The stuff that comes to light

Description:

The riflescope trade rolls on, with the models getting bigger every year, like early Corollas - the cars became more comfortable but you don't have to carry them.

The scope makers claim their products are shockproof, yet some still break or fail to hold zero. The main pic h/w is from an American contact who had one of the internal lenses shatter in the modern German scope on his 416 Ruger, as seen from the objective end.

I have another photo of a local target shooter's scope with a Tucker conversion added because the owner said the famous American maker's erector tubes could not be trusted to hold zero without the extra spring, even on rifles of low recoil. Unfortunately, the owner of that scope has not given permission to use the photo here - but if you google Tucker conversion, you'll soon get the idea.

Why do these problems occur? Usually because of the articulated erector tube found in almost all modern scopes. It is a cheaply installed mod con that makes scope mounting 'seem' easier but is less reliable than the technologies that preceded it.

If you haven't had an image-movement scope break down yet, you've just been lucky or have not fired it on anything decent for long enough.
- SBM

'LIGHT AT THE START OF THE TUNNEL - Are rifle scopes off the rails?' (approx. A5, 152pp, incl. 28 colour pages) traces the descent of modern riflescopes from their golden age after WWII through the dubious 'advances' seen since.

The $20 price, plus $4.30 postage, includes 24 pages of additional information to be sent by email; other options with additions printed: $30-$45 posted.