Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa 3 days to go and scope takes a s**t !

Went to shoot one last time today before leaving for Namibia Sat.
The Leupold VXIII 1.5x5 on the 375 H&H stuck on 4 power and would not move! Rushed home pulled the Burris 1.75x6 off the amish assault rifle and ran back to the range, got it on and sighted in. Didn't need that stress, But glad it didn't happen over their. Adding a backup as well.

Got home pulled the rings off and worked the power ring a bit and it started moving (be it a bit slugish). I don't think the rings were to tight, I use Burris rings with nylon inserts.
Guess I'll send it to Leupold for repairs.

Precisely the reason I got Brockman to put a peep in my Tally mounts and stuck a front sight on the Taylor along with the same Leupold.

How close was that rear ring to the power ring? I bet that was the culprit. That 1.5x5 is about as tough as they come and I'll be you even money that was the culprit. Still, you don't need that crap right before a hunt! Did the scope maintain zero even though the ring was jammed? if so the rear ring is the likely culprit. If I can offer you advice, I'd run out and get another scope as a backup anyway. Africa's a long way away and expensive to have it ruined by faulty equiipment. I always carry a spare scope sighted in in Warne QDs for my 416, EAWS for my 375 or Leupolds for my 300s. jorge

Funny how folks get shook up on scopes going bonkers.... I've shot so much competition, you could give me something brand new and not zero'd every day and as long as I could get a couple of sighters... one would work but I'd prefer at least 2-3 most things would be in big danger.

Bottom line, it sucks, but the thing is really all mental, ain't no big deal, plus you got it sorted out quick.

Good luck, Jeff

This is one of several good reasons I only use iron sights on my serious rifles.

If you mean rifles for dangerous game as "serious" rifles, well maybe an iron sight only solution would work for you. Though you would limit yourself with regard to buffalo, and I assume leopard is off the table completely. You would also make more than one PH a little nervous if you planned to brain crocs and hippo with your serious rifle.

I also think of my plains game rifles as "serious" rifles. There are places, game, and/or times of year when irons would work in Africa - I have used an Evans paradox on warthog. But I have also had to take a zebra and gemsbok on the very far side of 250 yards. I assure you, those shots were taken with a very "serious" rifle equipped with a "serious" scope.

You don't know Sharpsguy. About the most "serious" rifleman on this forum...

In either case, a scope going bad is the last thing you need to go wrong just days before a big trip. I leave in a week and will bring a 1.5-5x20 Leupie as my backup, in the Talley QD's for the Talkeetna. The primary is a Trijicon and the irons are ready out to 100.

I've got to say that the only scoped sighted rifles I have are two Model 70 Winchesters. One is my wife's .223, and the other is a 30-06. I wouldn't hunt with either one of them, and while both will stay under an inch at 100 yards, I frankly don't know why I keep them.

My serious rifles are my Sharps in several different calibers, and they all carry the standard Sharps ladder barrel sight on the rear and a blade in front. Zebra and Gemsbok in excess of 250 yards pose no problem for a 45 caliber Sharps, believe me. I have taken kudu, blue wildebeast, and springbok in excess of 300 yards with the Sharps and Black Wildebeast and Gemsbok at 250. One of my springbok was at 526 laser yards. The zebra was close, 96 yards, and like all the other animals, I got complete pass through penetration. I have yet to recover a single bullet.

I don't see why I would be limited in regards to buffalo.

No way leopard is off the table. I have a 340 grain hollow point bullet that will turn one inside out, and I'm not kidding.

Iron sights are quick and reliable if you know how to use them.

Not challenging your experience at all - simply the implied notion that a scoped rifle isn't serious. I spent 29 years in the army, all of it in combat arms, so I too have a little experience with iron sights - and not just with gemsbok. I will admit that I am most comfortable with apetures, but that is a function of training and my age. I have no doubt that an iron sighted 30-30, much less your big sharps, will kill any leopard that ever walked, but twilight in a leopard blind is not an ideal situation for iron sights. I am also quite certain a .45 cal hard cast bullet would be lethal on any buffalo south of the Sahara, but my point is that picking a shot in typical habitat is a bit easier with a scope - in other words, you will pass on some shots with iron sights. Again, if that is not an issue, then that obviously speaks well for your commitment to a certain type of rifle and hunting.

We all draw lines based upon skill, physical apptitude, and our experience. You did not mention if you use BB or nitro. I would assume as a purist you are using BB. I have a friend who is dedicated to older British BP express doubles for which he uses nitro for black conversions. That too is neither wrong nor right, serious or non serious, but is what works for him.

I would simply reitterate your commitment to the sharps does not mean that any other poster is not serious in their commitment to a scoped weapon. And some of those scoped rifles can be very, very capable and durable weapons indeed.

Hey I admit it, I need a scope when I go on serious hunts, but thanks to Bill and others, I am getting much better with irons. The only place where irons would be at a disadvantage even to guys like you, would be in a leopard blind in dark conditions. You just can't see w/o a scope. Other than that, Bill doesn't need one

Redleg and jorge--My sights work on a different principle than military irons. I use a copper penny for the front blade, and if there is ANY light whatever, I can pick it up. I have shot coyotes by moonlight with these sights. If I can see even the outline of the animal, I can pick up the front sight. Unless your scope is equipped with a lighted reticle, it won't work any better than these sights do for me in low light.

A man needs to use what works best for HIM. It is a fact that beyond 250 yards, I can hit better with the iron sighted Sharps than I can with my scope sighted 30-06. I realize I am in the minority on this, but it is something that can be taught and learned.

I would take a "broke" Leupold over a new Burris any day.

250 or even 300 is a gimme joke with good irons, assuming the light is acceptable and no screening brush... folks that don't know irons vs scopes... should do a bit of research... all it takes is to look at Camp Perry scores in the long range 1000 yard matches.... scope vs irons... there is not a bunch of difference....

My personal longest shot on game with irons is 565 or 556..I still get the numbers flipped....

That's what I'm sayin'. Irons work. You just have to know how to use them.

Would love to see you at work with them. My limited experience with the big bore black powders (primarily a 577-450 Osborne cape gun and 577-450 Fraiser MH express rifle - in both of which I shoot Ross Seyfried's nitro for black conversion) is that hitting is less a function of sights than it is known distance. Both of these rifles have the English express type rack of blades plus a flip up ladder. They work, but I really need to know the range fairly precisely with that round much beyond 150 meters. I assume trajectory is a similar hurdle with your Sharps. I have killed several deer with both of these rifles, but they were all at woods ranges (read sub 100 meters) and they were in situations where I didn't particularly care if I shot or not. When I am serious about a deer, and I admit that's not so very often these days, the weapon of choice is either my .270 or 7x57, both of which are equiped with Schmidt and Bender glass.

I would also note that my DG game rifle (mauser) has a G&H detachable mount with white front bead and very open redfield peep sight. In tight quarters, such a sight is far quicker for me than the scope; but I still have the scope for placing very precisely that first shot. It's neither right nor wrong/ good or bad, but is what works for me.

Thats funny about the scope part.. but you see your wobble much worse with magnified optics and some folks can't deal with that. I won't say I shoot worse with a scope, but the 2 are not far apart.

Interesing on the copper penny... I never wanted lots of light glare off the sight, but then copper may be the ideal compromise.

Bill's made a believer out of me and his copper penny irons. Hell after one or two rounds, I was hitting the ram target at FIVE HUNDRED yards with my 45-110 Sharps. Bottom line if Sharpsguy says he can do it, then HE CAN. It's uncanny! Made a believer out of me and a big reason why I'm working that 1895 so hard. Anyhow, but I still need my scopes, I'll never be as good as Bill. jorge

When the commendation for a scope maker is started with "great service", I gotta wonder why I want one.

About the cheapest sight going! $ 0.01

Nice shooting too!