Opl m72b2

[USMCSGT0331]

I've posted this on some other forums, but figured you guys on the Hide might like to see it. I present to you something truly special and exceptionally rare, an original OPL M73B2 rifle scope. This scope was manufactured in 1945 by the French firm Optique & Précision de Levallois (OPL) for the US Army. Even though it shares an "M73" moniker, this scope has nothing in common with the Weaver M73B1.

The B2 is a very robust scope that is noticeably heavier than its B1 counterpart. The B2 is unique in many aspects, the first of which are its annular elevation and windage adjustment rings. This style of adjustment ring is similar to the German Zf-41 and Swedish Aga m/42 scopes, however, the M73B2 relies on external adjustments (think Unertl). Unlike these European scopes, the the M73B2 doesn't move anything internally, the scope body moves in the mounting rings.

The scope does "click" in a similar manner as the B1 in regards to the elevation/windage adjustments. Just like the B1, the B2 utilizes a piece of notched spring steel that falls into a groove in the elevation/windage knob. You can't see it in the pictures, but on the B2 this piece of spring steel is on the bottom of the scope.

However, this design does have its shortcomings. When you adjust the elevation ring, the windage ring will move slightly out of place, and vice versa. I assume that this would shift the bullet's desired trajectory and subsequent impact.

The M73B2's elevation ring is also bullet drop compensated out to 1,000 yards or meters (not sure which). Want to shoot a target at 600 yards/meters? Just turn the ring to the number 6 (and watch your windage ring to make sure it didn't move with that adjustment!).

It's also nearly impossible to remove the scope mounting rings from the M73B2. After examining the front scope ring, it appears that a specialized spanner wrench is necessary for its removal. There is also a small glass window on the right hand side of this ring in order to let light into the scope (more on that in a paragraph below). The rear scope ring appears to be a housing of some sort, but there's no way in hell I'm taking it apart to find out how everything works and is held together!

As you can see from the pictures, the B2 uses a normal Redfield 1903A4 base. I've heard that an experimental base was developed, but I've never seen one and I have no idea what would be different about it.

If you look at the pictures of the M72B2 in Plaster's book or in the 2008 Stern estate auction, the bases' windage screws are quite different than the normal Redfield windage screws. The windage screws in those photos are pretty much over-sized thumbscrews. Maybe for quick detach purposes?

In regards to the bases' windage screws, they actually have to be cut down in order to properly hold the scope to the base. The bottom of the B2's rear scope ring is actually smaller in size than the bottom of a normal Redfield scope ring. This means that two regular screws will hit each other inside the base without securing the B2's rear scope ring. When these base windage screws are cut/shaved down, they don't hit each other and the screw heads are able to secure the scope ring.

Now for the most fascinating part of the scope, the "illuminated" reticle! As you can see in the pictures below, the reticle is the standard post type and it has some sort of range finder in the upper left quadrant. Now for the interesting part. If you shine a light into the glass window that is located on the right side of the front scope ring, the reticle turns from black to a mesmerizing silvery-white! I assume that this feature was added to take advantage of full moon nights, where the ambient light could penetrate the scope and illuminate the reticle. This would allow the reticle to stand out against a dark target in the dead of night. The pictures below show this transition, but they don't fully capture how brilliant the reticle appears when it is illuminated! I believe that this is the very first scope ever made with some kind of "illuminated" reticle, but I don't know that for a fact. If you know of any that are older than this scope, please let me know!

In the pictures below, I tried to show what the glass window in the front ring looks like when there is a light shining through the objective lens. If you look closely, you can see the inverted reticle; which looks like an upside down "T" (enhanced photo with the inverted reticle circled in red). The "T" shape comes from the vertical stadia line and the two horizontal stadia lines. It also appears that the reticle is etched on the lens.

In a side-by-side comparison with an B1, the B2 has a slightly different finish. It appears to be more black, whereas the B1 appears to be more blue. Definitely not as interesting as the whole illuminated reticle thing, but worth pointing out.

And finally, the pictures!
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[jbell]

pretty cool

 

[pmclaine]

That thing is neat. Wonder if any were at Dien Bien Phu.

 

[FatBoy]

Where do you find this stuff? Is your full time job searching for awesome shit?

 

[pmclaine]

Where do you find this stuff? Is your full time job searching for awesome shit?

Don't you know who Sgt0331 is........

 

[FatBoy]

I thought he was in space?

 

[pmclaine]

I thought he was in space?

Yes and he will be coming back with the damn Hubble, the finest photos you will ever see and a story of how he will be mounting his new optic on the Win M70 he bought that is verified as having been used by C. Hathcock to kill the NVA general.

Do not get green with envy of the most interesting man in the world just be happy he shares all his finds with us in his outstanding posts.

 

[JGaynor]

Thanks for posting the many excellent pictures of this little known scope. The first published meant of it as far as I know was in the 1947 edition of Phil Sharpe's "The Rifle In
America". One of the interesting aspects is that the serial numbers seemed to pick up right where the M73B1 (Weaver) serial numbers ended. Over the years I have seen photos of about half dozen examples and they seem to span a range of about 500~ pieces.

A couple of the scopes surfaced in Europe leading me to conclude that many of them did not make it back to the US.

Thanks again!

 

[sandwarrior]

sgt0331,

All I can say is WOW! Is this a 3/4" dia. tube? You said external adjustments, how does that work? That reticle looks almost identical to my Russian PE reticle.

You might not be "The Most Interesting Man", but you are certainly OUR most interesting man.

 

[USMCSGT0331]

You guys crack me up. I'm probably the least interesting man in the world, I just have a few interesting guns.

JGaynor - Good to see you on here! I think we discussed this scope on the CMP forums a while back. I've seen the photos in reference books, but I'm only tracking on 4 examples right now. This scope, the Stern collection scope and the 2 scopes that sold last year at an auction in PA (I heard that a European collector bought both of them). Would be interesting if more come out of the woodwork in the future!

sandwarrior - Yep, 3/4" diameter on the body (I didn't measure the sunshade). I have no idea how the think works and I'm afraid to take it apart. If I move the main tube around, I can feel it moving around in the front ring, but I have no idea how it's floating around in there (no visible plunger and spring like a Unertl).

Speaking of sunshade, do you guys know how to get it to slide forward without breaking the shit out of the world's rarest sniper optic? I genuinely want to know so I can get some pics of this feature.

 

[sandwarrior]

You guys crack me up. I'm probably the least interesting man in the world, I just have a few interesting guns.

JGaynor - Good to see you on here! I think we discussed this scope on the CMP forums a while back. I've seen the photos in reference books, but I'm only tracking on 4 examples right now. This scope, the Stern collection scope and the 2 scopes that sold last year at an auction in PA (I heard that a European collector bought both of them). Would be interesting if more come out of the woodwork in the future!

sandwarrior - Yep, 3/4" diameter on the body (I didn't measure the sunshade). I have no idea how the think works and I'm afraid to take it apart. If I move the main tube around, I can feel it moving around in the front ring, but I have no idea how it's floating around in there (no visible plunger and spring like a Unertl).

Speaking of sunshade, do you guys know how to get it to slide forward without breaking the shit out of the world's rarest sniper optic? I genuinely want to know so I can get some pics of this feature.

This is an interesting thing that most Allied tubes of WWI and WWII were 3/4". Yet the Germans used 27mm. My PE, being the Russian copy, with windage, of the ZF-39, is a 27mm tube. Whose line of thinking did this follow?

I have no idea how to get the sunshade slid forward. I know with my Fecker, using the focus, you loosened up the lock-ring, then slid to desired length then locked back up. You actually used the adjustment ring to slide it, then locked it back up. Added: Looking at your scope I would assume it slides back and forth on friction. This is not good as most rubber of any older eyepiece takes a hard set over time, and can easily shatter if deformed from it's set too far.