I'll agree the 3/4 in tube made by Redfield in Denver was an elegant little scope.
It also had an upsized objective bell,sothe objective lense would be comparable to a straight tube 1 in scope.
I saw that GruBee Chinese copy of the Redfield on E-bay.I don't know. Certainly there are plenty of junk optics from China,but we buy name brand prettygood optics that are made in China,too.
From the E-bay ads it looks to me like an entrepreneur/enthusiast wanted to bring back that scope.I don't know why anyone would want to bring it back as a junk scope.But,Ihave never seen one. For the $140price point,it COULD be reasonable quality.I might buy one.
The CMP vintage Sniper rifle game has inspired a Chinese remake (maybe a Malcomb) of the Weaver 330 that was used on the 1903A4 Springfield.
I have never used one but I have heard they work in CMP competition.
I would not expect miracles,but its there.
I have a Lyman Alaskan with a 7/8 in tube.Its on my fake 1903A4.I think its very nice scope.I've taken Pronghorn with it.The "collectable" market has inflated the price.
Some of the old Weavers were 3/4 and 7/8,that were deemed suitable (by Weaver) for centerfire use. The J-4,maybe?
Condition would be everything. Junk is junk,but a pristine one might be a good fit for you. They are out there for $20 to $100.
Seems like youmight be prepared to spend some $ on the rifle,you might risk buying one.
A micro-red dot such as the Burris Fastfire with the protective wings and a 3 MOA dot might scale to your project.
I don't know if its discontinued,but Burris made a nice little Compact 6X,.Its a 1 in tube,but short.Ihave one on a BRNO 22 mag semi-auto.
There are some pretty tiny variants of the ACOG in the 2x to 3X range. Not cheap,though.
I own a Chipmunk .22 WMR at about 2 1/2 lbs.I've sure had a lot of fun plinking with it.
I'd have to agree,there ARE optic compromises.
But as a young shooter with a 3/4 in tube Weaver on my 22,I was quite happy.