I’ve been on a little bit of a retro kick currently. I’ve been doing retro AR builds for a few years now.
In the midst of taking a look at older elements and builds, I’ve additionally gotten inquisitive about retro sights.
One which intrigued me was the Weaver Qwik Level, one of many earliest dot sights.
The Qwik Level: A Fast Rundown
The Weaver Qwik Level sight was type of forward of its time. It was launched in 1971, not lengthy after the Singlepoint OEG sight, made well-known by the Son Tay jail camp raid in the course of the Vietnam Conflict, and some years earlier than Aimpoint launched its first digital crimson dot sight. I’m undecided how lengthy they have been in manufacturing. I couldn’t discover something itemizing a full manufacturing timeline. All the adverts that I discovered on-line have been from the early 70’s although.
The Qwik Level is what I thought-about a fiber optic sight, however outdated Weaver adverts simply name it a “gentle gathering filament.” Is that the identical factor? I’m actually undecided, however it works on the identical premise. It makes use of an orange filament that tasks a orangish crimson dot.
The Qwik Level was made in three fashions for shotguns, centerfire rifles and rimfires. There have been truly two shotgun variations the S-1, which apparently labored with most pump and semi automated shotguns, and the S-1100, which was particularly for Remington 1100 and 870 shotguns.
The S-1 fashions used a aspect mount that match the the left aspect of the shotgun receiver. You needed to drill and faucet the receiver for the mounting screws on these fashions. The S-1100 changed the 2 set off meeting pins on the Remington 100 or 870 for mounting. The R-1 had a Weaver mount and got here with a Weaver rail. It was designed for centerfire rifles. The R-22 was made for .22 rifles with a tip off model rimfire rails.
The Qwik Level has a peculiar retro mod look to it. It has an extended tube on high with a domed gentle gathering receptor on the entrance, and it sits over a shorter sighting tube.
Development is of blued metal, apart from the polymer for the domed emitter, the orange gentle gathering rod, and the glass lenses. It’s a easy, stable design with minimal shifting elements. Weaver claimed they have been shock and recoil proof.
No batteries are required, though that does imply that you just want a minimum of some ambient gentle for the optic to work. Being that these sights have been designed for looking and goal functions, not tactical ones, that wasn’t actually a difficulty.
Though there’s an outdated Soldier of Fortune image of 1 mounted on an AM-180 SMG in Rhodesia, so a few of them will need to have labored their approach into fight right here and there.
Worth and Availability
Regardless of not being in manufacturing for a number of many years, there appear to be a good quantity of Qwik Factors floating round on the secondary market. Generally nonetheless within the unique packaging.
Shotgun fashions appear the commonest, however rifle and rimfire fashions pop up on on-line public sale websites fairly usually. Costs appear to run between $50 and $150 relying on mannequin, situation, and equipment. If you would like an unique field, you’ll doubtless pay slightly extra.
After wanting round on-line a bit, I tracked down two of them. I received an R-1 rifle mannequin with the Weaver base and an R-22 rimfire mannequin with the tip off base. The R-22 rimfire mannequin ran slightly over $100.00. The R-1 rifle mannequin was a bit beneath $75.00.
The rimfire mannequin was in wonderful situation and the rifle mannequin in all probability excellent to wonderful. I think numerous these sights didn’t see brutal use.
Mounting
I made a decision to place the rimfire mannequin on my outdated early 70’s 10/22. It was my dad’s rifle and one I grew up taking pictures. Lord is aware of what number of rounds have been via that gun over the many years,. It was rebuilt by Ruger as soon as within the early 90’s.
It has the walnut deluxe sporter inventory on it, that has some scratches and dings from a half century of use. The end is just about worn off of the barrel. My dad had an outdated Weaver 4x scope on it however the adjustment caps went lacking someplace over time and that drove my OCD nuts, so I wished to exchange it anyway.
I just lately purchased a set of latest Wolff springs for it. I thought of doing one of many Ruger BX set off teams however the brand new set off housings are plastic. My outdated one is aluminum so I made a decision to only replace the springs. I’ve been contemplating changing the barrel too, however as ugly as it’s, it nonetheless shoots properly so I’m on the fence with that one.
My dad had one of many ugliest shiny tan leather-based slings I’ve even seen on it so I lastly changed that too whereas I used to be updating issues. I picked up a brand new manufacture M1 carbine model sling from a vendor on Ebay. It’s fairly properly created from nylon, just like the later Vietnam period M1 slings, however with the WWII model button dot fastener. They’ve accessible in black, tan and OD inexperienced too. I opted for tan only for selection.
With the brand new springs and new sling, I simply had so as to add the optic. I popped off the outdated scope and dropped the Qwik Level on. It was a straightforward swap, nothing uncommon or onerous about it. The rimfire mount is scaled appropriately for the Ruger’s manufacturing facility tip off rail. I had initially swapped the rail for a Weaver rail and tried the rifle Qwik Level on the ten/22 however the mounting rail on it was a great bit longer than the ten/22 receiver. It will have labored, however it bothered my OCD too. So I ended up discovering and shopping for a rimfire Qwik Level as an alternative.
Since I nonetheless had the rifle mannequin I thought-about what to do with it. I’m attempting it out on my “apocalypse construct” .50 Beowulf AR SBR. It matches the Fallout-esque vibe of the gun with its retro-mod styling. Being that Weaver claims they’re recoil and shock proof, and so they have been designed to face as much as shotgun recoil, it must be fantastic on the .50 Beowulf. The Weaver mount locked down fantastic on the Picatinny rail of the AR.
The sight does sit a bit low on the AR being that you just look and intention via the decrease tube, not the highest one. It doesn’t appear too unhealthy although. I have to get some vary time in and see the way it does. I’m doing a barrel swap proper now although so I’ll wait till that’s executed. I do just like the aesthetic although. That’s largely a enjoyable gun for taking pictures “stuff” so I’m not apprehensive concerning the daylight solely optic for it. I’d like to attempt it hog looking sometime however even then, the Qwik Level must be fantastic.
Vary Time
I took the ten/22 out this previous Sunday with a buddy of mine. The climate was not nice. We’d had a weekend of storms and it was overcast and threatening extra storms and temps have been within the mid 30’s. Because it was cruddy I opted for my membership’s rimfire metal vary. It’s coated and has a pleasant choice of metal plates, gongs and silhouettes out to 25 yards. Nothing loopy, however numerous enjoyable for .22’s.
We shot some .22 pistols first, together with a brand new Beretta 20X and an outdated Beretta Mannequin 71, then I pulled out the ten/22. I’ve an ammo can stuffed with outdated random .22 that my dad collected over time. Some of these items might be as outdated because the gun and it’s been added to with unfastened rounds from different partial bins over time. I in all probability began with three or 4 .30 cal cans full, however I’ve been going via it over time. The ten/22 loves it. It doesn’t care what you feed it, so this junk stuff is my go to for plinking.
I loaded up a number of 10 spherical mags and gave the Qwik Level a attempt on one of many full sized silhouettes at 25 yards since I didn’t know the place it will be hitting. 10 out 10 rings on metal and as finest I may inform they appeared to be hitting to level of intention. Regardless of the dim overcast day the orange dot was simply seen. Not as brilliant as some newer fiber optic sights I’ve labored with, however fairly usable.
I switched to a 6 inch gong with my subsequent magazine. 10 out of 10 hits once more, and it was simpler to see on the small gong they have been hitting properly centered. I used to be calling that shut sufficient for plinking functions. Any time I don’t truly must do sight in I’m stoked.
I began operating the road of hanging plates subsequent that modify in dimension from 4 inches as much as perhaps 10 inches or so. The Qwik Level was, properly, fast on track. It was straightforward to select up and transfer quickly between plates. In actual fact it appeared good for the sort of taking pictures. It will truly work rather well for a rimfire match and could be enjoyable to run my 50 yr outdated 10/22 with a sight almost as outdated towards all the newer weapons with digital dots.
Retro for the Win
I began out grabbing a Qwik Level simply out of curiosity, however I’ve to say I actually just like the sight. It has a cool aesthetic to it that’s totally different from something you see in the marketplace lately. Nevertheless it nonetheless works nice, I like the stable building and reality that you just by no means want batteries as properly.
I didn’t suppose the costs I discovered on them have been unreasonable. I really feel like this could be a type of optics that you possibly can discover even cheaper in a gun present or gun store solid off field as a type of “outdated sights nobody desires” type of factor too.
I’m not planning on changing all of my trendy optics with Qwik Factors however the rimfire mannequin has discovered a everlasting dwelling on my 10/22, and I’m anxious to see how the rifle mannequin does on my Beowulf construct. If you happen to occur to see one at a present or store, or in a web-based public sale at a great worth, give it some thought. Simply because one thing is outdated, doesn’t imply that it’s out of date.
