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Question on another forum regarding optical clarity got me thinking this morning, and to which I replied with...

*****

Ah, the power of marketing, eh?

For years I used Bausch & Lomb/Bushnell 3000/3200 Elites on all my rifles.

Then several years back I convinced myself it was time to move up to better quality optics, in part considering all the money I'd spent on making several rifles into shooters of tiny groups clearly required, so I'm told ad infinitum, to plug deer at a couple hundred yards or so.

So I spent some more dough on upgrading to Leupold. To that end I bought a VX-III 4.5x14x40 for my go-to 300 WM, an FX-II 6x36 for the Marlin, an FX-11 4x33 for the Ruger 77/22, and a VX-II 6x18x40 AO for the 25.06 Rem. Varminter.

My anticipation for the VX-III, with its "indexed" lens system squeezing out an extra dozen or so possible minutes of the hunter's witching hour, had me twitching with enthusiasm for deer and elk season to arrive. Boy, just imagine how great this is gonna be to see twilight turn into daylight, as all those other poor slobs with their inferior scopes had to pack it in just when the game du jour was finally getting around to poking their heads out of trees to see if the coast was finally clear!

You can imagine the sag in my shoulders when I inevitably discovered that perhaps my expectations were maybe a tad bit over the top.

Indeed, pretty much nothing had changed...at least not that I could tell. Twilight was still pretty much...ummm...twilight. Damn!

Oh, well...there was still the advantages of Leupold quality and reputation.

...not that my relatively inexpensive Elite 3000/3200 scopes ever let me down, mind you.

In making the move to Leupold I'd wondered what the difference in light transmission was between the VX-I, II and III amounted to. So I sent them an email, to which they quickly replied.

From memory, best as I can recall...

VX-I: roughly 88%
VX-II: roughly 92%
VX-III: roughly 95%

Since then I've done a lot more reading on optics...paying more attention to the facts, and less to manufacturers' marketing hype. You know, reading I should have done before spending a bunch of dough.

Bottom line:

Fixed power scopes with "fully multi-coated" lenses will transmit about 98% of available light at best.

Similarly glassed variables, due to the number of additional lenses involved, will transmit about 95%.

These numbers represent, contrary to advertising loosely "suggesting" otherwise, pretty much the limits of light transmission as dictated by the science of physics.

I remember once watching a brief news documentary in which they put about 20 "officiandos" of sound systems in a room...blindfolded...and asked them to rate the different playback from the various equipment. Interestingly enough, they were all over the map, and systems costing a mere fraction of others generally scored, all said and done, about as well.

Point being, when's the last time anyone read the results of a blind...okay, you know what I mean!...test on rifle scopes???

Right. I thought so.

The human eye...with all its faults, particularly as one gets on in years...is only capable of so much distinction. I sincerely doubt Joe Average Guy, for the most part, is actually capable of distinguishing the difference between 95% light transmission provided by one brand of fully multi-coated lenses and the the next...forget that the cross-hairs lie at the center of image where the deer's vitals happen to be located, nowhere near the outer edges where nothing worth mentioning is happening.

However, the power of suggestion (meaning, yes, marketing) certainly can convince many otherwise.

Yes, a 50mm or 56mm...or God forbid...a 72mm objective lens may add a few minutes of potential at the end of the day due to the "exit pupil" thingy happening. Good stuff, if one doesn't mind, personal preference-wise, packing around what looks to be a battle club attached to his rifle I guess.

Marketing, eh? Makes the world go around.

More to the point, makes people want to spend their money on the latest and bestest with the mostest that surely will make us the baddest, meanest, leanest, most proficient, kick-ass Masters of the Known Universe.

Hunters and shooters are no different from fishermen, x-country bikers, skiers, you name it. Did I mention golfers? Especially golfers!!!

Hence, the next 6.8mm Whizbang Magnum, with precision 2.246 lb trigger, stock reinforced with the same carbon fibers used on B-2 bomber wings, match grade barrel rifled to .0000001 tolerances, all coated with military spec Astro-Duralast-Teflonite to insure long life and maximum performance we dedicated hunters deserve and expect...

...as we sit hours on end, everything from our bootlaces to our sunglasses camoed to the nines with TrueTreeLeaf Armortac, in lonely treestands till the last flicker of marginally legal shooting light finally forces us to pack it in for another day.

Yep! You gotta love it!

smile


I love the idea of blind tests. I would especially enjoy seeing brand-loyal beer drinkers participate. In my younger days, we had an on-going poker game held in a friend's apartment. It would fire up whenever there were sufficient "members" available. The most obnoxious of the group, both in terms of his approach to the game and life in general, was disciple of a particular brand of beer, extolling its virtues and consigning all other brews to the world of dog piss. He was also quite good at hollering at whoever was headed to the fridge to bring him one of his beloved beers. We all kept our own supply in said fridge. Some of us had taken it upon ourselves to pick up a six of whatever was cheapest and keep a few cans available. We also kept a few empty cans of "God's own beer" in the fridge so the can itself would be cold when we poured one of the dog piss beers into it to take back to him. It was entertaining to watch him take a deep drink and denigrate everyone else's choice of inferior beverage.
Very right, Sir.

Check out the LR forum - I posted a picture through a 3-12x56 with an integrated Laserrangefinder.

Zeiss has now even come up with a scope that has both a crosshair and a dot - illuminated, that is - so the hunter can switch... God knows what for.

The laser - I can see for dedicated LR-hunters in combination with the turret.

Personally I take my interest as a researcher and teacher and look at the new stuff - sometimes I find things of value.

Mostly, though

[Linked Image]
Plain old 4x Leos have never let me down...but I still have the first 1" tube I bought, for all of $30 or so, the Bushy Sportview 3-9X. Sans turret covers, it still hasn't fogged. A skeptical view of what is "correct" for everyone because it works for a few has never not worked for me.
About 10 years ago I took a new 10x binocular from a Japanese optics company to a prairie dog shoot, along with another new 10x made by another well-known Austrian company acknowledged to be one of the Big Three optics companies in the world. The Japanese company might be considered one of the Big Three of Japan, but not in the world.

I covered up the logos of the binoculars, and had a bunch of people compare them. Several people thought they were about the same optically, but the people who did pick one as superior picked the Japanese glass. Oh, and by the way, the Euro-glass retailed for twice the Japanese glass.

Here I'll also retell the tale of a study made a few years ago. A number of different wine bottles were put on a table, with nothing but a price tag on each bottle. The price tags had nothing to do with the real price of each wine, which varied from $5 to $40 a bottle. A bunch of people tasted the wine, and almost invariably picked the bottles with higher price tags as "better."

That wasn't the really interesting thing, however. The people were hooked up to brain-scanners, which indicated that when they tasted the "higher-priced" wines, the portion of their brain having to do with pleasure reacted to the wines labeled as costing more. So those wines actually DID taste better to most testers, even if the real-world price was only $5.
When I was young, Dad worked for an IH dealer who also owned a hardware store. Dad was mostly the parts man at the implement, but he bounced around doing most everything along with that. One day he was at the hardware store when some drummer came in with some sort of cleaner/degreaser. He wanted to set up a comparison test with any product they had on hand. It was getting on toward noon, so it was suggested that everyone retire to the cafe for dinner. (We caklled the daily meals by their proper names back then.) Dad was going home, so he said he'd close up. (Remember when businesses did that?) Before going home, he poured out the cleaners and switched containers. Amazingly enough, the product in the drummer's container far outperformed the one in the other. (Probably a lot like that Cutco trick with the rope where the seller holds it taught when you cut with his knife and loose when you cut with yours.) When Dad explained what he had done, the drummer was not a happy camper and decamped in a bit of a huff.
Originally Posted by Mule Deer
About 10 years ago I took a new 10x binocular from a Japanese optics company to a prairie dog shoot, along with another new 10x made by another well-known Austrian company acknowledged to be one of the Big Three optics companies in the world. The Japanese company might be considered one of the Big Three of Japan, but not in the world.



That reminds me of an evening some years ago when we were watching bears at some distance late one evening. There were more people than optics handy so the optics were getting quite a bit of sharing time. There were a couple of nice Germans brands (this was when Germany still held court as the premier glass I guess). My own binocular was a near look-alike Japanese made glass with a major hunting retailer label. I recall an oil company executive, a fellow who could and did own good stuff asking as he looked through my glass, "Are these (an alphabetically delinquent name)?"

But he was still impressed even when he found out the truth.

Originally Posted by 5sdad
When I was young, Dad worked for an IH dealer who also owned a hardware store. Dad was mostly the parts man at the implement, but he bounced around doing most everything along with that. One day he was at the hardware store when some drummer came in with some sort of cleaner/degreaser. He wanted to set up a comparison test with any product they had on hand. It was getting on toward noon, so it was suggested that everyone retire to the cafe for dinner. (We called the daily meals by their proper names back then.)


I thought that was an easy way to tell a city slicker from a farmer! grin (I sure pitied my friends who had to go to bed without supper.) grin grin

Funny story BTW.
Latest gizmos. It's a disease.

People think technology will make them more skillful, and it can if you learn how to use it properly.

I don't own any red dot scopes.
I don't own any stainless rifles.
I don't own any synthetic stocked rifles.
I don't own a rifle that cost me more than $800.00.
I don't own any scopes that cost more than $750.00.
I don't own any scopes with a higher power than 10X.
I don't have any that have a larger objective than 44MM.
I don't have a $1300.00 3 1/2" Mag. duck gun. I shoot an old 2 3/4 Auto 5.

I have yet to miss an animal because I had none of the above. What I have works well for what I do. YMMV.

I've seen plenty of people miss shots who had all of the above.

If you have reliable equipment and know how to use it, that's worth more than all the technology and hocus pocus stuff money can buy.....if you never take the time to learn to use it properly.

JM

In business, if there is head to head completion, you will be out of biz in 5 years, as consumer comparison shrinks profits.

The cell phone industry has obfuscated the difference between plans and phones so well that it is hard to compare one company's phones with it's own other phones.

By these standards, the scope industry has a healthy lack of controlled comparison.

Looking back in time at my purchases:
1) Kahles
2) IOR
3) IOR
4) Leupold
5) Leupold
6) Leupold
.
.
.
~ 50) Weaver K4

What does it all mean?
I don't know what the hell I am getting for my money with rifle scopes, and neither can anyone else.
Some $3 bill gun writer might pretend that he can.

I really have no brand preference and I am not a person that pays much attention to marketing, I listen to what others who hunt and shoot say over the marketing teams. It is with great care and focus that one can tell the difference between my Pentax 8 x 40 glass and my zeiss 8 x 40 victory glass, I mean its not a "world" of difference for 3 times the price.

At this time there is not any laser rangefinder/GPS system/BDC/Video Camera built into my riflescope, only a blacker reticle that I can see better in the inexpensive Conquest series. A good reticle, user friendly head placement, reasonable glass and good durabilty are more important.

Three years ago looking through a fellow I used to hunt with 6-20 (or something) Bushnell Banner it was awful and anyone that was not blind (which he was partially blind in his right eye) could tell, maube it was a bad scope I don't know. One needs to seek a balance in life, stainless rifles for rain days and usable optics are the two I seek not so much the the video/GPS/LRF/BDC riflescope mounted on a braked 416 Lazzaroni Meteor deer rifle. On the other hand if they could put an iPod in a riflescope they would be on to something.
I threw a Bushnell scope in a lake in Maine, and there's another one in the stream by our rod and gun club. I put a Nikon Buckmasters scope on for a guy this Summer that would not hold zero. He got another one and that one wouldn't either. He finally got a Monarch that did, for twice the price. I sent a Vari X 2 and a Competition series back to Leupold because they wouldn't track. Do the square test and see if your last shot lands where your first did. I sent a Burris Fullfield back because the inside had light spots in it. It was as though they paint the insides black and missed a spot.

Forget optical clarity... start with being mechanically sound. That would be nice. My benchrest shooting has shown me that I can shoot a new Competition series Leupold that's 45 power and a thousand bucks and switch to a 36 power Leupold that's 20 years old and not miss a beat.

Good glass and coatings are great, but something reliable is more so. I've seen benchrest classifieds where after the name of a scope are the words "proven" as to say it has been tried and holds zero and tracks. Most scopes they claim don't even hold zero. I've read very prominent shooters say that it is impossible for an internally adjustable reticle to hold zero. Guys glue the reticles in place and buy or make adjustable rings to zero their guns. Like the old Unertls.
Originally Posted by rob p
Most scopes they claim don't even hold zero. I've read very prominent shooters say that it is impossible for an internally adjustable reticle to hold zero. Guys glue the reticles in place and buy or make adjustable rings to zero their guns. Like the old Unertls.


I think alot more folks than just prominent shooters would know that if it were true.
Originally Posted by JohnMoses
Originally Posted by rob p
Most scopes they claim don't even hold zero. I've read very prominent shooters say that it is impossible for an internally adjustable reticle to hold zero. Guys glue the reticles in place and buy or make adjustable rings to zero their guns. Like the old Unertls.


I think alot more folks than just prominent shooters would know that if it were true.


Agreed. Guess all those national and international championships shot with Nightforce scopes were'nt shot by "prominent shooters." The use of "frozen" scopes in adjustable external mounts seems to be a phenomenon of super-long range benchrest shooting, from what I have read about the practice, and has more to do with the lack of scopes on the market with adequate adjustment past 1500 yards than it does with lack of reliability.
Think this is a good place to add my observation about marketing and spending money on our sport(s). This may be long, so if you don't like to read skip to the end.

I have been off work for a long time due to illness and back at the first of the year got back into my shooting as a sort of rehab to reengage with life. So late April I go to the range with my stuff in the middle of the week when it isn't crowded. Two of us show up at the same time and we both pick the 100 berm to shoot from, backing up and offloading at chosen benches just 3 empties separating us. WE both get set and start shooting and finish about the same time and I have noticed this guy is a set up benchrest shooter and having never been around a real BR guy go and start up a conversation with him to see what its about.

Nice guy, lot of info, impressive equipment and lots of it, expensive components and custom made rifles from three different makers, none local, I mean this guy has out spent me with just the damn stool he is sitting on. And he is just a local farmer with an expensive hobby he travels around with and competes allover the country.

he shows me his best target for the load he is working up that day and I show him my best for the day. (and my load was carefully researched and then pulled directly out of my azz and slapped together)

He has a five shot group of 30 cal that might be a 1/2" one hole. Me, a five shot 30 cal with about a 3/4" hole.

On the way home I start figuring and from his truck and gear compared to mine I was probably looking at close to 60K worth of his stuff from truck to BR Primer compared to my possibly 25K in stuff.

lets see, 35K difference in gear and a 1/4" difference in group. mmmmm make ya wonder a bit?

Colo Wolf....I'd generally agree with you that there comes a point of deminishing returns in equiptment. For the "average" shooter/hunter it makes no sense to spend $35K for a 1/2" better group size (particularly when your 3/4" group is exceptional and more than you need for your game).

However, in the game HE was playing (assuming he was very good as a shooter) that 1/4" better group could be the difference in winning and just competing. If he was competing in a 1000 yard match with a 10" bullseye his 1/2 group would be something like 5" at 1000 yards (IF everything was perfect otherwise). Yours would be about 7 1/2". In other words, you'd have to be near "perfect" to hit the bull every time with no "wiggle room".....while he would have a bit of an edge on a not-so-perfect shot.

It's just like golf clubs. You can spend 5 times as much on a set of the best clubs and never see a difference in your score while a PGA pro can shoot two shots better with top eqiptment......and maybe win the tournament instead of being tied for 26th. For HIM, the difference is worth the money.....but for a less skilled player it makes no sense.

I remember a time at the range with friends when I was shooting groups that were near 1/2" (the rifle I had then was a "true" 1/2" rifle) while a buddy was getting a respectable 1 to 1 1/4" groups. He claimed it was the rifles that made the difference so we switched. He shot 1" groups (with my rifle) while I posted 3/4" groups with his. It was the SHOOTER not the rifle that was winning.

Until you reach the level that you can take advantage of better equiptment (and play a game where that advantage is needed), you just don't NEED the edge that twice the money can buy. You can't BUY skill. For most of us, we quickly reach a point where more money (better equiptment) makes no sense.

Except for "bragging rights" when someone looks at your rifle, there is no advantage gained or needed past a certain point. That $5000 rifle with the $1500 scope will not result in any more game killed than will a $500 rifle with a "cheap" $200 scope because the shooter skills can't take advantage of the small gain possible and "in the field" it's just not needed.

Spend money on more ammo and shooting rather than eqiptment if you want to improve. I repeat.....you can't BUY skill.
You can't buy skill, but if you shoot regularly you will reach a point where your skills outrun your equipment: then spending money on advanced equipment can build your skills.
Rick, don't misunderstand me, I am all for his endeavor in any manner he chooses and agree that for him a 1/4 is something to strive for. And while I did not write it, it is implied that shooting skills makes the groups, though equipment and components can make the difference when in competition with others with equal skill. .

The point is even though it was a comparison of apples and oranges as to methods and resources it was interesting to me anyway that the end result was but a difference of 1/4".

And yes, one can outstrip the potential of their gear with work. BTDT.
Where's Atkinson? I thought he would be along to tell us that the Weaver K3 made in 1958 was better than any scope made today, and that he just happened to have his own personal scope for sale for $800.
Originally Posted by JohnMoses
Originally Posted by rob p
Most scopes they claim don't even hold zero. I've read very prominent shooters say that it is impossible for an internally adjustable reticle to hold zero. Guys glue the reticles in place and buy or make adjustable rings to zero their guns. Like the old Unertls.


I think alot more folks than just prominent shooters would know that if it were true.








Mike Ratigan Extreme Accuracy Benchrest Book
by Mike Ratigan


"A Super Shoot winner and US World Benchrest Team Director, Mike Ratigan is a leading figure in the Benchrest game."



I just finished his book. There's a chapter in it on the weakest part of any benchrest system. The scope. It says exactly what I said. I do not make up stuff to participate in discussions I know nothing about. Check it out if you care to. Also, look into Frozen Leupold scopes and TSI and Brackney mounts.


Brackney mounts

[Linked Image]
Originally Posted by sir_springer

Marketing, eh?
Makes the world go around.
Yep! You gotta love it!
smile

Originally Posted by dave7mm

Leupold Advertising Guy #1:
We have been informed by management that of the various coatings available from WE SLONG YOU LLC. our Chinese optical supplier that managment has picked the most cost effective one and that we,the advertising department,now have to come up with a name for the new coatings.Management wants something new and wants to create a "buzz" around the introduction of our new scope the LPS/VX7....

Leupold Advertising Guy #2:
Well ok.How about IRON COAT.You know,Iron Mike Tyson.Tuff as Iron....

Leupold Advertising Guy #1:
Hay thats good, but but we need to emphasize that the coating is really really tuff stuff....

Leupold Advertising Guy #2:
Ok,how about STEEL COAT.Steel is tuffer that iron hows that?

Leupold Advertising Guy #1:
Hay thats better, but but we need to emphasize that the coating is really really really tuff stuff....

Leupold Advertising Guy #2:
Ok,how about DIAMOND COAT.Diamonds are tuffer that steel hows that?

Leupold Advertising Guy #1:
Yep can't get any harder than diamonds.Thats good.I like it.You know,if we spread this around alot, some dumb sumbitch might actually think that we developed it and that it actually has real diamonds in it........
dave


dave
Originally Posted by rob p
Originally Posted by JohnMoses
Originally Posted by rob p
Most scopes they claim don't even hold zero. I've read very prominent shooters say that it is impossible for an internally adjustable reticle to hold zero. Guys glue the reticles in place and buy or make adjustable rings to zero their guns. Like the old Unertls.


I think alot more folks than just prominent shooters would know that if it were true.








Mike Ratigan Extreme Accuracy Benchrest Book
by Mike Ratigan


"A Super Shoot winner and US World Benchrest Team Director, Mike Ratigan is a leading figure in the Benchrest game."



I just finished his book. There's a chapter in it on the weakest part of any benchrest system. The scope. It says exactly what I said. I do not make up stuff to participate in discussions I know nothing about. Check it out if you care to. Also, look into Frozen Leupold scopes and TSI and Brackney mounts.


Brackney mounts

[Linked Image]


Only those that don't know would think that you made this up. Those in the know allready know and have experienced this.
Originally Posted by jwp475
Only those that don't know would think that you made this up. Those in the know allready know and have experienced this.


The Christmas turkey arrives... grin

The accuracy requirements of some super long range 1500 yd. contest shooter that has 17 lb gun vs. hunters and snipers who carry 8-10 lb rifles are probably quite different.

To make the blanket statement that most modern scopes are not capable of holding zero for the ranges and purposes intended is b.s.

For most hunters/shooters, there are plenty of reliably adjusting scopes available today. The higher end models are certainly capable of sniping people and animals at long range. History proves that.

I guess the USMC Sniper and US Army Sniper programs are just not in the know either shocked....I wonder how many enemy have been killed with these malfunctioning scopes? Answer: ...Alot.

Current statistics for snipers is 1 kill per less than 2 shots fired.

I wonder what the number of animals are that these unreliable adjusting scopes have taken past 500 yds.? Answer: ...Alot.

I've got a Nikon Monarch X scope on a 7 Short mag that will routinely hit a 13" steel circle plate at 600 yds. when I do my part (Kill zone of a good size deer). I start at 200 yds. and dial up to 300,400,500 and 600 yds. Sometimes I jump from 200 to 600 and back to 400yds and I sure as hell ain't no sniper.

The super accurate firearms of a benchrest shooter that is launching missles at 1500 yds. need a very precise system for tracking.

But many scopes made now are capable of a level of tracking that most folks marksmanship can't match at long distances.

You are talking about maybe a fraction of 1% of all shooters that need more.

About like the 45-70 being useless past 200 yards, right? Maybe "Sharpsguy" made up the distances that he has taken game with a 45-70. Talk about turkeys, the USMC's snipers rifle in 7.62X51 wieghs 17 pounds, not 8 to 10.



Quote
Rifle weight � 17.0 lbs with commercial scope, 18.5 lbs. with Unertl or US Optics USMC.



Rifle weight � 17.0 lbs with commercial scope, 18.5 lbs. with Unertl or US Optics USMC.


Quote
The rifle is capable of surgical precision shooting. In a Hostage Rescue Operation it would be the first rifle I would pick to hit a quarter-sized target at 300 yards. Handling the weapon you will notice its heavy at about 17lbs with scope and Harris bipod. That's a bunch and may prove to hurt extended operations. The original M40A1 is about 14lbs rigged the same way. As said before the more a weapon weighs the less ammo and water a sniper can carry. The weight is my only complaint about the rifle. Tests were done to see if the weight could be lowered and the accuracy kept the same.

First was to substitute a fully adjustable HS Precision stock for the McMillan A4. This saved about a pound but the groups opened up 1/4moa more than with the McMillan Bedded A4.

Next was changing the floor metal to an HS Precision detachable magazine steel floor plate. Lost about a forth of a pound, no loss in accuracy. Picked up the ability to have quick magazine changes and four or ten round capacity. This is a very nice feature.

Next was changing the McMillan A4 stock for a recently designed stock. The stock is made for Sub minute Solutions Company, by McMillan Fiberglass Stocks. It is basically a M40A1 stock with a wheel adjustable comb and stock spacers. In all fairness this stock was not available when the M40A3 was designed. With the Sub minute Solutions Stock, bedded, no loss of accuracy was seen. It cut the weight down by approximately a pound.

In all we were able to cut the weight down by only a pound and a third, down to about fifteen and one half pounds. The only way to lessen the weight more would be to cut the length of the barrel, flute the barrel or decrease the diameter of the barrel. If the USMC were to decrease the diameter to the same size as a Remington Police Sniper Rifle and flute it, the weight would be reduced by about two pounds more. In short the same basic rifle would weigh between thirteen and fifteen pounds depending on the stock, floor metal and barrel contour picked. My current favorite field rifle is a GA Precision built rifle they call "The Rock". It's similar to the M40A1 but with a fluted 22" barrel. It is capable, with Black hills brand 175-grain 308 Winchester ammunition, to hit man sized targets at 1000 yards. This rifle weighs twelve pounds with an US Optics SN3 scope. Compared to the M40A3, The Rock is far more user friendly to carry great distances.

In short the M40A3 is one of the most accurate rifles I have ever tested but the weight is several pounds more than a sniper should be expected to carry in the field.



http://www.snipercountry.com/Articles/usmcm40a3.asp



Quote
Features: The M40A1 sniper rifle is based on the Remington model 700. It is a heavy barrel, bolt action, magazine fed 7.62mm rifle that is optimized for accuracy with Match Grade ammunition. The rifle is equipped with a special 10 power Unertl sniper scope. With scope, the rifle weighs approximately 14.5 pounds. It is equipped with a built-in five round magazine. This weapon is hand-made by specially trained and qualified armorers at Quantico, Virginia.
The unique characteristics of the M40A1 Sniper Rifle are: commercial competition-grade heavy barrel, McMillan fiberglass stock and butt pad, modified Winchester Model 70 floorplate and trigger guard, and modified and lightened trigger. In addition, each stock is epoxy bedded for accuracy and all weapons must shoot less than one minute of angle (MOA).

Background: The M40A1 was put into service in the 1970s to meet the need of a long range sniper rifle. Each rifle is hand built by specially trained and qualified personnel at the Marine Corps Marksmanship Training Unit (MTU) at Quantico, Virginia.



http://usmilitary.about.com/od/marineweapons/l/blm40.htm


Quote
Differences
M40A1 ----------------------------M40A3
Weight 6.57 kg (14.45 lb) ---------7.5 kg (16.56 lb)
Overall Length 1.117 m (44.0 in)--- 1.124 m (44.25 in)
Barrel Hart Schneider Match Grade SS #7
Lands and Grooves 5 6
Stock McMillan HTG McMillan Tactical A4



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M40_rifle
Gobble gobble gobble....

Why haven't you shared this "in the know" information with our military in time of war?

I'm sure they would like to know that their scopes do not track correctly.

AS far as the 45-70 Guide gun being useless past 200 yds. That's a lie. I said there were better choices past that range and I was right. grin

Laffin'


Would you like me to go back a bring up the quote?
You should do more and read less.

Please do. as I have the thread on hand. So when you quote me out of context I will bust yer ass again. wink

But i must ask why you are trying to back peddle from your in the know; do not track statement concerning modern scopes?

Because that turkey won't gobble.....


The next time you bust my ass will be the first. A legend in your own mind
Originally Posted by JohnMoses


But i must ask why you are trying to back peddle from your in the know; do not track statemnent concerning modern scopes?

Because that turkey won't strut my friend.....



The tracking issue of your favorite brand of scope is well documented and an entire cottage industry was created just to deal with the problem. March scopes came about just because of so many tracking issues. I would have figured a know it all would have know this basic info, guess not
I don't have a fav. brand of scope, wrong again.

Please answer how you know modern rifle scopes will not hold zero despite mountains of evidence and combat experience to the contrary?

What tests have you done?

What were the ranges these tests were done at?

Which ones failed to hold zero?

How many shots did it take for the zero to shift?

I'm waiting....


Looks like a reading and comprehension problem
Answer the question Professor.

I think you can comprehend it if you concentrate. wink


Of course some shoot enough to have actually experienced POI shift and are aware of the fixes, of course some have not.

Off to work, now


Nice picture!!!!!!!!
Still won't answer the question...anyway have a good one jwp wink

[Linked Image]

Just for you


Originally Posted by Lowlight
Originally Posted by DP425
Originally Posted by thmpr
The strangest part about all this.... Is why would KAC place this on their M110 rifle?


If KAC had it's way, the M110 would NOT have came equipped with the M2- safe to say it wouldn't have even came with a Leupold. This was a requirement by army contract. Unfortunately the army loves tradition- and since Leupold has supplied their scopes since 1986... well, they stick with what they know, despite what troops in the field tell them.

Out of 15 brand new, out of box M110 systems two failed the box test and another simply wouldn't hold zero. Doesn't speak too highly for Leupold's QC.


Per a class of 20 we see 2 to 5 not work every single class... part of the reason they use the Leupold is the replacement requirement to have "X" number immediately available for replacement. The guys who have Leupold's on their service rifles usually have a deployment box full of replacements. It's wastes a whole morning figuring out which scopes don't work, and then replacing them.



http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ub...02&what=showflat&fpart=2&q=1



8 to 10 pound sniper rifles indeed
Please tell us about the tests you have done with the scopes that make your statements valid.

Or is it a Sniper's Hide forum secret? grin



Scopes loosing POI ability go in degrees, a,2 MOA rifle is suddenely shooting .5 MOA change the scope and the rifle goes back to a .2MOA shooter
You mean you didn't know that???


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very weak response.

You better get off of here before you totally evaporate. wink

You win jwp. wink I'm tired of debating you.

Have a good one.
John, no debate but how many rounds of 30-06/165 grain factory ammo would you think an 8 pound rifle wearing a Leup VX3 would take to wear out a 3 x 9 by 40ish VX3 or Conquest 3 x 9 x 40sih or fill in the blank with your favorite $500 scope?

You recon you would wear the barrel out first? Just wonderin....
Not sure what your question has to do with whether or not modern scopes are able to track reliably?

All scopes can fail at some point. Some fail earlier than others, some fail right out of the box. cry

How much wood can a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? grin

I have an older Leupold that still works fine after I replaced the bbl on a 15 yr. old 7/08.

I guess I have put over 2000 shots thru that rifle and the scope is still fine. smile
How the scope is used makes a difference. A guy who owns a stable full of scoped rifles and seldom makes adjustments may swear that his scopes are reliable, and he is right.

OTOH, a bit of research into the history of the metallic silhouette game will show that many scopes failed the repeatablity test when elevation knobs were cranked up and down numerous times. Some companies seemed to just slap tall knobs on basic hunting scopes and call them silhouette or target scopes. Didn't work. Then Weaver came out with their Micro-Trac system for their silhouette scopes, then offered it on their hunting scopes as well. It worked.

I suspect that over the years scope manufacturers have paid more attention to the durability of their adjustments, but I have no authoritative knowledge of that.

As for me, I don't take scope reliability for granted. I am always vigilant as to whether my scopes are performing properly, and I will send them for service if I feel they are not.

Paul

Originally Posted by rob p

Forget optical clarity... start with being mechanically sound.
Good glass and coatings are great, but something reliable is more so. I've seen benchrest classifieds where after the name of a scope are the words "proven" as to say it has been tried and holds zero and tracks. Most scopes they claim don't even hold zero. I've read very prominent shooters say that it is impossible for an internally adjustable reticle to hold zero. Guys glue the reticles in place and buy or make adjustable rings to zero their guns. Like the old Unertls.


I've had 3 of the Leupold BR models dump on me.One right in the middle of a match at Kelbys.In my day it was and still is,the Tucker conversion.
Originally Posted by 3sixbits
Leupold failures? So common it is no secret at all. Most people that actually shoot rifles a lot as in benchrest will not be quiet on this subject of Leupold failures. It always comes down to the same old thing that Leupold refuses to address. Spring failure on the erector tube. That's why Cecil Tucker has been doing a spring up grade for years. I'm sure for anyone that has ever seen a Nightforce scope and wondered what that spring housing on the scope was for, now has and answer.

I was a long time advocate of Leupold since the early 70's. I no long recommend them to anybody. I had one conk out on me on a Yukon river hunt. I still have a goodly number of these Leupold scopes, they are slowly getting sold or traded off.

I don't want to hear anybodies BS about how clear they are. I don't care, if a scope lags after the adjustment or does not hold zero, you can put it where the sun don't shine. There is only one scope out there I have full faith in nowadays and that is Sightron. S&B is so highly priced I no longer recommend, great scope but when they exceed the price of the rifle, they leave most people out in the cold.

"Sightron IS THE ONLY SCOPE THAT HAS LICKED THE ERECTOR TUBE PROBLEM"

I could careless what your opinions are about the scopes on your closet Queens, Go to the range and try to square a target. If you have a Leupold that will square the target, you are past lucky.

The only Leupold you can trust are the modified Tucker scopes. This also screws your warranty.

JUST WAIT TILL YOU HAVE ONE OF THESE SCOPES FAIL ON YOU ON A HUNT OR AT A MATCH.


Then theres always Lowlight.

Originally Posted by Lowlight

So what do you tell the guy who traveled 1200 miles to take a class.. he paid $1500 for the class, plus rental car, hotels, meals, and by the first day it fails... now he goes from what he thought was a solid optics with a stellar reputation to being the guy holding up the class while we run up, get a new scope for him, usually I am pulling one of my NF off to switch it for him. If you want to play the one up and working, the NF I use is heavily used, my S&Bs too, and guess what, of all of them, with more combined rounds than I can count, and only one scope has ever gone back for repair. They well worn and definitely show signs of use.

yes, other brands fail, but not nearly with the frequency as we are seeing with Leupold. it's every week in some cases, and even in the military classes we have Nightforce on the unit rifles next to Leupold... but I don't see the NF failing nearly as much, it's stark the reality of it, especially when you see more than 1 or 2 a week.

It's easily 20 to 1 when you compare the Nightforces on the line with the military units, this last class had 4 Leupolds on the line, 1 failed the first day, the remainders where USO, NF, and S&B... Do we see others fail, sure but not nearly as much.

If you want to start a generic scope failure thread go ahead, but don't be surprised by the results. Facts are what the facts are, in a class of 15 Leupolds on the line I expect and account for anywhere from 2 to 5 scopes to go down, I don't figure that with the same number of NF on the line. Its closer to 1 per every six months of classes, not 1 for every six people.


I wouldn't call that Brand Hatred.
More like a statment of fact.
I personally dont care for 20 to 1 odds that im going to have a problem.

dave
Is it time to start posting nekked chicks yet?

FC
Originally Posted by Folically_Challenged
Is it time to start posting nekked chicks yet?

FC


Yes.
I have spent alot of time comparing optics. I work in medical optics...


I have owned all the major euro brands and.or tested them against "inferior" brands. one thing i have noticed is good mid-priced jap stuff can hang easily with euro stuff, where you might see differences is field of view or sharpness to the edge or color bias but none of these will usually prevent you from seeing one animal with the euro and not with the jap stuff. Same with rifle scopes, the euromight technically be built more rugged and it might not be but you cant tell from looking outside. ALl we can do is look through and they both work well....so other factors come into play...

With optics for me, its the sum of the whole package, not just the "brightness."

I like my swaorvski 7x42's because of eye relief, ergonomics, optics (brightness, sweet spot, flare control, eyecups, colors), depth of field, warranty and service, etc... I spend alot of time looking through binos and they have to "fit" me comfortably and be eays to look through for hours. These are for me. THere are some that are "brighter", some that have FL glass, some that are lighter, but for me its the sum of all parts.

Same with rifle scopes. I have owned and tested all of them.

I look for eye relief, lack of tunnel effect, reticle subtension and design, brightness ,flare control, etc..... range of adjustment isnt that important to me, and weight isnt overly important to me. I have settle on the conquest 3-9x40 wit h#4 reticle as being the best combination of all the above for me. It might not have an illuminated reticle or rainguard coatings but it works and is plenty bright enough for legal work.
I liek leupolds but I do not like the duplex and i prefer the bolder, blacker etched zeiss reticle but thats just me.

point is, buy what works for you and who cares what the magazines say
Now that the VX3's have a new "twin bias spring erector system", does this mean the Leupold problem with the erector spring has gone away? Also, do the Mark 4's have the new twin springs?
Mike Rattigan states that no manufacturer out there makes scopes that reliably hold zero to within an eighth of a minute. Moreover, no manufacturer really cares. The benchrest community is not big enough to influence scope companies. Benchrest is a game where the top 20 targets can be a tenth of an inch apart in group size. The scope can easily account for being in the top ten or not.

The top twenty benchrest competitors in the United States are listed along with the equipment they use. 18 of them use Leupold scopes, and 2 use Sightrons. Leupolds are always shown with Tucker Conversions and Sightrons with reticles pinned with two nylon screws right through the sides of the scope. These guys are all gunsmiths and are all trying to build a better mousetrap. I believe them.
Originally Posted by mudstud
Now that the VX3's have a new "twin bias spring erector system", does this mean the Leupold problem with the erector spring has gone away? Also, do the Mark 4's have the new twin springs?


Hopefully, but it's too early to tell.
yes all scopes fail at some point, how many rounds that they fail at is the question. Funny thing about the older leupolds I have an old 2x7 friction. Its going after many thousands of rounds now on a spring air rifle!
Atta boy Dave. Never miss a chance to bash Leupold with some grossly distorted quotes taken out of context.
Your first post here about the so called discussion between Leupold's people is most telling.
The truth is that all scopes will fail under certain conditions. Whack one hard enough and it will shift zero. Spin the dials often enough and, sooner or later, all of them will skip or fail to track to some degree. Send enough rounds through a rifle with one on it and all of them fail to hold zero sooner or later.
That's why the military snipers are constantly checking the zero of their rifles. Sooner of later, they all quit working as they should. E
Originally Posted by Eremicus
Atta boy Dave. Never miss a chance to bash Leupold with some grossly distorted quotes taken out of context.
E

Thats Banta poo doo and you know it.
Leupolds made there bed, now they can lie in it.
You know E.You might try thanking me.
It it wasn't for guys like me pointing out just how far behind loopie is.
Your favorite scope might not even have multi coated glass in it yet.
Just sayen...


dave
Sir Springer, it sounds like you have a simple case of 'buyers remorse'. laugh
There are scopes for $20 that look like scopes for $2000 and the way we tell the difference is brands.

With so much profit to be had by exploiting a brand name, is bound to happen.

I have had a Leupold Mark IV not respond to a counter clockwise adjustment to windage until a couple shots later.

I have never had VX1, VX2, VX3, vari-X-II, or vari-X-iii pull that kind of crap.

Originally Posted by Mannlicher
Sir Springer, it sounds like you have a simple case of 'buyers remorse'. laugh


LOL! laugh

Well, not too bad. Wasn't really knocking Leupolds, good scopes for sure. But then so are Bushnell Elites.

Mostly I just lost my head to marketing.

Oh, well. I'm sure that at least one or two, looking upon my rifles at the range or out in the woods, now probably think, "Hey, Leupold! This guy must be pretty serious about this!" That's worth at least somethin', eh! smile



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