Rifle Scope Failed During Hunt

[Lyfter1013]

Just curious who all has had a scope fail on a hunt? If so What was the failure? What caused it? Etc include brand if you’d like.

Seen a post on another thread that made me curious but I didn’t want to derail that thread.

Does this possibility make you bring a back up gun on out of state hunts?

I’ve never had a scope fail (knock on wood) but hearing horror stories of it happening generally makes me bring a back up on out of state hunts

 

[brockel]

Have had two leupolds and a vortex fail to return to zero after dialing. Both leupolds were failed erectors. Vortex the elevation dial literally spun off. They blamed over torque

 

[belshawelk]

Good scopes don’t fail. The hunter may fall or drop gun but a scope is not mechanical so it cannot fail. I always bring another gun on hunts. Always. There are things like weather that can affect your whole gun. Keep your gun at night at the sane temperature you’re hunting or you could “ fog” up or have lots of dew but that’s not the scopes fault. I use only one brand on all my guns. In and out of many planes never ever losing zero. L.

 

[brymoore]

I’m not sure if this was a failure. My rifle fell off my pack and landed hard on my scope. It dented the bell hard. I sent it back to Leoupold to be replaced.

I didn’t have time to test the fire the rifle afterwards. I got up the next morning and used my wife’s 257 Roberts to kill an elk.

I’ve hunted hundreds of days and it happened once. I’m not sure I’d take an extra rifle, especially if I had family with me to potentially borrow their rifle after they kill.

 

[brockel]

but a scope is not mechanical so it cannot fail.

So the internals of a scope failing aren’t the scopes fault?

 

[Letthemgrow]

So the internals of a scope failing aren’t the scopes fault?

How about when my new Zeiss fogged on the inside of the lens? My fault? Despite no different treatment than all my other Leupolds?

 

[BackofBeyond]

How about when a scope wouldn’t even hold zero sitting in the safe? Had one I’d sight in, put it away, and come back a year later and would hit 4 inches higher.

Replaced it with a different brand and it’s just fine.

 

[woods89]

Not since I switched to a NF SHV and a SWFA.........

 

[mtmuley]

Not even once. mtmuley

 

[CUElk]

We always bring a backup gun.

 

[winmag]

a scope is not mechanical so it cannot fail

What part of this is not mechanical? There are about as many gears and parts as an automatic transmission.



Something broke inside my dads vortex causing a huge uncorrectable parallax error, several MOA. Missed a nice 6x6 bull. Vortex tried to say it was over torqued (their go-to excuse). Nope, it was installed with a torque wrench. I’ve since sold almost all of the vortex I own. Only a couple more to go.

 

[belshawelk]

So the internals of a scope failing aren’t the scopes fault?

Ok I made a little general statement. All I know ( which is little) is that I have hunted thousands of days. Put my guns 20 plus times on airplanes, hunted in sub zero temp and never had one fail. Maybe dumb luck. I have never used any scope other than Leoupold. All my hunting guns , AR, MSR all have them. Many of then do not have turrets. Newer guns do. I have never had a gun loose zero. But yes the internals I guess could fail. I bring a back up gun more because of me than the gun. I stand corrected.

 

[MaddH]

Dropped a scope braking the lens once while crossing a frozen creek but had a backup rifle.

 

[elkfanatic]

I've had a vortex fog/ freeze internally on the second day of a hunt. Traveled from 800 ft elevation to 8500 ft. First day was spent backpacking in 5 1/2 miles with rifle strapped to my pack.. Temp was upper teens, dropped to -5° that night. Next morning couldn't see thru the scope. Was it the climate change ? I also had a Burris that had the tracking go bad. The zero was still good but wouldn't dial correctly. Switched to Leupold and bringing a backup rifle. No issues so far. Probably if I'd had backups with the first two they'd still be working just fine.

 

[Steiny77]

In the early years of scoping high recoil 12ga slug guns it was fairly common. Of course we also typically bought cheap scopes.
Had a Tasco or Simmons (some cheapo) where the reticle lines shifted position out of place.

 

[375H&H]

Once I switched to newer scopes and good bases (QR or backcountry) about 20 years ago, no issues so far.

Another reason I will never use turrets though, possible chance of mistake/failure. No thanks.

 

[belshawelk]

What part of this is not mechanical? There are about as many gears and parts as an automatic transmission.

View attachment 279489

Something broke inside my dads vortex causing a huge uncorrectable parallax error, several MOA. Missed a nice 6x6 bull. Vortex tried to say it was over torqued (their go-to excuse). Nope, it was installed with a torque wrench. I’ve since sold almost all of the vortex I own. Only a couple more to go.

Mechanical to me is like a motor that constantly has moving parts in order to work. If you are constantly moving turrets than yes. I do not.

 

[WildWill]

How about when my new Zeiss fogged on the inside of the lens? My fault? Despite no different treatment than all my other Leupolds?

Had a Bushnell fog up on me so bad one humid October morning while deer hunting with my muzzleloader you couldn't even see the horizon. Chucked that hunk of crap!

 

[winmag]

Mechanical to me is like a motor that constantly has moving parts in order to work. If you are constantly moving turrets than yes. I do not.

Gotcha. It’s not in constant motion, but if it weren’t mechanical then you couldn’t zero it.

 

[Gus Chiggins]

W

Had a Tasco or Simmons (some cheapo) where the reticle lines shifted position out of place.

Second that. When I was in jr high I had a new tasco on a 308. Trying to sight it in for the first time the internals turned to jelly. Finally found out dry firing, trying to determine why it still wasn’t grouping after 15 rounds. On dry fire the crosshairs would jiggle

Since then have stuck with Leupolds and (now discontinued) Nikons