Why would you "freeze" a scope?

[minnesotamulisha]

I've seen a few scopes for sale that have been "Frozen" with special mounts that are adjustable. I'm curious as to why someone would do this and if there are benefits to it.

Thanks,

Adam

 

[mac86951]

I would guess so that you can affix the scope to reduce shifts during carry/transport? (SWAG thought there)

Honestly, I wouldn't see a benefit of this over the internal mechanisms, unless it was a lower quality scope to begin with.

I'm interested to see what others say.

-Mac

 

[minnesotamulisha]

The one I'm speaking of was a Leupold fixed 45x Competition, which is by no means a cheap scope. I jus don't see how adjustable rings would be better than the Leupold internals.

 

[mikecr]

My guess:
People using them don't do a lot of adjusting, right? Fixed range shooting.
So with this you could lock the internal mess & go with a sturdy external adjustment that would rarely need much for actual adjustment anyway. No more POA shifting.

 

[sonofagun231]

I'd say obviously to better their chances of shooting very small groups - trying to eliminate another possible problem. A return to the older style target scopes that only had external adjustments.

 

[boltfluter]

I think because they have a screw loose. Sorry, couldn't resist. ;D

Regards, Paul

www.boltfluting.com

 

[minnesotamulisha]

Interesting. Thanks for the info!

 

[dkhunt14]

Its because a lot of the top 100 yard benchrest guys have found point of impact shifts in scopes. When trying to shoot the small groups they shoot it showed. Matt

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Matt is exactly right. 10yrs or so ago it was the trend. Poi shifts show up brutally in short range br. Then march came along to solve the problem designing from the ground up. Leupold stepped up their game after that and rendered it unnecessary in reality but some liked one less variable so theres still a few on the line but not many anymore. We dont have to move out scopes a lot- if it impacts outside the 6 ring thats perfectly ok.

 

[jden]

Dusty, You are right but Factory scopes no matter how good the internal adjustments are advertised to be just isn't up to par for short range BR competition. Quite a few top rank group shooters still use frozen scopes. I've used one since Bucky's made his external mount and have not looked back. Bet it would open alot of blind eyes if a 600 yrd or 1K ranked shooter tried one. One thing about BR shooters is that we bitch alot and everyone knows which scopes get sent back the most.

BTW Bob Brackney makes a great set of adjustable rings. I may try a pair.

JM2Cent
JD Denoff

 

[Lesloan]

I had one of these once, a Sightron SII 36x that I bought in a weak moment. Freezing the reticle, a professional conversion, involved drilling into the tube and installing Delrin(?) screws to lock the reticle. A very effective way to get rid of the nitrogen fill, but probably little else. It eventually fogged up at the range on a cold day. The good folks at Sightron let me trade it in on a new scope.

 

[tarzan]

because leupold competition wont hold zero

 

[butchlambert]

I had one of these once, a Sightron SII 36x that I bought in a weak moment. Freezing the reticle, a professional conversion, involved drilling into the tube and installing Delrin(?) screws to lock the reticle. A very effective way to get rid of the nitrogen fill, but probably little else. It eventually fogged up at the range on a cold day. The good folks at Sightron let me trade it in on a new scope.

Getting rid of nitrogen? Ain't no nitrogen fill! They purge them with nitrogen when they are assembled, but they don't seal them and use a secret tool to fill them. I didn't know people still believed that.

 

[Lesloan]

Well, Butch, we can't all be as smart as you, can we? I've read for many years that modern scopes are N2 filled, never had any reason to challenge it. What's your source of info? I crave enloghtenment.

 

[butchlambert]

Well, Butch, we can't all be as smart as you, can we? I've read for many years that modern scopes are N2 filled, never had any reason to challenge it. What's your source of info? I crave enloghtenment.

Well Lloyd, call a few manufacturers and scope repair people. You could enlighten yourself with a little research instead of! Ask them how they sneak it in and capture it.

 

[butchlambert]

Lloyd,
If you have a search function on your computer, search purging scopes with nitrogen or argon if you will.
Example: Al Nyhus is one of our very long time competitors. This is an optics forum.

http://www.opticstalk.com/nitrogen-vs-argon-filled_topic17237.html

A lot of things are out there on this. Even if they filled them it wouldn't stay in the scope.

 

[Lesloan]

Well, Butch, we can't all be as smart as you, can we? I've read for many years that modern scopes are N2 filled, never had any reason to challenge it. What's your source of info? I crave enloghtenment.

Well Lloyd, call a few manufacturers and scope repair people. You could enlighten yourself with a little research instead of! Ask them how they sneak it in and capture it.

Like I said, Butch--we can't all be as smart as you. I guess all the times scope manufacturers have advertised that their scope tubes are nitrogen (or other inert gas) filled they've been lying. And my single scope that fogged, out of the many I've owned, over the years was the aforementioned Sightron that'd had the tube drilled was just my imagination. Suit yourself. Drill & lock your scopes. I won't.

 

[butchlambert]

Lloyd, Lloyd,
My scopes are unaltered. I have had a couple frozen in the past. Never had a fogging problem. Why don't you search as I suggested instead of saying things that you evidently have no knowledge?
Lloyd, I am smart enough to do a search, are you?

 

[Lesloan]

Lloyd, Lloyd,
My scopes are unaltered. I have had a couple frozen in the past. Never had a fogging problem. Why don't you search as I suggested instead of saying things that you evidently have no knowledge? Lloyd, I am smart enough to do a search, are you?

Butch, Butch, Butch: 1. The link you provided was to a discussion of the virtues of argon vs nitrogen fill, not whether or not a gas fill was actually used. 2. Here's a copy-and-paste from the Nikon web site, for their Monarch line..."Waterproof/Fogproof
Nitrogen filled and O-ring sealed for confidence under any conditions." Is that just BS too? I picked that scope brand & model at random, BTW, 3. Why do you suppose one of the tests commonly used by the NRA in product testing of rifle scopes is immersion of the scope in hot water and looking for bubbles? If there is no gas fill or seal, why bother to test for leaks? 4. I'm not surprised your "frozen" scopes never gave you a fogging problem. Mine didn't either, till it did.

I'm starting to think you're not as smart as I thought you were. Certainly not as smart as you seem to think you are. I'm done with this topic. 'Bye.

 

[LHSmith]

No disrespect to Al Nyhus, but why is it so difficult to expect a quality constructed scope to hold an atmosphere ( 15psia/ 1psig) of inert gas, typically nitrogen, from an outside environment containing 78% nitrogen? It certainly doesn't have the permeability of the helium molecule which can actually permeate though a metal container.