Have you ever broken a good modern scope?

Doesn't quite fit into this category.


Doesn't quite fit into this category.

It does fit in with the specific question he asked me as to which bushnells packed it in on me. To the original category of later than 2000, over $300 and "modern" some fit that description. None meet my criteria of "Good", but I think I pointed that out at the beginning. I must believed they were good once or wouldn't have bought them.

Was there a point you are trying to make?
 
Yeah. With the possible exception of the 4200 if you paid over $300 for those other scopes you paid too much! I bought a 6500 in basically new condition for $400.

But still would rather have nothing but scopes worth over $1000, if I could afford it. I did take the plunge and own a Schmidt & Bender however.
 
Yeah. With the possible exception of the 4200 if you paid over $300 for those other scopes you paid too much! I bought a 6500 in basically new condition for $400.

But still would rather have nothing but scopes worth over $1000, if I could afford it. I did take the plunge and own a Schmidt & Bender however.



I have basically arrived at the point where the cheapest thing I really want to let in the house is a VX3 and I have many dozens of those. Lifes too short (and you're a long time dead) for trouble. I've had mixed results with S&B. Some older fixed powers of my aquaintence had jaw droppingly stellar optics, but when I was checking out a one for my Cheytac I honestly couldn't see what the fuss was about. Ended up with a Nightforce NXS instead. Most of my longrange guns carry Mark 4s.

Price is a funny thing. With fluctuating currencies and more and better contacts in the business I can usually buy VX3s for less than I used to have to pay for 4000/4200 series. Money is a lot easier to come by these days as well.The bushnells I could now get for next to nothing if I wanted them at all. Those that show up in trades get punted pretty fast.
 
Banged two scopes around, Vortex Crossfire II and a Vortex Viper. Most of the abuse went to the CF II though.

Both work fine and still hold zero no problems. Both shot on a 30-30.
 
Had a .375RUM eat a VXIII for breakfast. Don't think any scope would like that monster. Owned many elites from 3200 to 6500 with one 3200 3-9x50 that had the firefly recicle go spotty and magnification seemed off from new. Nikon Prostaff wouldn't hold zero from shotgun recoil. Had every Bushnell below 3200 series die for one reason or another. Bushnell always replaced them but do not buy anything below 3200 series anymore. I too find it suspicious that one person could have so many failures with elites, as I have a 5-15x50 3200 that has been flawless with 100ish full power .338RUM loads, some of which were from a leadsled. For the money Elites are the best bar none.
 
Had a .375RUM eat a VXIII for breakfast. Don't think any scope would like that monster. Owned many elites from 3200 to 6500 with one 3200 3-9x50 that had the firefly recicle go spotty and magnification seemed off from new. Nikon Prostaff wouldn't hold zero from shotgun recoil. Had every Bushnell below 3200 series die for one reason or another. Bushnell always replaced them but do not buy anything below 3200 series anymore. I too find it suspicious that one person could have so many failures with elites, as I have a 5-15x50 3200 that has been flawless with 100ish full power .338RUM loads, some of which were from a leadsled. For the money Elites are the best bar none.

Just for the sake of curiousity; do you consider 100 rounds of .338 RUM a lot? That might be a test to you, but to me thats a Saturday.

I had a 4200 6-24 x 50 30mm Tactical on an Edge for a few days. What a joke that turned out to be, the side parallax knob turned turned every time I took a shot. Sold it to a guy who was going to put it on a .223.
 
Just for the sake of curiousity; do you consider 100 rounds of .338 RUM a lot? That might be a test to you, but to me thats a Saturday.

I had a 4200 6-24 x 50 30mm Tactical on an Edge for a few days. What a joke that turned out to be, the side parallax knob turned turned every time I took a shot. Sold it to a guy who was going to put it on a .223.
For me that is a lot. Also my Vx3 did not take that punishment and I consider them to be excellent scopes. I am curious, in your experience what do you find the toughest scopes out there?
 
Redfield....before Leupold bought them and made the REDFIELD name their value line. Knocked the crosshair right outta it.
 
Based on those you've experienced?

Well, I've never had a single warranty return on a Leupold and that's what I've taken the vast majority of my shots with. In a general sort of way I've got decent luck with brands that actually make their own scopes.

Once you find out how very few names are on that list you'd probably do fine with any of them.
 
Redfield....before Leupold bought them and made the REDFIELD name their value line. Knocked the crosshair right outta it.

There hasn't been a real Redfield since 1998. In the 20 years between then and when Leupold picked up the name in 2008 the brandname got passed around like a drunk slut. I doubt if any of those owners talk to each other.

I've got an old Redfield 4X TV screen scope sitting here. If you owned one of those in the seventies you were a player but now the coatings aged and you may as well look through homemade beer. Lots of those old Redfields turned brown. Nothing you can do about it either.
 
Had to send a Leupold scope for warranty work. It was a late 80's 2x handgun scope, spent most of it's life on either 357 or 44 revolver. Eventually it developed a rattled... The friendly Leupold service dept had for two weeks, changed the internals (replaced a scratched up adjustment cover) and returned it.

Bought my first Leupold 25 years ago, because that's what my dad, uncle and their friends used... Sure, a few Weaver/Zeiss/IOR sneaked in over the years... But my 'default' choice still goes to Leupold. They work for me.
 
I have had fairly good luck with the 4200 Bushnell's. I have three 3x9 4200 & 1 3x9 Elite on various rifles that have been flawless and a 2x7 3200 on a 444 that also never given me an issue. The 444 locked up another scope that was mounted on it previously in 20 rounds.

To be fair I did have a 4200 2.5x10, 50 mm. that fogged up on me but was replaced by Bushnell very quickly under warranty.
 
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