Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Failures & known issues -- SWFA SS scopes

Had one with 1/4 MOA adjustments that were actually around .2 inch. They still worked consistently.

So, as a percentage of random 'fire comments, weighted for a lower sales volume and a fanboy factor, about the same rate of issues as a Leupold.

LOL!

Got a 10x used from a different forum that had black specs/flakes inside on the lenses (bugs on the windshield). Seller did not mention them at all. I think it may have been an earlier model.
They "bugged" me so I sold it, but I disclosed them to the buyer.
Had it on a back-up elk rifle for a while, but it lacked features I want in a hunting scope.
I found the turrets were too tall to fit my scabbard for horseback use.
Just picked up another SS 10x to keep my 3 new Leupold VX-5 HDs honest. Yeah, I read the Leupold tracking thread.

I believe this qualifies for the stupid comment of the day . I used to dial !eupolds. Liked everything about them except that the erector springs wore out after about 250 rds. (3different times on 2 different scopes) Never again. Swfa scopes may fail once in a while (maybe) but ask people who shoot a lot, and you will find that they are top tier in terms of reliability.

I broke one (a 3-9) when it fell onto concrete with a rifle on top. They replaced it. I've had a lot pass through my hands, other than the obviously abused one (the turret spindle bent) all of them worked correctly. They were head and shoulders more reliable than the Leupold collection they replaced.

I mostly shoot with Bushnell's now, but not because the SWFA SS's don't work well. I've actually stopped being paranoid that my zero has shifted, but it's taken a while!

The reticle alone is worth the price of admission. Seriously. When you get to shooting a lot with a fixed power scope, schidt starts to get intuitive rather quickly in regards to holdovers/hashmarks/target size.

The fact that the turrets track great, have an easily added zero stop and a reputation for being rugged makes them a helluva deal. They are such a perfect fit for me, I kinda wonder what else is better quite honestly. The only improvement would be a smaller, lighter version with a low profile/covered windage.

Pretty sure I aint the only one that sold all his Leupolds by how the classifieds looked two or three years back.

I have seen the fixed scopes (one 10x, one 12x) have the set screws loosen on the turret and lose zero on two occasions during competition. Neither were mine. I expect extra set screw torque would solve that issue. I've never had that happen on any of mine despite a few thousand rounds on 10x's, 12x's, and 3-15's using that turret style.

My purge was in 2012...grin

I bet I bought a few.... ha!

Gee thanks Carl.

I just sent a 3x9HD in today. It wouldn't track and groups went to heck. As I took stuff apart I checked torque on everything and everything was well within specs, so label me as surprised I think I tore one up on my 7 Mashburn. Still a fan of them though, the 6X's have been nothing but awesome for me.

Lighten up. It was a joke...I thought the fanboy factor was enough to convey the sarcasm.

I just had a Leupold sent in for new erector spring. Couple thousand rounds on a rather light and snappy rifle. Also ordered an SWFA 6x to try out.

I get the impression that they are the best "value" scope on the market. I just sent a 1-4 back for loose turrets and group size increase. I had kind of dropped the rifle a few times on the turrets about a year ago, by accident of course... and the problem just kind of showed up after about another 5-600 rounds and moving it to another rifle and rezeroing the turrets to zero...so not indestructible but do not go to crap just from normal use on an AR rifle.

I should be getting my 1-4 back tomorrow. I had debris on the windshielf. They sent me a new one. That scope had not even seen 20 rounds on an AR, so I chalk that up to a manufacturing defect, not a failure. Very different in my book.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

I'm surprised to hear about the SWFA 1-4x issues. I knew there were a couple failures here, but there are even more than I expected. Maybe it's actually a Leupold in disguise?! Just kidding.

1-4x seems to be a trend.

Just for conversation, the Classix 1-4x is their only scope made in the Philippines. Correct me if I'm wrong.

The HD line is made in Japan, and includes all the other variables (except the 3-15x) and the side focus 10x. The Classic line (fixed powers) and 3-15x are made by another manufacturer in Japan.

Anymore in today's world, it doesn't seem like country of origin makes any difference in terms of quality, to an extent. Even so, I wonder if there is something about the design of the 1-4x, or the manufacturing capability of that Filipino facility.

They have gone from the best thing since fresh bread to a "value" scope?

Debris in a leupold has been cause for some to go apocalyptic.

Slop in turrets, failed to focus, tracking, adjustments not perfect-enough to make a Leupold basher lose it-lacked features that some desire in a hunting scope, the 1-4 seems to suck, glass isn't the best. However, they do seem to have a great warranty. Hmmmm, heard that someplace before.

Stick lets his swim with the fishes. You guys must have got all the bad ones.

Unless I really decide to move up, I'll think I'll stick with Leupold.

This is a small sample, and it is a big world out there. 😏 (Who has multiple by 1000's-100,000????-more scopes out there to have potential problems-old and new-Leupold or SWFA?)

I have 5-6 SWFA now, and used several others from the Classified, including one 10x from Tanner, who probably wasn't the gentlest turret dial-er in his youth.

All have have worked as advertised, no failures. I bought a new 3-15 last year, and ran it from 200-1200 this summer. No issues in tracking, returned back to zero, with repeated dials up in the 40-45 MOA (2-3 full turns) range, and return.

Cons: no zero stop in the variable powers, but an easy fix.

Weight and bulk - I'm with Bean, I'd like to see a SWFA "Lite", but that may be at the risk of losing the current ruggedness of the tubes.

Smaller turrets, and covered on windage, maybe an option with covered with the elevation as well - the reticle worked as expected out to 4-500 without dialing.