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Old July 27, 2018, 07:26 AM   #1
breadbasketbomb
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Question on Malcolm telescopic sights

This isn't a real firearm obviously, but it is related to old and antique weaponry. And it's really simple... why is the Malcolm sight so damned long? Was it limitation in manufacturing the lenses, was it just intuition that made the designer? What's the advantage of having such a long scope?
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Old July 27, 2018, 08:39 AM   #2
4V50 Gary
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There were shorter scopes back then too. The Davidson side mounted telescope comes to mind.
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Old July 27, 2018, 08:53 AM   #3
breadbasketbomb
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 4V50 Gary View Post
There were shorter scopes back then too. The Davidson side mounted telescope comes to mind.
I know that for sure. Though why were certain models much longer?
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Old July 27, 2018, 12:05 PM   #4
Jim Watson
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Limitations in lens grinding and mounting. Not many lenses in a 19th century scope, a modern short scope is full of glass.
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Old July 27, 2018, 06:18 PM   #5
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Grinding wasn't the big issue, they didn't have the high-refractive-index low-aberration glass we have today. You needed very thick lenses with old glass, and the color fringes were bad.
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Old July 27, 2018, 07:28 PM   #6
Jim Watson
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Achromatic lenses were a great improvement for sure.
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Old July 28, 2018, 09:30 AM   #7
Ricklin
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Yup it's the glass.....kinda

Don't overlook what gave us that great glass, computing power.
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