A question to you folks whom have travelled to Africa with scoped rifles. Was re sighting required and how far off was the gun? I am sure the first thing everyone does is shoot to see and if I need to re zero I of course will. I am just curious as to others experiance? Thanks.
On my trip, my Tuff-Pak looked like it had been run over, slammed, squished, and generally not taken care of at all, but both the M70 and No.1 needed no adjustment.
The M70 was wearing a Bushnell Elite 4200 in Talley Rings and the Ruger was wearing a Leupold Vari-X III in Leupold rings. Both were dead on when I fired the sighting shots.
Posts: 1508 | Location: Alaska | Registered: 09 August 2002
On both my Africa hunts I had one of my rifles off. On the first trip my .338 Win Mag was shooting 7 inches high instead of 2 inches at 100 yards and on the second trip my .30-06 was shooting about 10 inches to the right. I don't use that Americase anymore except for vehicle transport.
My hunting buddy had his Americase penetrated on the second trip and the variable scope on his .375 H&H Mag. would not change power.
My scopes are both Leupold VariX-IIIs and his was a Swarovski.
I currently use a Zeigel. On a trip to Texas I received it with a rather large dent but the rifles were still dead on.
Posts: 932 | Location: Delaware, USA | Registered: 13 September 2003
Counting two rifles for myself on 3 trips and two rifles for a hunting partner on 2 of the trips I've seen 10 rifles make the trip.
No problem (zero hadn't changed when shot) for two of the trips. But on our trip to Namibia we had 4 rifles between us. The gun cases looked okay but 3 of the rifles had moved. Two moved substantually. The worst was my Sako with a Schmidt & Bender (quality equipment with really good mounts). It moved to about 18" high!!! I couldn't find anything wrong with it (broken screws, mounts, etc.). I checked once in a while during the trip and it never moved again. I've carried that gun a fair amount in the States and that's the only time it's moved at all before or after that trip.
The PH said he sees that once in a while from rough handling.
Case in point - ALWAYS check them. It won't matter most of the time but when it does it could be a serious headache.
My .300 H&H was well packed in a Tuff Pak and was dead on when I test fired it in RSA.
No problem for me that time.
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Posts: 28849 | Location: western Nebraska | Registered: 27 May 2003
All my traveling scoped rifles hav their scpoes in QD mounts. I always remove the scope and put it in my carry on. I usually carry a second scope, in rings, sighted in for each rifle.
DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY
Posts: 16134 | Location: Texas | Registered: 06 April 2002
Originally posted by N E 450 No2: All my traveling scoped rifles hav their scpoes in QD mounts. I always remove the scope and put it in my carry on. I usually carry a second scope, in rings, sighted in for each rifle.
I can second that - worked for me...
Posts: 2035 | Location: Slovenia | Registered: 28 April 2004
On all my travels to Africa, I have never had to re-sight my rifles.
Saeed What type of case are you using?
Jason
Jason
"You're not hard-core, unless you live hard-core." _______________________
Hunting in Africa is an adventure. The number of variables involved preclude the possibility of a perfect hunt. Some problems will arise. How you decide to handle them will determine how much you enjoy your hunt.
Just tell yourself, "it's all part of the adventure." Remember, if Robert Ruark had gotten upset every time problems with Harry Selby's flat bed truck delayed the safari, Horn of the Hunter would have read like an indictment of Selby. But Ruark rolled with the punches, poured some gin, and enjoyed the adventure.
I have never had to resight a rifle after flying with it. I have both had the scopes mounted on the rifles during flight, and other times taken off, and stored in the guncase next the the rifles. I have always used a Pelicase, and each rifle/scope/part has it's own dedicated place cut out in the foam. I've never bothered to take the scope with me in my carry on luggage. You never know what the airline personel might decide to do if they found a rifle scope in your bag. Some of them are very anti-shooting/hunting...
Posts: 2662 | Location: Oslo, in the naive land of socialist nepotism and corruption... | Registered: 10 May 2002
Thanks for all the replys I will be useing my Tuff pack and I am also useing leupold QD rings and I am takeing 2 scopes Primary 1 3/4 - 6 VXIII back up 2-7 VXII rifle is a model 70 supergrade 30-06. Thanks agian
No one has mentioned the possible change in zero due to elevation. My 300 WM did change zero, and I used a TuffPack. I am wondering if this is due to the elevation of Namibia (in excess of 3000 feet I believe) whereas I live in Florida (elevation 0) Peter.
Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright, that God may love thee. Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong;
I have had to make minor changes to the Zero on a few trips but most have been fine. I have had problems with 3 Leupold scopes that would not hold their zero after the trip. All were the VX-3 and all had the same problem. Leupold has always been great to fix them so It has never been much of an issue. My only guess is that the long trip form the US simply plays hell on these scopes. I think the best idea is to use QR rings.
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Posts: 2122 | Location: Arkansas | Registered: 03 June 2000
Two trips to Africa and only had to re-zero one rifle, have taken a total of three rifles. From the shape of my gun case on that trip, it looks like it was thrown around pretty badly. All scopes were Leupold.
Posts: 3143 | Location: Duluth, GA | Registered: 30 September 2005
In any of my African travels (3) I or my partner had trouble with sighthing.
No drift at all.
Note we are using EAW qd Eaw mount which makes mounting the scope a cinch. Our scopes are not mounted on the rifle in the guncase, they traveled in our hand luggage.
These precautions measures enable me to swap for a powerful 2.5-10*56 or a 1.25-4*25 at any moment of the day without the need of resighting in.
Nothing on Earth could coax me to let a scope mounted on the rifle during any kind of air travel.
J B de Runz Be careful when blindly following the masses ... generally the "m" is silent
Posts: 1727 | Location: France, Alsace, Saverne | Registered: 24 August 2004
I've never had one of my current rifles change zero.
This year, my aluminum trunk-style rifle case got hammered very badly somewhere between Seattle and Dar Es Salaam. It was so dented and so sprung that I worried not only about the rifles holding zero, but about even being able to use the case to get my rifles back home.
Even so, those rifles were just as perfectly zeroed as when I left home. In part, I attribute this to tough synthetic stocks, properly-bedded with free-floated barrels; tough Leupold scopes; and tough custom scopemounts that are virtually bomb-proof.
One of those rifles, a 300 Win. Mag., has flown well over 100,000 miles over the last five seasons, and it has NEVER changed zero, ever....
Originally posted by N E 450 No2: All my traveling scoped rifles hav their scpoes in QD mounts. I always remove the scope and put it in my carry on. I usually carry a second scope, in rings, sighted in for each rifle.
I do about the same thing except the scopes have their own separate case (a Pelican)as a carry on. I can also fit a boresighter, a back-up receiver sight and a lens pen in the case as well.
Posts: 513 | Location: Alaska | Registered: 25 October 2003
...... You never know what the airline personel might decide to do if they found a rifle scope in your bag. Some of them are very anti-shooting/hunting...
Mine get routinely run through the x-ray screening with the rest of my carry-on stuff and I've never even been asked to open that particular case.
Posts: 513 | Location: Alaska | Registered: 25 October 2003
I couldn't really say I had a zeroing problem because it turned out to be a barrel problem. But the importance of zeroing upon arrival cannot be understated. Although I had zeroed and shot many rounds through my .416 before departure, when I arrived in Botswana for an ele hunt, I could not get it on paper at all!!! Had to use my .375
I've done two trips to SA with my rifles in an Aluma Sport Diamond Plate Gun Case and they have never been off. I picked up the case at a SCI dinner and have been very happy with it. Holds two scoped rifles along with supplies, locks tighter then a clam and can take a beating.
The danger of civilization, of course, is that you will piss away your life on nonsense
I have recently come to conclusion that the vulnerability of a good scope to a travel bump is overblown. After watching my guns get thoroughly shaken, jarred, and almost abused while they were standing in the rack of our Land Rover for 3 weeks driven by a Tanzanian PH who's blistering, rough, and wild driving (especially zooming back to camp at night or in the almost lifeless miombo) over horrendous ditches, roads, holes, rocks, and logs in a fashion that would make a race in the Baja of Mexico seem tame, my guns would still drive nails with no adjustments needed after getting home. I have since begun to realize the risks of a bump in an airplane might be less of a concern than some of us have been thinking. I, too, use a Tuffpak, and while I may still cringe whenever my guns get bumped, after watching what they recently endured while holding zero, I don't worry quite as much.
Posts: 1445 | Location: Bronwood, GA | Registered: 10 June 2003
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