Anyone have any scope horror story to tell
- Thread starter jlow
- Start date
Kings X
Gold $$ Contributor
jlow wrote:
"King X, I know you see difference between 100 yards and 1k in terms of group size but most of us don’t have the ability and facility to do the 1k test."
I do not test at 1K. I only have a 100 yard range to do all my testing on. I shoot on a TALL piece of paper at 100 yards. Shot a "100 yard zero" group. The dial scope up to 1 K setting - about 25 MOA and shoot another group aiming at the same point that I aimed for the first group. If your spring inside the scope has gotten weak - your group will be larger.
Since I cannot test at 1000 yards - I DO plot all my shots at matches on a plot sheet. I am looking for patterns and keeping track of wild shots.
"King X, I know you see difference between 100 yards and 1k in terms of group size but most of us don’t have the ability and facility to do the 1k test."
I do not test at 1K. I only have a 100 yard range to do all my testing on. I shoot on a TALL piece of paper at 100 yards. Shot a "100 yard zero" group. The dial scope up to 1 K setting - about 25 MOA and shoot another group aiming at the same point that I aimed for the first group. If your spring inside the scope has gotten weak - your group will be larger.
Since I cannot test at 1000 yards - I DO plot all my shots at matches on a plot sheet. I am looking for patterns and keeping track of wild shots.
Kings X - thanks! That sounds like a great idea! Much appreciated!
One thing I would ask you to elaborate more on is this idea of a weak spring and larger group at the 1k setting. I presume this relates to the ability of the return spring pushing up on the erector tube with the tube going higher and the spring longer for the longer distance shot?
So to bring that further, one can visualize more potential problem for the longer distance setting?
One thing I would ask you to elaborate more on is this idea of a weak spring and larger group at the 1k setting. I presume this relates to the ability of the return spring pushing up on the erector tube with the tube going higher and the spring longer for the longer distance shot?
So to bring that further, one can visualize more potential problem for the longer distance setting?
Bought a brand new Leupold FX 3 silhouette scope in 25X. Turned out to be approximately a 6X scope somehow. I have 3 others so the difference in magnification was evident. The scope had all the proper markings on it. Leupold said can't be but send it in (at my expense) and we'll look at it anyway. Got it back in three weeks and now it was a 25X scope. Service note said they adjusted the turrets. Don't think so.
I had 2 Leupold VX111's 6.5-20X. It seemed that the windage adjustment got disconnected. Just to be sure it wasn't the "human nut", I locked the gun in a rest and twisted the wind wheel, no movement. So I put my back-up scope on and all was well. Within a couple of months, that one did the same thing. So, while that one was back for repair, I put my other one back in place. This went on until I had had both scopes back to the factory twice. When I got them back the last time, I let them go to live somewhere else. I can say that Leupold's service was excellent. I guess that I have developed trust issues with the product. Then again, I do have a Leupold M1 Ultra 16X that is right on all the time. I've shot it on my LR prone gun for a long time and it is "dead nuts" correct.
Just my thoughts.
Craig
Just my thoughts.
Craig
jonbearman
I live in new york state,how unfortunate !
I bought a TC Encore muzzleloader and my ex gave me a Tasco EXP for a present. I really didn't want a Tasco but I put it on anyways. I put it in a set of good rings and started to fire it,well after 4 rounds at only 50 yds,it kept changing as I adjusted it. Then the 5th shot and all hell broke loose and realized the tube bent so bad it cracked an internal lens and it was toast. I didn't send it in even though the tube was so soft that I could flex it with my fingers. Changed scopes to a burris and never looked back. After hunting season was over I was going to send it back with detailed report of what was really wrong with it. I delayed it and they went out of business,that was that and I threw it out.What a piece of junk. I had a burris pistol scope that wouldn't adjust right and sent it back and they sent an email that it would cost 80.00 to put target turrets in it and get it tuned up. I get the scope back and it was clean and centered with a short note that because it was older(out of the 80's) they didn't have parts for it so they couldn't update it. However they charged my card for 80.00 as a tip I guess.I called 3 or 4 times and after 3 months they finally sent me a check for 65.00 stating that the return shipping was deducted.I sent a check for 15.00 as instructed for that and had to fight to get it back. Needless to say, they suck in customer service.
Just got back from a 600 yd match. Ist group was 8.1" of pure vertical in zero wind, next record group was 1.6" which is about right for this rig next group was 2.1" and the last group was 4.5" of pure vertical. My spotter marked each shot for the big groups and they indicated a scope problem but I am not sure. Conditions were nearly the same for all the groups.
I checked the obvious stuff with bedding screws and rings and found everything in order. This is a Sightron 8-32 about 1 year old. Question to the group is does this sound like a scope issue? This is my first experience with Sightron how is their customer service. Will they tell you what went wrong with the scope or just the generic "adjusted to specs"?
I checked the obvious stuff with bedding screws and rings and found everything in order. This is a Sightron 8-32 about 1 year old. Question to the group is does this sound like a scope issue? This is my first experience with Sightron how is their customer service. Will they tell you what went wrong with the scope or just the generic "adjusted to specs"?
What you are describing is what I faced. The difficulty is can you 100% preclude a problem with your load? Are you confident about your rifle and shooting skills to preclude them as a reason? Are your scope rings torque down to spec with the proper tool? If you can confidently preclude all of the above then it is time to move on to having a discussion with the manufacture. It's not a free solution even if they are willing to check your scope for free (as in my case) as you will be without your scope for a while and there is of course the significant cost of mailing and insuring the package.
Kings X
Gold $$ Contributor
My thoughts are that the problem is the 20 MOA rail.jlow said:
Early on we did not have too many scopes with 30mm tubes. The one inch tubes only had enough travel if it was bottomed out at say 100 yards. Then we could dial up 30 or so MOA.
Now we have new scopes with plenty of travel but we still mount them on 20 MOA rails. If like me that only has a 100 yard range to use and you leave the scope set on that 100 yard setting - you are compressing that spring almost flat.
Leave it that way long enough and it will take a "set" and loose tension. Dial it up to the top and the weakened spring cannot hold the rector lens in place with "force". The rector tube bounces around and the groups follow the lens location.
I think it was at the F-class Nationals in Lodi the first time - that 3 spring broke and the lens rattled around inside the tubes.
After that I started to do treat the scopes like I did in Silhouettes - bottom the knob out and count turns up to my 100 yard zero. Record that amount on the scope cap. The at the end of the day - dial the scope to the top. This relives most of the pressure on the spring. With the new "zero stop" on some scopes, this process will be a lot easier.
These are my own opinions.
Excellent thoughts there! I appreciate you enlighting me with this.
I do in fact have used the scope quite a bit on a rifle with a 20 MOA rail, shooting as you mostly on the 100 yard range, and leaving it on the 100 yard setting…. I will make it a habit of dialing it up to the top from now on when I am not using it since I do have the “zero stopâ€.
Thanks again!
I do in fact have used the scope quite a bit on a rifle with a 20 MOA rail, shooting as you mostly on the 100 yard range, and leaving it on the 100 yard setting…. I will make it a habit of dialing it up to the top from now on when I am not using it since I do have the “zero stopâ€.
Thanks again!
I saw a scope fall off a rifle while it was being fired. The guy could not figure out what happened and ask me to help him figure it out. He had a CZ 550/.308. I do not know a lot about this rifle but the scope mounts on special rings in slots on the receiver like I often see on a .22 rifle. Well he had tried to use regular rings which have a larger foot than the foot on the CZ slot/rings so it never really engaged in the slot correctly and after shooting several rounds the scope fell off. That also explained why he was have so much trouble sighting his scope in as it was probably moving all over the place under recoil before it finally fell off.
People do this kind of stuff all the time. I have lost count the number of people who I help at the range with my Borka Torque Wrench which I keep in my bag. Most either torque it in themselves without knowing what they are doing or paid to have the gun store do it where they seem to do a horrible job. Of course there are those whose handgun front sights falls off at a match or say “what? I thought it was OK to sight in with one ammo and use something else at a matchâ€â€¦.
Funny no one has mentioned or re-emphasized the importance of lapping your rings to insure stress free scope mounting. The stresses imparted to a scope when they are not, likely is the culprit in many such scope problems.
A sure solution (although somewhat awkward/impractical shall we say?) is to have an extra scope mounted - check one against the other - any change is a sure sign of trouble!
A sure solution (although somewhat awkward/impractical shall we say?) is to have an extra scope mounted - check one against the other - any change is a sure sign of trouble!
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