Thread: PECAR 4 x 81 scope

I have just bought a rifle that came with a Pecar 4 x 81 scope on it, old steel tube one. HAs the German post reticle. It is in good condition and clear as a bell, but I am leery of using a scope from the sixties for general duties.

(I actually have two of these now, the other one is beat to hell and looks like it was dragged behind a land rover for thirty miles and then dropped of a cliff. I got it from an actual old deer culler who was using it in 1963...)

I am not sure what to do with it. I suppose I would like to use it unless its going to full apart on me. Were these even supposed to be waterproof? I remember Pecar going out of business about 2008 but this scope must be decades older than that. Or did they make the steel tube 4 x 81 right up to the end?

I bought mine in 1969, still in use and has never had a problem with water or anything else and it has had a fairly hard life. One thing to be aware of is the tube diameter which is 26 mm - not a lot of rings available.

Initially I had it on a BRNO ZKK601 243, then changed it onto a mauser 308 the had the bases poorly fitted and was unable to use it effectively as the reticle was way down and to the left to compensate for the bases - this was not an image moving reticle.

I'll dispose of it for you

Ill end up disposing of it in a west coast river on the way home is my worry, there are three of my scopes there already after they failed on me. Its got the correct 26mm scope rings. Off to put it in a bath of warm water and see if it survives.

I have a bushnell 3-9 I’d swap it for?

Is it the 4x81 Light, or the 4x81Champion? The light is reticule moving model, the Champion is the image moving model. Both were excellent scopes and if its clear I'd have no hesitation in using it.

I think its the reticle moving one, not the Champion - the same as my other one which I know predates 1963.

It's clear and sharp as. It has considerably more contrast than a decent Weaver scope I have here. It does has coated lenses, I know enough about lenses to tell that. (But probably only single coated.)

I am not going to use it I've decided. If anyone is interested I have put it up for sale in the classified section

Out of interest, the Pecar 4x81 had a objective lens diameter of 36mm. The 81 was the luminosity figure derived from 9 squared (9x9) therefore 4x9 = 36.

Greetings All,
I find it nice to have older scopes on my old soldiers which don't get shot that much. Yet another scope swapathon is under way for the occupants my gun safe. The M38 6.5x55 will retain its Pecar Champion 6x and the No 1 Lee Enfield its 2.5x Tasco that I have had since new. The no4 Lee Enfield will be upgraded to a Leupold M8-4x from the 2.5x Lyman it currently has. The Leupold is much clearer. A Leupold FX1 3-9x has recently been fitted to the Martini to allow some longer range shooting at targets. The Pecar 4x81 however has missed the boat again due to its odd tube size and somewhat grumpy adjustments. Perhaps next time.
Regards Grandpamac.

The Champions are good scopes. I inch tubes and image moving reticle.

The older series are hard work. 26 mm tubes and reticle movement causes frustration.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk