Is my Bushnell Trophy XLT 600 DOA toast?

[MDF]

I have a Bushnell Trophy XLT 600 DOA mounted on a Weatherby Vanguard Series II in 30-06. The scope has a fixed objective -- there is no focus ring at the objective end.

The problem is that I cannot get both the target and the reticle in focus at the same time. Using the eye piece focus I can get either the reticle or the target in sharp focus, but not both. Noticed today that this is happening at both 100 and 200 yards.

With careful effort, I can get decent groups with either one in focus. But having one or the other blurred at any one time is a pain.

Is the scope pooched?

Should I return it to Bushnell under their lifetime warranty?

Has anyone had any experience returning scopes to Bushnell in Canada?

I suspect that this scope may not be suitable for this rifle even though its documentation says it's good for 30-06. I have the same scope on a few different rifles in 223 and have had no problems with those.

What other scopes might you recommend in more or less the same price range? I am typically shooting paper at 50 to 200 yards but may eventually hunt with this rig at some point.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

[Hitzy]

Reticle will be out of focus on the target until you get around 100+/- meters. Parallax is set at 100m, anything less then that can be out of focus as you describe. Anything further will be fine.

 

[MDF]

Reticle will be out of focus on the target until you get around 100+/- meters. Parallax is set at 100m, anything less then that can be out of focus as you describe. Anything further will be fine.

Thanks for the note. I should have mentioned in my original post that it's out of focus at both 100 and 200 yards -- just really noticed it today at the range.

Thanks!

 

[GUB]

I just got a replacement 3500 3x9x40. Go to their website. Fill out the form and send $10 and your old scope.For me that is 2 Bushnell, 2 Vortex and 2 Leupolds
And I have another one that is acting up. They are made for 1/2 a box of shells a year. not a lot of shooting

 

[GMC403]

Not sure if I'm just lucky, but these stories of multiple scopes in for repairs/replacement perplexes me. I've had 50+ scopes (mostly Leupold) and have NEVER had to send one in, hundreds of rounds and hunting use on most of them.

OP, is the out of focus issue only with the magnification turned right up, or is it through the full magnification range?

 

[MDF]

OP, is the out of focus issue only with the magnification turned right up, or is it through the full magnification range?

It's a 3-9 scope. Just looked now and at 3 both the reticle and the target are in focus. As I approach 4, the target image starts to loose focus. Target focus deteriorates steadily up to 9.

 

[sawzall]

The adjustable eye piece is only for focusing the reticle. It's not for focusing the image through the scope. Get that set for your eye so when you snap the rifle up against a white background and look through it, the reticle is clear and sharp. Do it fast so your eye doesn't have a chance to try and correct for out of f focus because it will. Once you get that set, then you can reevaluate the optics situation. Parallax has nothing to do with focus either. It's where the reticle "moves" in relation to the target when you move your eye behind the scope. It kind of "floats" over the target. It's worse the closer to the target you are. That's why most rimfore scopes are set around 50 yards. It's normal for a variable power scope to go blurry as you increase magnification. Try looking at objects further away.

 

[TAP375]

Your depth of "field" (the area in focus in front of your objective lens) and your depth of focus (the area in focus behind your ocular lens) increases as magnification decreases, and vice versa; This likely explains why you see your target in focus at 3x. However, when looking at a target at 100 meters of beyond with any 3-9 power scope should show the target in sharp focus at any power. If not, and your eyesight is relatively normal, it's likely that the internals of the scope are now misaligned. If the problem arose after mounting the scope on your current rifle, it could have been caused by higher recoil or over-torqued or misaligned rings or bases.

The simple way to find out is to look through any other 3x9 scope that's known to be good.

It's a 3-9 scope. Just looked now and at 3 both the reticle and the target are in focus. As I approach 4, the target image starts to loose focus. Target focus deteriorates steadily up to 9.

 

[MDF]

Your depth of "field" (the area in focus in front of your objective lens) and your depth of focus (the area in focus behind your ocular lens) increases as magnification decreases, and vice versa; This likely explains why you see your target in focus at 3x. However, when looking at a target at 100 meters of beyond with any 3-9 power scope should show the target in sharp focus at any power. If not, and your eyesight is relatively normal, it's likely that the internals of the scope are now misaligned. If the problem arose after mounting the scope on your current rifle, it could have been caused by higher recoil or over-torqued or misaligned rings or bases.

The simple way to find out is to look through any other 3x9 scope that's known to be good.

Winner, winner; kitten dinner.

I have another scope of the same model and a third Trophy XLT but in 250 DOA. Just checked those two and they are fine. Those are both mounted on rifles in 223 Rem.

So pass the jam and call me for breakfast -- the scope on the Weatherby is toast.

I'm going to mail it in and see what happens.

I suspect that it's the recoil that killed the scope. I don't know what it is with my Weatherby Vanguard Series II but I find 30-06 recoil on that rifle to be a bear. Recoil just seems really rough with it and I find myself dreading the trigger break.

I had no trouble with 30-60 in a Remington 760 when I owned one, but I recall that rifle being much heavier than the Weatherby. So the weight may have tamed the recoil there.

I had no trouble with 30-60 in a Winchester Ranger when I owned one, and that rifle was definitely lighter than the Weatherby. So I'm not sure what's up there.

I wonder if the Weatherby composite stock is acting like a spring and making the recoil worse than it should be.

Anyway -- thanks to everyone for your comments here. This has helped.

 

[Cameron SS]

I have a Bushnell Trophy XLT 600 DOA mounted on a Weatherby Vanguard Series II in 30-06. The scope has a fixed objective -- there is no focus ring at the objective end.

The problem is that I cannot get both the target and the reticle in focus at the same time. Using the eye piece focus I can get either the reticle or the target in sharp focus, but not both. Noticed today that this is happening at both 100 and 200 yards.

With careful effort, I can get decent groups with either one in focus. But having one or the other blurred at any one time is a pain.

Is the scope pooched?

Should I return it to Bushnell under their lifetime warranty?

Has anyone had any experience returning scopes to Bushnell in Canada?

I suspect that this scope may not be suitable for this rifle even though its documentation says it's good for 30-06. I have the same scope on a few different rifles in 223 and have had no problems with those.

What other scopes might you recommend in more or less the same price range? I am typically shooting paper at 50 to 200 yards but may eventually hunt with this rig at some point.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

DO you know where your scope is sitting within its current adjustment range? IF you had to adjust your scope well outside the middle of its adjustment range, you could be introducing parallax into your scope.

You can test for this in two ways. Pick a target 100m away, look through your scope at the proper eye relief, at your maximum power setting and move your eye around. Does the cross hair stay on target, or does it float around. Your cross hair should not float relative to your target. If it does, then you have a parallax problem. If so, turn the mag power down to the minimum and check again. IF the problem goes away then you are probably adjusted outside the ideal adjustment range for your scope.

Now you can evaluate where you are in your adjustment range by rotating the drum all the way down, counting the number of clicks, MOA or revolutions of the turret, depending on how it is marked. Right that number down. Now click the turret all the way to the top, counting the number as before. Ideally you would want the first number to be roughly half of the second. If you deduct your first number from the second, you can then adjust down by that value to get you back to roughly where you started. IE if it took you 30 MOA to get to the bottom, you measured 100 from bottom to top, move 70 down from the top to return to your previous zero.

Is this your scope? http://bushnell.com/hunting/rifle-scopes/trophy-xlt/3-9x-40mm-matte-black-doa-600-reticle

According to the manual you have an adjustment range of 60 MOA, but in reality your scope might be capable of far more travel than this. (my bushnell AR advertises 50 MOA adjustment, but in reality it is over 130) If your scope is adjusted outside of the 60 MOA range, +/-30MoA from center, then your retical will actually be looking through the curved portion of the exit lens. This can cause parallax and blurry retical/target relationship.

There is a spring inside your scope body which puts pressure on the windage/elevation drums that holds it in place. Over adjusting your scope puts added pressure on this spring. Firing your rifle with a large calibre while the spring is over compressed can cause damage to the spring and the adjustment drums.

If your rifle is zeroed and within that ideal 60 MoA range, and you have a parallax problem, then its time to send it in. If you have parallax and you had to adjust outside that range in order to get a good zero, then you might to shim your rings in order to move your zero back into that ideal adjustment range. Bushnell has a shim guide on their website, or there are different rings or rails that can achieve this.

 

[MDF]

DO you know where your scope is sitting within its current adjustment range? IF you had to adjust your scope well outside the middle of its adjustment range, you could be introducing parallax into your scope.

The dials were more or less in the middle of their range. I set them to the middle of their range when I installed the scope, cranking them all the way back and forth counting the number of turns and then cranking them to their half-way points.

After centering the dials zeroing at 50 yards required maybe a quarter rotation on each dial and then just a few clicks when I went to 100 yards. The setting for 100 yards worked OK for 200 yards but probably could have been adjusted a little more to get it bang on.

I understand the issue you're describing and it's a great troubleshooting tip. But I don't think that's what happened with my unit.

Is this your scope? http://bushnell.com/hunting/rifle-sc...oa-600-reticle

Yes, that's it -- right down to the model number.

Thanks for the comments.

 

[MDF]

Update on the scope!

So I returned my scope to Bushnell.

Mailed it from the Newmarket, ON, area on March 21 and it arrived at Bushnell in Vaughan, ON, on March 27. $12.70 in postage

Bushnell shipped a replacement on March 29 and it arrived March 30.

My original scope model 733960B was replaced with current model 753960B. No notes on the packing slip about what was wrong with the scope. Just the comment "Replaced under warranty with current model".

The return process was straight forward and painless.

Total cost was $12.70 in postage, $10.00 cheque to Bushnell, $0.00 Amazon cardboard box I had lying around, $0.00 Amazon kraft paper stuffing in the box, and about half a $1.50 roll of Elmer's packing tape from Dollarama. Pro tip: don't buy cheap tape from Dollarama.

New scope looks to be OK so far -- both the reticle and the target are in focus at all zoom settings.

I really think the Weatherby Vanguard Series II plastic stock is the culprit here -- it seems to make recoil a lot worse than it should be for a rifle that size.

I've ordered a Boyd's Classic walnut stock and just received notification a few minutes ago that's it's shipping today. I'll reinstall the scope after I get the new stock on the rifle.