Bill Weaver introduced the first affordable scope in the U.S. The Model 440 riflescope became a best seller and put the Weaver Company on the map in the 1930's. The Weaver name has been prominent in the telescopic sight business ever since. Weaver scopes have traditionally been known for delivering good value in the medium price (3-star) range.

Over the years the company has changed hands a few times and, for a while, fell on hard times. After Blount, Inc. acquired Weaver in the 1990's the ship was righted and market share regained. The product line was modernized and the premium (4-star) Grand Slam line was introduced. Weaver is now owned by Meade, a U.S. telescope manufacturer, who (as I write this) is the parent company of Weaver, Redfield, and Simmons. Classic V-Series scopes are made in Japan to Weaver specifications and design.

Weaver produces several lines of telescopic sights and an extensive line of mounts and rings for telescopic sights. In 2003 the Weaver Classic V-Series riflescopes included the V-3 (1-3x20mm), V-9 (3-9x38mm), V-9x50 (3-9x50mm), V-10 (2-10x38mm), V-10x50 (2-10x50mm), V-16 (4-16x42mm), and V-24 (6-24x42mm).

All Weaver Classic V-Series scopes are built with one-piece main tubes of aircraft quality aluminum 1" in diameter. Lenses are fully multi-coated to reduce glare. Windage and elevation adjustments "click" in 1/4 minute of angle (MOA) increments, except for the V-24 that "clicks" in 1/8 MOA increments. The power ring has a raised node for easy gripping even when wearing gloves. They are shockproof, waterproof, and fogproof. All models are parallax free at 100 yards, except the V-16 and V-24, which have adjustable objectives that let the shooter eliminate parallax at any distance from 10 yards to infinity.

Weaver Classic V-Series scopes come with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. This warrants the scope to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for as long as it is owned by the original owner. Weaver will repair or replace any defective V-Series scope at no charge under this warrantee. In my experience, Weaver customer service and technical personal have always been very helpful when I have had questions. (I have never had grounds for a complaint about any Weaver product.)

The V-3 comes with a matte black finish and a Dual-X reticle. It is 9.2" long and weighs 8.5 ounces. The field of view at 100 yards is 88' at 1x and 32' at 3x. Eye relief is a generous 3.9" at 1x and 3.7" at 3x. The adjustment range at 100 yards is +/- 85". The V-3 is designed for close to medium range shooting with woods or dangerous game rifles chambered for cartridges such as the .30-30, .35 Remington, .44 Remington Magnum, .444 Marlin, .45-70, .450 Marlin, and .458 Winchester Magnum. It is a trim scope well suited to handy carbine style rifles such as the Winchester Model 94, Marlin Models 1894/336/1895, Ruger Model 96, and Remington Model 7.

The V-9 is the best selling of the Classic V-Series scopes. This traditional favorite is a 3-9x38 and is supplied with a Dual-X reticle in the customer's choice of gloss black, matte black, or silver. The 38mm front objective lets in as much light as the human eye can use, even when fully dark adapted, at powers up to about 5.5. Best of all, it allows the use of low mounting rings on most rifles for fast alignment and good cheek to comb contact. The V-9 is 12.1" long and weighs 11.1 ounces. Field of view at 100 yards is 33' at 3x and 11' at 9x. Eye relief is 3.5" at 3x and 3.4" at 9x. The adjustment range at 100 yards is +/- 40".

The V-9x50 is larger and heavier than the standard V-9. It is only supplied with a matte black finish and a Dual-X reticle. It is a 3-9x50mm; the larger objective provides all the light grasp the fully dark-adapted human eye can use up to 7x. Medium to high mounting rings will be required on most rifles. The V-9x50 is 13.1" long and weighs 14.5 ounces, and will be mounted higher, so it will degrade the rifle's handling more than the standard V-9. The field of view at 100 yards is 29.4" at 3x and 9.9" at 9x. Eye relief is 3.6" at 3x and 3.0" at 9x. The adjustment range at 100 yards is +/- 40".

The V-10 is a 2-10x38mm scope. It is available with a Dual-X reticle in gloss black, matte black, or silver. As with the 3-9x38, low mounting rings may be used on most rifles. The V-10 is 12.2" long and weighs 11.2 ounces. Its field of view at 100 yards is 38.5" at 2x and 9.5" at 10x. Eye relief is 3.4" at 3x and 3.3" at 10x. The adjustment range at 100 yards is +/- 40". The V-10 is a good choice for medium range varmint cartridges and long range big game cartridges.

The V-10x50 serves the same purpose as the V-9x50, and will also require medium or high mounting rings on most rifles. It comes with a Dual-X reticle in matte black only. It has a length of 13.75" and a weight of 15.2 ounces. Its field of view at 100 yards is 40.2" at 2x and 9.2" at 10x. Eye relief is a rather skimpy 2.9" at 2x and 2.8" at 10x. The adjustment range at 100 yards is +/- 40".

The V16 is a high power 4-16x42mm scope primarily intended for use on long range varmint rifles. It is available in matte black finish with a choice of three reticles, a Dual-X, Fine Cross Hair, or DOT. The V-16 is a large scope that is 13.9" long and weighs 16.5 ounces. Its field of view at 100 yards is 26.8" at 4x and 6.8' at 16x. Eye relief is 3.1" at all magnifications. The adjustment range at 100 yards is +/- 30".

The V-24 is a specialized 6-24x42mm target/varmint scope. It comes in matte black only with a Varminter reticle that features very fine crosshairs. It is a large scope 14.3" long that weights 17.5 ounces. Its field of view at 100 yards is 15.3' at 6x and only 4' at 24x. Eye relief is 3.7" at 6x and 3.15" at 24x. The adjustment range at 100 yards is +/- 20".

I have used Weaver scopes since the early 1960's with good results, including .22 scopes, K-series fixed power scopes, V-series variable power scopes, and Grand Slam variable power scopes. Weaver scopes have always represented solid value for the price. Weaver V-series scopes compete in the hotly contested medium price scope market, where there are many brands from which to choose, some of which are quite good. Despite this, Weaver has managed to maintain their position and their reputation.