Hensoldt scope

[whitie]

I have a Hensoldt Wetzlar Diatal-Da 4x32 on my Jos. Just bolt action . I finally figured out that I needed to loosen the silver screws on the turrets so I could make adjustments . My question , is there any manuals out there that I could obtain ? I believe it to be of late 50's- early 60's vintage , as the rifle was made in 1961 .

[whitie]

Am I hunting for a Snark ?

[Diz]

whitie, It would appear that a Snark would be easier to find as I beat the bushes on the web for something on this scope and found a lot of different information but no manuals. You could probably piece together everything you need to know from that but it won't be easy. Perhaps a member has a copy. Good luck, Diz

[whitie]

Diz , I've been doing the same . Thanks

[mike ford]

Whitie/Diz I suggest you ask Axel. It will likely be in German.
Mike

[whitie]

Mike , How do I go about asking Axel a question ? Thanks ,
Steve White

[Axel E]

No, I have never seen a "manual" or "instructions for use" for the Diatal (light alloy tube with mounting rib) and Diasta (26mm steel tube) Hensoldt, later renamed Zeiss (West) series scopes.
As I have worked with and on about a dozen of these, maybe I can give some hints:
After removing the protective cap you find a black plate , knurled around the edge for adjustment turning. You see four screws holding this plate, three black and one silver. whitie alredy found out, the silver screw is for locking the adjustment, so keep it backed out until after final zeroing. Around the black plate you see a ring with an index mark and either a tiny pin, hole or stud for turning the ring. Most of these rings are of silvery metal, late ones of some plastic. On the underside of the ring there is a stop that limits turning either direction to less than one turn. Apparently this severely limits adjustment, but it ain't so. If you have turned the adjustment to the stop, loosen the three black screws and turn the ring only back a half turn. Continue sighting in. After sighting in the rifle you may again turn the ring only so the index line on it is opposite the tiny line engraved on the scope tube behind the adjustment turret(s).
There are neither clicks nor factory index marks (except one). The ring is meant so you may sribe your own reference marks on it. So sighting in is by trial and error. Turning the adjustments clockwise makes the rifle shoot up/right and vice versa.
On older Hensoldt Diatal/Diasta scopes the adjustment may be very hard to impossible to turn, especially in cold weather. Cause: Hensoldt once put lots of a grease into the adjustments. This grease often has hardened solid over the years, effectively glueing everything. Cure: Remove all four screws. pry out both the top plate and the ring, clean these from all dried gunk. Use toothpicks or so and scrape out all the grease you can get at from the turret. Put a LITTLE drop of oil in there . Reassemble.
Despite the less than perfect handling of the adjustments these Diatal/Diasta scopes are still unsurpassed optically and mechanically, better than most scopes availble today. I use such 4x scopes almost exclusively for my own hunting. I also use Zeiss Zielvier and Zielsechs scopes sometimes, but these Hensoldts are superior.

[whitie]

Axel ,
Thank you so much for the information . After our deer season is over in mid December , I'll clean all of the gunk out from under the adjustment plates . Right now I have the scope spot on at the top of the post at 100 yards . Your right I had one heck of a time turning the adjustment knobs .
steve

[Kiwi_bloke]

Without getting carried away, if you leave it in the sun, the grease can loosen sometimes, enough to get things moving. But it is not a cure expect for the moment. A friend of mine who repaired Zeiss microscopes for many years has stripped and got a couple of my scopes of this era working again so that might be an idea, if you know someone of the sort.

[Diz]

Kiwi-bloke,

Your reference to putting the scope in the sun jogged my memory of having an old vari-power scope adjustment frozen. I was about to send it off when Gil Parsons suggested I heat it with a hair dryer for a bit and it came loose. After that it was easy to get apart and clean. Just thought I would throw that in.

Thanks, Diz