Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Swarovski z5

There is a thread in the reloading section where I posted the following. I thought it might be fun here since it is about optics. I switched out the Bushnell 4200 4-16X40 to the Swarovski z5 5-25 so I could more easily see the 300 yard groups.

Today I put a very cheap B-square bi-pod on the Savage .257 Weatherby and shot it at 300 yards from prone. The first group measured 1 3/4" and was at 2 o'clock about 2" out. I made an adjustments on the Swarovski z5 for windage of two clicks left and fired it again. Something hit my face so I looked around to see if I could see what it was. There was a little piece of shinny metal so I picked it up and what do I find? A little raptor looking thing which looks familiar. Then remember where I saw something like it before: On the side focus of the z5! I look and low and behold there is a negative that fits this little positive on the side focus.

Anyway the next group was too far left so I moved it back one click only to discover nothing moved when I fired three more rounds. I made an adjustment for vertical and it moved; except I moved it up instead of down.blush I moved the windage and it still didn't move. I moved the vertical again and the elevation came right in.

Anyway I fired five groups of three shots each. The best was 1 1/2" and the worst was 2 3/8". Tomorrow I will go verify the sightin when it is not so hot. The temp went to 85* before 10AM.

You folks who tell me we get what we pay for need to check out the windage on this z5. I hope it is right on tomorrow.

I cant speak for your z5 but mine have worked perfectly. I dont move the horizonatal alot but it tracked perfectly for zeroing it. I move the veritcal all the time as it has the bt turret. I bet one thing for shure tho, swarovski will make it right.

This one has the BT also. The turret has a little "h" on it so I didn't know which way to move it to get "down". Now I do. Like yours the vertical moves the correct amount corresponding with the 1/4" at 100 yards. That delights me.

Before I started moving the windage I bore sighted it. It was way off. That could be the drill holes or the mounts or no telling. Anyway I stuck a +.020" on one side of the front Burris Signature ring and a -.020" on the other side and it was nearly perfect. In the back ring I put +.040. The first three shots were the three at 2 o'clock about 2" out! I love those Burris Signature rings and inserts.

It sounds like you have an internal problem in your scope.

On safari a few years ago, at the end of the hunt, my PH had a Z6i 1-6X on his client rifle, a Model 70 in .416 Remington. He said it would not respond consistently to adjustments. I shot it, and he was correct. I took the scope back home and sent it to Swarovski for service. Before sending it in, we removed the Talley QD mounts that were so overtightened, a few of the screws had to be drilled out by a local 'smith. Swarovski USA in turn, after looking at the scope, sent it back to Austria for re-building.

To make a long story short, when my PH self mounted the scope, he failed to use the proper alignment tool to assure complete concentricity and failed to lap the rings so that everything was perfectly concentric. Then he over-tightend the mounting screws in the un-aligned rings to such a degree that he imperceptibly bent the tube and damaged the internal parts in the process. Swarovski replaced the tube and essentially rebuilt the scope for about $350, as this was no fault of the scope and was a clear case of improper (and over-enthusiastic) installation.

It takes a gunsmith (or someone completely familiar with scope installation) with the proper tools to correctly mount a scope. The kid behind the counter at Joe's gun shop should not be trusted with the job.

I'm not saying your installation wasn't properly done, but I suggest you send the scope, minus the rings, to Swarovski and have them service it. Their Service Department is excellent and reasonably prompt.

Let us know how it works out.

Swaro's can screw up just like anything else can. I had one go bonkers while attempting to kill a 190" muley buck. Swaro said it was a bad erector.

I recently had a new Z3 fail on me right out of the box, sent it back and they replaced the bias spring as well a few other components. The scope had issues from the factory, had nothing to do with my rings or mounting job. Everyone can put out lemons.

Swarovski only took about a week to fix it and get it back to me, very impressive customer service but still it does no make up for the money and time spent trying to dial in the scope.

I consider myself lucky though as this is the first scope issue I have had in 20 years of shooting/hunting.

That is encouraging. It is a little discouraging to move the windage and it doesn't move the point of impact.

My scope is in Burris Signature rings. So the alignment is not an issue. I install all my scopes this is the first time I am having a problem and it is the most expensive scope I own.

I'm kind of curious how you determined that your zero didn't move at 300 with 1 click on the windage turret. 1 click would be 3/4" at 300 yards which is half the size of your smallest group. Even 2 clicks is only 1.5" which would hardly be discernable movement inside your largest group.

Was there no wind at all? It sure wouldn't take much to disturb your groups more than the 1/4 - 1/2 MOA windage corrections you're dialing.

Just a thought.

kilmer,

You are correct.

The straw that broke the camel's back came after I liked the sightin. It finally centered a group where I wanted and the next three shots went into the same group when the barrel cooled. I looked at the chart for how many minutes does it take to get to 450 yards from the 300 yard zero: 2.9. I dialed in twelve clicks and started to fire a group. The first two looked really close at about 5/8" apart and straight up from the 300 yard zero, so I didn't fire another round. Then I turned it back to the zero stop and fired another group. The first two were 3/8" apart and 2" directly below the zero group so I didn't fire another round. The return to zero was not a confidence builder.

Today itleft on the Fed-X truck. If they don't find anything wrong at least they can repair the metal raptor that flew off and hit my face.