Chasing my tail with 100 yard zero

[Pdvdh]

Hard on the Leupold loyals, and more will probably sound in. Thanks for sharing. This is an example of one of the very best reasons to peruse this Forum. Someone simply sharing their experiences, for better or for worse - depending on which company/brand one happens to be rooting for.

I have a couple of Leupolds. One was purchased in the late 70s. The other purchased used more than 12 years ago. Neither of them have broke to my knowledge. But neither have been used on muzzle brake equipped rifles. Been used on some heavy kicking rifles, but none equipped with muzzle brakes. I had more of them, back when Leupold was in firmer control of the market due to less competition. I simply drifted away from Leupold because I saw better value in some competing brands.

For loyalist experiencing convulsions, understand that you won't find this type of honest commentary in the shooting and outdoor magazines. Those writers want their company sponsored trips to hunt at the expense of the manufacturers, so their commentaries are necessarily biased favorable. Which would you prefer?

 

[Laelkhunter]

I want the truth !!!! But i can't handle the truth !!!!!!!! :d

 

[Timber338]

I am not a loyalist to any brand... I just demand tha my equipment works. Period. I'm looking very hard at the new Vortex Razor HD LH. If my VX6 craps out that is likely where I will turn. And it is sounding very likely that my VX6 will crap out sooner than later.

 

[D.Camilleri]

Well, the leupold vxIII 6.5-20 is now on my 338 rum and dialed in, more or less. The wind was screaming this afternoon, but my last two shots are one ragged hole dead center of the bullseye. I will try and shoot again in the morning to see if the zero stayed. I shot about 6 rounds to zero the scope. I was really surprised at how far down I had to dial the turret from where it was on my 300 rum with dual dovetail rings. I had to drop the turret around 17 moa. This doesn't leave me a lot of down travel. I am really crossing my fingers that my zero is the same in the morning.

So this brings up the next question now that you have scared my about the reliability of leupold, what scope should be on my wish list? I think my sightron SIII is much clearer than the leupold and I really like having 32x because I can leave my spotting scope in camp instead of in my pack when hunting. So recommend a good scope if I decide I need a replacement.

 

[sp6x6]

Ya and my Mark 4 was 1700+ for a mil version number of years ago,hoping it lasts,really like the scope.For the gun mines on I wouldnt mind trying the Kahles 6-24x56 K6 but optics are $$

 

[Barrelnut]

So this brings up the next question now that you have scared my about the reliability of leupold, what scope should be on my wish list? I think my sightron SIII is much clearer than the leupold and I really like having 32x because I can leave my spotting scope in camp instead of in my pack when hunting. So recommend a good scope if I decide I need a replacement.

Interested in hearing what Sightron finds with the scope. I have the exact same scope and it has about 400 rounds on an braked 300 RUM and now over 2k rounds now on a 6.5 Creedmoor without a brake. It is dialed up/down frequently and is steady as a rock.

Hopefully the scope doesn't have any sort of issue that could have been caused by high recoil and a brake.

 

[bigngreen]

I've used a number of SIII optics on 338 builds and their doing well though the only optic I have regularly installed that I've never seen anything happen to is a Nightforce, as much as I try to keep my budget under control I'm pretty much at the point where if I only have to own one rifle to afford it that one rifle will wear a Nightforce.

 

[Pdvdh]

I own and use three Sightron SIIIs. Only one is used on a braked rifle - an 8 1/2 lb 300 Win Mag. By the way, this braked rifle broke a different brand of scope.

I don't have 100s, let alone thousands, of rounds fired under any of these SIIIs. They have great glass and the turrets have all been dependable. The turret values are not all exactly correct @ their advertised value of 0.25 moa, but that can be managed easily in any decent ballistics program. They don't weight nearly as much as the Nightforce scopes. Lighter weight is high in my prioritization system when it comes to rifle scopes. But after having had a number of failures, dependability is equally important.

I'll say this. I have frequented the various forums a lot in the search for lighter, yet dependable, scope with quality glass. I rarely - and I do mean rarely - have read of Sightron SIIIs failing under recoil. Which is why I own and continue to use three of them. And also why I'm following this thread, so learn if the OP's SIII is failing.

Having said that, the last scope I purchased was a Swarovski Z5, in order to go even lighter weight than the SIIIs. So far so good with the Swarovski. The resolution on the Swarovski is no better than my SIIIs. It's about the same as the SIIIs. So the SIIIs are a better value with respect to purchasing clarity and resolution, IMO. At 18X power, I see about the same detail through both scopes on downrange targets. My Swaro is their 3-18X model. When I crank the SIII up to its max power at 24X, I see additional detail compared to the Swaro @ 18X. Which tells me the resolution in the SIIIs doesn't degrade even at their highest power setting.

 

[bigngreen]

I've kind of wondered if maybe lighter but still high quality optics may fair better since you have less inertia when the rifle tries switching directions vs over building to take the forces, just a thought!

 

[D.Camilleri]

I am a big enough person to admit when I might be wrong about a theory. Yesterday I gave my gun to my buddy to have him look through the barrel with his new bore scope. He sent me a photo showing lots of carbon fouling in the bore........................... Well, maybe while my scope is at sightron I will have the custom shop install a new moa reticle while eating humble pie.

I shot again yesterday morning and after putting the gun away the night before with two shots in the bullseye touching, the first shot on a cold bore was an inch low with the next two shots coming up and the last two shots touching. Different scope, same results. After shooting through both scopes on the same rifle, I want my sightron SIII back! In my note to sightron I did ask if the turret tension could be increased and if an external elevation turret could be installed, but I am thinking they aren't going to find anything wrong with the scope.

Now I need to buy some new bronze brushes and start cleaning out carbon that wipe out didn't remove
and see if my problem goes away. My thought is it will.

 

[Pdvdh]

Thanks for the update. Was still a good move to switch out the scope. A problem solved is a problem solved, no matter the cause. Hope your rifle accuracy returns back to normal after the bore cleaning...

Would be nice to own a bore scope!

 

[Timber338]

Thanks for the update. Was still a good move to switch out the scope. A problem solved is a problem solved, no matter the cause. Hope your rifle accuracy returns back to normal after the bore cleaning...

Exactly... one step closer to finding the root cause.

Well now you've all got me worried that my VX6 is going to crap out on me. I'll definitely post up if performance goes south, and no news is good news.

 

[D.Camilleri]

Anyone got any recommendations for good carbon removal products?

 

[Timber338]

I just use Butch's Bore Shine for regular cleaning, and JB Bore Paste if my barrel is overly fouled. That is what I would do if it were my gun.