Scope failure is rare these days as long as you stick with the quality makers. The only problem I ever had was with a borrowed Leupold M8-12x target scope. It had been clicked on so much that the adjustments just wore out.

Scope damage is not uncommon however, treat your rifle like a rifle and not an entrenching tool and you can prevent most of those problems from happening.

I'm a Leupold man through and through. I've only had one failure and, fortunately, I wasn't hunting. When they came our with their new prismatic, I mounted one on my WWG 45-70/457mag - After the first shot I started noticing black specs on the inside of the lenses and could not get it to group.

I sent it back to Leupold and waited for several months. I finally called them and they said they were waiting for parts - I asked them if they could send me a different scope in it's place and they sent me one of those cool little 2.5-5's. It's all mounted and everyone's happy.

I had the turret from a Springfield Armory scope twist off in my hand. Groups started spraying all over went to adjust elevation knob twisted it and it came off!!!

I have owned, or currently own scopes from the following manufacturers: Bushnell, Burris, Leupold, Minox, Swarovski, Leica, B&L, Tras.,uh Tasco, Simmons, Redfield, Weaver and Schmidt & Bender.
In the 45 + years of hunting, I've had failures from the cheaper scopes, mainly the Tasco and Simmons. But, I have had two Leupold's fail and the S&B. Both of those had crosshair problems. Both were repaired by the factory and sold off.

I had a friend of one of my uncle's tell me a story about him years back. Seems my Uncle Russell had just bought himself this high-fangled new scope by Lyman and had it mounted on his SMLE. He was complaining that he just couldn't see what the fuss was about because he really had a hard time seeing anything through the scope.
The friend figured he just didn't know what he was doing and was probably either too far away from the scope or too close.
They went elk hunting on the continental divide in Idaho and the friend made a drive towards my uncle. He heard my uncle fire two shots, but one sounded a bit strange.
When the friend got to Russell, he asked him 'Where is your elk?". Russell replied, "Well, one is over there and one is just over the side of the hill." Russell went on to say that he couldn't see through the scope so the first elk he shot he looked down the side of the barrel. The second one was so close he just stuck the barrel against the side of the elk and pulled the trigger.
The friend took Russell's rifle and looked through it and saw that the scope was completely fogged up.
They found the two elk and the second one had a burned spot on it's side from the muzzle blast.
This all took place back in the mid-50's.

I once bought a Winchester M70 Featherweight in 7x57 mauser from a good friend who said the rifle was very accurate. I didb't want the Leupold 6X scope he had on it so we took that off and I later put on a brand new Leupold 3x9.
Well, I got to the range and the gun would group for sour dog dung. I took the gun to my gunsmith and had him do a trigger job and glass bed the gun and at the next trip to the range, no improvement. I tried various handloads and no go. Now I'd bought guns from this fellow before and he's never misrepresented any gun he's sold me so I have to think outside the box, so to speak. Naw, I can't be the sccope, or can it. I replaced the scope with one I had on hand aand the next trip to the range I was shooting groups under an inch. Some way under. I sent the scope back to leupold and it was about a week, maybe two I got it back working good as new.
Speaking of Leupolds, I have one on my custom Mauser, also a 7x57 that is way different from the ones I see today. I'm guessing power is 2.5 or 3X, no objective bell, yellow tinted objective lens and a duplex crosshair. I figure it's one of an earlier model. All I can say about is it works just fine and seems to look just right on that particular rifle.
Paul B.

I've had two VariX-III's goes titts up on me both of them were 1.75x6's one on a hunt on my daughters .308 and the other at the range.

Leupolds are defiantly not immune from failure.

quote:

Originally posted by surestrike:
I've had two VariX-III's goes titts up on me both of them were 1.75x6's one on a hunt on my daughters .308 and the other at the range.

Leupolds are defiantly not immune from failure.

I have had good service out of the Leupold's over the years. They recently replaced an ancient 3x that was not repairable with a new 4x scope. Had rather have had the 3x but some times things do not work out well. One of my favorite "scope don't work" stories involved a pilgrim who was going "out west" to hunt. He shopped through what we had and elected to buy a second hand scope-can't remember the brand-this was many years ago. Several weeks later he reappeared in a fit because we had ruined his hunt since he could not adjust the power. He had taken the rifle to a chain store where the scope was mounted in pot metal see-though mounts. Bottom line was that this guy had not shot the rifle before leaving for the hunt. The scope had moved forward under the recoil and the power ring was jammed against the rear ring. The last two used rifles I bought had messed up cheap scopes. Nothing is perfect but you get what you pay for.

And I should have noted that Leupold REPLACED both scopes no questions asked. they have great customer service and I will continue to use Leupold and Swarovski scopes exclusively for the foreseeable future.

I have a meopta 6x42 on my 243. Have kept the same sight setting for the last ten years and always been spot on. And then a couple of weeks ago shot a hind and bullet went a bit far back. Put it down to being out of breath and poor shooting.

Day later was doing a DMQ 2 assessment. 80 yd shot off sticks at a doe, aimed for just behind the shoulder. Die dropped with a perfect neck shot. I then took another shot later in the day - a clean miss.

Took it to the range -was shooting nine inches to the left. Everything still tight so just assume it had had a big knock. Remounted the scope and it's now back on, but need to rebuild confidence in it.

Speaking of confidence.
I had been shooting my 7mm WM all summer with the same scope and was more confident in my abilities than I had ever been.
A few days before I was to fly out to hunt I took my rifle to the range to foul the bore, as this rifle shoots the bullets chosen best after it's had at least five down the tube.
My first shot was just a bit higher than expected but a bit right. Thinking it was me I fired again. Low and left, then high and left! I started to panic!
With only days left I had to chose a different rifle that I hadn't been practicing with.

Luepold VXIII 3.5x10x50 Nate

Is there any good way of determining if a scope has failed - mine seems to be shooting to point of aim again and grouping well, but how do I check that it is not about to jump away from Zero again.

I was thinking of giving it (unloaded of course) several good thumps on the butt and then checking the sights again.

Personally have never had a scope failure on or prior to a hunt. My hunts usually are in close proximity to home so I dont worry to much about it.
However I learned from my father ALWAYS take a second rifle you can shoot as good as the primary whenever you are going on a more than I day hunt. Which I always do now.
From personal experience in his hunting days when they used to pack in on horses and he had a horse go down and roll over his Rifle in the saddle scabbard, scope was toast and had to use open sights. (no elk in the freezer that year)

In the early 80's I had a cheapo Kamapart Bushnell on a 7mm Rem Mag (ouch). didnt know any better. Other than the half moon eye scars that everyone who ever shot that thing recieved (kind of funny now), the scope actualy worked OK for several years. Made some great shots with that rifle. Then one day something came loose inside the magnification adjustment ring and it wouldnt move. I got what I paid for, and it worked for a while then got replaced.

I have had several scopes fog up. Best insurance Ive found for that is Rainguard. Had an old Weaver crosshair pop once too. It had seen its better days.

Had a BSA catseye once, it was such a horrible piece of $#!^ I didnt give it a chance to fail. It went back without even getting mounted.

No more Chinese scopes for me. Im done with them. Still got some from Korea, Philipines and Japan though. No failure from any of them yet. One of my favorites is a Bushnell Legend of all things. It is a bit on the heavy side, but they are a diamond in the ruff. I would rate it a bit better than my Redfields. A lot of scope for the $.

larrys ---I bought a rifle with a Bushnell scope that was missing the adjustment covers. I contacted Bushnell and they sent me a form to be completed that included country of origin, serial number, model number -everything about the scope. I sent the form and $$ which they were priced pretty steep for plastic covers. Received the covers and they were the wrong ones. All that info--how did they get it wrong? Sent them back and received covers that fit but they looked like from the war zone--they said new ones not available--but I was charged new price. By this time the scope had problems. I was told on another forum to contact a Bushnell service rep named Leslie (don't know if male or female). Contacted Leslie and was told send scope direct to him/her. Received the scope back with new covers,( odd they were previously unavailable) but still had the problem--the variable part was bound up. Contacted Leslie and again send it back direct to Leslie. Received back and it worked fine for almost a week and then bound up again. I was paying postage on all of this. I was having to go rezero it each time. Scope into trash and no more Bushnells.

I've never had a scope fail on a hunt. I did have a scope mount fail, however.

On my first safari, I used a Millett mount on my Sako AV .375H&H. It was a contrived little affair and it gave way so that my scope weas only being held by the front scope ring.


I've had two other scopes 'fail': a Bushnell Sportview 4x' reticle started rotating counter-clockwise while shooting a .22LR ; and a Trijicon ACOG I bought on AR had it's windage adjustment fail on one of my ARs (would not move the reticle).

I tossed the Bushnell and Trijicon fixed the ACOG free of charge.


George

I am also done with Bushnell's, for their customer service really sucks. I had a Bausch and Lomb 2X7 on one of my rifles, which was dropped. I sent it to Bushnell, and although the warranty on the Bausch and Lomb was lifetime, they told me they would replace the scope for $$$. I sent them a check, and the sent me a 3X9 Bushnell Elite 3200, not nearly the quality scope I had. The 3X9 started to act squirrley, so I sent it back. They then sent me a letter stating they would have to replace the scope, again for $$$. I asked why, and the CS rep. said your tube is bent. I said how couldthat be, she said it could have been becau se your scope rings were to tight and bent the tube?? Not the same as a hunt failure, but I am done with them.

Jerry

Jerry--If your Bausch & Lomb was a New York made variety, you are most correct that a Bushnell is not nearly the scope it was. B&L Rochester NY made optics are my favorite--binoculars, spotting scopes are very fine.

Have been treated well by Bushnell. Have sent four scopes back. The first two had been damaged in falls. These scopes were repaired with the only cost being 10.00 each to handle shipping. The second two were faulty on used rifles I had bought. It is a wonderment that folks buy decent rifles and mount cheap scopes. One of the scopes, an old Millett was replaced outright and the other, a Simmons, was an exchange for $69.95. The replacements were 6x18 AO's. The original Simmons had been beaten up and the external and internal damage was listed in the communication from Bushnell. I feel comfortable if one of these low end scopes fails it has to do with my decision to use the scope.

I've had 2 while hunting, one was very costly. An old Bushnell Banner decided to have the reticle go sideways and then fall apart as I was about to fill a doe tag from 50 yards. Based on the close range and lack of experience I pulled the trigger anyway hit her in the spine and she dropped cleanly.

After several falls on a Mule deer hunt in Coloradao a Swift 2.5x10 lost it's zero - I didn't know it when I shot at the biggest most beautiful buck I've ever had in my scope showed up at about 270 yards. Three missed shots and a 2 mile run up and down the mountains later I started the 10 mile walk back to our camp. When I finally figured out that I was shooting 8" high and 6" right at 100 yards - I changed both scope and mounts to Zeiss and Leupold - I still think about that beautiful buck, I think I saw one of his offspring hunting the same area this year.

Ive had a schmidt and bender 1.5-6x42 fail on a brown bear hunt. It held its zero and did the job but I couldn't turn it down below 3x.

quote:

Originally posted by Jerry Eden:
I am also done with Bushnell's, for their customer service really sucks. I had a Bausch and Lomb 2X7 on one of my rifles, which was dropped. I sent it to Bushnell, and although the warranty on the Bausch and Lomb was lifetime, they told me they would replace the scope for $$$. I sent them a check, and the sent me a 3X9 Bushnell Elite 3200, not nearly the quality scope I had. The 3X9 started to act squirrley, so I sent it back. They then sent me a letter stating they would have to replace the scope, again for $$$. I asked why, and the CS rep. said your tube is bent. I said how couldthat be, she said it could have been becau se your scope rings were to tight and bent the tube?? Not the same as a hunt failure, but I am done with them.
Jerry

I dont know what some of the Bushnell bashers here expect. We are talking about a product that compares in price with the likes of Simmons, Tasco and/or Weaver, Redfield and some lower end Leupold or Burris scopes depending on which particular scope you are talking about.

The truth is you got more out of Bushnell for your old B&L then Leupold would do for an old Redfield. All Leupold will do is tell you who to call for repair. But I dont see anyone bashing Leupold or Redfield for that.

I recently aquired a mint Redfield 5 star that retailed for $300.00 in '96. It is a damn nice scope, I like it.. But The Bushnell Legend I mentioned earlier (Which I got NIB on E-bay for $100.00) is every bit the equal opticaly as the redfield, maybe better. I dont expect diddly for customer service for either one of them.

I wonder how many users of a $1000.00 or better scope have ever had the wind blowing just so and the temps cold enough, that the breath from their nostrils while taking aim fogged up the optical lens. And I wonder how many would admit it? Guess what, that is a SCOPE FAILURE!! And all the customer service in the world wont fix it or get back that shot you missed because of it. That Elite 3200 that you said is no where near the quality of your dated B&L, the one that YOU destroyed by not knowing how to properly install it, is one of the few products on the market, no matter how much you spend, that actualy resists such a failure. And I would wager that it is a very common "failure" among all brands.

Lets be realistic, you are not going to get Leupold, Zeiss or Swarovski type customer service from a LOT of manufacturers. And if you do then chances are you paid a lot more for your scope than you would have for a comparable Bushnell.

I dont mind being the odd man out on this issue. Bushnell has served me well over the years and as far as I am concerned, not only can their optics stand side by side with much higher priced competition, but they bury similarly priced scopes like Simmons in the quality aspect. To me, the thing I get out of them is good optics and value. Get a Trophy or better and you have a scope that sends Tasco and Simmons barking to the pawn shop for the cost of a good dinner and compares favorably with much more reputable brands.

My opinion FWIW.

I will add another point to my above post. I have recently engaged in something of a scope buying binge to fit a few rifles I am finaly finishing up. Among them are the Redfield 5 star I mentioned, a Leupold VX-2 and a Redfield Revoloution. But I have to say, I was somewhat torn about a decision to get another Elite instead of one or two of them because I place a VERY high value on the Rainguard feature. Eventualy the Leupold service and longer eye relief won me over, but I cant help but wonder if I may regret not having an elite with Rainguard instead one day.

Had a flaw (small dark spot lower left of lense) appear in a 35 year old Redfield tracker about 5 years ago. But when I do go to Africa I'm bringing a second 1.5 - 5x Leupold sighted in on Talley QR mounts in a padded case so I can switch scopes in minutes should an issue occur. My open sights are also good with me shooting to 100 yards or so on small game and 150 yards on bigger (elk sized) game

Call me lucky as I have only had one scope failure in 45 years of hunting. The failure happened with a Kahles mounted on my 7Mag back in the mid 80s. Not a clue as to what happened. Simply would not hold a zero.

Early years I hunted with Weaver and Bushnell (I did take one Bushnell apart as a kid to see how they worked. Bad idea. Self induced failure). I then moved to Leupold for many years until I could afford Swarovski and Schmidt & Bender products. Recently, I have broken ranks and topped most of my rifles with Nightforce scopes, which I swear by. Almost forgot, I do have two rifles (.416 Rigby & .375 H&H) topped with Leupold 1.5 x 5. Both rifles have seen action in Africa on elephant, buffalo, and PG without incident.

I've been shooting mostly what many would consider to be "heavy-hitters" on both ends over the past 30 years.

A B&L finally lost the ability to change power. The sight picture is still clear though, and the focus won't change either. It's somewhere in a drawer.

The Simmons failure was after about a dozen shots from a 300 Win Mag. The eye lens fell off. They replaced it with the same version new. I sent it West to my son for his .243. A Bushnell Trophy went on it that gave no problems. It was used when I bought it.

Speaking of Bushnell, I've owned a bunch and found the Trophy to be tough. Also, Bushnell has replaced a couple of scopes with new ones, at $0.00. Also a set of Binoculars they replaced with B&L Audubons worth 2X the value of the Bushnells at $0.00 to me.

Mostly though, I've used Burris for the past 15 years without a hitch. Recently, I purchased a Nikon... we'll see how that goes.

Bob

www.bigbores.ca

Never had a scope fail but always carry a spare. If there is room I bring a second rifle as well. Sometimes those fail too.

Had a lovely old steel tubed Weaver V series scope come apart on a bench at age 25 when the cements and o-rings failed.

Had the first Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 MC go away after abt 500 rounds on a pre-64 M70 based 338 Win Mag the week before leaving for the first trip to Africa. Was probably mount related. Had to take a 9,3x62 instead. Zeiss returned it fixed with no questions asked.

Never go on a hunt more than 50 miles away without a spare, but have never needed it.

Pretty much stick with Leupolds and Zeiss Conquest scopes for anything larger than 270 WIn.