Thank you, HR, I am impressed by this “ancient” (just as the M1911A1 is “ancient”) scope’s precision and results . . . and I am also impressed with your analytical tool to determine if the modern Hi-Lux has resolved the perceived problems of its sixty years ago predecessor.
That was what I was planning to build when I got this scope. I had trouble finding the right stock for the M40 project, so I changed courses with the build. Still, the scope has good glass, it works well, and it looks cool.
Chief, I love this video. I also have a Redfield 3x-9x-40mm scope on my sporterized M-1917 .30-06, that I bought in the late 1990's from a Wal Mart. I knew a Vietnam Veteran that brought a couple of the scopes like you home with him and used them on a pair .308 rifles he hunted with.
I’m very glad that Leatherwood/Hi-Lux is producing a well made replica with modern improvements. I’m a retired Army Infantryman and I was trained and qualified on the M-21 system with the ART and ART II scopes. I pray to gun Jesus that one day Hi-Lux will produce a modern replica of the ART II, it was a beautiful scope even though it had a problem with breaking the scope base main leaf spring but beyond that it worked wonderfully. I preferred the reticle on the original ART but I’d settle for the ART II reticle. This M-40 scope looks great, thank you Hi-Lux! And thank you for the video.
Great video as always. I have, on my custom 03 Springfield, the civilian version of the Redfield scope and your right it is OFS. Thanks again for another great video...
I have an old Redfield rifle scope on my long time deer rifle. To me it is the best, trusted thing. As long as I do my part, the gun, and scope does their job. Granted, I have a fantastic deer rifle, it stays zeroed for years, and years. I found my holy grail of deer rifles slash optics combination.
Thanks for the great info, I really enjoyed the content! The only thing I'll say is that the XM40 and M40s were zeroed at 500yds, not 100. @VintageRiflesShootersClub does a couple great videos on the late 60s m40s, as well as Hathcocks m70 and the Armys XM21s.
I have an old Leatherwood ART II scope with original mount on a M1A. The scope appears to be an old modified Redfield 3x9 scope fitted with a ballistic cam graduated in meters that either can be coupled to the power adjustment ring or adjusted independently. The scope is finished in a in a matt gray/green finish which is much more subdued than the finish on your scope of course it is much older.
That sounds like one of the original military ART scopes. I've never heard of a commercial ART with green anodizing. If you contact Hi Lux Optics, they can probably tell you for certain. How does it shoot after all these years?
As someone who liked and owned several Redfield scopes in the 1970's, I enjoyed the review. It looks as though Hi Lux has faithfully reproduced the USMC M40. If you haven't read Herbert McBride's now classic "A Rifleman Goes to War", I can highly recommend it. Sniping matured in WW1 and McBride was one of the best.
On those outer MOA marked turret scales... there's a little gap, AKA older Leupolds, that you can slip the point of a scribe, small blade, point of a nail or whatever into and thereby re-set the zero. It should be pretty hard to move, so it will stay in place. The original scope didn't have this, so other means were used---> In the old USMC Viet Nam sniper manual, they put marks with a dot of paint on their 300, 400, 500, 600, etc zero points and they did indeed dial the turrets to whatever zero point was expected to work best in their arena of fire. They would then use hold-over or hold-under, based on the height of an average enemy soldier, to make the shot. The original Redfield they used didn't have a duplex crosshair, just thin wire top to bottom, edge to edge. Those old scopes are worth a small fortune these days, of course. Further, a target that did not fill the upper stadia wire, even on 600 yards, could be estimated still, even though it was farther away than 600 yards. For instance, if the suspected 18" target only filled half of that distance between those wires, it would have been around 1200 yards away (scope zoomed to 9 power, 600 yard scale in view)... if it filled 2/3s of the stadia gap, it would have been .66 times 1200, or around 900 yards, etc...
Thank you hrfunk. Great performance from that scope. I agree with your historic POV on how they accomplished things with items we'd consider outdated today. What load have you had most accuracy from, with your RA Hunter? Did you discuss that in the review of the rifle, I don't recall.
Thank you, I have some 168 and 175 FGMM but have yet to run them, still shooting 147-150 gr mostly ball through mine with decent results. Mine likes 150gr Norma Tactical very well, so I've stuck with that round mostly, or others in 150gr load.
I believe that the outer hash mark ring on the turret actually pops out with a thin blade or screwdriver and then you can manually place it back in into the position you want to show your zero. Make sense? I had a scope that was the same way and thats how i had to set it.
The original M40 scopes were anodized green in a very similar if not identical process. The scopes would turn into more of a bronze color after being exposed to lots of sunlight. I would assume that if you put one of these Hi-Lux scopes in the sun for extended periods of time, it would also turn bronze.
Thanks HR. You always joke that Marines can't count but you sure know what you are doing. How do you really determine what distance to zero the scope in when in the field you may have to engage targets at various ranges? If it's deer hunting that's one thing because you probably have a reasonable idea about the range for deer given the terrain you live. However, if it's a combat zone that's much more difficult? All the best!
There are differing opinions on which zero distance is the best. I like a 100 yard zero because all your sight corrections (both closer and farther) are upward. Some shooters prefer a more distant zero such as 300 yards. With standard cartridges (.223, .308, .30-06, etc) a 300 yard zero allows a center body hold (human body that is) out to about 500 yards before some degree of holdover becomes necessary. A lot of the decision has to do with the amount of precision the shooter wants to achieve. In any case, knowing the bullets trajectory is essential.
👍👍appreciate the review and looking forward to seeing it on the range. I read a book about Hancock…….he was an extraordinary man, amazing the things he did.
HR nice review on the Hilux scope. My question is what type of Stock is attached to the Ruger rifle is that standard or is it a replacement stock from HS P. ?
The Rifle is a Ruger American Hunter. It comes from the factory in the Mag Pul Hunter stock. If you're interested, here's my review from a few years back: th-cam.com/video/eDPYE153wrc/w-d-xo.htmlsi=qJ_Gc-_Z8S_ELKAV
Good morning HR. Those old snipers showed what a good man who knew his basic equipment could do. Today with laser ranging, wind meters, and complicated reticles shots over 1000 yards are easier to make. But I'd bet that over 90% of shots made are way closer than that.
I'll bet you're right. I think too that modern equipment makes it faster train personnel and deploy them operationally, but I think we are doing so at the sacrifice of a lot of hard earned knowledge.
Looks like you used a small screwdriver in the gap of the ring around the turret and tried to pry it open. This will tighten the ring against the inner wall. You would be better off squeezing the ring trying to close that gap to get it to move.
Wish the hi lux wasn’t stamped on it. Kind of a turn off for a replica. But still nice. How is their glass? I would assume China. But most are anyway s. But still seems good to go. Dig that anodizing
In this scope the glass is serviceable but not exceptional (in some of their more modern scopes it is quite good). As I mentioned in the video, I get a little "fish-bowl" effect at the extreme edges. Still, for a sub-$400 scope, it's not bad.
Thanks Rick. I knew he used it (since the photo of him in this video shows that scope mounted to his rifle), but I didn't know if he used it operationally during the war.
@@hrfunk the rifle Hathcock has in the picture is a one off Winchester Model 70 target rifle the RTE/PWS armorers built for Hathcock using the McMillan stock and whichever makers barrel they were using for the M40A1 at the time. The action is a target action Winchester made in the 60’s or 70’s that had a shorter ejection port to make the action stiffer prior to introducing the Model 70 short action in the 80’s.
Thank you, HR, I am impressed by this “ancient” (just as the M1911A1 is “ancient”) scope’s precision and results . . . and I am also impressed with your analytical tool to determine if the modern Hi-Lux has resolved the perceived problems of its sixty years ago predecessor.
Thanks Roy! Capturing that footage of the scope's reticle performance required some "Marine Engineering", but I was pretty pleased with the result.
@@hrfunk I liked it very much. Thank you.
I enjoy your well thought out reviews and range tests. You are at the top of heap.
Thank you!
Excellent presentation. Strong step in technique. Well done.
Thank you!
Great video! Super informative. I've been looking at different scopes for an M40A1-ish (barely) inspired clone and this is a super interesting option.
That was what I was planning to build when I got this scope. I had trouble finding the right stock for the M40 project, so I changed courses with the build. Still, the scope has good glass, it works well, and it looks cool.
Chief, I love this video. I also have a Redfield 3x-9x-40mm scope on my sporterized M-1917 .30-06, that I bought in the late 1990's from a Wal Mart. I knew a Vietnam Veteran that brought a couple of the scopes like you home with him and used them on a pair .308 rifles he hunted with.
Thanks Travis. There's just something cool about these historic scopes.
I’m very glad that Leatherwood/Hi-Lux is producing a well made replica with modern improvements. I’m a retired Army Infantryman and I was trained and qualified on the M-21 system with the ART and ART II scopes. I pray to gun Jesus that one day Hi-Lux will produce a modern replica of the ART II, it was a beautiful scope even though it had a problem with breaking the scope base main leaf spring but beyond that it worked wonderfully. I preferred the reticle on the original ART but I’d settle for the ART II reticle.
This M-40 scope looks great, thank you Hi-Lux! And thank you for the video.
You might want to give Hi Lux (Leatherwood’s current manufacturer). They might know where you can find an ARTII.
@@hrfunk Roger, I know the sources on finding an actual ART II scope, looking to see if they’ll put it back into production.
Great video as always. I have, on my custom 03 Springfield, the civilian version of the Redfield scope and your right it is OFS. Thanks again for another great video...
You’re most welcome. Thanks for watching!
Thanks, that was really interesting and informative. Looking forward to seeing you shoot it at various ranges.
Stay tuned Frank. I'll be heading off to do that when the weather improves (for northern Ohio, that means somewhere around next July).
Thank you. Very informative.
My pleasure. Thanks for watching!
great vid funk; I have the same scope on a M40A1. very informative vid.
I have an old Redfield rifle scope on my long time deer rifle. To me it is the best, trusted thing. As long as I do my part, the gun, and scope does their job. Granted, I have a fantastic deer rifle, it stays zeroed for years, and years. I found my holy grail of deer rifles slash optics combination.
That's great to hear. So many shooters don't realize just how well that sort of traditional set-up can perform.
Thanks for the great info, I really enjoyed the content! The only thing I'll say is that the XM40 and M40s were zeroed at 500yds, not 100. @VintageRiflesShootersClub does a couple great videos on the late 60s m40s, as well as Hathcocks m70 and the Armys XM21s.
I have an old Leatherwood ART II scope with original mount on a M1A. The scope appears to be an old modified Redfield 3x9 scope fitted with a ballistic cam graduated in meters that either can be coupled to the power adjustment ring or adjusted independently. The scope is finished in a in a matt gray/green finish which is much more subdued than the finish on your scope of course it is much older.
That sounds like one of the original military ART scopes. I've never heard of a commercial ART with green anodizing. If you contact Hi Lux Optics, they can probably tell you for certain. How does it shoot after all these years?
As someone who liked and owned several Redfield scopes in the 1970's, I enjoyed the review. It looks as though Hi Lux has faithfully reproduced the USMC M40. If you haven't read Herbert McBride's now classic "A Rifleman Goes to War", I can highly recommend it. Sniping matured in WW1 and McBride was one of the best.
Thank you. I read it some years ago, but it might be time to re-read it.
On those outer MOA marked turret scales... there's a little gap, AKA older Leupolds, that you can slip the point of a scribe, small blade, point of a nail or whatever into and thereby re-set the zero. It should be pretty hard to move, so it will stay in place. The original scope didn't have this, so other means were used--->
In the old USMC Viet Nam sniper manual, they put marks with a dot of paint on their 300, 400, 500, 600, etc zero points and they did indeed dial the turrets to whatever zero point was expected to work best in their arena of fire. They would then use hold-over or hold-under, based on the height of an average enemy soldier, to make the shot. The original Redfield they used didn't have a duplex crosshair, just thin wire top to bottom, edge to edge. Those old scopes are worth a small fortune these days, of course.
Further, a target that did not fill the upper stadia wire, even on 600 yards, could be estimated still, even though it was farther away than 600 yards. For instance, if the suspected 18" target only filled half of that distance between those wires, it would have been around 1200 yards away (scope zoomed to 9 power, 600 yard scale in view)... if it filled 2/3s of the stadia gap, it would have been .66 times 1200, or around 900 yards, etc...
Thanks Dan! Great info as always!
Thank you hrfunk. Great performance from that scope. I agree with your historic POV on how they accomplished things with items we'd consider outdated today.
What load have you had most accuracy from, with your RA Hunter? Did you discuss that in the review of the rifle, I don't recall.
I think the best one to date has been 168 gr. Federal Gold Medal Match. It hovers right around MOA.
Thank you, I have some 168 and 175 FGMM but have yet to run them, still shooting 147-150 gr mostly ball through mine with decent results. Mine likes 150gr Norma Tactical very well, so I've stuck with that round mostly, or others in 150gr load.
From a Grunt to a Jarhead, Much respect for your reviews... EVEN THOUGH you are an 870 guy. I can forgive that one fopah. We're not ALL perfect! 😂
"faux pas" means, literally, "false pass."
Not "fopah," son.
@@notmyname3883 first, I’m not your “son”. Second, I’m a soldier, not an English degree grammar Nazi! Bro got what I was sayin.
I believe that the outer hash mark ring on the turret actually pops out with a thin blade or screwdriver and then you can manually place it back in into the position you want to show your zero. Make sense? I had a scope that was the same way and thats how i had to set it.
Thanks. I’ll give that a try.
The original M40 scopes were anodized green in a very similar if not identical process. The scopes would turn into more of a bronze color after being exposed to lots of sunlight. I would assume that if you put one of these Hi-Lux scopes in the sun for extended periods of time, it would also turn bronze.
Yep. I’ve seen some of those bronze colored scopes. Maybe I’ll set the Hi Lux out in the sun for a while and see what happens.
Good morning, HRFUNK and family. Happy. 😎🤘 Thunder Struck Thursday. Nice scope, looks fun to shoot
Thanks James. Good morning to you!
Thanks HR. You always joke that Marines can't count but you sure know what you are doing. How do you really determine what distance to zero the scope in when in the field you may have to engage targets at various ranges? If it's deer hunting that's one thing because you probably have a reasonable idea about the range for deer given the terrain you live. However, if it's a combat zone that's much more difficult? All the best!
There are differing opinions on which zero distance is the best. I like a 100 yard zero because all your sight corrections (both closer and farther) are upward. Some shooters prefer a more distant zero such as 300 yards. With standard cartridges (.223, .308, .30-06, etc) a 300 yard zero allows a center body hold (human body that is) out to about 500 yards before some degree of holdover becomes necessary. A lot of the decision has to do with the amount of precision the shooter wants to achieve. In any case, knowing the bullets trajectory is essential.
Neat! I like your rifle videos.
Thak you!
👍👍appreciate the review and looking forward to seeing it on the range. I read a book about Hancock…….he was an extraordinary man, amazing the things he did.
Yes he was. We're not likely to see many more like him.
HR nice review on the Hilux scope. My question is what type of Stock is attached to the Ruger rifle is that standard or is it a replacement stock from HS P. ?
The Rifle is a Ruger American Hunter. It comes from the factory in the Mag Pul Hunter stock. If you're interested, here's my review from a few years back: th-cam.com/video/eDPYE153wrc/w-d-xo.htmlsi=qJ_Gc-_Z8S_ELKAV
The Ruger Hunter is a solid shooter or at least the one I’ve enjoyed over the last 4-5 years now is. Everyone’ experience may differ….
HR my hunting buddy has that stock on his Remington 700 he loves them. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome.
👍👍
Good morning HR. Those old snipers showed what a good man who knew his basic equipment could do. Today with laser ranging, wind meters, and complicated reticles shots over 1000 yards are easier to make. But I'd bet that over 90% of shots made are way closer than that.
I'll bet you're right. I think too that modern equipment makes it faster train personnel and deploy them operationally, but I think we are doing so at the sacrifice of a lot of hard earned knowledge.
@@hrfunk Sadly not just in shooting. We're getting a generation of calculator and keyboard users who can't do basic math or write by hand.
Looks like you used a small screwdriver in the gap of the ring around the turret and tried to pry it open. This will tighten the ring against the inner wall. You would be better off squeezing the ring trying to close that gap to get it to move.
Thanks. I’ll give that a try.
Wish the hi lux wasn’t stamped on it. Kind of a turn off for a replica. But still nice. How is their glass? I would assume China. But most are anyway s. But still seems good to go. Dig that anodizing
In this scope the glass is serviceable but not exceptional (in some of their more modern scopes it is quite good). As I mentioned in the video, I get a little "fish-bowl" effect at the extreme edges. Still, for a sub-$400 scope, it's not bad.
🤠👍🏽
I was telling the wifey about all the things a pricey new scope can do and her eyes glossed over.
Tell her how much they cost and that will likely cause her to regain focus.
@@hrfunk Probably so. I'll show her the ones at the LGS. She'll look at me and say NO. You hear her at your house.
Hr👋🏻
Hathcock used the M 40😊
Thanks Rick. I knew he used it (since the photo of him in this video shows that scope mounted to his rifle), but I didn't know if he used it operationally during the war.
@@hrfunk the rifle Hathcock has in the picture is a one off Winchester Model 70 target rifle the RTE/PWS armorers built for Hathcock using the McMillan stock and whichever makers barrel they were using for the M40A1 at the time. The action is a target action Winchester made in the 60’s or 70’s that had a shorter ejection port to make the action stiffer prior to introducing the Model 70 short action in the 80’s.
@@kiloalphasierra Thank you. I seem to recall a story that he was given that rifle as a gift upon his retirement.