I know the Bushnell/Tasco warranty is no good in OZ. I have had problems with major paralax error in my Bushnell 4200.
They keep returning it saying it is with in specs and that I should buy a target scope. I will have to send it to US to get fixed as well.

You guys are obviously buying the wrong products - stick with Swarovski and the Australian importer (Granite Arms) will honour the warranty and provide prompt and appropriate assistance in the very unlikely event that your Swarovski product needs any after sales assistance - just so long as you bought the product here. If you bought it elsewhere, they will still help out but it will cost you.

Help me out Bob will ya? Send me some money so I can buy one to see if I like 'em.
No scope is worth more than the rifle.IMHO

You're right that they are not cheap, but you get what you pay for.

And I have actually come to the conclusion that you should spend more on the scope that the rifle because it doesn't matter how good the rifle is,....if you can't see the target then you can't hit it!

I am gradually upgrading my collection of optics and while I buy and sell guns on a regular basis (too regular some people would say) I do not sell the optics - the scopes migrate from rifle to rifle but stay in my greedy little clutches.

Where I live anything guns related usually costs THREE TIMES what it costs in the US. This is not an exaggeration,

I just got a Nightforce scope from them which costs 1800EU here. I paid 830EU for it.

The lasermax sight I wanted to get recently costs 690 EU, in the States, 268UE...you get the picture?

I have found a company that will not only ship to me, they will get in products they don't stock or deal with, and send the gear across in a very convenient manner.

If anyone wants to know more just e-mail me and I'll give out the details.

these days i buy every thing from the U.S i just bought a LEUPOLD vx 3.5-10 cost me $582 cost in aust is $700
bought a lieca 1200 range finder for $562 australian from the u.s also dont know what the cost is here
i checked with orilleys in melbourne the other day about the cost of 180 gn hornadies 30 cal $42 bucks so three boxes 126 bucks i can get three boxes delivered to my front door step from the states for $93 .oo aust and the service is so much better in the u.s
just the other mounth i bought 2500 180 gn 30 cal nosler partitions will cost me $ 25 .00 delivered to my front door step cost here is 50 or 52 bucks a box
regards daniel

Turn around for the repairs to my friend's Leupold was in the region of six weeks for a cost of $42 Australian.ten days to get there, a week being fixed and about two weeks return.
Leupold picked up the return air freight and kept me informed throughout.
If the dealers here are not going to provide the backup service then they should not get your money.
I use one shop regularty because they are close to me,but every time I go in there you would think by the expressions on their faces that I've interrupted something more important,regardless of the fact that my average spend is around $400 per visit.
I've tried mail order in Aust, but it's better that we not go there. Lately I've been dealing with a USA mob called Lock,Stock & Barrel. Prices are good and service first class
robz

I hope you are right Bwanabob. My new swarovski 3-12x50 should be here today or Monday. After my warranty dramas with Bushnell scopes I hope the Swarovski dealers will be better. I dont like spending my hard earned money but have given up on bad optics. Every cheap Tasco and bushnell I have had has given up the ghost on any decent recoiling rifle I have had them on. As a fair bit of the hunting I do is at night or early morning/late afternoon , I have seen the difference between cheap scopes and the better ones. Like you ,most of my scopes are worth more than the rifle they are on. Its has worked out as false economy buying a few cheap scopes and having them fail before I spring for a decent one.

Nice Buff Bwana Bob!!

Bwana Bob is a rep for Granite Arms hence the plug for Swarovski. He complains about the price of Swaros too cause he has to save up for them just like the rest of us!

Howvever Bob, I don't know how you can make the claims you do about the Swarovski service though. I hope I never have to find out but when they (Granite Arms) needed to send in a scope for testing for a govt contract they had to borrow mine.

Heck if Swarovski gave a damn about what happened in Australia, do you think they would have to do that? I think we are such a small market the dealers I am sure try their best but they can only do so much.

In the US Swarovski even has a local repair centre.

I'll support the local guys even if it means I pay a little bit more but warranty is not a practical consideration. I look to the manufacturer for that.

Regards
JohnT

JohnT,



Having to borrow your scope has nothing to do with the backup service for the products. Sometimes government contracts come up at very short notice, or we only become aware of them late in the process, but their deadlines are fixed and if you can't get the product in for testing in the time required then you are out of the running altogether. I know that Granite try to keep a large range of products on the shelf at all times, but you can never predict sales and sometimes they sell faster than you can order them.



All Australian importers are faced with the same problem that the manufacturers, both US and European, always fill their domestic orders before they worry about us - we (Australia) are ALWAYS at the end of the queue. And why is that? ....because the Australian market is so small and everytime we buy something direct from the US we are making the Aussie market even smaller and the US market stronger - you don't have to be a rocket scientist to work out where that will lead.



However, that should not affect the after-sales service of any importer/distributor and there is no doubt in my mind that many Australian businesses need to pull up their socks and realise that just because they have your money from the initial purchase does not mean that they can forget about you.



I have to confess that, in the past, I have bought a lot of gun products direct from the US because the US companies KNOW what service means but the down-side of that is that the more we buy from overseas, the less gun-related businesses we will have here in Oz and that could be very detrimental to our sport in the long run.



And while I am on this particular soap box, might I make a plea to any Aussie reading this to try and support their local businesses whenever they can. I am not suggesting that you accept shoddy service and exhorbitant prices, but at least give your local dealer the opportunity of your business before you decide to buy offshore. And if you do decide to buy offshore, politely tell your local dealer why you are not buying from him so that he can have the opportunity to fix the problem.



I might also mention that there are some unique Australian gun-related businesses that need all the support that the Australian shooters can give them. One example, that immediately comes to mind, is Woodleigh bullets. Jeff McDonald makes some brilliant products and for many years had a niche market but the big US bullet manufacturers are now encroaching on that market. My advice is, when shopping for premium hunting bullets, buy Australian.... or one day we will be back to the situation where you will only be able to buy what the US market dictates!



I'll get off my soap box now and get back to enjoy some shooting and shooting related reading.

Bob,

Have to agree about Woodleigh, but I would dearly love to see other Aussie companies in that same category.
If the service was a bit better I might be prepared to spend a few extra dollars, but I see too many businesses that really do make you feel like they are doing you a favour by allowing you to disturb them so you can buy their products.

Now off my soap box,
Stu

Bob,
Point taken on the scope.Rifles come and go but the scope stays.
I don't know why gunshops need importers to deal with when they could be dealing direct with the US.I think this will be happening more often as retailers struggle to compete.

I agree with supporting the local economy in most cases. Nearly all my hunting bullets are woodleighs, play bullets are Taipans, powders always ADI, custom gunsmithing, barrels ,stocks always local, not only because they are cheaper but also because they are better. In the case of scopes, the Swarovski scope I just bought worked out cheaper getting it through Australia ,but the Zeiss binoculars worked out to $1300 ozzie getting it from U.S including airfreight. In Australia the binocs go for $2150-2800 ,more than twice the price in some cases. Can anyone explain this????

Bob I have to agree with you most of my purchases are within Australia, my bush bashing rifles manly use Australian made. It is important to me, Dyer projectiles are cheap and darn good to boot at only $26 per 100 or less in 155gn, ADI powders, Woodleigh and if you want to throw some lead around in a VERY CHEAP method hawkesbury river projectiles make hardcast Teflon coated for everything up to 458.
I buy from the local gun store no worries, anything secondhand I buy locally If I buy bulk it's usually from down south. Shooting and hunting as a serious hobby is expensive for me it would be way over $5000 I would not want to sit down and count it . BUT I would not spend an extra $500 plus on one item just to make me warm and fuzzy inside. Nightforce is lightforce an Australian company the product is made in Japan and put together for final inspection in America the distributor for Australia is lightforce Makes no sense to me to waste that kind of money. (I�ll just get down from this soap box now)

Hey Hippyhunter ,ditto for Dyers and Hawkesbury river bullets. Where abouts in "Hills of North Queensland" are you?

BOB
i see your point and i agree however i cannot justify sloppy service and prices which border on ridiclous.....9.3 x62 RCBS DIES $150 416 R DIES $150 i got mine from the states for $75 AUST
another example for instance the 180 gn barnes xlc the rrp is $97 aust i think they sell at horsley park for about 70 plus bucks a box ...now one would have to be close to mad to pay that price and support this form of bastardry...just my take on things
daniel

cr500 I'm just outside of Karunda about 12 min towards Mareeba a year ago I bought My own 115 acres to retire on (and also to shoot those darn pigs that keep coming on my land and ). Latter this year I'll get back into f-class shooting and hopefully heavy gun down in Townsvile most prob I'll join the 51st instead of mareeba as it's closer.

Hippy ,i do F class at 51st (Wangetti beach) when I,m not working. We need more F class shooters there as we are being out numbered by strange blokes wearing straight jackets for shooting.