Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics How many scope returns for repair have you made in the last 10 years?

I have sent two Leupolds a 1x4 VXII (twice) and a VariX II 2-7 back for not holding zero, a Kahles 3.5 x 10 x 50 (I broke it using Leupold adjustable windage mounts) then it went back again for not holding zero and they told me they put swarovski springs or something in it, A Zeiss 3 x 9 x 36 Diavari not holding zero, a Conquest 3x9x40 with German #4 stuff floating in the image, I got them to replace with the rapid Z reticle for a small fee, a Zeiss conquest 2.5 x 8 parallax was set for 50 yards they replaced it, a NF 1-4 NXS they did nothing and said it was tough to make a true 1-4 scope and the image was as good as I was going to get (it holds zero anyway)

9 returns in 10 years on nothing bigger than a 300WSM! Is this a record?

Nice... I think you take it. I have one that could have been returned but it was a disposable tasco on my 12 gauge ultra lite slug gun. I asked for the issue. But I was in high school and broke. Out of all the scopes you listed the NF would have pissed me off the most especially for the price of those. To say sorry it is what it is would have had me returning it.

Had one old Bushnell fail on my 45.70. But nothing sent back for repair.

two 2.5-8x36 for not holding zero, a vx-II 2-7 for a tight power ring, a burris 2-7 fullfield, not holding zero and a burris 3-9 signature that I unscrewed the posilock right out of the scope. I had that scope recharged.

all three of the scopes that didn't hold zero had issues with the erector assembly. The two leupolds were on a 308 and a 300wsm. The burris 2-7 was passed between a 338wm,358 norma and finally died on a muzzleloader.

In all cases the scopes were fixed free and without much effort.

To many! I have had a run of bad luck recently. I sent an old, 26 or 27 years old, Leupold 3-9 Compact back because it would not adjust any more. Also an even older 4X back because the objective lens delaminated. I sent an FX-III 12X back twice because it wouldn't track. They inspected it the first time and did nothing else. I had to call and explain I was trying to shoot rifle silhouette with the scope and I needed it to adjust properly. They fixed it the second time.

I bought a Minox 3-9 that was bad out of the box and had to have it replaced. The latest is a Vortex 2-7 that was probably bad out of the box and I need to get it sent in. I first put it on a 7-08 and it didn't shoot well. I then bought an air rifle and called Vortex to see if their scopes were air rifle rated. The fellow said yes so I tried it. The scope is broken. I called back and the rep said that was unheard of and it was probably bad from the beginning. Incidentally the 7-08 shoots great with the Minox on it.

So it goes!

Sent a Meopta back because it leaked out the nitrogen and left something on a lense. It was replaced. Have thrown away several cheap scope that failed as they were not worth repairing.

None.

I've only bought 6, but so far they've been ok with the exception of an older K-4 that I bought used.

Believe it's heading south, but need to shoot it again to make sure.

No scopes the last 10 years, but I do not shoot as much as I once did. One Swaro SLC binocular with a broken adjustment wheel. They found another problem upon inspection, cleaned and refreshed it to as good as new. jack

No scopes sent back...sent in Steiner Big Horn Bino's twice. $50 fee each time, they sent back brand new ones both times.

We currently have 4 swaro scopes and 10 leupolds, only one I've sent back was a swaro that had gotten a piece of sand stuck in the power adjustment ring. We (the kids and I) shoot between 500-900 rounds a year.

jimmyp,

One Tasco damaged in a accident. One 6500 because it was blurry on its higher magnification settings. Returned for refund three Swarovski z5's because they were not as good as my 6500 for sharpness of detail.

Two Leupolds that went haywire, one being nearly 40 years old and having spent much time on a 10/22. One new Leupold that had some debris around the reticle. They still did not get it all cleaned out. One pair of Bushnell Elite binos went back and one pair of Leupold Porros went back, as both would no longer focus anywhere near the middle of the focus range. That's about it. To be fair, I use mostly Leupold stuff.

two...

Once, three years ago. The first and only time. It was a Leupold made in the early 70s that wouldn't hold zero.

None. I've been lucky I guess.

I have purchased several. Leupold 3-9 vxII, Minox 3-9, Leupold 1.5-5 (two of them), and two Sightrons, one 3-9 SIIBS and a 3.5-10 SII. Those are the ones I can remember.

Most of these are not on heavy kickers except the 1.5-5's so it may be that .280 and .25-06 class rifles don't damage scopes as much as the harder kicking rifles. It would be interesting to know what caliber destroys the most scopes listed here, or if they are just failures for some other reason.

I have lost count of the scopes that have broken on my rifles in the past decades, but it's a lot more than 9.

I had a run of bad luck about 10 years ago, with about 13 returns in about a year and a half. Its hard to remember exact numbers anymore.

The bad luck ended abruptly when I got rid of the last one of that brand.

in the last 10 years John think 20 or so?

Jimmyp, for clarity was the Nighforce defective, or did you just not think it was truly 1x on the low end?



I've had at least 10 in the last year. Most were erector problems, some were failure to hold zero. All were variables. Zeiss, Swarovski, Leupold,and Weaver that I can remember off the top off my head.

Model70Guy,

You didn't tell us the brand.

3 Leupold vx-II's because the selector ring was extremely hard to turn.

2012 is the first year I haven't returned a scope (mostly Leupy's), but , as they say "the day ain't over yet..."

I bought two new Leupold's last fall and they both broke right outta the gate. One was a 4x and the other a 4-12x40. The reticle on the 4x broke from being on a Ruger 10/22 and the erector assembly was FU on the 4-12.

1 leupold. 2 burris. There was a total of seven returns on the 2 burris.

Four Leupolds and a Jap pre-Monarch Nikon.

The Nikon 3-9 fogged. A VX-II 2-7 and a FX-II 6X36 wouldn't track. On the other two Leupolds, both 6X42s, on one you could turn the windage adjustment from one extreme to the other and the POI didn't move, and the other had a windage that was incredibly hard to turn.

A Swaro A and a Leupold M8. Erector problems on both.

Three Burris....
One 6-18 on a Ruger 10-22 cracked a internal lens with 9 shots.

Two 1 1/2-6 Signatures on Remington 11-87 slug gun, the first one only took one shot to blow the cross hairs out. The second 15 rounds. Had Burris install German #4's no problems sense, its been 8 years.

One Simmons Prohunter 2-7 on a Remington 260 rem., the third shot the cross hairs started to turn after 8 it was turned about 20 degrees. It was free so I shouldn't complain.

2 tascos, 2 simmons, 1 Remington no-name maker scope, and a bushnell cheap sportsmans model, but all were scrapped rather than returned, as they weren't worth the hassle or shipping cost to replace. I've not had any problems with the better quality scopes that I replaced them with. I'm not very hard on scopes. Binoculars on the other hand...

my complaint when I returned it was that the image was not as nice as I thought it should be for the money, they said its optically really tough to make a true 1-4X.

jimmyp,

Yeah, probably 20 or so. My wife also had half-a-dozen break on her rifles.

We'll, let's see.
Broken reticle is an old M8, 4X. After all the times it hit the ground hard, once from shoulder height, it let go as my rifle maker was slaming the bolt testing a new magazine box. Scope purchased in 1984.
An old 7.5XAO with an all numbers serail number. Broke the reticle while shooting from the bench. Bought used back in the 80's.
Sent one 6X42 in because it leaked after being submerged in 140 degree water for over 5 mins. They replaced the seals and recharged it.
Sent one new FXII, 4X in because the eye relief wasn't up to spec. The scope came back telling me it was because I had the ocular adjusted out almost to the stop. At mid adjustment, it does meet specs. Oh, well. E

What they told you is correct. There are no TRUE 1x variable scopes. They are all 1.something x..... If one was truly unmagnified (1x) you would see the screws, etc in the tube while looking through it.


And I'm sure you know this, but you do not buy a NF for the glass. They have good to very good glass, but not world class. You buy a NF so it won't break.

I've had several go bad, but haven't always sent them in. From memory, the list includes:
*Several older K4s
*A Burris 4x
*Several mid-priced variables (can't remember all the brands, but most were purchased used on rifles)
*Older Luepold 4x (need to send that one in now. wont stay within 20 feet of zero)
*Leupold 2-7x VXII (Went bad on a light .375 and after Leupold repaired that scope tracks better than anything I own is back on the .375)

Most of my scopes are Leupolds.

Gees! It sounds like we should all go back to open sights with all the breakages people have.

29 posters if my math is right and about 103 scope returns in 10 years and they are not brand specific.

A friend of mine fell while huniting with an open sighted .30-30 and bent his front sight. It was so bad he could not hit a deer at 100 yards.

1 = Zeiss Diavari FL 4-16x50

First time outta of the box new = would not track for schit!! Sent it back to Zeiss & they sent me a new one.

I traded that new Zeiss for another Schmidt & Bender.

I've sent several bushnell scopechief variables in for work. IIRC, all but one I have (previously) owned. I might have had a couple cheap scopes give up, but just trashed them.
No leupolds, out of a sampling of perhaps 10 (all variables).
Then again, heaviest rifle has been an 8lb 35 whelen. Typical rifles are 7 1/2 lb 270/280/30-06 and I probably average a few hundred rounds a year with them. I have high hopes that the redfield revolutions stand up (got one, no doubt get a few more), as I think they are a real bargain in the scope world currently.

I own 19 scopes, 16 of them Leupolds. I sent one Leupold back because of a tight adjustment ring that is very likely my fault before I learned not to make rings "farmer tight."

Sent in an old 2.5 banner to bushnell that the crosshairs had fallen out of. They reset the crosshair but then threw it in a box loose for the return shipment home and it got shook around so much the crosshairs were broken when I got it back. It wasn't an expensive scope and pretty old but the crummy packaging job did not leave a positive impression on me of their CS.

2 Bushnell 3200 scopes. The windage adjustments stopped functioning in both.
...
They were new.

4 scopes were sent in:

Swaro 4-12x50 AV went tits up in less than a box of ammo 300wsm

Kahles 3.5-10x50. Dust speck(purely cosmetic)

Burris Fullfield II 3-9x40 erector problems..same scope went back and forth 2 more times until it was fixed

Leupold 3.5-10x40 VXIII

I forgot two. I have a Japanese made Tasco that the crosshairs went sideways on. Also have a Leupold Scout scope that probably needs work. The rifle quit shooting. I took the scope off to work up cast bullet loads for a match. Then I shot some jacketed which shot well with a receiver sight. Put the Scout scope back on and it patterns. Need to check it further but it doesn't look good.

I also had to send the Leupold 3-9 Compact back twice because there was a piece of dirt floating around in the view.

Craig Boddington wrote of during pretty much the same thing. Then we here of natives in Alaska shooting grouse without sights at all because they either broke off or didn't come with the rifle in the first place.

Just got back from Wyoming Elk hunt, New Nikon Monarch
2.5X10 Wouldn,t hit target when I got to Wyoming from
California, I drove, I used my new Vanguard 270 with
Nikon Monarch 2X8 instead, worked great. Killed a 5X5
first day of hunt. First scope problem I ever had.

One Leupold 4x that I bought broken (cheap) and got repaired free.

None, this over 35 years, other than a couple I bought used and asked Leupold to check out for me. All, of many, are Leupold variables with a couple of older Burris Mini's thrown in. Wait, forgot one. I, or my Ruger 44 Carbine actually, did grenade a 1.5-4x steel tube Weaver a couple of years ago that I bought used from someone here. It got tossed with the receiver sight reinstalled. Lucky I guess. I guess the other thing is that I do not screw around with load development much. Dial in the bullet of choice good for 1 1/2" three shots at a hundred and I am done.

2 total.

Burris 4-12 Mini. Bad out of the box. Had a "fish eye" effect going on with the lenses. Got a refund.

1.75-5x32 Vortex Diamondback. Something in the eyepiece started to rattle around internally after 30 rounds of 358 Win. This was a Demo unit that I bought. Vortex fixed it without issue and it's back on the BLR.

Dan

I probably should add that I test/use at least a dozen scopes during any given year, and often more. If the total was 200 in the past decade, the 20 scopes that showed problems is only about 10% of the total--and it was probably more than 200 scopes.

Two Leupolds, one OLD 4x Mountaineer to be checked/cleaned and a vx-I 3-9x40 that took a tumble when my Dad slipped hunting. (they made me pay to fix it)
Two Sightrons, one great experience, one in the shop currently (10-50x60)
Two Milletts, both great experiences, both 6-24x56.

Several, not quite sure of the exact count. Here's what I can recall:

-Bushnell Legend (non working power selector)
-Sightron SII 4-16 (loose windage turret)
-US Optics SN3 3.2-17x (reticle issues)
-Leupold M8 6x (broken reticle)

None for repair...a couple for modification at Premier Reticles and Leupold.

1 Leupold 3.5-10 AO. Totally crapped out and wouldn't hold zero.

1 Leupold 4.5-14 AO. Parallax issues.

1 Nikon Buckmaster 3-9. Total POS.

Two, both Leupold VX-III. The 2.5-8x36 had a small flake of metal floating around inside of the scope. The 3.5-10x40 lost its ability to hold zero during load development on a .338 WIN MAG. Leupold fixed the scopes under warranty and had them back to me in less than a month each time. Both scopes are working fine today.

JB and all, I have a follow-up question.

When have your scopes failed in terms of longevity? I�m curious if a scope generally shows a flaw early in its life on standard cartridges (magnum type pounding withstanding) and becomes trustworthy to you after being �proofed�.

As I stated earlier, the last two Leupold's I bought (last fall from SWFA) both were defective right from the start. The Leupold's I used to own back in the 90's, all variables, wouldn't hold zero if they were banged around during air travel. I sold them and no longer use Leupold's on any rifle that I will travel with.

djb,

The previous answer included lots of errors. At the time I posted I remembered the Tasco damaged in an accident. When you mentioned longevity I remembered I used to be a Burris man from the 1970's till about 1995. Originally I had purchased three 4-12X which lasted several years. They started fogging so were sent in. I replaced them with Tasco 4-16X

I purchased a Signature 8-32X for my Savage .223 twenty-six inch heavy barrel. At one time the crosshair started to rotate so I sent it in for repair. After it arrived I re-installed it. I twisted off the vertical turret cover to adjust it and the whole internals were inside the cover.

When it was repaired I continued working on different loads. The groups started to open up at about 2,000 rounds. Since I never had a little cartridge rifle before I figured it was shot out. A friend told me a .223 will last 10,000 rounds so I installed a Tasco 6-24X to test it. The next five shot group at 100 was .312". That was the last Burris for me.

Before that though, back about 1990 I purchased a Freedom Arms 10" barrel .454 without sights. I already had a Burris 2 1/2-7X extended eye relief scope waiting for it. Within the first ten shots everything went blurry. Burris repaired it and it lasted about thirty shots. When it came back I sold it.

This was the beginning of about a dozen scopes. To answer your posted question the scopes would normally last about 300 rounds before expiring. I remember one or two didn't make it through the first five shots. The brands were, Boush&Lomb 4X, Leupold 2 1/2-8X, Bushnell 2-6X (my favorite), Nichols 2-7X (maybe the brightest image), T/C Recoil Proof 2-7X, and finally a second generation Leupold 2 1/2-8X32 Vari-X. It has lasted a couple thousand rounds.

Back when Ernie Simmons owned Simmons scopes I called him. He told me they were working on a new glue for their handgun scopes. He continued, "Presently they can not stand the recoil of a .454. But if you buy one we will replace it every time you return it." I thanked him for his honesty. They now have a good handgun scope according to J.D. Jones.

I guess I tend to put the bad experiences of my past in a "do not open" part of my brain.

None.....absolutely none......and I own all kinds but mostly Leupolds these days.

I've owned quite a few tascos in by gone years and never had a lick of trouble with any of them.....

I once dropped a Bushnell on a rock and damaged it badly....they fixed it free and returned it within two weeks.....spectacular service.

I got on to start this exact thread because of a scope I am returning tomorrow. I've put 3 kinds of bullets and at least 9 different loads and its still spraying all over. 2 clicks give me a 18'' shift one time and no adjustment the next. I've never, ever had a scope go bad and I guess that explains why I've been so stupid as to not give up on it sooner. I don't buy high end glass either, I guess it does happen alot though based on the responses I've seen on this thread so far. I think I'm going to put a redfield on it and call it good, and by the way that will be the most expensive glass I've ever put on a rifle in my life.

God Bless,
MM

That statement, and that scope, oughta clear things up....so to speak....

anybody break any Trijicon accupoint scopes?

None at all in the last ten years.

1

Had an orginal Burris Fullfield 3X9 go bad in 2007 on a Savage 110 250-3000 not a hard kicker, after a couple of hundred rounds during load develpment. Sent it back to have the Paralax fixed. Scope was so old (purchased in 1998) they had to pull blueprints and machine new parts for the adjustments. However to be fair it had been on a Mauser M96 Straight Pull Bolt in 308, put 300-400 rounds through it for load develpment. I liked the scope, clear and bright. Seems ok, but my groups on the Savage started to really open up last year, I am thinking it is the scope again. Need to check for Parallax, it may go back. Only scope I have returned,

I have a Burris Signature 1.5-6X that has been through thousands of rounds of magnum rifles & slug guns and still shoots where its supposed to, but is probably 20 years old and has gotten really yellow inside. I haven't gotten around to going through the steps to see if they'll honor their lifetime warranty since I almost never use it anymore.

Around 10 years ago, I bought a Tasco "Titan" 4.5-18X50 that I loved... for awhile, although I could've done without the 50mm part. I used it for a diet of .338 and 12 guage loads in its short time with me. I don't remember how long I had it, probably a year or so, and then one day, it went out on me. (I think it was the crosshair that broke that time.)

I sent it and something like $50 in for the lifetime warranty replacement and got another one back. I was immediately pissed off. It was definately not in the same class as the 1st one, was totally out of focus, and lasted for less than a dozen shots when it broke too. Since it was a fairly pricey scope (for a Tasco), I bit the bullet one more time, and $50 later had my 3rd one. I didn't fire one round with it, but mounted it on a 25-06 and sold them together.

I don't shoot as much as I used to, but after something like $100 spent on a "lifetime warranty", I converted to buying Leupolds on future purchases and have been happy since then.

I just remembered two exceptions. I bought a Bushnell 4200 8-32 I'm still impressed with and an impulse buy of the cheapest Tasco (Mag IV 6-24) I could find for an impromptu shooting session on a just-purchased .22 LR. The Tasco is so bad optically, when I shoot at a 50 yard target in the shade, I can barely see the target.

5 Leupold MK4s- tracking issues, zero retention issues, canted reticles.

1 Vortex Razor, twice. Parralax issues.

I replaced the broken bushnell dusk till dawn with a redfield revolution as I stated I would in my earlier post. I have never spent more than $80 on a scope and can now say I can tell the difference between a low end and a mid level scope. Haven't shot it in yet but the eye relief is amazing compared to the soopes I am used to putting on my guns.

MM

zero - ever

there are an incredible number of returns listed here, I am sure that many use their deer rifle year after year and have no idea that their scope is not holding zero, the yearly failure rate may be as high as 30 percent for any brand of variable scope.

1 NIB Nikon Buckmaster fixed 4x. Took it out of the box, mounted it on my 336 and when I went to bore sight it, the elevation adjustment stuck and would not move. Boxed it up and sent it in to Nikon for repair. Instead of repairing or replacing it they shipped me a 3-9x40 Buckmaster.

I've owned Leupold, Bushnell, Weaver, Burris, Minox, Zeiss, Simmons, Nikon, and Tasco scopes. I will no longer buy a Simmons or Tasco scope, and it has to be a good deal for me to go after a Nikon these days.

Brands I trust the most: Leupold, Zeiss, Bushnell, Weaver, Burris, Minox in that order. So far the Minox has been great optically (expecially for the money) but I haven't had it long enough to feel really good about its long time durability. Known good customer service factors into that too, probably why I have Leupold rated over Zeiss. To my eyes Conquest scopes are better (slightly) optically but Leupold's customer service is above all others.

Two.

Same two scopes. VariXII for not holding zero and VXII for having a bad front lens.

1- a zeiss conquest with a "floater".

A Burris with a spec of internal finish that fell off and landed on a lens.
A Bushnell 3200 Elite for not holding zero.
A Leupold for not holding focus.
2 Colorado Redfields - 1 didn't hold zero, the other fogged.
A Springfield Armory for having the internal bubble level crooked.
A Pecar for a tune up.

The first 3 were free the bottom 4, I paid for the repair.

Springfield charged you? Sounds like it was bad from the factory.

quote:"2 Bushnell 3200 scopes. The windage adjustments stopped functioning in both."

Interesting, I just sent a 3200 back today for the exact same problem.

LC
...

3, one Leupold 4x with a broken reticle and two Bushnell 3200's, both with crazy parallax issues.

Jimmyp: I have been using Leupold scopes EXTENSIVELY for the past 50 years and I have as yet to send one back for repair/warranty work!
I currently own and have mounted on Rifles 47 (fourty seven) Leupold scopes - all hold zero and need NO repairs that I am aware of!
I think you are either extremely unlucky or extremely "hard" on your optics.
Alas I wish I could say the same things about the other numerous brands of scopes I own!
In fact I hope to have a large Whitetail Buck in the field of view of one of my Leupold 6.5x20's this evening or tomorrow morning!
The rut is on here in Montana and the weather is VERY inclement - Leupold country this, for sure.
Wishing you better luck in the future.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Saint Loophole

Between my dad and I we own too many leupolds to count, a couple each of Conquests, Monarchs, and Kahles KXs. Only sent in two for repairs, one of the Nikons on a small rifle, and Leupy pistol scope on a 454.

Springfield was out of the scope business when I got this scope. It is currently at L & K scope repair now.

Ive had to return every non-US Burris FFII..only one Colorado made one left..1 Leupold 2x pistol scope..fogging

1 Bushnell 3200 Elite wont hold zero..

Have a 4200 Elite now which I suspect to be the same concern...