just does not look right on a vintage rifle. There still a lot Vintage weaver scopes still in the field. They work.they are more than adequate for all hunting conditions. Don't sell the old Weavers short.