What the Actual Stainless
Here a Weaver K4-S (Stainless) with VGS Modern Glass sits atop a Ruger boat paddle M77 stainless. Actual stainless on actual stainless for a “grew right out of the receiver look” unattainable with coated aluminum scopes.
Just prior to closing the doors at W.R. Weaver in 1984, this happened. They built the best actual stainless steel scope ever. It has the rugged durability of the K4-1 series in a stainless tube and includes a finish that matches most actual stainless rifles and rings so perfectly that the scope looks like it grew right out of the receiver. Stainless rifle scopes were limited to the 4x and a duplex reticle although we can change it to a medium crosshair.
Not many were made and collectors with a great eye can catch one that is refurbishable. Here at Vintage Gun Scopes, we do refurbish the K4-S for you here and also you might catch one for sale in a refurbished scope listing here. If we don’t have one when you look, you can waitlist to be notified when one hits inventory. We are also able to re-glass this scope with our VGS Modern Glass here and we have a limited run of 6 scopes available now that you can buy here. But when the limited run is out, we don’t know if/when we will see those again.
If you have a vintage stainless rifle that screams for an actual stainless steel scope, instead of a doesn’t really match “silver” aluminum scope, this is probably your ticket. Pictured above is one of the most weather resistant and durable rifles ever produced. When It came out in 1991 I put my name in for one immediately. When it showed up I recall saying that this is the gun that you can stay out all week in the rain without worry. No stock to warp, no blued steel to rust, and you could even paddle your canoe back with it with your buck inside. Interestingly I wasn’t the only one that had this thought. They sold a bunch of them, they are highly collectible and now they are even referred to as “boat paddle” rugers. But Ruger wasn’t the only one producing wonderful stainless rifles back then, and the K4-S looks great on every one I’ve ever mounted up.
