Monday, March 18, 2024

A reminder about a great scope accessory

 

My recent review of Primary Arms' 3-9x44 scope generated some correspondence with readers.  Among other things, it seems that too few people have heard about the use of a fishing reel attachment tool known as a "Coaster" to make an improvised scope magnification adjustment device.  I wrote about it three years ago.  Here's an excerpt from that earlier post.


 I'm sure many readers interested in the shooting sports are familiar with the "throw lever" sometimes integrated into the power ring (i.e. the adjustment ring to vary the magnification) of telescopic sights.  They look something like this example, sticking up from the power ring of a Swampfox Optics Arrowhead tactical scope.  (Click any image for a larger view.)

Regular hunting- and target-style scopes don't usually have throw levers, but they've become very popular on tactical scopes.  They allow one to adjust the power very quickly with one hand, rather than fiddle with a power ring that doesn't offer easy purchase or a visual or tactile reference when the scope is being held to one's eye.  There are third-party, aftermarket throw levers available, but they can be expensive, and they only fit a limited range of sizes.

I recently came across a fishing accessory, originally designed to attach reels to rods.  It's called a "Coaster" ... They're made by Breakaway Tackle in England, and look like this.

The loop is placed around the fishing rod, over the mounting lugs of the reel:  then the arms are pulled tight through the vice block before the ring is screwed down on the block, its threads engaging the notches on the arms to tighten them further.  It's a bit like a double-ended cable tie.

Some bright spark figured out that the same tool could be used as a throw lever on rifle telescopic sights that lacked such a feature.  Intrigued, I tried it, and found it works like a charm.  Here's how the vendor illustrates it.

I modified that slightly, in that I cut off the arms a notch or so above the ring using cutting pliers, as low as I could manage, as illustrated above.  I then unscrewed the ring and took it off, cut the arms a notch or two shorter while holding the loop and vice block in place, and then reattached the ring and screwed it down moderately tightly (don't over-tighten it, as that will strip the threads).  That put the ends of the arms just beneath the surface of the ring, rather than above it, so they no longer scratched my fingers as I felt for the ring.  I found that a lot more comfortable, and it looked better, too.


There's more at the link, and in a follow-up post where a reader described having a problem fitting the "Coaster" to a very low-mounted scope.

Here's a video demonstrating how to install the Coaster on a scope.




This is a super-useful accessory to put on any scope with a variable power or focus ring.  The Coaster is also much lower cost than some of the made-for-purpose throw rings you'll find if you shop around (it's anywhere from a half to a tenth of their price), and it'll fit just about any scope, unlike some of the others that are restricted to scopes of a particular brand or size.  I've put them on my most-used scopes, and I'm in the process of installing them on the rest as well, for a uniform fit across all my long guns.  You'll find them on Amazon.

Highly recommended.

Peter


5 comments:

  1. Spot on.

    I don't recall now whether it was your review or the video that I saw first. Either way, back around that time I had just purchased a Nikon Black X1000 4-16X50mm. The zoom ring is quite stiff. As noted, the coaster works like a charm. Has been on this scope ever since, many range trips, has not worked loose.

    For anyone considering an LPVO, I'll toss in my 2 cents here for the Burris RT-6. To the topic at hand, the zoom lever can be mounted on any spline on the zoom ring. Another handy feature is the illumination dial. There is an "off" position between each setting, so you don't have to spin the dial all the way back to zero to turn is off.

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  2. You can accomplish the same thing with one or a couple of heavy-duty cable ties, for pennies apiece.

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  3. @Aesop: Yes, I mentioned cable ties in the second blog post linked above. It's a bit unsightly, and less easy to grasp in a hurry, but it works.

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  4. I am always interested in repurposing items. Still, for five more bucks, I prefer the aesthetics and functionality of a real throw lever over the ugly Coaster, which may be too clever by half (or five dollars)

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  5. I have had good luck with the 3D printed MK machine units as well. The are more expensive than the above, but far less expensive than the Al levers

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