Kollmorgen Scopes

[pmclaine]

So the Kollmorgen scopes were from Northhampton, Ma. It's where all the U.S. Submarine periscopes since WW1 have been made. Very cool company... moved to Northhampton during WW1 from, I think, NYC because of the threat of German attacks near the coast.

Kollmorgen was flat out during WW2 and had a massive output as U.S. put to sea hundreds of S-Class, I think they were called, subs. The Fish boats. They were all named after fish... before they needed Senate and House support and started naming them after states and cities... anyhoo... Kollmorgen made hundreds of periscopes and was massively tooled up when along came Hiroshima and... Boom... No more need for submarines.

Nothing. Nada. No orders. No sales. No boats being built... nothing. The company went from boom to... not a single order for anything.

Knowing that the Navy would eventually have to do 'something' to replace the aging boats... and with Rickover's 'nuclear' Navy coming together (Took 9 years to launch.... something like 7 years to get a periscope ordered!)... Kollmorgen was willing to do anything to keep their workforce together. For almost a decade.

So the best optics guys in North America (except maybe Frank Cooke's works) spent 7 years making... rifle scopes (for the returning GI's who wanted scoped rifles.) Spotting scopes. Even cut glass ashtrays.... yes, using optical-grade periscope glass... to make ashtrays. To keep their people busy and their works operating.

As soon as Rickover's navy got off the ground, Kollmorgen dumped all the ashtray and scope projects... I think they sold their scope line to Lyman?? Bearcubs? And stopped the ashtrays alltogether. But the result is that for about 5 - 7 years, some of the best scopes on the planet were being turned out in Northhampton... on the optical equipment created to make high-res submarine periscopes. And were being made at 'sportsmen' prices.

These scopes have some of the clearest lenses, best machining, best reticles (the dots are fantastic)... of the era. They are head and shoulders above almost anything else out there. And noone has ever heard of them. I still use one on my Sako Finnbear .270 and it is reliable as gravity. Dead nuts. Took the longest deer shot ever with it. 270 yards and right through the heart. Dot reticle.

Anyway... next time you are on 91 going through Northhampton... as you head North, look left and you will see a really tall square building/tower... about 20 feet on each side. With four rectangular holes near the top of it. That is Kollmorgen's Periscope Testing building. Every periscope gets assembled and tested in there before it gets sent off to Electric Boat or... whoever.

And that's who made your scope. Heck, maybe your ashtray, too! And why Kollmorgen Scopes are awesome. Even if un-heard-of!

Cheers,

Sirhr

I know the USMC MC1 scopes are supposed to be amazing.

Redfield bought Kollmorgen stuff but I don’t think they were as nice as the Kollmorgen line based on my example of one.

I’ll find some pics and come back.

 

[pmclaine]

Look how well made the adjusters are with that sweet brass….

 

[pmclaine]

These are pics of an MC-1 Kollmorgen....

I'm thinking mine could be converted to clone if someone machined a lower "cup" that was threaded to screw on where the cap threads are.

The "cap" for adjusting would incorporate a "blade" to fit in the coin slot.

Longer brass screws would attach the "cap" to the scope internals.

Add some o rings in the right places it would be weather tight.

@sirhmechanic or @buffaloewinter do that machinist stuff while performing morning constitutionals.

The USMC Kollmorgen is known for its crisp, distinct clicks that were audible for lowlight use. That I would not be able to replicate.

I would love to see design drawings for the MC-1.

I really need to put my Kollmorgen on something....I am thinking my 10-22 but I would have to have both rings behind the turrets for eye relief I'm guessing.

 

[marios5469]

I know this is an old thread, But did anyone ever look into doing a conversion for the external knobs? I have a scope that I was looking to convert. I've emailed some of the scope repair companies, but no one seems to be interested.

 

[RIGREG]

Just throwing this into the mix, since we’re all so fond of Redfield scopes in this forum. It’s interesting (at least to me) that the lineage of the original M40 scopes traces back to Kollmorgen, a major optical supplier to the Navy. Not that I think that was a factor in their selection.

This is from a Redfield advert. The year might be ‘57 or ‘59, I have it as ‘58, but it’s from an online screen shot.

At some point, they transitioned to the 1” tubes, and also eventually dropped the Bear Cub name. I haven’t pin pointed that date through researching old catalogs and print ads, yet. It must have been important and enough for them to label the scopes as 1” to help purchasers differentiate and buy the right rings. My guess is early 60’s. Hence the clearly labeled 1”-64 rings.

I’m not an expert or authority. More so, I like puzzles and fitting pieces together to complete a story. So take this for what it is.

Greg

 

[458win]

Funny you bring this up. There is one sitting on a hoenig model 70 in 257 Robert’s on GI

 

[RIGREG]

@marios5469
Not that this is your solution, but a similar concept and food for thought. These were aftermarket, probably 70’s vintage. They replaced the turret caps and adjusted the W and E externally. I’ve seen Redfield and Weaver versions online.

Have you considered buying a cheap Tacticool scope with external adjustment knobs and adapting them to your vision? Just as a proof of concept.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Just throwing this into the mix, since we’re all so fond of Redfield scopes in this forum. It’s interesting (at least to me) that the lineage of the original M40 scopes traces back to Kollmorgen, a major optical supplier to the Navy. Not that I think that was a factor in their selection.

This is from a Redfield advert. The year might be ‘57 or ‘59, I have it as ‘58, but it’s from an online screen shot.


View attachment 8442750

At some point, they transitioned to the 1” tubes, and also eventually dropped the Bear Cub name. I haven’t pin pointed that date through researching old catalogs and print ads, yet. It must have been important and enough for them to label the scopes as 1” to help purchasers differentiate and buy the right rings. My guess is early 60’s. Hence the clearly labeled 1”-64 rings.

I’m not an expert or authority. More so, I like puzzles and fitting pieces together to complete a story. So take this for what it is.

Greg

One of the reasons they are so good was that in 1946... all the orders for Submarine Periscopes dried up. Until the advent of a nuclear navy... there was little call for new subs and periscopes. But Kollmorgen (in Northhampton, Ma.) needed to keep its workforce together... and busy. Until new orders came in.

So one of the best optical companies in the world was making hunting scopes (booming post war market)... and even glass ashtrays! Anything to 'weather the storm' until Rickover's nuclear Navy obsoleted all the WW2 subs and required new periscopes.

I used to consult for Kollmorgen and they have a little 'shrine' to their 'difficult years' in the lobby at Northhampton. And the 'test tower' is really cool!

Kollmorgen scopes are fantastic. One still sits on my modern Sako deer rifle. Plain dot 4x. It's shot a lot of deer over the years. Never fogged. Never an issue. Brilliant glass.

Cheers,

Sirhr

 

[MK20]

@marios5469
Not that this is your solution, but a similar concept and food for thought. These were aftermarket, probably 70’s vintage. They replaced the turret caps and adjusted the W and E externally. I’ve seen Redfield and Weaver versions online.

View attachment 8442806

View attachment 8442807

Have you considered buying a cheap Tacticool scope with external adjustment knobs and adapting them to your vision? Just as a proof of concept.

Who made those caps? I need a set for my old redfield badly.

 

[RIGREG]

@MK20

Sending a PM. So as not to post link in forum.

 

[Random Guy]

The old 4x Kollmorgen Bear Cub scopes are pretty decent for being 60 plus years old. I have one on this M14A1 replica. The U.S. Army almost adopted them in the early 1950s to replace the obsolete 2.2x M84 scopes, but ultimately didn’t adopt them. The USMC of course adopted them as the MC-1 - with those nice click adjustable turrets.