One of the guys in the vintage Unertl group shared pictures of this Tasco he purchased. Yes, I have said before, Tasco did make an external adjustment optic way back in the day. Reportedly from trusted reliable people, the glass and clarity on them are first rate. Made in Japan ground glass. The mounts and W&E knobs…not so much.
The Tasco model is easily confused from a distance with the B&L BALvar. Which you can see below.
Regretfully I don’t know a lot about the history of either of these or why the TASCO seems to be a rip off of the more expensive and higher quality B&L. I have only seen and handled one of each brands in my entire life. It’s possible B&L sold the IP to TASCO after they decided to stop making them. I certainly don’t know.
Scattered Shots 
B&L meaning Bausch & Lomb?
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yes
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The Bausch & Lomb Balvar 24 was made from 1955 – 1969. They’re outstanding scopes and were ahead of their time with features like the dual-diameter main tube, 6x-24x variable magnification, circular rear mount, and etched cross hairs. When they were introduced, they were the most expensive American-made scope on the market with a MSRP around $250. The Tasco 700 series target scopes were only made for a few years, around 1969 – 1971. I believe they were manufactured for Tasco by Hakko of Japan. They came in 12x, 16x, 20x, 24x, and a 6x-18x variable. I don’t know if they bought the rights to the tube design from B&L or just copied it. Optically they aren’t on par with the Balvars, but they’re still respectable scopes. The mounts are their weak point. They have micrometer-type adjusters but the mounts are aluminum instead of steel like the other makers and aren’t as durable. The adjusters for leveling the cross hairs are in the front mount and are made of nylon and easily broken. That aside, they still have that nostalgic look when mounted on an older target rifle. They perform well and are a lot of fun to shoot with.
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