Scope tube damage from over tightening rings?

H

hawk-i

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I've been looking at a few used riflescopes and one of them has indents on the tube from the rings being over torqued, not just ring marks but actual indents.
Will this effect the performance of the scope like binding with internal parts for zoom, focus, elevation/windage adjustments, etc???
Also will other rings now have a harder time to properly clamp the scope to keep it from moving?
Should a guy :runaway: from this one?
 
Often dents are caused by improper ring alignment rather than over torquing. The short answer to your question is that it's unlikely it will cause mechanical issues but it is possible.
 
old school weaver rings will do that. unsightly but i'm guessing the scope will still funtion well. unless its a real deal i would avoid as i don't like my scopes looking bad.
 
I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. The previous owner was obviously hamfisted. That's just the obvious damage. I can't imagine it was treated well if it was so shoddily mounted.
 
I just fired off an email to Sightron and asked the same questions...we'll see if they get back to me with any answers.
The indents are visible where the cap joints are, complete imprint of the cap ends at both ends of the tube....looks like over torque but cant be sure!
 
I would pass it up, unless you think its a give away price. Its not the only scope in the world, and most haven't been crushed. Why would you want to risk anything on the damaged one? There's enough problems in the world without inviting more.
 
Dogleg said:
I would pass it up, unless you think its a give away price. Its not the only scope in the world, and most haven't been crushed. Why would you want to risk anything on the damaged one? There's enough problems in the world without inviting more.
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You make a very good point!
 
I own such a ringed scope and I can't see any difference in POI from when it was new.
The only issue I see with getting one is such a state is when you need to re-seat the scope for best eye relief.
Then the ring indentations would come visible and/or hamper a good seating.
 
I bought a VX3 Leupold with ring marks but it had just been back to Korth prior to being sold and was given a clean bill of health. a crushed tube is a whole 'nother kettle of fish.
 
A young fellow at the range was having issues sighting in his new rifle, because he ran out of adjustment on the scope. I offered to help, only to discover that the rings were different heights from front to back, and he had interchanged them when installing them. Once I pointed this out, he removed the rings and scope, only to discover that the scope now had some very prominent ring marks in the tube. The tube was actually dented in two locations. Seeing as he had no other scope, and he had planned on going on a hunting trip the next day, he went ahead and remounted the scope properly. Once boresighted, the rifle was sighted in without issue. I don't know if the scope will maintain zero, or if the scope will move in the rings with repeated firings, since the rings don't have full contact with the scope tube due to the dents, but at least the adjustments still worked properly.
 
Too bad you can't get a "Scope Proof" report like you can get a "Car Proof" report when buying a used car.

I would walk, no wait, I would RUN away from this scope. Improper installation and over torquing the rings can crush the tube and cause the internal mechanisms to not work properly. You might get warranty from the manufacturer but then again you might not. Go buy a used scope in good condition or continue to save and buy new.
 
Never a good a sign but a "crushed tube" may have negligible impact on the use of the scope: "where" "how much" and "type of scope" would have a lot to do with whether the scope could still function properly. If there was no internal effect .. probably negligible; if an internal effect occurred but was on a section of tube that did not interfere with an element or moving of internal optics ... probably negligible etc.

And of course anyone who has bought something on EE will recognize that "minor" means different things to different people ... I am pretty sure that the "Black Knight" and his comment that "its just a flesh wound" is a perspective held by a few folks selling on our EE!!:confused:
 
I recieved an email from Sightron this morning and they said internal adjustments may very well be a problem and tube replacement isn't done.

Yeppers....this is a Good one to run away from!:runaway::runaway::runaway:
 
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