Costed me a 160 whitetail on my vari X 1!!!! Red flipper on the ocular broke off!! Any you fuuckin dummy buy any, you are waaaaaay worse than a leupold fan boy like myself. 😂😂

Let’s see if the whinnying crying salleys get creepy like the leupold whiners!!!

I did manage to rip it off and kill a good buck the same day, without tape on the muzzle, turrets, or a rangefinder.👊🏻😂😘

Can't say I have ever seen the red open flapper button break on one, though I have seen several get the cap ripped off from rubbing on my pack, breaking at the hinge. They are also great at holding moisture in and fogging up the lenses.

The biggest con to them though is just having to quickly open the damn things with cold and excited hands. I have seen more SNAFUs and lost opportunities due to people dicking with scope caps than anything else.

I don't use them anymore and especially not the Butler Creeks.

I soured on them several years ago. Caps breaking at the hinge, especially if it's below freezing.

Nowadays I use the bikini style covers.

Yep,,, they ain't worth a rats ass,,,,,,

Yep I’m in Montana, stupid cold. Leupolds held up, cape didn’t. Time for a hater thread!!😂

The Buzzard Creek caps are pretty crappy. I like the Leupold Aluminas though.

Been using them for at least 30 years. I personally have never had them fail but I hunt in less than harsh weather just whitetail deer in Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia and other Southern states where it seldom gets really cold.

HeavyBarrel

Sorry, but a child of three could study that concept and see that it’s fraught with peril, and not just the BCs. The kind that thread into the tube are worse. I had an 8x56 Hawke Endurance 30 that was pretty nice, and came with very nice thread-in aluminum caps, even came with little tools to install them. Tried it once, and it was a little tricky due to the fine threads, and I wasn’t crazy about dinking around with all that anodized metal next to 18-layer multi-coating, but I endeavored to persevere and got them on. Then I read the fine print which said, “DO NOT SHOOT WITH COVERS INSTALLED”. Seems you could put your eye out, Kid. WTF? I went through all that and have to undo it so I can shoot safely?

I have some BCs, now carefully stored in a drawer, so I won’t be tempted to use them. My vision is such that I need just a little correction at distance, and now most of my scopes stay focused for my vision wearing glasses. In the field however, glasses get fogged in cool weather, and I often have to remove them for a time and adjust the focus on my optics accordingly. Guess what that means with hard covers. With some Burris models, even changing the magnification means you have to adjust the rear cover.

Bikini covers are okay, but I’ve left them lying on the trail more than once, mostly Leupold (some would suggest I should’ve left the scope in them when I dropped them) and when you take them off, they’re another POS to put in a pocket and rattle around or fall out when you reach for something else. I do like them okay for storage and transportation in cases. That leaves neoprene covers, and those are my choice, especially the ones with tethers that keep you from losing them. They fold up nicely for for pocket carry, are less likely to fall out when you pull out your hanky, and don’t rattle. They also are more flexible for use on multiple scopes.

Trijicon includes both see-though bikini covers and neoprene covers, along with a lens pen, with their scopes.

Have spent more than a few hours attempting make clients Yuppie Flippie Uppie Butler Creek caps work properly….
It seems as though they can be distorted while being knocked around, compressed in a gun case, etc.

I used Uncle Mike’s QD scope covers for decades, currently using Scope Shield and Scope Guard neoprene covers. Still haven’t decided if I prefer the QD’s or the neoprene best.

Probably will jinx myself, but I've used them for 30+ years and have never had a failure of any sort. Cold as hell here where I hunt too. Sucks to hear about the buck getting away though

I hate those flip up covers of every kind. If I was in a dusty desert I’d probably use them. I use the bikini covers and / or the neoprene full scope covers if it’s raining or snowing.

I've broken a few BCs, still like them plenty good. Most of mine have gotten broken being open in the pickup and either the dog runs into them just wrong or someone (me included) throws a heap of gear on top of an open one and breaks it off @ the hinge.

I"ve got a couple of Tenebraex obj. covers I use spun 90 degrees where BC was too thick for the bbl/scope-bell gap. A buddy has a set of Aadamount that seem quite robust but IIRC they were noisy to open.

The Leupold Aluminas are OK until the stop wears out and the cap starts banging against the scope, then it sounds like 2 skeletons fornicating upon a tin roof every time they're opened.

I've used the Butler Creeks with no problems for many years. On the eye piece, I don't use the red thumb lever style, though...just a small diameter size like you use on the objective. They're quieter to open, too.

Good shootin' -Al

I broke another BC flip-up this weekend, right at the hinge, when it got some side pressure. Still use them on a few guns, but have more bikini-style covers than anything else, be they the Butler Creek version, the Leupold factory version, or even a few of the old yellow-lens see-thru models. I'm mainly just trying to keep dust/debris off the lenses when in transit/storage.

I hope that bit about the skeletons is supposition……

It seems like the old ones are tougher than the newer offerings. My older ones have never broken, but the newer ones certainly do. They're still the best thing I've found to satisfy the need. Just yesterday in the pouring rain I flipped up the ones on my .416 scope to shoot a buck before he knew what was going on.

Yeah, they're cheap, but if it's raining or snowing they'll keep the lenses dry. Just don't open them unless you have to or it'll fog up. Never had one break though. I bought a set of Leupold covers that thread on for the Leupolds. They're nice and tight. I only use lens covers when its raining or snowing.

No little red spring loaded buttons on my Butler Creek Blizzard caps, just two little black tabs at the 10 and 2 position that you lift with a finger. I’ll keep them down walking to my stand to keep the dirt out, but they are open unless there is snow or rain falling. Those see through clear windows in the caps would work in a pinch to shoot with, so if it wasn’t for that feature alone, I probably wouldn’t buy them.

+1 exactly how I use them. Yes I've broken some, but they are cheap. I like not having to keep track of them when i flip them up. Unlike a bikini cover.

That's what comes of being a ham-fisted Washington goober

I haven't had the red flipper break yet. The caps break at the hinges on mine first so far.

I hate them and i have 2 buddies that hate them worse because they watched me kill 2 bucks while they fumble with caps. I bet i have 40 butler creek caps laying around that i got on used scopes at gunshows. I use stetch covers on all of mine but nothing when hunting

I'll take it! LOL

I love BC scope covers. Use them on everything I can.

Love them. They are plastic and can break with use. I keep a stock on hand for when I destroy one.

Not sure how they are difficult to use and wonder what level of troglodyte has to “fumble” with them.

In keeping with 24 HCF tradition . . . Even though I don't know a thing about how you use them or what you expect out of them, I will state that I've never once had trouble with them, and I absolutely will not believe that anyone else ever did, either. They do a tremendous job at keeping the dust off scope lenses in my safe. I must have 30+ pairs. Some have been in there, in my safe, on scopes for over 20 years! Can you imagine, 20 years of use in the safe without a problem, and then I have to read on the interwebs about how some whiny Philistine had trouble with one once. Unreal.

I just use the stretchy neoprene (?) covers
myself, like the Scopecoat kind. A couple are
the genuine branded article, most are the
far east copy.
Nary a problem so far. I usually have it off
while hunting, but if needed to be kept on
for some reason, it can be pulled off quick
enough and silently dropped and retrieved
after the shot or if the shot is passed.
Wad it up in a pocket or vest pouch until
needed.
Whatever works for you

Video, or it didn't happen!

LOL, I’ve had many sets of Butler Creeks, and all have cracked and broke at the hinge. I only use Vortex Defenders now. The first Defenders I bought and put on back in 2016 are still on a bonafide, non safe queen, actual hunting rifle that has seen hard hunting and plenty of $hitty weather, and they’re still going strong. I’ll also admit…I tape them sumbitches on too! Only black or camo tape for me though!

Doc_Holidude

They work for me. I tape them up pretty good. Backpacks can be rough on them though.

alpinecrick;
Good evening to you sir, I hope the day behaved more than less for you and you're well.

Like MontanaMarine my go to scope covers these days seem to be the bikini ones, though admittedly they're limited to not too, too big an objective.

My all time favorite are still these ancient Uncle Mikes that I've had for what has to be 35 years.



While I do have one set of the flip up caps from when they were still Butler Creek, I sort of quit using that rifle much anymore so haven't dragged them out into poorer conditions.

All the best to one and all and good luck on the remaining hunts.

Dwayne

Not directed at you Dwayne.

Not ever body treats their rifles like Stick does. I've never broken one and I fuggin hunt. If you can't figure out to keep the things closed when it's raining then yeah, you are probably going to have problems with moisture. If you open them anticipating using your rifle and they get wet inside, dry them off before closing. Takes forethought and all that, but jeez, you guys can string a sentence together right? You should be able to handle some simple scope covers.

Or maybe not! LOL

Yeah i got tired of hinges breaking on the Butler Creek lens caps years ago, I now use the Vortex Defender flip-up caps. they are much more robust and not one has broken yet, Good luck...Hb

I’m not sure how they are all breaking. Do you all walk around with them flipped up or something?

I’ve yet to break one, been using them 15 years at least.

For me, I found that they easily get flipped up without me knowing it while the rifle is strapped to and rubbing against my pack walking through brush and whatever else. Then they break off at the hinge. A few times I suspect they got partially opened when bouncing around in a scabbard, then when I pulled the rifle out the partially open caps caught on the inside of the scabbard and broke off.

They’re a PIA to open with cold, numb fingers. The plastic also gets brittle in extreme cold and even when “working” fine in that cold any bumps side to side when the caps are flipped up easily breaks them off.

Maybe I am just rough on stuff. I dunno but I just don’t like them.

For me, they often break at the hinge. That said, they work ok, are cheap, and are available. I still use a lot of them.

The nice thing about the Blizzards is that you can leave them closed most of the time (avoiding most opportunities for them to break), even for quick, close shots.

I got tired of them break and went to tenabraex on most of my scopes when possible but more and more swapping to Aadlands. Not cheap but about 10x as durable as the BC’s and warrantied for life.

If someone breaks an Aadland cap while hunting they either got into a crazy rodeo and some human bones may have gotten broken or they simply tried to break them.

oh bullshit.....

Rodeo?

"The nice thing about the Blizzards is that you can leave them closed most of the time (avoiding most opportunities for them to break), even for quick, close shots."

Yep, opaque covers are a joke. Clear ones keep out rain and dirt, and you can still see through them if a quick shot presents itself. If you have a few extra seconds, you can flip them open for a tad more clarity.

I have Butler Creeks on a couple of rifles and like them the best of any of the scope covers I dislike.

Wish they still made Uncle Mike's, still my favorite. I break an average of one end or the other of BC covers per year.

I came across probably 15-20 various uncle mikes discs in my dads stuff. May need to see what’s there and set some back up for use.

Did it break while closed or did it get snapped off while open. I’m not sure any cap is unbreakable when open, bc’s break while closed which I’ve never heard of aadlands doing.

Aadlands also will warranty that for free

open. I barely bumped it sideways with my hand while reaching to close it. But it was 5 degrees out....

Out of curiosity....how did Aadmount handle the warranty?

After using Aadmounts on one rifle and Tenebraex on several others, I'd wondered if the more rigid material in the Aadmount would be more likely to break like that than the more flexible Tenebraex.

No tape in the bush. Dumbass.

That said I've never understood why people buy covers that don't have clear that you can use instantly just in case for a quick shot. That said the covers pop open in a second without the red tab. And to be honest the ones without are a better deal IMHO. One less gadget to break.

And if you didn't have the covers but needed to have them, then the scope would have been wet or fogged or otherwise non usable anyway.

Unfortunately stuff happens at the worst times it seems.

But then again all worked up to blame someone over just a simple deer when you couldn't have just flipped that cover forward on its own... well...operator does have to be a bit swift at times.

For me, I jumped on the BC's Blizzard caps several years ago...it's been a long while back now. Made a mass order for several rifles. It seems as if it's raining as often as it's not here during hunting season and I thought it would be a nice to have the see through option. The first time I used them they leaked around the clear see-through. The inside of the cap had a collection of water. After that I never gave them another chance.....maybe it was a single bad one or maybe they've improved?

I mostly run the Blizzards on rigs that get used for tracking in the snow, where shot opportunities can happen fast. Since it's cold, I can't really say how they'd do in heavy downpour conditions.


For years I used the standard BC's for most rigs. Sure they'd break every now and then, but usually they gave good service. I use them like Al N. : only fronts on on the ocular housing - no red levers as that seemed to be the weakest point. The past few years I've been getting more of their Element series, which have been really good so far.

I can understand your disgust. Mine were almost 30 years old and worked well from MT to Canada and Alaska without a problem. Maybe they have been cheapened since then.

Maybe a bad one? Mine haven’t leaked and they’ve been purchased over several years, so various vintages.

MK Machining. File the interfering tab off?

Meh, they're OK considering what they cost...regardless, Butler Creeks are lightyears ahead of the rubber contraptions Nikon used to include with their Monarchs a few years back. Holy hell, takes damn near three hands to open the fronts or rears.

I used flippers once upon a time, 35 or so years ago. Once.

Even pieces of inner tube worked better..... maybe they have improved. Yeah - they both leacked and I had to pry the damned cover open after the latch broke. Now it's scope shield or bikinis for me, which are just as fast to use. At least I've not lost a shot because of it.

You boys that like flippers just have at it.....

Bikinis…

Blizzard caps are great.

I used a loop of inner tube for years but now get the rubber from a physical therapist.....works perfect.

Hey I'm with you pal, but the tape over the muzzle has saved me quite a few hunts, and we've been doing it around these parts long before the garden gnome went off his meds!