When I was a young man, there were three top American rifle scope brands–Leupold, Weaver, and Redfield.

Leupold was, even then, the top dog, making the best scopes and selling them for the highest prices. However, Redfield was so close in quality, and just enough cheaper, that they were revered by most sportsmen. Weaver was the scope of the working man; high quality, reasonable price, and few of the bells and whistles.

 Then Redfield came out with their Widefield, and then shortly after that with the Low-Profile Widefield. I scrimped and saved for months until I could finally afford a 6X Redfield Low Profile Widefield. I mounted it on my .17 Remington and immediately fell in love with it.

 I used Redfield scopes for many years and then, one day, they mysteriously went out of business.

 That the Redfield scopes were of high quality can be testified to by the fact that I still have one of the originals, and it is still a good scope. If my memory serves, it is now going on 35 years old. That is bloody ancient for a rifle scope, especially one that has taken the abuse that one has. It has been on countless rifles, traveled countless miles over rough and rugged roads, and has been carried further miles slung over my shoulder. It was the scope that was on my .243 when I killed my Wyoming antelope, after my old Lyman All-American that I had on my pre-64 Winchester Model 70 .270 gave up the ghost in the middle of the hunt. That was in 1984 and it was far from new, even then.

 Well, scope lovers, Redfield is back in business.

 I have for the last few months been testing one of the new Redfield scopes. I was a bit leery, at first, that they were of the same quality as the originals, so I decided to put this one through the wringer before I wrote a word. I can now say with authority that the new Redfields are scopes of the highest quality.

 The one I have is a 3×9-power variable. I have put it on several rifles. It has the marks of scope rings that designates a scope that has seen more than its share of service. I have had it on small, light caliber rifles, and I have had it on big, hard-kicking magnums.

 This one appears to be parallax free at 100 yards. It is quite possible, when I am having one of my all too rare good days, to put all the bullets into one ragged hole at 100 yards. I have most recently had it on my old Remington Model 721 .270 Winchester. This is an old warhorse with an after-market — probably a Fajen – stock. It is heavy and very, very accurate. With the Redfield sitting on it, that old .270 is sufficient for any deer within about a quarter mile.

 The scope I have is a Redfield Revolution, with a suggested retail price of about $250.00. Redfield currently makes 2 different brands, the Revolution and the less expensive Revenge. The 3.9×42 Revenge retails for about $179.00.

 Redfield also has several different reticles, including a couple of ballistic compensating reticles that allow the shooter to confidently hold for ranges up to 500 yards.

Redfield is now owned by Leupold & Stevens, Inc., which company bought Redfield in its entirety in 2008. If you are looking for a quality mid-priced scope, try Redfield. Yes, sir. Redfield is back.