Hi-Lux Scopes

[Griff]

Does anyone have an informed opinion on these Wm. Malcolm scopes?

[Old No7]

Griff, there's some good info on this posting of mine (asked the same question) from the ASSRA site:

Any Reviews of the Hi-Lux "Short" Malcolm 6X Scope (click for link)

The consensus is the scopes are OK, but the mounts need an upgrade -- I went for a used Unertl instead. Be sure to go to Texas Mac's site and read his review.

Good luck.

Old No7

[Tycer]

I have the M73G4 on my Remington Model 25. It came with a WWII era that was toast and the Malcolm 2.5x is a spitting image and has great clarity nice crosshairs. It’s a 3/4” tube so light transmission is not comparable to my modern glass but I like it.

IMG_1911.jpeg

[Griff]

Griff, there's some good info on this posting of mine (asked the same question) from the ASSRA site:
Any Reviews of the Hi-Lux "Short" Malcolm 6X Scope (click for link)
The consensus is the scopes are OK, but the mounts need an upgrade -- I went for a used Unertl instead. Be sure to go to Texas Mac's site and read his review.
Good luck.
Old No7

Thanks, I went over there and checked it out. At less than half the price, not exactly a bargain, but suitable for my needs.

I have the M73G4 on my Remington Model 25. It came with a WWII era that was toast and the Malcolm 2.5x is a spitting image and has great clarity nice crosshairs. It’s a 3/4” tube so light transmission is not comparable to my modern glass but I like it.

IMG_1911.jpeg

Thanks.

[Griff]

Well the scope arrived today. Very nice, clear, much nicer than I really expected. However, the rear mount is far less than mediocre. I simply don't have the skills to install it, like I'd like to. The rifle is tapped for scope mounts on the receiver and rear of barrel. The mount that comes with the scope is designed to get mounted into a blank in the rear factory sight dovetail. This would leave the rear foot of the scopt unsupported. Took it to my local gunsmith to see if we can use the holes already tapped in the back of the barrel, but the supplied rear mount will have to modified. I'd really like to have it mounted on the rear receiver, which would only leave the last four inches of the scope unsupported, but the gunsmith thinks that would stress the scope more than necessary? What do y'all think? The 30" length puts the front of the scope right at the muzzle, and gives me about 4" of eye relief... perfect! At 6X, I'm looking forward to the 200 yard line at the range!

[marlinman93]

The mounts have always been an issue, but I heard they improved them now, and are stronger. Haven't any new ones, but have a pair of their older mounts and the rear does look suspect for any rifle with some recoil. And I'd guess as you elevate it further the recoil will have more affect on those mounts. I think if it's a 10 lb. or heavier gun, or in something less than .45-70, they might hold up well. But not sure about heavier calibers.

[Bryan Austin]

Sorry I am late.
I have one for my Uberti 73' I use for 300 yard shots. I love it BUT....as has been mentioned, the mounts are a bit to be desired. Took a replacement set to make is usable, and it still is not what it should be. However, it is usable and is holding true. I had to put blue lock-tite on everything to keep it tight.

IMG_9165.JPG

To keep the boredom to a minimum, during the past year, nearly exactly to date, I have harvested the following with the scope/rifle

1 buck
1 coyote
4 beavers
2 muskrats
11 groundhogs

343778733_768523238059503_8839494756717227375_n.jpg

357062074_621244546773842_4945112331444604474_n.jpg

[Bryan Austin]

Oh I forgot to add photos of the first mount problems

65964117_534672110404242_3325098916751343616_n.jpg

66164554_360621551290508_5661402250640097280_n.jpg

66264066_2316986798421385_1579694718135042048_n.jpg

66297740_605704193285420_1156925509343379456_n.jpg

66328696_349953859009901_7005236301389627392_n.jpg

66854270_1220440484803199_7882745278703337472_n.jpg

66861770_1966442943455436_1723543326180769792_n.jpg

[Griff]

Thanks Bryan... I just talked today to the guy that makes DZ Scopes & mounts. I think he has my solution. A tad pricey, but appears to be high quality.

[Bryan Austin]

Hope it helped....keep us posted on your progress. If I can get better, I may give them a try.

[Griff]

Meeting with my gunsmit on Wed. to see about modifying the Hi-Lux supplied rear mount. May not need expensive solution.

[Old No7]

...during the past year, nearly exactly to date, I have harvested the following with the scope/rifle

1 buck
1 coyote
4 beavers
2 muskrats
11 groundhogs

Kudos' to Bryan for putting the scope to work!

Good luck to Griff on your endeavor to improve the mount.

Old No7

[marlinman93]

Anytime I see good quality old 3/4" scope rings for target scopes for sale I grab them if the price is right. I picked up two pairs of them at our June OAC gun show for under $75 a pair, and seller tossed in a bunch of target style scope bases too. One pair is old Fecker, and the other is Lyman Targetspot. Nothing to put them on now, but if a good scope shows up minus mounts I'll be ready for it.

[Tycer]

If I can get better,

Your eyes?

[Bryan Austin]

Should be ...if I can get better mounts!

[Griff]

Well, it's mounted. I didn't want to use the rear barrel dovetail for mounting the back end of the scope, but rather the two drilled & tapped holes between the dovetail & the receiver for mounting a modern scope. So, this afternoon at my buddies gunshop, we cut up the supplied rear mount and modified it to attach via those two holes... It decreases the amount of windage adjustment at the rear mount, but... I believe the front mount can move in the front sight dovetail enough to take up any difference needed.

DSCN1539[1].JPG

DSCN1540[1].JPG

If I'm lucky, tomorrow morning will be a trip to the range and sight in. Hopefully 1st at 50 yards & 100, and if it ain't too tedious, a trip to the 200 yard line. The longest we have at our club. Now the question is to use my BP rounds or smokeless...

[Griff]

Other closeups of the modified rear mount.

DSCN1541.JPG

DSCN1542.JPG

Kinda weird that you have to look at the front of the rear mount to see the windage marks... while the elevation marks are on the rear of the mount as normal... whatever "normal" is!

[Griff]

Made it to the range for my first testing of the newly mounted scope. On the fifty yard line to get an idea where it printed.

20230817_110838 (002).jpg

These were the 2nd string of 5 shots, as the first five weren't on the paper at all. Although I chronographed them, I didn't make a note of them, forgetting that I could just make a list in my phone... Which I did for the 2nd five: according to the chronograph, they were: 1502, 1567, 1590 & 1570.

20230817_110719 (002).jpg

Figured I'd go ahead and adjust the scope in prep for firing at 100 yards... the scope is a little tedious to adjust... The only way to adjust elevation is to manually slide the scope mount in the base up and down, trying to make adjustments in small increments. It kinda wants to skip to big adjustments... I figured I like a group in the center before moving to the 100 yard line. I made small movements, as best I could, moving windage a little... rather as much as I could... I don't have enough adjustment range. The I moved the elevation. I moved it too much at first and had to move it back, 6th shot went a little higher than this group. Stepped down elevation until it was in line with the center, but still about 2" left. Got four shots off, and moved the front mount a little left to move impact to the right. But...
It wouldn't hold the hammer on the sear. Every time I opened the action the hammer dropped but wouldn't cock on its own. Tried manually cocking, but the sear wouldn't hold it. Hammer fell to the safety notch. Those four shots did clock at 1620, 1543, 1600 & 1609.

Given the initial group size, I figure the low reading was an aberration as they all felt about the same in recoil. The load was 15 grains of AA5744 behind a Missouri bullet lubed for BP over Winchester Large Rifle primers. I know the loads are very close as I individually weighed each charge, using the dribbler to bring the scale right to 15 grains. The scope with the factory mounts (Hi-Lux) isn't supposed to move, but it did over the course of the 14 round move about an inch forward, so I must not have hand the rear mount tight enough. Silly part is that the scope mount adjustment for elevation marks are on the rear of the mount, but the windage marks are on the front of the mount.

[Griff]

After sitting about 3 hours, waiting for the FD to put out a brush fire north of Bowie, TX yesterday, I got my turn to back up, turn around and follow an alternate route home. As I well know, trying to back a 53' trailer into a one lane dirt road from a two lane blacktop (US highway, so it had shoulders...), I finally made it back to the factory, drop the trailer and head to the house. As soon as I arrived, I got in the pick up and headed for the gunsmith's to pick up my repaired (grit had gotten into the action and caused the hammer/sear engagement to fail, apparently a common enough issue to have been commented online previously), and the ejector removed. (SASS rule requirement for long range rifles). When I got back to the house I checked the mailbox, no joy, neither expected package was present. Nothing on front porch or other usual drop locations... Checked my emails and status of USPS tracking and both said "Delivered". One said "Other location/person", the other said "Garage - other location". Went back out and checked all around... no joy! So... I did the next best thing, I called both neighbors that don't live behind gates and checked to see if the postman had dropped of my packages with them. Nope, hadn't even see the mailman. So, I checked my security system to see if I'd had any visitors? Yep, about 15 minutes before I got back from the gunsmith's was the postman pulling into my drive... checking other cameras, I watched him go to my secondary requested delivery point and stash the day's mail and two parcels.

Since I had now solved the mystery of where my new-to-me 1851 Navy and Hi-Lux "Fine Elevation Adjustment Set" were; I was able to go forward and install the scope back on the rifle and install the Hi-Lux "FEASET" (their acronym, not mine)!

DSCN1544.JPG

(NO, the scope is NOT angled across the rifle... just a perspective view from off the side of the rifle a bit)!!!

DSCN1545.JPG

DSCN1546.JPG

Nice feature on the FEASET is the "play" in the adjustment screw is adjustable. You can see the set screw in the top knob, you loosen it and can then screw down the knob on the shaft to remove any slop in the interface between the venier screw and it's bracket.

Since the high temps here are supposed to be between 102ºF and 107ºF for the next few days, I'll have to hit the range early to re-sight in the scope and finally try her at the 100 & 200 yard lines.

[Tycer]

Good news!
Really looking forward to hearing how it goes. Best of luck.

[Griff]

Well the day came and I went to the range. I left the chronograph at home... but took the screens... intended to clock some C45S rounds out of the 1860 Henry and my .36 caliber round ball loads from the 1851... Ah well, the best laid plans.

I did take the 1885 & plenty of ammo to hopefully get it sighted in out to 200 yards. I had to start over @ 50, and found that 50 yards will be the absolute minimum I can sight in for. Getting on the bull went fairly quickly. I then moved to the hundred yard line and found that I had to move the windage back to the right. I initially over-estimated how much elevation I'd have to crank in for the extra distance. The marks measure .065" apart with a total of 1.7" of elevation adjustment. 50 yards is right at the zero mark. I only had to move the scope 1 mark to be "on" at 100. My group wasn't the best... but my last 3 shots were all in the 1" bullseye, 2 touching. None cutting the line. I then moved to the 200 yard line. What a waste of time! By now the temps had climbed to 95ºF and I was tired after hiking to from both the 50 yard and 100 yard lines... (Maybe I should cut back on using the golf cart to go out to the barn some)!

According to my ballistics calculator, I should be in the neighborhood of 20" low at 200 with a 100 yard zero. I really don't know how elevation to move the scope for that much adjustment. With a 100 yard zero, I should be about 1-½" high at 50 and a hair more than 19-½" low at 200. I had really planned on setting out my free standing target holder at 150 to get an interim "zero", but my uprights were too wide. I should have just restapled the backer on the uprights... but I admit to not thinking of that until about halfway home! I sorta thought I had a large enough sheet of paper to show a group that low @ 200, but... of the 10 shots I had left, I could not find any that I could positively identify as "mine" on the lower portion of the target frame I had mounted. Between the two days at the range now, I've shot 60 rounds. I probably should have taken one of the other boxes... but I was pretty hot by that time. Another trip to the range (with an earlier start) will not be unpleasant!