Rifle Scopes Saga is over. Leupold/Premier Reticle

[ACK]

A couple of years ago I bought a Leupold MK4 16X, (boosted to 35X by Premier Reticles) at a estate sale.. 35X is too much magnification for plinking in the desert.

1. Called Leupold (they were willing to work on them in the past) they want to see the scope.
2. Scope is shipped
3. Leupold calls me they will not work on it with the doubler installed; however they are willing to give me a discount on a new scope. Prices are pretty much catalog prices after the discount
4. Called Ironsightinc, lkscope repait, targetshoteroptic. Lead time 6 month, ~100 dollars to remove. Meh.
5. Back to the safe for a year
6. On December I decided to remove it myself. I placed the booster in a lathe three jaw vise. Heated it with a heat gun and applied torque, it moved! it was Loctited in place.
7. Called Leupold about installing a mildot reticle. Same dance; cannot provide an estimate without seeing it...
8. Leupold will install reticle for $211
9. Scope is back. Looks good; tracks well.
10. It is old tech but so am I and 140 moa elevation is nice.

 

[Mark H.]

Miss my Premier reticle boosted Vari X III 6.5-20 up to 18-40 on a 25mm tube which I had done back in 1992.
Sold it to a good shooting partner who tried but couldn't get on with it - his eyes, not the scope were at fault.

So I am planning to send another mint 1990's standard Vari X III this time to Leupold and get a different reticle installed.

I did try to get my old scope back but it ended up in Germany on a bench rest rifle and annoyingly the guy who bought it does quite well with it .

I am just wondering what became of the booster/bumper lens you took out of your scope. Did you keep it?

Mark - from over the pond