euroscopes, o-rings and waterproofing

[jjohnwm]

Back when the earth was young, I remember being amazed to read on a number of occasions that many of the high-quality European scopes were only waterproof with their turret covers screwed snugly in place. Contrasting this with "typical" scopes that were nitrogen-charged and carefully sealed to remain water- and fog-proof, I was only interested in an academic sense. Back then, the bulk of my riflescopes were made by Bushnell, while my few serious hunting rifles were equipped with Leupolds, which of course we all "knew" were the best of the best in a riflescope that mere mortals could afford to purchase. Those fancy German and Austrian scopes were not on my radar at all.

Fast forward to today. I was checking the sight-in of a rifle that will be one of my main hunters this year; it wears a scope that I now consider one of the ultimate do-it-all hunting scopes, a S&B fixed 6x. I have several of these and I love 'em.

So after firing a group in today's uncharacteristically windless condition, I removed the windage cap to tweak the setting. The next group was perfect; I replaced the cap and snugged it up, and just about crapped myself when I saw a fine inch-long antenna of broken O-ring projecting from under the cap!

It's 2023, fer crying out loud...this particular S&B is only a few years old. Is it seriously relying upon an O-ring under the turret cap to keep it dry internally? I simply cannot believe that. If it's true, that would mean that simply removing the turret cap would allow nitrogen to begin leaking from the scope, which would result in internal fogging when the cold weather comes. None of my Schmidts have ever fogged, despite a lot of use in sub-zero temps down to -40C. Truth to tell, none of my Leupolds have ever fogged either, and only one or two Bushies over the years.

My confidence is shaken. Comments?

 

[medvedqc]

Back when the earth was young, I remember being amazed to read on a number of occasions that many of the high-quality European scopes were only waterproof with their turret covers screwed snugly in place. Contrasting this with "typical" scopes that were nitrogen-charged and carefully sealed to remain water- and fog-proof, I was only interested in an academic sense. Back then, the bulk of my riflescopes were made by Bushnell, while my few serious hunting rifles were equipped with Leupolds, which of course we all "knew" were the best of the best in a riflescope that mere mortals could afford to purchase. Those fancy German and Austrian scopes were not on my radar at all.

Fast forward to today. I was checking the sight-in of a rifle that will be one of my main hunters this year; it wears a scope that I now consider one of the ultimate do-it-all hunting scopes, a S&B fixed 6x. I have several of these and I love 'em.

So after firing a group in today's uncharacteristically windless condition, I removed the windage cap to tweak the setting. The next group was perfect; I replaced the cap and snugged it up, and just about crapped myself when I saw a fine inch-long antenna of broken O-ring projecting from under the cap!

It's 2023, fer crying out loud...this particular S&B is only a few years old. Is it seriously relying upon an O-ring under the turret cap to keep it dry internally? I simply cannot believe that. If it's true, that would mean that simply removing the turret cap would allow nitrogen to begin leaking from the scope, which would result in internal fogging when the cold weather comes. None of my Schmidts have ever fogged, despite a lot of use in sub-zero temps down to -40C. Truth to tell, none of my Leupolds have ever fogged either, and only one or two Bushies over the years.

My confidence is shaken. Comments?

i do liked the S&B scopes i had while in europe up to the time i had to deal with french warranty center then germany. they finally fixed it but i was done with them: it got fogged in after some rain we got during a battue in the mountains.

 

[jjohnwm]

i do liked the S&B scopes i had while in europe up to the time i had to deal with french warranty center then germany. they finally fixed it but i was done with them: it got fogged in after some rain we got during a battue in the mountains.

Great; now I'm even less confident.

I have about 5 or 6 S&B's and the same number of Nightforces; but several dozen Leupolds, so my experience with them is a little more statistically useful.

I'm not changing scopes on that rifle now; I have a Leupold in QD rings also sighted-in for it, so if worse comes to worst I will still be in the game.

 

[AP]

OP ... I wouldn't get too hung up on the nitrogen content in your scope -- if you dismantled it completely and reassembled without 'nitrogen purging' ... you would still have 78 percent nitrogen in the scope

As for weather proofing ... I have several older Zeiss 'Jena' scopes that are NOT nitrogen purged and have essentially open turrets for elevation correction as well as focus and have never had a problem with them in the rain or normal hunting conditions. The one rule I follow however is I never bring a cold rifle (and scope) into a warm room. If it is necessary to do this I wrap the rifle/scope in a blanket outside and let it acclimatize slowly to the warmth inside while wrapped in the blanket.

Of course there are other precautions and I dont think I would be too happy if the rifle and scope were dropped in a lake or river ... Overall my recommendation is not to worry ... just get out and go hunting.

PS ... FWIW I very much like fixed 4x and 6x scopes as well.

 

[jjohnwm]

I'm not "hung up"...at least not too badly...at least I don't think so! ...on that. But my inherent thriftiness rankles a bit when I feel that I am not quite getting what I paid for. A S&B scope, even the entry-level 6x discussed here...is still a S&B scope, and almost a quarter of the way through the 22nd century I expect it to have some basic features that even its cheapest Chinese competition offer...and that includes perfect waterproof seals and fog-proof performance. The scope is mounted on a stainless/synthetic hunting rifle, so it looks like crap IMHO...and I would grab it if the weather is lousy when I go out in the morning. Hunting time is precious and irreplaceable, and I don't want to take chances.

If I'd wanted a Vortex, complete with an outstanding warranty that I would likely need to use over and over...I would have bought one. Well, okay, that's a lie; I've bought a couple and won't buy another. Buy once, cry once.