Return to Index


Delft 3x25
7.62x51/5.56x45 - Holland - AR10 - FN FAL - M16





Since the early days of the AR-10's development Armalite had envisioned providing scopes as an option for the rifle. Early attempts at a scoped AR-10 by Armalite and later AI (Artillerie-Intrichtingen) in Holland made use of commerical scopes, but results were unsatisfactory. AI would attempt producing scopes of their own design, before quickly realizing outsourcing production would be the better option. AI selected Optische Industrie De Oude Delft (shortened to Oude Delft, DelftOptik, or just Delft) located in the city of Delft, founded in 1939 as Van Leers Optische Industrie by Oscar J. van Leer, to produce the new scope design for the AR-10 (Putnam Evans, 2016).

Initially scopes would cost $140 more than the AR-10 rifle they mounted to. Sudan would be the first purchaser of the new scope, purchasing eight scoped AR-10s as part of their order of 2508 rifles in 1958 (Putnam Evans, 2016). [NOTE: Putnam lists two different numbers 8 and 25 for the number of scopes purchased by Sudan, unclear if this is an error or the order was adjusted at some point by Sudan.]

While AI would fail to secure a contract for the AR10 as Hollands new service rifle in 1960, the Dutch military would select the Delft 3x25 scope for use on their new FN FAL rifles. In Dutch service the scopes would be designated the KRR62 (Kijker Recht Richt model 1962) and would include a front and rear sunshade and would mount to the rifle using a dust cover mount.

Between 1960 and 1961 Portugal purchased AR10 rifles from AI which included scoped rifles equipped with the Delft scope. Between the Dutch and Portuguese orders, scope costs would drop. Portugal would pay $119 per regular rifle and $163 per rifle with scope. Less than a year later in January 1962 the Italian COMSUBIN would purchase 6 scopes with their order of 60 AR-10 rifles for $58.80 per scope (Putnam Evans, 2016).

During this same time AI had began shipping scopes to Colt for use on their new model 601 AR15 rifles. The Colt contract scopes were supplied without any mount, Colt producing their own mounts in house. It is believed a total of 794 scopes were made for Colt between March 1960 and July 1962, with the last shipment from AI to Colt happening in January 1963 (Senich, 1994). It appears that Colt never produced mounts for all the scopes they received from AI as a number of scopes have surfaced in recent years without mounts. As late as 1964 the scope would still be seen in Colt sales material for the AR15 (Senich, 1994). By 1965 Colt would switch to offering buyers of the AR15 the Colt 3x20 scope produced by Realist and latter Hakko. Colt's decision to swap scopes appears to have necessitated by Delft ending production and changing Dutch export laws, and not by the cost or performance of the Delft scope.

Total scope production appears to have been around 1100 scopes with the highest known serial number being 1097. Based on known serial numbers and scope contracts Delft appears to have stopped scope production in 1962. The Italian scope order was supposedly filled by AI using older scopes they still had in stock after filling earlier contracts (Putnam Evans, 2016).

AR10 rifles had two seperate patterns of mounts. The first pattern used on the Sudanese contract rifles and the second pattern used on Portuguese contract rifles. The second pattern mount was a result of the Dutch military trails which had a requirement that all rifles could mount a scope.

601 scopes unlike the AR10 and FN FAL did not have a thread rodded on the bottom for use with their mounts. Early 601 scopes supposedly had the threaded rods, which were then cut off by Colt.

It appears Philips took over maintence of the Dutch scopes from Delft at some point as some Dutch scopes have Philips service stickers affixed to them.

For adjustment, front ring adjusts windage, rear ring adjusts elevation. AR10 and FAL scopes had elevation rings marked out to 800m while Colt AR15 scopes only have elevation rings marked to 200m. Some early AR10 scopes were only marked out to 700m.

If looking to purchase a Delft scope, note that while reproduction scopes do not exist, reproduction Colt mounts do. Collectors have also in some cases swapped scopes into other mounts. ie FAL scope in AR10 mount, AR10 scope in Colt mount, etc.










Images






On AR10 rifle during Dutch AR10 trials.



On Dutch FN FAL rifles.



On Dutch FN FAL mounts.



Sudanese AR10 carry handle scope mount with its locking nut integrated into the carry handle.



On Portugese AR10 rifle.



On Portugese pattern scope with integrated mount.



Portugese AR10 carry handle cutout for scope mount.



On AR15 rifle with Pasadena CA police department.



On Colt AR15 mount.



On Stoner 63 produced by NWM with NWM scope mount.



The first Colt brochure for the AR15 prominently showing a Delft scope at the top of the page.



English AI manual for AR10 Delft scope.



US Air Force Manual 50-12 has two pages dedicated to the Delft 3x25 scope.



Reticle (left) from a 601 scope (5.56x45), (center) from a Dutch FN FAL scope (7.62x51), and (right) from AR10 scope (7.62x51)








Serial Numbers



Serial Mount Images Notes
010 Colt Carry Handle 1 Seen in first Colt AR15 601 sales brochure. Sudanese pattern scope in Colt Carry Handle mount.
015 Sudanese carry handle 1 Seen in various AI printed material.
125 Sudanese carry handle 1 Elevation ring only marked out to 700m.
141 Colt carry handle 1 In a Colt carry handle scope but has elevation ring marked out to 700m.
168 Dutch FN FAL 1 Has red sticker on right side.
163 Stoner 63 1 AR10 scope seen in NWM sales brochure from late 1960s in a Stoner 63 scope mount.
226 Stoner 63 1 Dutch pattern scope in NWM Stoner 63 scope mount. Mount differs from mount with scope 163.
252 Sudanese carry handle 1
283 Dutch FN FAL 1
311 Colt carry handle 1
312 Colt carry handle 1 Pictured in The Black Rifle: M16 retrospective.
316 Colt carry handle 1
326 Colt carry handle 1 .
338 Colt carry handle 1
401 Dutch FN FAL 1
429 Dutch FN FAL 1
478 Dutch FN FAL 1
484 Dutch FN FAL 1 Has red sticker on right side marked 55 / 8411-4.
559 Dutch FN FAL 1
606 Dutch FN FAL 1 Missing mount. Has Philips sticker on right hand side.
611 Dutch FN FAL 1 Missing mount.
643 Colt carry handle 1 Missing Colt carry handle mount.
748 Dutch FN FAL 1
834 Dutch FN FAL 1 Has red sticker on right side.
841 Dutch FN FAL 1
858 Colt carry handle 1
868 Colt carry handle 1
894 Colt carry handle 1 Missing mount.
936 1 In reproduction Colt carry handle.
1001 Sudanese carry handle 1 Marked 3.6x25.
1009 Portugese carry handle 1 Marked 3.6x25. Scope is seen in the 1961 english AI manual for the AR10.
1018 Portugese carry handle 1
1044 Colt carry handle 1 Scope and mount both marked P-27327.
1046 Colt carry handle 1 Marked 3x25.
1047 Portugese carry handle 1 Marked 3.6x25.
1049 Colt carry handle 1 Shipped to Colt from AI on 9/12/62. Scope ended up as USMC property (Senich, 1994).
1050 Colt carry handle 1
1061 Colt carry handle 1 Hard to see serial.
1068 Colt carry handle 1 Hard to see serial. Owner said it was 1068. Scope marked P-27330.
1081 Portugese carry handle 1 Marked 3.6x25.
1090 Colt carry handle 1 Seen in a 1964 Colt sales brochure.
1097 Colt carry handle 1





References

Putnam Evans, J. (2016). The Armalite AR-10. Collector Grade Publications.

Senich, P. (1994). The Long-Range War: Sniping in Vietnam. Paladin Press.



Return to Index
© ShootingGlass.com