New Release - Marlin 1895 Guide Gun

[hors555]

Has everyone forgotten the "issue" that arose a number of years ago regarding Leupold scopes and, coincidentally, Korth?

Leupolds had a terrific reputation, largely built upon the fact that you could pick up a used Leupold privately, at a gun show or store, wherever...and if a problem arose, you would be covered by Leupold's lifetime warranty through Korth. Eventually, perhaps spurred on by the increasing prevalence of Leupold clones and counterfeits, and/or perhaps by the prevalence of unauthorized importations of real Leupolds, Korth announced that those days were over. They wanted to see a receipt!

Much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth followed; how dare they?? Instead of simply handing you a new replacement for the scope that you found in a barn or in the bottom of a mystery box at a garage sale...they wanted some proof that you actually bought it legitimately! And it wasn't as though they were not covering scopes you got from those places; they simply wanted to ascertain that the scope had originally been imported into Canada through legitimate channels; if it was, they would still cover it. The only ones who got burned were the owners of scopes that had gotten into the country without Leupold's blessing in the first place.

So they were forced by abuse of the warranty system to tighten things up. One day they didn't bat an eye; but the next day they had the gall to tell people who had "illegitimate" gray-market scopes...to pound sand...

I have no idea if Korth was on the hook for all those years when they fixed or replaced a gray-market scope...or if the cost of this was passed onto and accepted by Leupold itself. Didn't matter, really...in long run, the goose that laid the golden egg for Leupold owners had had enough and that was that.

If it happened once...

...not to get too far off topic, and perhaps things have changed - but korths instructions say nothing about requiring proof of purchase (they can correct if wrong). https://www.korthgroup.com/product_service

On top of that, leupolds own website explicitly says that it is not required. Nor should it be if a company truly stands by their product.

[RyoTHC]

...not to get too far off topic, and perhaps things have changed - but korths instructions say nothing about requiring proof of purchase (they can correct if wrong). https://www.korthgroup.com/product_service

On top of that, leupolds own website explicitly says that it is not required. Nor should it be if a company truly stands by their product.

Bingo.

[Thunderhog]

Has everyone forgotten the "issue" that arose a number of years ago regarding Leupold scopes and, coincidentally, Korth?

Leupolds had a terrific reputation, largely built upon the fact that you could pick up a used Leupold privately, at a gun show or store, wherever...and if a problem arose, you would be covered by Leupold's lifetime warranty through Korth. Eventually, perhaps spurred on by the increasing prevalence of Leupold clones and counterfeits, and/or perhaps by the prevalence of unauthorized importations of real Leupolds, Korth announced that those days were over. They wanted to see a receipt!

Much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth followed; how dare they?? Instead of simply handing you a new replacement for the scope that you found in a barn or in the bottom of a mystery box at a garage sale...they wanted some proof that you actually bought it legitimately! And it wasn't as though they were not covering scopes you got from those places; they simply wanted to ascertain that the scope had originally been imported into Canada through legitimate channels; if it was, they would still cover it. The only ones who got burned were the owners of scopes that had gotten into the country without Leupold's blessing in the first place.

So they were forced by abuse of the warranty system to tighten things up. One day they didn't bat an eye; but the next day they had the gall to tell people who had "illegitimate" gray-market scopes...to pound sand...

I have no idea if Korth was on the hook for all those years when they fixed or replaced a gray-market scope...or if the cost of this was passed onto and accepted by Leupold itself. Didn't matter, really...in long run, the goose that laid the golden egg for Leupold owners had had enough and that was that.

If it happened once...

Hey John,

Oddly enough I have never heard this story, are you talking from personal experience or is this just a rumour at the gun-shop?

Anyway, I can tell you unequivocally that Korth Group Ltd. does not and I repeat does not ask for a receipt of any kind.

They obviously check to see if it is a Chinese knock off, but if it is a real Leupold Scope bought in Canada, it's a lifetime warranty. They do not care where you got it. Garage sale, yard sale or flea market, they will repair or replace it. If they replace it, you usually receive a better model.

I have heard some concerns over Leupold scopes brought in from the USA or other countries (grey-market), but I would think they would look after you.

Korth is number one my friend, I recently sent in several scopes for warranty. All were replaced with better models, no questions asked.

I suggest you call them yourself, they will concur what I just said.

[Thunderhog]

There’s several firearm retailers in Canada that import their own and don’t seem to be effected by the enormous waiting list through the Canadian importers.
it’s where I’ve got all my 1895s, hell I believe they said there was none in Canada when I had one of each.. I did pay a large premium for my SBL, and it’s 100% grey market… but you’ll never see it for sale, so that’s a moot point.


Ps if you have not tried it yet thunderhog, the break works fantastic.. even on the FAST moving hand loads.


Edited for clarity! Apparently my comments were misinterpreted.

I have not tried the brake as of yet, but I did get a second one.

They are gorgeous.

[jjohnwm]

I didn't mean to imply that there was anything substandard or unfair about Korth's position on warranty. My own experience was limited to two scopes, several years apart. The first one was only a few months old, purchased brand new at a major retailer, and I had no receipt. As I recall, Korth did ask about a receipt, but were not saying that they were not going to cover me; in any case, I believe both scopes were approved by Korth as being imported through appropriate channels and the long and short of it is that they were both covered.

But that's not the point. The complaints here on CGN were from people who were accustomed to getting any Leupold repaired or replaced, no questions asked. Apparently scopes whose serial numbers indicated they were not imported through authorized sources were no longer covered. It didn't matter where you got the scope...but it mattered how the scope got into the country. There were threads on this apparent change in policy here on CGN; some people were...unjustly, IMHO...seriously pissed off. I wonder why?

John, you'd be in a better position to check their current position on this than I am. Ask the rep what happens if a scope is sent in to them. Do they run the serial number to ascertain the scope's import status? Do they turn it away if it was a gray-market import? And, probably most important: are they legally entitled to do so?

Honestly, I don't have a dog in this fight. I checked the serial numbers on all my Leupold scopes, which back then numbered several dozen, at the time and found that every one was legit. Since then, I have checked the number of each used one I've purchased, and never had a negative result...and that's as far as I have taken it. Out of that sample, I didn't have a single scope that was questioned...so I don't know how big the problem really was for Korth. Haven't bought one or thought about it for years now.

I won't knowingly buy a clone, a knock-off, or a gray-market item. I don't buy items that "fell off the truck" or which otherwise undermine the manufacturer, and I don't need the potential hassle of dealing with gray-market warranty issues. Anybody who wants to do so...or to sell them, for that matter...do what you gotta do.

[Thunderhog]

I didn't mean to imply that there was anything substandard or unfair about Korth's position on warranty. My own experience was limited to two scopes, several years apart. The first one was only a few months old, purchased brand new at a major retailer, and I had no receipt. As I recall, Korth did ask about a receipt, but were not saying that they were not going to cover me; in any case, I believe both scopes were approved by Korth as being imported through appropriate channels and the long and short of it is that they were both covered.

But that's not the point. The complaints here on CGN were from people who were accustomed to getting any Leupold repaired or replaced, no questions asked. Apparently scopes whose serial numbers indicated they were not imported through authorized sources were no longer covered. It didn't matter where you got the scope...but it mattered how the scope got into the country. There were threads on this apparent change in policy here on CGN; some people were...unjustly, IMHO...seriously pissed off. I wonder why?

John, you'd be in a better position to check their current position on this than I am. Ask the rep what happens if a scope is sent in to them. Do they run the serial number to ascertain the scope's import status? Do they turn it away if it was a gray-market import? And, probably most important: are they legally entitled to do so?

Honestly, I don't have a dog in this fight. I checked the serial numbers on all my Leupold scopes, which back then numbered several dozen, at the time and found that every one was legit. Since then, I have checked the number of each used one I've purchased, and never had a negative result...and that's as far as I have taken it. Out of that sample, I didn't have a single scope that was questioned...so I don't know how big the problem really was for Korth. Haven't bought one or thought about it for years now.

I won't knowingly buy a clone, a knock-off, or a gray-market item. I don't buy items that "fell off the truck" or which otherwise undermine the manufacturer, and I don't need the potential hassle of dealing with gray-market warranty issues. Anybody who wants to do so...or to sell them, for that matter...do what you gotta do.

I just spoke with my Leupold representative who is employed by Korth Group.

He has confirmed that a Leupold scope that has been brought into Canada through an authorized Canadian dealer is covered under their lifetime warranty policy for repair or replacement. A receipt is not required.

The Chinese knock-offs are obviously not covered.

Any Leupold scope that is brought into Canada through a grey-market situation and has a warranty issue is looked at on a case to case basis.

In saying this, I'm not suggesting one go out and buy a grey-market Leupold scope, I'm only relaying what my rep stated.

Korth Group Ltd. is an asset to our hunting and target shooting sports industry, I hold them to the highest regard.