Lost zero after knocked scope

[nastynate]

Ok, question for you all. I was out with my 22 and wiped out hard walking down a steep slope. Fell straight on my back, and my Leupold hit first. Mud up in the glass, etc. No longer hits where I’m pointing… like 6” off for 25 yard shot. It still seems to be mounted correctly and firmly, no loose screws or rings upon quick inspection.

Do I just sight back in and carry on? Or is it possible I damaged something and what should I look for to tell? What is actually happening when a scope gets knocked off zero after a big fall?

 

[mtmuley]

I'd set it back to zero adjustment then start from there. Easy to do with a small mirror. mtmuley

 

[brockel]

Ok, question for you all. I was out with my 22 and wiped out hard walking down a steep slope. Fell straight on my back, and my Leupold hit first. Mud up in the glass, etc. No longer hits where I’m pointing… like 6” off for 25 yard shot. It still seems to be mounted correctly and firmly, no loose screws or rings upon quick inspection.

Do I just sight back in and carry on? Or is it possible I damaged something and what should I look for to tell? What is actually happening when a scope gets knocked off zero after a big fall?

You should be able to move it back without issue. It’s not the first leupold that’s taken a fall and lost zero and been adjusted back without issues

 

[Irrelevant]

You should be able to move it back without issue. It’s not the first leupold that’s taken a fall and lost zero and been adjusted back without issues

But aren't they supposed to go through some "crazy robust" testing so that that doesn't happen?

 

[brockel]

But aren't they supposed to go through some "crazy robust" testing so that that doesn't happen?

Negative. They go through a shock testing that makes sure nothing falls apart on them but they aren’t checking to make sure they hold zero through all that. That would open some eyes at leupold for sure if they sighted them in and then did the testing

Edited to add unless things have changed over the last couple years. I have my doubts that they have though the way their track record or lack of I guess has gone

 

[WapitiBob]

Send it back and they'll fix it.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

The one scope i damaged from a hard fall had obvious damage. The magnification adjustment ring became very difficult to turn. If the scope can adjust back to zero and all the adjustments feel normal, image seems fine, it might be ok.

The one thing that I wonder, 6" off at 25 yards suggests 24 MOA off. That's a lot to where I'd think it has a higher likelihood of being messed up.

 

[longbow51]

The one I saw that happen to had a horse fall on it; a VX 2 as I recall. Probably 30 years old. They fixed it. Oddly enough, no external damage. It was in a scabbard though.

 

[WapitiBob]

The internals are tied together, stuff doesn't just move. If it did, you couldn't hold zero for more than a shot or two.

I don't have a Leupold vid

 

[Dubz337]

Leupolds have a wandering zero even without getting dropped sometimes. Is it still under warranty?

 

[Darryle]

I'd be willing to bet it is as much the mount as it is the abuse.

 

[MThuntr]

I'd be willing to bet it is as much the mount as it is the abuse.

There's a lot to be said about shitty scope mounts being suspect of zero wandering. I read all the Rokslide scope abuse threads and several rings were suspect of causing the issues and had to be torqued way over manufacturer's specs to hold.