I was very much taken with the rifle up to the point I saw the scope the owner had chosen to mount on it. It appears to be a variable of at least a maximum power of 12X, which in my opinion has no place in the hunting field, and moreover spoils the looks of an otherwise flawlessly executed classic rifle, completely aside from the fact that anyone who shot it would put his shooting eye in jeopardy from the lack of eye relief.

I am aware of the argument in favor of the high powered scopes on powerful hunting rifles, that their light gathering qualities are essential for shooting wild boar by moonlight, but why pervert a classic beauty like this for such a specialized purpose, when a fiberglass stocked modern bolt action would serve the purpose just as well, if not better?

Such a scope puts the rifle completely out of balance by overwhelming its visual image. It is the first thing someone notices about the rifle, seeing it for the first time, like the sails on a sailboat attract the viewer's attention first, before the shape of the boat's hull. The scope should complement the rifle, not compete with it for attention.

It is as though someone had commissioned an exact reproduction of the Venus de Milo in bronze, and then had it chrome plated and used it as a hood ornament for his Hummer.

My own .300 H&H, a much abused pre-64 Model 70 Winchester, has accounted for about 90 head of African game, all with a Lyman 4X All American Perma Center scope in Weaver mounts. It would never win a beauty contest, but as a practical rifle, I much prefer it to an overscoped monstrosity.