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Bushnell 6x25 Custom Compact, 8 Degrees, circa? (2 Viewers)

Kammerdiner

Well-known member
Well, I found this little gem at a thrift store for $2, and even though it was totally out of collimation I bought it anyway, just for yucks.

What a magnificent little critter! It took a big hit at some point in terms of collimation. It takes my eyes about 2-3 seconds to compensate for the miscollimation and about 3-4 seconds to recompensate when I put them down, but when everything is lined up, wow! Sharp as a tack. Contrast, not so much, but I didn't even bother to clean the lenses which were filthy. This thing must have rocked in its day (and when was that??). I'd buy one right now if Bushnell made one. Magnificent build quality.

It seems about half the size of the most recent 7x26 Custom Compact, which I have and which is a tubby little honker.

I think I'm going retro.

Mark
 
Well, I found this little gem at a thrift store for $2, and even though it was totally out of collimation I bought it anyway, just for yucks.

What a magnificent little critter! It took a big hit at some point in terms of collimation. It takes my eyes about 2-3 seconds to compensate for the miscollimation and about 3-4 seconds to recompensate when I put them down, but when everything is lined up, wow! Sharp as a tack. Contrast, not so much, but I didn't even bother to clean the lenses which were filthy. This thing must have rocked in its day (and when was that??). I'd buy one right now if Bushnell made one. Magnificent build quality.

It seems about half the size of the most recent 7x26 Custom Compact, which I have and which is a tubby little honker.

I think I'm going retro.

Mark

Hi Retro Dude

I think this thread is about your new-found gem:

http://www.opticstalk.com/new-bushnell-custom-compact-elite-binocular_topic9748.html

Are you going to get the little critter re-collimated?

Leo
 
I have bought three of the larger 7x26 and one of them was way out of collimation. I found though that one of the hinges, can't remember top or bottom, was a little loose. After tightening, collimation was perfect. It's worth a try!
 
Brentwood - The old Bushnell 6x25 Custom binocular is really quite handy, not to mention its quality optics. Have had many over the years - still have two pairs
.
A tip on collimation for do-it-yourself folks. The front rings can be unscrewed (use a thin rubber glove or nitrile glove to grip on the end & move counter-clockwise)), and when the rings are removed, you will find retaining rings with slots for unscrewing (counter clockwise) from the inside barrel housing. Once the retaining rings are removed, you will find the objective lens in eccentric housings. These have little indentations for moving the lens around - carefully.

It is usually just a matter of tweaking one way or the other. Best to work on one side at a time. A small screw driver (very small) held vertically can move the lens easily, but work slowly with care so you don't slip off and scratch the lens. Check the images each time to see whether the collimation is improving or getting worse and make your corrections. These can be hand collimated.

The whole barrel assembly can be removed (counter clockwise) but you don't want to do that and expose the prisms to contamination.

None of this is rocket science stuff, but make sure that your instruments fit the slots and indentations.

John
 
Hi Retro Dude

I think this thread is about your new-found gem:

http://www.opticstalk.com/new-bushnell-custom-compact-elite-binocular_topic9748.html

Are you going to get the little critter re-collimated?

Leo

I might try working on them myself. They're pretty rough unfortunately, including some internal damage. I suspect the prisms on one side may be out of whack, so I won't spend any money on them. The eyecups are long gone, although with glasses I don't need them. Might keep my eyes open for a nice used pair though. They are really quite nice optically if you can get the two images to merge, and you don't mind feeling crosseyed for a couple seconds when you put them down. |:S|


Thanks for the collimation tips, John. It's worth a shot. :t:
 
Mark

Good find. I also found one in a thrift store in Portland a couple years ago for $10. I bought a new B&L CC 7x26 Polycarbonate body in 1997 and loved how good that one has been, but never saw a 6x25 before. The 6x25 I found was way, way out of collimation- no way at all to get any sort of image. But I bought it anyways.

The reason I bought it was because about a year before that I bought a whole group of vintage binoculars on eBay for about $115 that had a couple Bushnell Customs in it and a 7x26 retro Custom Compact. Well that 7x26 CC was out of whack; and I decided to send it in to Bushnell to see what they could do. I figured it was worth the $10 to check it out. The 7x26 came back great.

So based on that, I figured it was worth while to do the same with the 6x25- and it was! $10 fee to Bushnell and they came back perfect. That was in 2010 or 2011. I have read real mixed reviews on their repair service, and supposedly it is no where near as good as it was thought of a long time ago. But I have had 2 good dealings with them on the 2 Custom Compacts that I have sent in.

If yours is minor, I may be inclined to try myself. But for $10 if Bushnell can fix them up, it may be worth it. The 6x25 view is fantastic, and I prefer it and it's 8 deg FOV over the 7x26. They really are a very well made and beautiful little retro gem. I think mine was made in around 1966. Mine also have the rubber eyepiece fold down sections long gone; with eyeglasses it is just fine. And even without eyeglasses it is real easy to hold them steady with just the forefinger resting against my forehead.

Enjoy
 
Stephen,

Thanks for that info. I'd definitely say it's worth $10 if Bushnell can fix them. Otherwise it might just be a fun first attempt at binocular repair.

Interestingly, there seems to be at least two versions of this 6x25. Mine has the strap lugs on the sides, but others I've seen have them tucked under the prisms, where they must absolutely interfere with thumb placement.

Mark
 
I found some aluminum foil shim used for collimation, in the chassis threads for the
objective. It is very easy to mis-thread the front and not feel it because of this.
Once I re-threaded for absolute flatness to the chassis, everything lined up perfectly.
That effects position and angle at the same time.
 
I suspected the 'tubbiness'. Yup, the oldie is a neat size.
Low contrast is often the result of nicotine film. Tricky stuff:
the coating looks just fine, but it scatters light just the same.
Water (distilled with a drop detergent per quart), light damp,
then 91% isopropyl, loosens the nicotine/tar. Alcohol alone
seems to bind it somehow.

You can access most faces on an old Custom with bent
light-damp swabs. It's a bit like surgery but you don't have to remove
the prisms.
 
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