On the way back from Antelope hunting the weekend of the 6th my son dropped his rifle and put a ding in his scope. I told him we need to check it before he tries to use the rifle again but we didnt have a chance to go to the range before going hunting again this last weekend of the 13th.

He ended up with a close shot of 180 yards at a buck and missed it. He also short stroked the bolt which jammed the rifle so I swapped rifles with him and he then hit the buck twice and got it.

The "opps...that hurt!" part is I did have a chance to check his rifle today at the range. At ten yards I finally got it to hit the top of the paper. I then bottomed out the elevation turret and it was still 6" high at ten yards . It was barely noticable that the scope was bent until I took the scope off and set it on a table. It looked like a bar room pool que.

Anyone else have some similiar experiences in the field? I thought this could make a good thread.

Yup, while moose hunting had a 2 year old colt in the pack string kick my horse, I turned so as not to catch it in the knee, it hit the scabbard, bending my burris scope. Like yours, bowed down at both ends. I was able to get it to hit a 9" paper plate at 100yds, and that was it. Killed a caribou with it, but no moose. I got home and sent it back to Burris, they rebuilt it for $40. Still on my 7 mag and have killed a ton of stuff with it.

In all the years I've been hunting I've only dropped two rifles "really bad". Both happened last year while climbing into a particularly high and unstable tripod. I have a Remington 700 Sendero that has been re-cahambered from 7 mag to 7 STW. It has a 4.5 x 14 x 44 SF Ziess Conquest scope mounted on it. I had climbed up to the platform and set rifle on the platform leaning against the 1/2" tubing that forms the top rail (about waist high). Needless to say this rail is not the most stable. I followed the rifle with my pack. I must have jarred or knocked the rifle and it fell through the bar, caught on a juniper branch for just a second and then fell another 8 to 10 feet onto the rocks below. Bummer. I climbed down. The stock is sythetic and had a couple scuffs, a few rock scrapes on the matte finished barrel and a couple nicks on the scope. Didn't look like anything was broken. It was opening morning and I didn't want to go back the two miles to camp to trade for another rifle. I decided to take my chances. Just after it got light enough to shoot I saw a doe out about 400 yds heading my way. I let her get within 150 yds. before I decided to take the shot. I like taking my does early. Well she's stops and pricks up her ears then turns almost quartering toward me with her head at 7 o'clock and tail end at 1 o'clock. I decide to catch her just in front of her withers, a basic neck shot. I fire and when I get back on her she's down and kicking. A 140 gr. Accubond out of a 7STW, she should have been DRT. I wait a couple minutes and she's still kicking. I climb down and head toward her to put the quietus on her. When I got up to her the bullet had caught her just in front of the left hindquarter and destroyed the right ham upon exit. I put her out of her misery and took her and the rifle back to camp. I was somewhat surprised at the miss. Most times the point of impact is within an inch or two of where I intend, and this is a very accurate rifle with a good trigger. When I got to the range next week after I got back to town, the point of impact was about three inches low and 14 inches to the right. It can happen, even with good equipment.

GWB

quote:

Originally posted by RMiller:
On the way back from Antelope hunting the weekend of the 6th my son dropped his rifle and put a ding in his scope. I told him we need to check it before he tries to use the rifle again but we didnt have a chance to go to the range before going hunting again this last weekend of the 13th.

He ended up with a close shot of 180 yards at a buck and missed it. He also short stroked the bolt which jammed the rifle so I swapped rifles with him and he then hit the buck twice and got it.

The "opps...that hurt!" part is I did have a chance to check his rifle today at the range. At ten yards I finally got it to hit the top of the paper. I then bottomed out the elevation turret and it was still 6" high at ten yards . It was barely noticable that the scope was bent until I took the scope off and set it on a table. It looked like a bar room pool que.

Anyone else have some similiar experiences in the field? I thought this could make a good thread.

Scope needs to go back to manufacturer and get optically centered so you can have full use of elevation and windage.

Never bent a scope but I did once bend the magazine on my M94. We were driving a herd of horses into camp for elk season when a few took off through the pines. I took off after them on my horse and as we rounded a tree, he cut it a little close and rammed my knee into the tree. When I pulled the M94 out of the scabbard the mag was bent. Didn't do my knee much good either.

I recall two sever whacks to Leupold scopes. Once when standing on ice, unbeknownst, my feet went straight out from under me an I landed on the rifle/scope on granite. No change in POI.

The second time I was running full tilt boogie down a boulder-strewn donga in Namibia after a leopard. I fell, hard, and threw the rifle about ten feet into the rocks. Big ding on the scope, no change in POI. (Big change on my chest, though. B & B for two weeks.

Leupies may not be the most expensive or the very best optically, but they sure are tough.

I have been fortunate enough to have not dropped a rifle and mess up a scope, but I am also anal enough, that even on local hunting trips I carry a second rifle and scope rig with me so should I drop one, I can put it back in the case and drag out the spare.

My son at age 12 decided that dropping a marlin 336 was good for the scope the rear bell was bent about a quarter of a inch down.

He used open sights for a while now he is a lot more careful but then hes 25 now and buys his own stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by RMiller:
Anyone else have some similiar experiences in the field? I thought this could make a good thread.

Hunting Wyoming in nasty weather, buddy and I were walking up an iced-over dirt road. He slipped and fell backwards onto his M70 and bent the scope. His back was sore too, but he got a 30-30 with 4X scope out of the other case and shot an elk.

Determination can succeed where planning falls on its butt.

Was elk hunting once and when hiking back to where I had tied the mule I get there just as he managed to tangle himself in the lead rope and went down. I tried to throw off the day pack and got the rifle sling with it. They both hit on a downed log. After getting the mule squared away, I checked the rifle and couldn't see any marks anywhere. Hunted with the backup the rest of the hunt.
When I got home I checked that rifle and it was 5 inches high and 3 inches left. VX-II 2-7 LR, it still tracks fine and holds zero but now rides on a M70 Fwt. 7-08.