Scope got knocked; Has it spoiled your hunt?

[Buck100]

While I've never had a scope get knocked and verified to have lost zero, I've had that thought in the back of my mind a few times- especially when I don't have a chance to check zero in the field.

Has it happened to you? Did it affect your hunt, and to what extent?

I building a mountain rifle, in 7-08 AI. My plan is to shoot lighter Hammer Hunters really speedy quick. I want to get into backcountry hunting as well, abd this is the rifle ill do that with.

I am considering adding iron sights to the build, as cheap insurance- but my own (rather limited) experience supports that they are not really necessary. I thought I'd poll y'all, see what some more experienced backcountry hunters have to say. Anybody not had irons, and wished they ha

I've had mounts loosen but have never knocked a scope out of alignment. To be on the safe side when I can't fire a round I carry a laser bore sight that goes in the end of the barrel. You only need a target 25 yards away to check if the cross hairs and the red dot merge to become one. Any deviation may indicate your scope got bumped.

 

[Tom Wright]

While I've never had a scope get knocked and verified to have lost zero, I've had that thought in the back of my mind a few times- especially when I don't have a chance to check zero in the field.

Has it happened to you? Did it affect your hunt, and to what extent?

I building a mountain rifle, in 7-08 AI. My plan is to shoot lighter Hammer Hunters really speedy quick. I want to get into backcountry hunting as well, abd this is the rifle ill do that with.

I am considering adding iron sights to the build, as cheap insurance- but my own (rather limited) experience supports that they are not really necessary. I thought I'd poll y'all, see what some more experienced backcountry hunters have to say. Anybody not had irons, and wished they ha

Nothing worse than an oops and the rifle is on the deck. I had an assistant guide on a WT hunt in Nebraska knock over my rifle causing it to hit the ground in pre-dawn light. Knocked zero off. Missed 2 good WT bucks that am. Missed a chance on mule deer buck in 180-200 " range since 400 yards and wouldn't risk the shot. I tried zeroing in with paper on a tree. Luckily I had a back up rifle back in the motel, but never saw bucks as good as those on first day. Have since replaced scopes and mounts w/o issue even though they have made 4 trips to South Africa, Europe and all over the West.

 

[JWhitty]

Not my gun, but one year my cousin and I both had doe down. I got mine to the skid road and went to give him a hand. When I got a ways down the road I met his boy who had his dad's gun and came to get me while his dad was dragging. As the boy is taking me to help his dad, the kid trips on a stick and slammed the rifle into the ground right before he fell on top of it. I was sick over what I just saw.
We get to my cousin, drag his deer to mine (kid never said a word). I catch some flack about the size of the doe I shot...and I told my cousin...."Real funny! Oh hey you want to hear something else funny, your kid fell on your gun!....HARD!"

So they bicker a bit, we get the deer out,
The next day my cousin missed a nice buck on a push. I get up to him and ask where the deer is. He says I think I missed, I don't know how, he come thru, stopped wide open, and nothing....how did I miss?

I again reminded him his kid rocked his gun the day before.

"I thought you were just being an ***@&*$..."

I replied....Well I was, but I was also serious, he F-ed your gun up, probly needs shot in again.

His gun was feet off, he wound up having to send the old vxii back!

 

[widetrackjack]

I've had a few scopes "knocked off" from a fall in years past but more often what I've had happen to myself and have witnessed happening to others is the windage or elevation turrets being turned from pulling the rifle in and out of the scabbard while hunting horseback. Last year while hunting in Wyoming I noticed my elevation turret was not on zero from pulling it out of the scabbard so many times. It had turned at least a half revolution. I wasn't sure which way to turn it to get it back to zero so I laid the rifle over a fallen tree in the prone position and pulled the bolt out. I sighted down the bore on the center of a stump about 100 yards out and adjusted the turret so the crosshairs would meet the center of the stump. By doing this it got me within just a few clicks of true "0" and I was able to zero my rifle scope in the field without scaring any game off. I'll only purchase "zero stop" scopes or "locking"turret type scopes from now on.

 

[CNY Yote Hunter]

Yes, bought a gun scope combo when I was younger and the bdc was really starting to take off. Had a shot at a coyote and never found it. Did have some blood but it was from a graze as I later got the dog and found the previous wound. Remembering my walk that day I jumped over a rut from a log skidder and busted my ***, gun hit the ground pretty hard. Went to the range after losing the dog and found my zero got knocked 4" high and a couple inches left. That was the end of the cheaper scope days for me, it was a great combo too and had I not smashed it I'm sure I'd still have it!!

 

[brush_buster]

I always take a backup rifle.........

 

[ridgewalker]

For Africa or Alaska flying trips I have always carried a spare scope sighted in with both scopes in QR mounts on my 375 H&H. Usually a 1-6x and a 2-12x.
Here in the US I take a spare rifle.

 

[nksmfamjp]

Some like swfa, and I have a few, but I don't like to put up with blurry glass.

Really. I would strongly but respectfully disagree.

I personally don't see the point of iron sights as a backup. The expense of having them installed on a rifle that didn't come with them, plus the time of zeroing them after having to remove the scope after load development etc and then hoping you can even see them over a rail.

Buy a scope with a good track record, mount it properly in quality rings with a quality base. You could buy a cheaper scope and throw it in a set of rings for probably less then the irons are gonna cost you and have it in the truck for a backup. Hike out, throw it on, zero it and get back at it.

It is really quite easy to zero the back up irons. I use these:

Maybe I was lucky. My QD rings returned to zero and are rock solid.

Hiking back out sounds like a good option for you to get a scope. Others might be willing to re-sight in. Heck, some may be willing to go to Cabelas and buy another scope and have it mounted. I'm willing to reach in my pocket and grab my peep sight….and shoot the next deer/elk!

Back in the late 90s we were packing in about 6 miles on an draw elk hunt. My horse took a tumble with my rifle in the scabbard. No obvious damage to the rifle other than some gouges in the stock. Got camp all set up and thought I better check zero on my Leupold VX3. Sure enough! I was about 3" high and 2" left at 100 yds. Re zeroed and all was good. ended up with a nice 6x6 a couple days later.

My buddy had a horse wreck with an ancient VX 2 3-9 on an equally old 700 BDL. Shot 3 times at an elk, missed by feet. I had tagged out and he borrowed my rifle and got his elk. Leupold replaced it no big deal.

Twice and both were backcountry hunts with two different VXIII 6.5X24 back to back years. One was from a fall and the other is still unknown. Bit the bullet and switch everything over to NF and Near mounts.

I hate to say it, but there is a common issue here. My experiences have been with Leupold or under $100 optics also.

I really think this is mostly a non-issue. I travel a long ways and have a fair amount tied up in a hunt. I thought this was a fun reasonably priced add on for my main hunting rifle.

I didn't choose these for my long range rig…..or my benchrest rifle!

 

[emp1953]

On a horseback guided hunt many years ago a pack horse, carrying my rifle in a scabbard slipped on rocks on a hillside and went down on its side with my rifle underneath it. The horse was fine. No marks on the rifle, the butler creek flip up rear cover was broken at the hinge. We were 3 hours from our destination so the guide had me fire a shot. Zero had not changed. It was a Nikon 4-15x. The next year it did leak and fogged. I sent it back to Nikon, they made it right and 22 years later I'm still using it. It all depends on the scope and the circumstances. In 52 years of hunting I only used a scoped rifle's iron sights one time and that was on a deer that ran straight at me and was so close I couldn't make out a POI in the scope. That is my only rifle with iron sights. I put lower non see through mounts on it and immediately had the scope cut my eyebrow. So I put the higher see thru's back on and never cut my eyebrow again.

 

[CentralPaHunter]

When I was starting out I had a Marlin with see-through rings slip and take a hit, didn't think anything of it and then of course saw and emptied on the biggest buck I've ever seen to this day, all misses. Was shooting low a mile. Now, if a gun or crossbow gets knocked, I always carry a spare to swap to and I consider it off until proven otherwise. If it happens in the field I try to verify by iron sights if I have them, otherwise go away from my intended spot a bit and shoot a test shot at a tree to verify. An animal isn't the target to use to find out... I would advise adding ghoat-ring sights to any build as backup if you can. Otherwise use rings you can remove without tools and carry a backup sighted-in optic in a well padded, hardshell case. I guarantee the ghost-ring setup will be less weight.

 

[emp1953]

For Africa or Alaska flying trips I have always carried a spare scope sighted in with both scopes in QR mounts on my 375 H&H. Usually a 1-6x and a 2-12x.
Here in the US I take a spare rifle.

After I got rich enough, I started taking a spare rifle.

 

[DocPDH]

While I've never had a scope get knocked and verified to have lost zero, I've had that thought in the back of my mind a few times- especially when I don't have a chance to check zero in the field.

Has it happened to you? Did it affect your hunt, and to what extent?

I building a mountain rifle, in 7-08 AI. My plan is to shoot lighter Hammer Hunters really speedy quick. I want to get into backcountry hunting as well, abd this is the rifle ill do that with.

I am considering adding iron sights to the build, as cheap insurance- but my own (rather limited) experience supports that they are not really necessary. I thought I'd poll y'all, see what some more experienced backcountry hunters have to say. Anybody not had irons, and wished they ha

Many years ago had a Rem 700 with a scope mounted that was deadly accurate (1/2 groups w factory red box Federals). Was hunting black belt in Alabama when one of those bucks you dream about came trotting across a pasture field at 100yds...5 shots later he was standing at the edge of the swamp when my final shot was seen to hit about 3 feet over his head. I checked the gun and the scope mount screws had come loose. When I mounted the scope i had run out of lock tite and blew it off. Bad decision. Don't forget to put blue loc tite on all the mounting screws!
Had one scope (el cheapo that came on a muzzleloader package) that lost its seal and fogged. Didn't cost me any critters, just replaced it with a Leupold. Scope and rifle still good now 20+ years.

 

[Onehorse]

While I've never had a scope get knocked and verified to have lost zero, I've had that thought in the back of my mind a few times- especially when I don't have a chance to check zero in the field.

Has it happened to you? Did it affect your hunt, and to what extent?

I building a mountain rifle, in 7-08 AI. My plan is to shoot lighter Hammer Hunters really speedy quick. I want to get into backcountry hunting as well, abd this is the rifle ill do that with.

I am considering adding iron sights to the build, as cheap insurance- but my own (rather limited) experience supports that they are not really necessary. I thought I'd poll y'all, see what some more experienced backcountry hunters have to say. Anybody not had irons, and wished they ha

I have been hunting for sixty years and have taken a few falls - can't remember just dropping a rifle, but I have slipped on ice, tripped on different obstacles and taken rolls in the snow. Once, when I wasn't paying attention, I stepped into a badger hole up to my crotch and absolutely slammed my rifle and scope into the ground. Maybe I have been lucky, but in all that time, I have never had a scope get knocked out of alignment. Maybe that's because I have ways bought the best scopes that I could afford - (mostly Leupolds). Good luck with your new rifle and setup.
P.S. I would advise to forget about the iron sights: You are either building a nice light mountain rifle or you are not!

 

[JustMe2]

My forearm sling swivel on my Model 70 300WM let loose and my rifle hit the frozen ice on the front bell. Shot at a Quebec caribou in 1990 and was able to see I hit high. Used Kentucky windage and held about 2 feet under Caribou at about 150 yards, DRT. Back at camp it shot about 4 feet high at 100 yds and I couldn't get it to hold zero. It was a Shepherd 3-10, sent it back and the bell threads were knocked loose. They fixed it, lubed it, etc and sent it back to me no charge. Has held zero ever since. Got rid of those swivels and replaced with lockable swivels.