Busted Bushnell Trophy Scope! Apparently Banners are more durable!

mlehtovaara

mlehtovaara

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So I have had my first complete scope failure, and the funny part is it was the most expensive scope I had purchased to date!

It was a Bushnell Trophy 1-4 x 24mm, which I paid $200 for just over a month ago! This was the 4th Bushnell I had purchased all 3 previous scopes being Banner series I thought I was getting a little more quality from the Trophy model, but turns out I was wrong!

I took it grouse hunting this week and of course right when I go to take a shot at a bird I look through the scope to see a black ring in there and the thing rattles like a box of kraft dinner. Needless to say I was pissed. Not only is my scope gone but I lost the bird as well. I tried shooting but the scope had obviously lost zero!

The funniest part was I have beat up my 3-9 Banner alot worse than this thing, and the only thing I can see that might have caused the problem was vibrations from the quad. It is hard to believe because all my Banners have been through worse, and they are all carried in a hard case on the quad as well.

So looks like tomorrow I will be contacting Bushnell.

Does anyone know what I should expect as far as time is concerned?

Should I be buying a replacement in the meantime?
 
I had the Tasco Varmint 6-24x on my Remington 700 and loved it but everyone here told me to get rid of it and buy a Bushnell Banner instead since they were better. So I bought the Bushnell Banner 6-24x and mounted it on the Remington. Took me 5 shots to sight it in and the 6 shot I fired and the scope went out of focus. Put it back in focus and shot again, same thing.

Sent it back to Bushnell and I think it was a month or so that I had a replacement in hand.

Some people have been waiting months and months for their replacement to come.
 
My local retailer told me bushnell is trying to catch up with Leupold on the warranty if you bought it new, the retailer may just give you a new one and take your old one back and send you on your way. worht a try. Their Customer service is improving greatly.

mlehtovaara said:
So I have had my first complete scope failure, and the funny part is it was the most expensive scope I had purchased to date!

It was a Bushnell Trophy 1-4 x 24mm, which I paid $200 for just over a month ago! This was the 4th Bushnell I had purchased all 3 previous scopes being Banner series I thought I was getting a little more quality from the Trophy model, but turns out I was wrong!

I took it grouse hunting this week and of course right when I go to take a shot at a bird I look through the scope to see a black ring in there and the thing rattles like a box of kraft dinner. Needless to say I was pissed. Not only is my scope gone but I lost the bird as well. I tried shooting but the scope had obviously lost zero!

The funniest part was I have beat up my 3-9 Banner alot worse than this thing, and the only thing I can see that might have caused the problem was vibrations from the quad. It is hard to believe because all my Banners have been through worse, and they are all carried in a hard case on the quad as well.

So looks like tomorrow I will be contacting Bushnell.

Does anyone know what I should expect as far as time is concerned?

Should I be buying a replacement in the meantime?
Click to expand...
 
Take it back if it is less than a month old. It isn't your problem to send it to bushnell. If the retailer you bought it from doesn't do an exchange right away on it, please out them on here.
 
Well I just checked my credit card statement and it was originally purchased August 25th! I would like to think a direct exchange would happen but dealing with these guys in the past has been less than awesome. Anyway I will call them first thing in the morning and let you guys know! Oh yeah I should mention that this particular model is discontinued so not sure what they would do for me, or what Bushnell will do either.
 
dizzy said:
My local retailer told me bushnell is trying to catch up with Leupold on the warranty if you bought it new, the retailer may just give you a new one and take your old one back and send you on your way. worht a try. Their Customer service is improving greatly.
Click to expand...

So no more bushnell at ct soon i guess, huh? :)
 
mlehtovaara said:
So I have had my first complete scope failure, and the funny part is it was the most expensive scope I had purchased to date!

It was a Bushnell Trophy 1-4 x 24mm, which I paid $200 for just over a month ago! This was the 4th Bushnell I had purchased all 3 previous scopes being Banner series I thought I was getting a little more quality from the Trophy model, but turns out I was wrong!

I took it grouse hunting this week and of course right when I go to take a shot at a bird I look through the scope to see a black ring in there and the thing rattles like a box of kraft dinner. Needless to say I was pissed. Not only is my scope gone but I lost the bird as well. I tried shooting but the scope had obviously lost zero!

The funniest part was I have beat up my 3-9 Banner alot worse than this thing, and the only thing I can see that might have caused the problem was vibrations from the quad. It is hard to believe because all my Banners have been through worse, and they are all carried in a hard case on the quad as well.
So looks like tomorrow I will be contacting Bushnell.

Does anyone know what I should expect as far as time is concerned?

Should I be buying a replacement in the meantime?
Click to expand...

Are you using one of those Kolpin gun boots with bracket? They are hell on scopes. I try to carry scoped rifles slung over my shoulder when on the quad.

Expect to wait a few months until you get it back. Then sell it and buy a Leupold. :D
 
Went through a Bushnell warranty on an Elite 3200 last year about this time. This is, according to them, their busiest time of year. Probably true, as most people put stuff of until the last minute...like just before hunting season. I sent mine in late August, and got it back late December. Yep, bit of a wait for sure. However, to their credit I told them I bought the scope slightly used, and they repaired it (loose erector) no charge anyway.

That said...

A very sweet little scope for a .22 LR is the Nikon Prostaff 4x32 Rimfire...

http://www.nikonhunting.com/page/catalog_item/6305

Set up one of these a couple years ago for my son-in-law. Was very impressed with quality for the dough spent, nice clarity, excellent finish, and sight in adjustments were precise.
 
I had an old Bushnell that failed on me - won't buy their stuff again.

The reticle was broken - and I lost a deer because of it. Will stick with Leupold and NF going forward.

Has anyone had any experience with Millett?
 
As I used to say in the car biz, even Mercedes Benz dealers have service departments.

Everyone raves about how good Leupold's warranty is. I mean EVERYONE! I get the distinct impression this means EVERYONE ends up sending their Leupolds in to get fixed...???

I have several myself, and so far, so good...but I'm starting to worry a tad about an apparently inevitable failure.

:p

End of the day, you get what you pay for. In the old days (30 years ago...:( ) I owned a few Bushnell Banner scopes, and never had a problem with them. But back then they were made in Japan. A great many lower line scopes, including some of the Bushnell line I'd bet, are now made in China. Not to disparage Chinese manufacturing, which accounts for about 90% of the stuff on store shelves these days, but let's just say that that their reputation overall ain't terribly shiny.
 
Been through the Bullsh!tnell so called warrenty thing twice with their products (slow learner) Last and final time they accused me of abuse then tried to sell me a new scope. Toss that cheap POS & buy a Leupold to save future hassles. Or if you can't justify the expense, get a Simmons. They simply replaced my broken products with new ones with no hassels...kinda like Leupold.
 
i don't know about the scheme of things now, but it used to go in order of quality. scopechief, banner, then the really cheap stuff- under 100 bucks-sportsman, sportview, etc- i think the trophy was somwhere below the banner - i know the elites are now supposed to be the top of the line
 
I have 10 bushnells on my rifles/shotguns. Banners, trophys, legends, 3200, 4200 and even sportsmen and not one of them has lost its zero or anything. I have never had a problem KNOCK ON WOOD!
 
Takes about 7 weeks to get a scope back from Bushnell...Drache (Above) got lucky. My friend broke his cheapy Tasco (Owned by Bushnell now) and he got a brand new one seven weeks later.

My Banner's reticle started to "walk" on me with less than 700 shots out of an air rifle, and Bushnell replaced it with a new one.

Most of my scopes are Banners and two are Trophys....pretty clear and no problems with them on air rifles or powder burners.
 
Use to use Bushnell and Nightforce till I discovered Vortex.

Take a look at the reviews and a couple of the guys who have needed warranty work. There is no months wait. I think the most anyone has waited is a week.

I've never bought a Leupold and probably never will. To pricey for what you get compared to other lines.
 
Farmboy said:
Use to use Bushnell and Nightforce till I discovered Vortex.

Take a look at the reviews and a couple of the guys who have needed warranty work. There is no months wait. I think the most anyone has waited is a week.

I've never bought a Leupold and probably never will. To pricey for what you get compared to other lines.
Click to expand...

You've used the word Nightforce in the same sentence as Bushnell and Vortex, shame on you. :eek:
 
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