Rifle Scopes Urban Legend?

[Quarter Horse]

There is a recent thread regarding failure in scopes that are mounted on heavier recoiling rifles with brakes. There was some agreement that this failure was due to a design flaw that doesn't account for the change in direction or at least intensity of recoil when a brake is used. So the question is, is there somebody out there with experience in optics design or manufacture that can confirm this supposition? This is not a shot at the posters who proposed this as a reason for failure but rather an attempt to go to the source.

It appeared that several of the failures were due to wire reticules coming loose. I have a SS HD 5-20 on a .338LM so I called SWFA to verify that the reticule is etched. I was told that all SS scopes have etched reticules.

 

[scudzuki]

I have a hard time believing that any reticle more complicated than a duplex is made of wire but perhaps I'm naïve.

It is absolutely true that a rifle scope that has stood up to thousands of rounds on top of a relatively powerful centerfire rifle can fail in 5 shots on top of a spring powered air rifle due to the odd (and opposite) recoil pulse of that type of air rifle.

Joe

 

[Quarter Horse]

Joe, your post is exactly why I posed the question. Ages ago, I heard that scopes don't hold up to spring-piston air guns. I attributed this to vibration rather than reversed recoil and it appears that assumption is incorrect. I'm just trying to understand these failures. In addition, I have no idea whether only simple reticules are wire or whether all complex reticules are etched.

 

[SomeOtherGuy]

The Viper PST series has glass etched reticles. Those were the topic of one such failures thread. All types of reticles can be vulnerable, the way that the reticle (and lenses) is secured inside the scope matters.

I'm not an optics professional, just noting the wire vs. glass reticle issue.

 

[hippyshake]

I have a hard time believing that any reticle more complicated than a duplex is made of wire but perhaps I'm naïve.

It is absolutely true that a rifle scope that has stood up to thousands of rounds on top of a relatively powerful centerfire rifle can fail in 5 shots on top of a spring powered air rifle due to the odd (and opposite) recoil pulse of that type of air rifle.

Joe

Its absolutely true? lets see a source on that.

 

[scudzuki]

Its absolutely true? lets see a source on that.

I've read several accounts of this happening to people I don't know personally on air rifle forums.
I also have a friend that was a nationally ranked air rifle shooter that has had this happen to him.
Am I going to take the time to search out links on the web or get my friend to sign an affidavit to convince you?

Not a chance. Believe what you want.

Joe

 

[Quickdraw40]

Its absolutely true? lets see a source on that.

This is true, I've heard it from the big wigs.

 

[Redmanss]

I have a hard time believing that any reticle more complicated than a duplex is made of wire but perhaps I'm naïve.

All USMC Unertl mildot reticles were wire, and we had a few that broke as well. One of my guys broke one fast roping out of a '53 with a slung Barrett on a dog and pony exercise, and that REALLY pissed me off.

I believe Premier Reticles did custom wire reticles for Leupolds and others for some time too, but I never dipped into that one.

 

[Dogtown]

It's not just reticles. A company making an economical scope may not make robust and durable internal mechanics, which will take a beating from a magnum or big bore rifle.

 

[Falsecrack]

So would the reports of FN Scar's eating optics fall under "Urban Legend" or no?

 

[Gun_Slinger]

Falsecrack: That one is indeed just a myth, guys over at the FN forum actually tested if the Scar-H eats optics:

Aside from kidding, one of my OA10s (German-made AR10) 'killed' 5 scopes already (both low and high-end, usually parallax adjustment went out of whack) and caused internal 'flaking' on one more. Right now it's sporting Premier 5-25x which so far has held fine.

To sum up - in my case the myth was "not busted" (though several internal lenses were...

It may not be the case for all of them, but both 7,62cal semi's and spring-powered air-rifles place different kind of stress onto the scope than a standard bolt-action, and whether the scope will hold or not is more dependent on its construction than its price (I've had a $2,5k IOR break on it and $300 Hawke stay solid, though Hawke being English/Chinese origin were pretty much designed around air-rifles used in UK).

Good luck and shoot safe,


Gun_Slinger