I have a Vari-X III (3�-10) riding in Talley aluminum mounts on a Remington Model 7 stainless in 7mm-08, and I dropped it on a rock last week while hunting. The scope hit first, and though the rig is a pretty solid affair, the rock didn't move. Instead, it put some scratches on the side of the ocular bell.

I went home for lunch, and before going back out I took a couple of shots at 50 yards. Two holes, almost touching, one inch high -- no harm done. So here's the question: what would you do to hide the blemishes? The scope is a matte black finish.

Thanks.
Steve.

black sharpie

Keep hunting it and call it a character mark...

Flat black paint applied with a q-tip.

Yep.

Steve, I feel your pain, I really do. I hate dinging up scopes. With a stock you can usually repair it, and with the barreled action, well, that's just gonna take some scuffs and scratches the more you hunt with it. I suppose scopes do to, but I hate it when I ding one of mine.

Some items just look worse with a hack-job "repair". Scopes fall into that category. Stainless steel can be blasted and synthetic stocks can easily be painted, but I think scopes are best left alone.

Flat black automotive paint pen works well and is much more durable than a sharpie. The paint is also thin enough not to "glop."

That's the best idea and you can also get the same thing from Birchwood Casey called a Touch-Up Pen in flat or satin black.

Birchwood Casey makes a product called Aluma Black. Kinda like a cold blue. Apply it a few coats at a time. It chemically reacts with the aluminum and gradually blackens it. End results will vary depending on the exact alloy the aluminum is. Typically you get a fairly dark black matte finish.

Agreed. I think that even the marks on the stock and stainless steel are simply character marks and better off left alone unless you want to professionally refinish the whole thing.

That scope is way too big for a Mod Seven which caused it to be unbalanced. You probably didn't even realize it. I would sell the scope in the Classifieds and sell the rifle to me ASAP.

$350 shipped sound ok?




Just kidding, actually the Touch-Up pen does a fair job if the "character" marks bother you.

Character marks -- I agree, those aren't so bad. I can't expect never to get them, but all I want to do is minimize them.

And yes, it might be a little big for a Model Seven, but I'm OK with that. It used to be on my 700 in 7mm magnum, but when I sold that I didn't want to part with the scope. I thought I'd put it on the Model Seven only temporarily, but after using it for a few seasons, it'll stay on that rifle.

I'll look into the Birchwood Casey Aluma Black. Sounds like it will work as well as anything. Thanks.

Steve.

Yep, thats what I would do.

I hunted with this dent in my scope for years. As long as it holds zero just hunt with it.

I used that scope with the dent in it for a long time and killed a bunch of critters. Probably 15 years after denting it I was sending Leupold a couple of scopes for turrets so I sent that old dented varri-XII in for a warenty checkout, the tube was bent so Leupold sent me a new scope.

Yet another example of why I run Leupolds on 99% of my rifles.

I have heard many stories of Leupold unconditionally repairing or replacing their products. A remarkable commitment to their customers, not so common these days.

The guy that invents a cost effective repair for scope ring marks and scratches will get very rich. Anyway, I have used Sharpies as well as everything else mentioned. Some match, some glop, some aren't even close and make the fix look worse. One thing I've used that is a good color match, is durable and fairly easy to keep from glopping is the black pens that you use to mark permanent numbers on plastic cattle eartags. Any feed store that sells eartags should have one.

I'd simply point out that the fact that the scope held zero speaks well for it. E

Hunt it. Who cares about looks on a hunting gun? You hunt or show off? At least I"ve never taken time to touch up scratches on any weapon I own...

Which is why I mentioned that. Love those Talley rings -- I suspect such drops aren't so uneventful when a bloke is using front dovetail and rear windage rings.


Your point is taken. No one else sees my guns, so I don't show them off, but it can't hurt to touch up the now-and-then ding that's inevitable for a hunting rifle. I sold all my rifles with nice wood because rifles are tools. You don't use nicely figured and finished wood for a hammer handle unless you're going to enclose it in glass for some reason and not use it.

Steve

All rings do is hold the scope in place. Impacts like that can and do cause the scope's zero to shift while not moving in the rings. E

Even so, when I can I rely on the Talleys more than the set-ups with separate bases and the inverted conical windage screws. They'd make Rube Goldberg proud.

Steve

Who you dinging ? Conetrol or SK ? Either is rock solid, has windage on both bases as are actually good looking, unlike Talleys that look like a C clamp sitting on your rifle.

Being from PA, I doubt your rifles spend days in a saddle scabbard being bumped by trees, brush or having a horse take a slide down a snow covered screed hill.

Heck, steel Weavers are as solid as Talleys, no more ugly and a lot cheaper.
Finn used them on his M-70 375 H&H in Africa for decades !

Solid & good looking:

http://www.conetrol.com/

http://www.scopemounts.com/index.html?main.html

Strong and ugly: (w/NO windage adjustment)

http://www.talleymanufacturing.com/

Neither. It's these I'm not especially fond of:



I doubt they'll be as sturdy when taking the bumps and bruises a hunting gun takes.

When it comes to ugly, Talley's aren't so bad, but I won't argue with a person who says there are better looking mounts, because that person is right.

Steve.

Drop it on the other side so it matches! Seriously, I have some 30 year old Leupolds. Eventually they get some marks. No biggie. One time I asked Leupold if they could refinish a gloss scope to matte. They said - No, they don't refinish scopes. That may have changed, but I'd probably just live with it.

Bob

I suspect we are on the same page when it comes to bases and rings. You can't run fast enough to give me most mounts with a windage screw. That's because the vast majority of them don't grip the scope ring with much.
The exception are the very light mounts by Gentry. They have proven to be very tough and stable. E

The mount you show is neither two piece nor has any conical screws on it.

Weatherby supplied Conetrols on his rifles (or Buehlers) for decades. If it can stand up to a 460 WM, I rather doubt a 7mm08 would take it apart !

The days of carrying your scope in a leather belt pouch because they were so fragile are long gone. Heck some scopes (Kahles, Nightforce, Schmidt and Bender) are even useful to pound in tent stakes.

character

Here's what I said:

So, I didn't say anything about a two-piece base. I said the rings are separate from the bases. Doesn't matter if it's a 1-piece base or a 2-piece base. The rear ring set-up is the same -- two screws with an inverted conical configuration under the screw heads. That's what grips the little lip cut in each side of the base.

As far as I'm concerned, these things are obsolete (though I still have them on one or two guns.)

Steve.

For the dings, black Sharpie pen. As to mounts, I'd recommend strongly either Leupold Dual Dovetails or steel Talleys.

Perfect answer...

Does your spotter, Karl, have any finish left? Last time I saw him he appeared quite the "character"!

It's like the Energizer Bunny.....good stuff will keep working even if it gets a beat around a little.

Yeah, my NULA .30-06 almost looks like it's been dragged behind a pickup on a gravel road, but just keeps shooting really well...

Did you secure the turrets with duct tape................

After this year, so does my Rem Ti, 30-06 - I win the prize for most dropped, kicked and stepped on in one season.

Sounds like it is time to Krylon the whole rig. Krylon hides alot of sins. It is easy to touch up when you toss it on the ground again. Aluma black if you dont like that idea. Either way Send it back to Luepold to have it checked over after the season. 15bucks shipping could be worth a ton.

I chuckle every time you post a pic of Karl. Sad, but I'm a bit jealous of him. He gets out way more than I do...