I have also noticed Butler Creeks seem to have gotten a lot easier to break the last few years. Maybe I'm just getting more clumsy!
Also, quick focus and flip ups aren't a great combo, for lots of reasons.
I'm curious about the Scopeshields.
How thick are they?
Are they a snug fit that doesn't slip or hang going in and out of a scabbard or guncase? I've got an overhead gun rack in my pickup that is a tight fit for a scoped rifle, but begs for a scope cover that I can get off quick and not lose in the process.
Are they completely waterproof?
How about durability - are they pretty tough?
I've got some Kahles 3-9x40's and a stable of Leupold 3.5-10x40's and 3-9x40's. Would the same cover fit both scopes?
Will the retention band rub off paint/scuff wood?
Have to admit, it looks handy and simple - and I'm thinking the digital gray would look OK on a stainless/synthetic rifle - especially a Montana or two.
Thanks for taking time to answer some questions, if you are able!
DJ
Hi DJTEX! Excellent questions all. The neoprene is 2 mm in thickness and very stretchy. The recommended fit is a cover about an inch shorter than your tube length. This is what produces the snug fit, and because they cover all turrets and the scope body, they facilitate entry and exit from the scabbard. There are simply no sharp edges or objects exposed on the scope to snag. Neoprene is not waterproof. It does wick water to its edges, and remarkably keeps the lenses, which are never in direct contact with the material, dry. More incredibly, neoprene is a bit of an insulator, warding off the tendency for scope bodies and lenses to cool to a temperature lower than that of the ambient air, which is what causes fogging. The keeper loop is soft fabric which does not mar the forearm.
As to tough, there is nothing you could do in normal usage which will destroy it. We did just replace one for a hunter in Quebec whose partner placed the loop around a thick tree staub and attempted to do a chin-up by pulling down on the ScopeShield. He ripped the loop out of the cover, to no one's surprise. So they, like me, are not invulnerable to exceptional abuse. They, being smooth, have no tendency to snag in brush, and I have crawled for years now with the same cover through the awful nasties. I also have one I demonstrate in shows for three years, with a guestimated 3-4 thousand realeases, and have finally had a couple threads beginning to dangle.
As to your size question, all of your 3x9s mentioned are fit by the SS11. Your 3.5-10s would be a snugger fit, doable, but preferably to the next size up, the SS12.
Hope I got to it all for you. Good Hunting from ScopeShield Alaska!
