I had a Nikon 3x9x50 rifle scope fog up on me on the second day of a very wet Alaska POW bear hunt. I have sent it back for repair or replacement. I am planning a trip in November to Oregon and I know for sure the weather is going to be wet and miserable. Just wondering, would you trust a repaired scope on a trip like this?

I had hunted with this scope for several years here in Alabama (sometimes in poor conditions) and never had a problem, two days in Alaska killed it.

kp,

I have had two scopes repaired and returned to use (one Leup. and one Kahles -- both for physical damage from hard handling). You can always do the wet and freeze test yourself at home and check for problems before you go hunting.

I would say your scope was done in by its history, not jus two days of AK.

jim

Never underestimate just how tough this coastal rainforest can be on stuff.

I'd not run that scope on another wetcoast hunt.

+1

I wish that I could get away using cheaper scopes, but it just doesn't work that way.

Steelhead & Calvin,

A chance to learn something then.

I only have one scope's worth of experience with Nikon scopes (a Monarch Gold). Do you guys think that no Nikon scope is up to this chore, or just this model?

My experience is often repaired production items are more reliable than something right off the line.

thanks...jim

I could not agree more, I spent 7 years in Alaska and until one has experienced it their is no way that they will understand the strain that Alaska puts on your gear. I saw many scope failures while in AK.

I didn't say I wouldn't run because it was repaired.

I have a Weaver 4X wide-view that I bought used in 1976. I have no idea how old it actually is. It fogged on me during bear season sometime in the mid 80's. I had it repaired by the guy in Texas and it's been on a Savage 358 ever since with no problems.

I think it's a crap shoot. You don't know if or when one will fail, new, used, repaired, doesn't really matter, they're mechanical devices and mechanical devices can go belly up.

Dale

If you take that scope, carry a spare.

If you take another scope, carry a spare.

Bruce

Roger, thank you...out.

jim

I run Leupold, and Leupold only for just that reason. Never had one go south on me. Can't say the same about other brands...

I have a Leupold 4x that was made in the 60's. It fogged in about 71. It has never had another issue since coming back from Leupold...So, yes, I would trust a repair, just not many manufacturers.

+1 Take a spare

Rob

There is NO scope brand that won't fail you at some point... Take a backup regardless if you are using the supposed perfect Leupys or any other. Be prepared.

sgt217 - That's been my experience with Leupold too! I also won't ignore the advice given here by guys who live and hunt in the wetcoast..

I have sent 2 Burris' units back...both bit the dust...thank goodness it was at the range..Was once a Burris faithful, but those days and scope numbers are dwindling.

I have had several Leupold scopes repaired & installed on magnum cal. riles w/o any problem I suspect a repaired scope from a major brand may be better than an off the shelf new one.
I wouldn't thing about going on a hunt with one rifle & not having a spare. I use Warren removable rings & have the 2nd. scope zeroed with rings. I have had Leupold's fail on hunts that cost me a trophy. I subject a scope to a lot of punishment riding on an ATV, commercial & bush flights, boats, & perhaps the worst of all horses/mules. Damn horses/mules could break an anvil when they decide to go rank. I also use a lot of magnum rifles so I'm not knocking Leupold.

That scope failed while on the Gifford Pinchot NF in Washington. Got a little experience out there too. Rost, never said they were perfect but they suit my needs better than most. YMMV

Now we're talking....
From my experience guiding in the NWT, this is the only way to go.

Any new scope should be tested for leaks. It's real simple. Heat water on a stove to 140 degrees, then submerge the scope. If it leaks after the first few minutes, it will fog, sooner or later. Don't get excited if a bubble or three escapes from it, give it a minute. But if it leaks a stream of bubbles, send it back.
Same thing for recoil ressitance. Shoot the rifle at least 40 rds. 60 maybe better. If it's going to fail, it will there.
Like others, carry a spare or another rifle.
Alaska is tough on scopes probably because most send their rifles there by air. Traveling in unpressurized compartments, the rifle gets it's dry air sucked out of it. When you land, it sucks in moist air. Then all it has to do is get cold for it to fog. E

Where does that temp requirement come from?

--Mike

Sgt
The way the thread was heading is that if you use L, you'll be fine. And we know thats not the case. I've seen one L fall apart on a 223. I have one thats about gone on an AR. I"ve also had a Z fail on the very first shot.

Point wasn't against L, they are fine, the point WAS and IS, take a friggin spare dude..... Its a long trip, proven to punish people and gear, why would you go so far without a spare rifle or at least sights.....

When its crunch time, I personally carry a Z and nothing else, but they are not perfect either.

Jeff

i sure hope i can trust one. frank ruiz is working right now on an el paso k4 ...

Jeff....One mans Leupold may be anothers Zeiss (deep,huh?) I always have a spare around, but seldom need it....Paul

(I hope there will never be a perfect scope that everyone agrees on. Be a pretty bring optics forum) I prefer Leupies, don't really care what others carry...)

I find that last statement a bit difficult to believe. I use an air tight pressurized case that the Seals use for transport. My buddy has a steel case with excellent gaskets that never collects moisture. I have hunted down to -39 & transported my case in commercial & bush airplanes to get there w/o moisture or fogging. My buddy has never had a problem. Whats the basic for this statement?

Not having one has never stopped him before.... I'm curious to find out what jetliners cary the cargo in unpressurized compartments myself.

The one thing that turned me off with Nikon is they were selling their "reconditioned" scopes with a cheesey 90 day warranty a few years ago. The non-recon scopes had a good warranty to the ORIGINAL purchaser. I called them and complained that it sure looked like they didn't have any faith in their repairs. They could have cared less and said that was their warranty, take it or leave it.

Obviously if they didn't have faith in the scope why in the hell should we? I know a lot of folks who swear by Nikons and haven't had a lick of trouble. On the same note I don't know anyone who has one that was repaired...

I do agree with most of the folks here that any of them can fail and that includes $3000.00 Schmidt & Benders. If you have it fixed I'd still take a spare. With the cost of a hunt like you're going on, taking a spare is very cheap insurance.

JMHO and each his own...

Paul

You got it, SELDOM need it, but SMART enough to have it!

I'd rely less on what its done in the past for performance and more on the fact that Murphy travels with me mostly....

L work fine. I've no issues with them. I simply prefer Z for the same money, as I do some night shooting for hogs and the Z has always been brighter for me in that aspect. Plus a soft ring on the eyepiece... Less chance of cuts from the larger boomers.

Jeff

I've heard it said that you can always trust a repaired Leupold scope more than a new Leupold. Unfortunately, it did not work out that way for me. It was a new 1.75 - 6 Vari X 3 that had a fault with the erector assembly. Failed within 15 shots on a 375RUM. Repaired & failed again within 15 shots. Told them I was not going to accept it again & they were very good and sent me a VX3 as a replacement - no problems since. That was my first & only problem with a Leupold.

My friend had a 4.5 - 14 x 50 Vari X 3 with very bad parallex problems. Sent it in & no problems since.

So you don't really know & it depends what the original problem was. You just have to shoot & find out. Usually any problems will materialise pretty soon. You hope!

Regards,
JohnT

I've only ever had one scope problem, and it was caused by me, not the scope.

Slipped and fell in a wet drainage while hunting mountain goat.
Test fired the rifle once back off the mountain that day. Three shots at 100 yards were fine, but a couple of days later at the range, she was all over the place.

Sent that scope back to Leupold for repairs. Had it back inside two weeks and have had reliable service out of it for the past 9 years on the same 338 WM. (Scope is a VariX III 3.5-10 X 40, and was used when I bought it in '98 and mounted it on the 338)

The idea of using water at 140 degrees is to make the gases in the scope expand and leak if the scope is so inclined.
If your scope leaks, shipping it in an air tight case will not prevent it from fogging. If you hunt at different altitudes, that will cause the gases inside the scope to either be sucked out or sucked in along with whatever mosture the air sucked in contains. Naturally, if you hunt in dry climates, this may not be a problem. If you do your hunting near the same altitudes, likewise.
Testing a scope in warm water is just a way to look for potential problems. E

The comment I questioned didn't have any thing to do with a scope leaking. You posted that unpressurized plane compartments could case air/moisture/fogging problems with a scope in a case in Alaska. I have actual experience in cold & very cold climates & no one I have hunted with or know has ever had this problem. Since there is no actually testing or experience on your part I will just consider the comment irreverent.

Any time Ive ever had a scope come back from leupold,they have sent back a checkout sheet showing that they went thru it and that it checked out with a clean bill of health,Yipper I believe Id trust their word on the matter.............

I would not worry about it.I use Luepold QD rings on my scope and carry a spare one sighted in.Cheap innsurance on a Alaska hunt.

I keep a Weaver back up scope, K-1.5,2.5 or 3x presighted with QD rings for every one of my working guns. They are very tough, reliable, reasonably priced, light and don't take up much space. I haven't needed one yet but it's cheap insurance.

erich

10-4 on the back-up. About 8 years ago a buddy of mine missed all sorts of Blackies on POW with a faulty scope. It was so bad, I was afraid for him to shoot even when I was behind him. He always did go cheap on gear, and AK ain't the place for 'dat!
I'm going goat hunting in SE AK this year. I'm likely going to take my Blaser synthetic just because it breaks down for travel, AND I have two quick detachable scope bases all set up for the .300 Win Mag (Griz tag, too). I have three scope choices for this rifle: 1) my favorite Swaro AV rail with TDS (has been repaired after crapping out last summer sighting in); 2) S&B Zenith Illum Ret. (awesome, but heavy) and 3)the back-up Leupy VX-III 2.5-8X36 (weights nothing and dependable). I think I'm going to leave the Zenith home due to weight, but I haven't put the repaired Swaro through the paces yet.
Don

I've had some pretty good variables go through my hands over the years. The ones I've kept are the tough, very reliable 3X and 4X scopes. They take a beating and keep on ticking. Above all, that's what you need in a rifle scope. Particularly when you are a long way from home and the country is mean. E

I have not really had any scope failures that I know of, been lucky so far. I've only purchased one used scope an ACOG from a reliable source with no problems....

Several years ago on opening day of elk season I had one of their Signature Series scope fog over. It cost me most of a day of hunting to return and get another rifle. Sent it back in and got it back 2 weeks later. Reinstalled and sighted rifle in again months later and put gun away till following season in safe. I was going to hunt with gun the next season and went to range to check the zero and noticed black flakes of something coating the internal lenses. Sent in again for repair. Two times in two seasons with one day afield with rifle. I sure hope it is finally repaired correctly! I think this will be my last Burris.

2Seventy

If it's a Leupy that's been repaired in their shop, or a Weaver that Frank Ruiz's folks did, it's good to go. Otherwise, why risk a hunt on something you don't trust?

Wayne