Rifle Scope Failed During Hunt
- Thread starter Lyfter1013
- Start date
Had a Vortex viper hst fail me on my first elk. Nothing really happened to it to cause the failure. It was in a padded case inside the truck on the way out. Hard padded case on the side by side. It lost zero sometime during the trip out to Colorado and was off by about 1 foot to the right and 3-4 inches low at 100 yards. Unfortunately, this had a pretty negative affect on the cow elk I shot what should’ve been right behind the front shoulder. Ended up being right in the middle of the guts. Not good.
Second was a vortex razor lht, about two weeks before leaving for antelope hunt it developed a wondering zero. You could shoot it and have an excellent group right on the money. Put it in the backseat of my pick up drive around the pasture. Get out and shoot it again and it would be 2 to 3 inches low and left. Repeat 2 inches up, repeat 2-3 high right.
After those two, I stopped using vortex scopes and I have not had a problem since.
Second was a vortex razor lht, about two weeks before leaving for antelope hunt it developed a wondering zero. You could shoot it and have an excellent group right on the money. Put it in the backseat of my pick up drive around the pasture. Get out and shoot it again and it would be 2 to 3 inches low and left. Repeat 2 inches up, repeat 2-3 high right.
After those two, I stopped using vortex scopes and I have not had a problem since.
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Mallardsx2
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I shot a deer in the base of the neck on year when I was aiming behind the shoulder and couldn't figure out why. I went home and checked the gun and found that the Nikon scope had moved drastically to the right on me. I put it in a vise and started moving things around and noticed that it wasn't tracking.
I took the scope and threw it in the trash and re-mounted a rifleman scope.
I got lucky with that Nikon and hit the deer and killed it.
Dead is dead I guess, but I was baffled because when I checked the gun before the hunt, it was dead on at 100 yards as per usual.
I took the scope and threw it in the trash and re-mounted a rifleman scope.
I got lucky with that Nikon and hit the deer and killed it.
Dead is dead I guess, but I was baffled because when I checked the gun before the hunt, it was dead on at 100 yards as per usual.
VikingsGuy
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From one of my trip reports a few years back . . .
"Day two we came across the nicest buck we saw all week and he let me get to within 90 yards of him. I lined up the shot and pulled the trigger and it felt good, but the buck just stared at me for a moment and then trotted off. No sign of a hit and no impact in the surrounding dirt to give me an indication of the nature of the miss. He stopped about 170 yards away and looked back. I lined up another shot and pulled the trigger, this felt good too. This time he bolted full speed and ran for a half a mile over a ridge. I was dumfounded. Two clean misses at short range and no indication of any bullet impact. And then I looked at my new scope. This was the first time I had used a turret scope hunting - I had previously used BCD scopes. After a day and a half of marching around WY slung on my pack it had spun 18.5 MOA. So, that explains the misses - later I looked up the ballistics on my app and it was perfectly dialed for 845 yards. A good reminder of why safe shooting requires you to look past your target to make sure there is nothing behind it to hit.
. . .
The mechanism that prevents the turret (on a Leupold 6HD CDS-ZL2) from going "backwards/down" past zero is rock solid - no real way to move without a hex key, but the little silver button that prevents moving "forward/up" is easily depressed. I assume it was rubbing on something on my MR pack enough to have depressed and moved one click. After the first click is achieved no further manipulation of the silver button is necessary to continue to advance the turret. It's a one time error, and one that would only occur with a point blank shot, otherwise I would have been purposely working the turret. Going forward I will always take a quick glance when setting up a shot even if not needing to dial - problem solved - and since tag later punched anyway no harm no foul in my case."
"Day two we came across the nicest buck we saw all week and he let me get to within 90 yards of him. I lined up the shot and pulled the trigger and it felt good, but the buck just stared at me for a moment and then trotted off. No sign of a hit and no impact in the surrounding dirt to give me an indication of the nature of the miss. He stopped about 170 yards away and looked back. I lined up another shot and pulled the trigger, this felt good too. This time he bolted full speed and ran for a half a mile over a ridge. I was dumfounded. Two clean misses at short range and no indication of any bullet impact. And then I looked at my new scope. This was the first time I had used a turret scope hunting - I had previously used BCD scopes. After a day and a half of marching around WY slung on my pack it had spun 18.5 MOA. So, that explains the misses - later I looked up the ballistics on my app and it was perfectly dialed for 845 yards. A good reminder of why safe shooting requires you to look past your target to make sure there is nothing behind it to hit.
. . .
The mechanism that prevents the turret (on a Leupold 6HD CDS-ZL2) from going "backwards/down" past zero is rock solid - no real way to move without a hex key, but the little silver button that prevents moving "forward/up" is easily depressed. I assume it was rubbing on something on my MR pack enough to have depressed and moved one click. After the first click is achieved no further manipulation of the silver button is necessary to continue to advance the turret. It's a one time error, and one that would only occur with a point blank shot, otherwise I would have been purposely working the turret. Going forward I will always take a quick glance when setting up a shot even if not needing to dial - problem solved - and since tag later punched anyway no harm no foul in my case."
woods89
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The guy who's been testing scopes on the 'slide has got a bunch of them to have zero errors just riding around in a vehicle on FS roads.
Of course he has. I'm no Vortex lover, but I take some of these reviews with a huge grain of salt. Especially on the Slide. mtmuley
more_cowbell
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I noticed this on an early Leupold CDS scope I had. The red sharpie mark had gotten rotated quite a ways off zero from handling/bumping against pack during season. Caught it without missing a shot at anything, but makes you a bit paranoid
woods89
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That's fine, to each his own, but it's certainly a lot more relevant than the endless parade of gun writers getting invited to Texas, shooting a pig/exotic/cull buck under a feeder, and raving to us about the glass......
HuntTalk Freak
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That’s what most of my Vortex’s have done.
Actually the Diamondback on my favorite rifle has been on there maybe ten years now and that rifle has been through it.
I dream of finding a variable powered optic as durable as a Aimpoint red dot.
WapitiBob
Well-known member
Leupold vx3 moved 1-1/2 feet @400 after riding in a padded case on an atv. I could drive the neighbors corvette down that road. They fixed it, then it moved again while shooting at the range. They fixed it again and I got rid it.
MTLabrador
Well-known member
The only catastrophic failure I’ve seen was with a Vortex viper. I never even dropped it, but I shot a coyote with it and something very serious broke internally. You could hear pieces rattling around inside and couldn’t see through it at all. They replaced it.
I have also had a VX3i lose zero after a very bad fall hunting elk. Never had an issue with it since.
I have also had a VX3i lose zero after a very bad fall hunting elk. Never had an issue with it since.
ismith
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Correct, meth is bad.
ismith
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I have a leupold VX3 that needs a 4th trip back to the factory.
Send it to me. I'll pay shipping. mtmuley
ismith
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If it needs a 5th trip it’s yours.
perma
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This hurts to read.My cousin blames his scope and rifle for missing a massive 30" mule deer in Idaho 7 years ago... He missed like 5 times. The guide couldn't believe my cousin missed the biggest mule deer he'd ever seen. My cousin says his scope must be off (I sighted it in for him 2 days prior). I said no way unless you dropped it. He shot at a paper plate taped to a tree missed it completely. His guide shot it, hit dead center, I shot it, also hit dead center. My cousin was just scared of a 300wm and flinched harder than when you pretend to throw a stick for a lab!
longbow51
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Wow. In all my years, I've seen 2 scopes fail, both Leupold. But, to be fair, that's all of the scopes we had, as we weren't rich. One horse wreck, landed on rifle/scope. After my buddy shooting 3 times, I said, well, do you want me to kill him? Wahl, I guess you'd better. Done. His scopes's internals were wrecked. But horses are pretty heavy. And replaced no questions asked.
Second scope was literally 40 years old, loaned out constantly, and finally lost zero.
They sent it back essentially new, and now it's on to its third generation of hunters.
Can anyone think of any 40 year old product with similar results?
I like to think the old .243 Winchester Featherweight and 2x7 Leupold goes at least another couple of generations.
And I have a few Zeiss too, so not prejudiced.
Second scope was literally 40 years old, loaned out constantly, and finally lost zero.
They sent it back essentially new, and now it's on to its third generation of hunters.
Can anyone think of any 40 year old product with similar results?
I like to think the old .243 Winchester Featherweight and 2x7 Leupold goes at least another couple of generations.
And I have a few Zeiss too, so not prejudiced.
steveshuntn1
Well-known member
I have a Simmons 44 mag scope I bought 30 years ago when money was tight and Walmart sold them for around 100$. It still works perfectly on my 444 marlin H&R single shot.
Then there’s Vortex…bought my first one two years ago and it’s been repaired once already. It cost a lot more than the Simmons!
Then there’s Vortex…bought my first one two years ago and it’s been repaired once already. It cost a lot more than the Simmons!
300stw
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simmons aetec in the early 90,s,
after about 1600 rounds of 30-338 magnum rounds, 3 years of daily scabbard on a horse, a lenses inside spun sideways after i shot a bull, bad 1st shot, had to chase him down and 45colt him
that year i bought a leupold 4.5x14, maybe 2nd year of production, thousands of miles in a saddle scabbard, on tge handlebar rack of my big wheel, in the tractor, been thru numerous barrel changes, has a kenton turret, but i had premier reticles do a dot system early 90,s for my 8mm magnum phase, chged vack to duplx and kenton. i never mess with zero,
if i said how many big game animals, rock chucks and ground squirels, and plain ol rocks ive shot. the masses would hang me as a liar,,,,
after about 1600 rounds of 30-338 magnum rounds, 3 years of daily scabbard on a horse, a lenses inside spun sideways after i shot a bull, bad 1st shot, had to chase him down and 45colt him
that year i bought a leupold 4.5x14, maybe 2nd year of production, thousands of miles in a saddle scabbard, on tge handlebar rack of my big wheel, in the tractor, been thru numerous barrel changes, has a kenton turret, but i had premier reticles do a dot system early 90,s for my 8mm magnum phase, chged vack to duplx and kenton. i never mess with zero,
if i said how many big game animals, rock chucks and ground squirels, and plain ol rocks ive shot. the masses would hang me as a liar,,,,
