Punishing recoil.. what scopes have lasted or not??

canadaman30

canadaman30

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Just looking for some input as to what scopes you guys have loved or hated when it came to mounting them on heavy recoiling rifles. I have had a few that bit the dust and also a few that have stood the test of time and punishment. So what brands out there are good or bad????
 
I've had all kinds of scopes on heavy recoiling guns and not only the expensive ones stood up. I have a Tikka in 338WinMag with a Simmons Whitetail Classic in 3.5-10x40 that's been on there for over 10 years and still works fine and that's one of my beater guns, and it kicks like a mule, more than my 375 or 458.
My experience has been that more important is that the mounts and rings are of high quality and tight. A loose mount/ring will destroy the most expensive scopes. I've seen a top of the line Swarovski fail on a 375 H&H due to loose rings and a Schmidt & Bender Zenith die on a 9.3x64 due to a broken mount.
That said, generally the more you pay, the more rugged the internals and the better the optical quality. I would say that good optics start at the $400 mark, except the Simmons Whitetail Classic of course... :D
 
I have Bushnell Elite 3200s on my 30-06 and 270. I wouldn't call them punishing really but the 30-06 is a <6lb gun so it has some recoil. They're both standing up just fine.

.223 doesn't have much recoil really but my cheap Bushnell Banner is doing fine!
 
6.8lb (with scope) Titanium 300wm custom toped with a VX3 4.5-14-50, it loves every shot!

18lb timberwolf .338 with a S&B 5-25, loves every shot ( 1/3 the recoil as the 300 listed above)
 
I can't break a Leupold, and can't keep anything by bushleague alive. My little Kimber .338 Win Mag will shear off the ring screws on the Talley one piece ring-bases but the scope shrugs it off. My Zeiss seem to be hanging in there too.

The hardest a scope gets hit is when it is accelerated from a standing start, which is why when a scope slips it's always forward. By comparison it practically coasts to a stop when it plows into your shoulder. Saying a scope stands up to .375 recoil makes good ad copy though.:rolleyes:

Another thing that pounds cheap scopes to death are autoloaders. Every time you pull the trigger the scope gets hit 3 times.
 
VXII 3-9 compact - has been to Korth three times, it died on my 8 pound 7mm mag, then on a M70 300wsm, and really died on a <6 pound 325wsm not sure if I want it on anything other than a 22 now.

VXIII 4.5-14 - Lived 4 years on the 300wsm, but died in 10 shots from the above 325. Getting sent to Korth as soon as Canada Post figures there stuff out.

Another thing that is hard on scopes is a muzzle brake, the scope is started moving back then slowed quickly by the force from the brake. VERY hard on scopes on a light rifle.
 
1.5-5x VariX III on my 416 Rigby. Not sure if you'd call the recoil punishing, but it's good and lively. Hasn't done a speck of damage to the scope nor do I think it ever will.
 
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