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

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....