Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Optics warranty pile on

Surprised to hear the Ruger bashing. I've owned a lot of Rugers and no problems. And honestly don't remember reading anything about bad Rugers. Now kimber on the other hand...

Kimber kicked Black Shart to the custodian shack and QC went up sharply. LMAO

About 5 years ago I sent in a bushnell for a repair of focus adjustment, about a month later I get an email stating it cant be fixed but for $79 plus shipping they could send me one of their cheapest model rimfire scope. I looked the scope up on midway and that was their price also. I paid around $350 for the scope I sent in several years earlier and was now discontinued. I just had them send it back, took off the caps for a backup and trashed the scope. Haven't bought a new bushnell since.

Ruger QC is horrible.

Handguns?

Bicycles?

Ruger might be no. 1 for return labels with UPS.

UPS, USPS, & FedeX bid for the shipping on Ruger returns.

Amazon eyeballing them too.

But.... I've never known Ruger to tell you that you that you've dropped your product off a 10 story building or simply mistreated it in everyway possible.

My bud's rangefinder was within the warranty period, but he was told the unit was subjected to extreme cold temps,,,, what a crock.

That's my point, warranty it or nor not. Just don't insult with lame brain excuses for the failure. Either the unit is warranted or not. Not some BS.

Just counting quickly on my fingers, without checking for more, I came up with 17 Ruger firearms I have, including pistols, revolvers, rifles and one shotgun. Some I have had and have used for over fifty years. I've never had a problem with any of them. Using the same, count on my fingers, methodology, I come up with 16 Leupold scopes. That includes two fixed power handgun scopes that go on magnum revolvers and one fixed 16X, but mostly variables, a couple of them on hard kicking, light rifles. I've only had one Leupold that, new, wouldn't work for me. It was a brand new, VX-III, 2 1/2 - 8. I put it in the mail to them on a Thursday afternoon and put it back on the rifle the following Tuesday evening, no more problems.

Similar to the odor of your QWEEF?

My experience with Ruger customer service was positive enough that it made me not care about the QC.

I've had terrible luck with Leupold scopes I've sent back no less than six of them. Most recently, a $3400 scope made three trips to them over the course of a year for wandering zero and inability to track. Once they told me it was fine and sent it back without doing anything but opening it up and cleaning the glass. Second trip back they told me they "fixed" the problem and replaced a few parts. Upon receipt, it was obviously not fixed and continued to have a wandering zero and failed to track.. The third time, I was a bit irate. I demanded a replacement scope. The guy on the phone told me I didn't know what I was talking about and it was a rifle problem or a shooter problem. I informed him that I had tried the scope on four rifles with the same result, meanwhile my S&Bs didn't have a problem on those rifles. I also stated that the shooting awards I possess and satisfied students I instruct would suggest that it is neither problem he suggested. He stated he would personally shoot it and if the problems exist, he would replace it with a brand new scope.

It took him three months to "test it" due to snow on their range, go figure? Finally he called and stated I was indeed right, the scope wouldn't track and the zero wandered. He also admitted that the two previous times the scope was only "visually inspected" according to the records. He said they would replace the erector system and have it back in three days. I reminded him that he promised to replace it if it was found to be defective...at this point I'd spent $100 in shipping it to them three times and I'd been chasing my tail with hundreds of dollars worth of ammunition only to have Leupold tell me there was nothing wrong with the scope and it was me. He then stated they didn't have any product to replace it with and I'd have to wait another three months for my $3000+ dollar paperweight to finally be useable. I stated that I wanted a new scope and wanted it fast.

Three days later the same scope came back to my door with a fresh set of ring marks down through the anodizing. To his credit, it did work...finally. I do not recommend Leupold optics anymore. Its a crap-shoot and you may, or may not get customer service. You may get called a liar and belittled for questioning whether or not they could have possibly made a lemon.

Bushnell is now owned by Vista Outdoors...same folks that own RCBS and who now don't honor the famous RCBS no-nonsense lifetime warranty.

In Canada there are only two factory service centers.Leupold and Bushnell. I got sucked on a used Bushnell Scopechief. Scopechief at the time was Bushnell top line, comparable to Leupold's VariX-III. Looking back on it, I paid twice as much as should have. My bench technique is very consistent, so if a scope doesn't hold zero, and wanders, I know it. It's confirmed by scope swapping. This early 80s scope had issues so off it went, three month later I get it back. After some more range time, the wanderlust came back. Off it went again. This time it came back saying it was too old, they didn't have the parts, and sent me another scope as well.. I glanced at it, the caps had that Bushnell logo that you find on the cheap Banner series.I was hoping for something better. It became a spare. The canoe rifle went for a swim, no problem to that veteran of two world wars but the cross hairs of the rebuilt Weaver K4 60B lay on the floor. I dried the rifle and put the spare on. This year my curiosity got the better of me ,so I checked what scope was on the canoe rifle, turns out they sent me a Scopechief 4x from the early '70s. I can't complain, that scope is considerably better than any fixed power Leupold of that era.It's comparable to the much new FX series. I take it they had reconditioned it. However Bushnell is saying lifetime is 30 years now.

In Canada Leupold service is handled by the distributor, and I have never heard or read a bad word about them. Quick and excellent. But Leupold cost more in Canada than in the States. Twice as much as comparable models of other brands.

Everything is terrible and challenging.....

So far I've never experienced what you guys are talking about. Most of my scopes have held up to my use of them.

Last dealings I've had with Bushnell, I had bought a 2 x 7 Engage and it has issues, that didnt focus well whatsoever.
I posted an evaluation on it negatively... I got a PM from someone at Bushnell asking me to contact them.. so I did.

They offered to take it back and offer me another version, any one I picked... straight up trade..
So I picked a 2.5 x 10.... that worked out well. I gave them a good review on the campfire on that one.. I also asked about purchasing one in 4 x16, and the 6 x 24... they let me purchase both of those at a very low dealer price, which I did... I love them and have had no issues whatsoever.

Since Bushnell now owns the Tasco name, I had a 4 x 16 on a rimfire that went south. I pulled it from the rifle at the range before heading home.
Was having a bug up my ass kind of day, I actually tossed it out the window heading down I 5 doing 70 mph.... I then felt guilty about "littering" and went back and picked it up after looking for it for 15 minutes. It set on a shelf banged to hell and back for 6 months... one day cleaning, I figured why not send it back to Bushnell anyway, what have I got to loose? Its junk anyway. Just sent it in, and within a week got a package back from them. I figured they just sent my scope back, after laughing their asses off.... it sat back on the shelf unopened for another 6 months. I opened it to just throw it out, and to my surprise they had sent me a Rebuilt Scope of the same model. I mounted it back on another rim fire and it is still giving me fine service. That was 7 or 8 years ago.. Never saw a bill for it. And the scope was from Tasco before Bushnell took them over.

Bought a broken 3 x Leupold late 60s vintage, from a guy at our local Bi Mart. He was trying to trade it in for a 4 power Simmons, that cost $40. So I asked him what he wanted for it, and he tells me $40. SO I took it and gave him $40, he bought a rimfire 4 power Simmons to put on his 7 Mag. Probably told all of his doper friends, About screwing over some dumbass at Bi Mart by selling him a broken Scope. I got it home and sent it up to Portland to Leupold. They call me in 3 days and tell me they don't have parts for it, so they suggest trading it for a 4 power.. I counter with how much would it cost me to upgrade to a 6 power. I was asked to hold for a second, she came back on, that she had a new 6 power with a dot reticle sent in, that had a reticle change and they had put the wrong reticle in it. So if I'd take the 6 x with a dot reticle...even swap. Still have that doing service 20 years later on top of a 243.

Maybe I am living right, who knows.

The way the world is going tho nowadays, I figure a lifetime warranty is open to interpretation any more. Times certainly are NOT what they use to be.
I think we hunters got spoiled. scope companies have finally figured out that other industries are getting away with crappy service. Last frig I bought my wife that she just had to have at Home Depot, the sales lady told me that to expect a service life of anything on their floor, to be just 3 to 5 years.. regardless of price of the Frig.
Even the independent guys who delivered it told me the same thing...Told me I had a good one... this one ought to last 5 years or so...
The real expensive ones have a shorter service life, due to all the extra features...

its the world we live in, because they can get away with it.

DWT2:

Just making sure I read it right: Bushnell sent you a replacement scope for an old scope they couldn't repair?

The various times I've had to use Leupold CS, they've been great. Just wish I didn't have to send new scopes in for tracking and rtz problems. Have an old 1-4 gloss that just lost zero to send in. Worried that I'll get a new replacement that won't look as nice on a gloss/walnut 336.

I haven't had to use Bushnell CS. Currently running a few older Japan made gloss models on levers and "woods" rigs, a couple elites, and a couple LRHS.

I have two Leupolds that need to go back for service. I am too lazy to do it right now.

I've had a number of Leupolds break but they always took care of it. I had a Hawke break. They overnighted me a new one- still going strong.

Had some incredibly bad experiences with Bushnell in the 90s .I gave them a rest. Eventually night an Elite 6500, it broke on a deer hunt and ruined it. They made it right. I've had a number of other scopes crap out and had no issues with customer service from any of these other makers. Never had a Schmidt or Leica break so can't comment on the bad experiences folks have had

On their American rifles?

Golly gee.

A $400 gun. May have some rough machine marks.

It’ll shoot lights out.

I’m happy with the couple I’ve got.