Flippin' Bushnell.................

[2muchgun]

Took a 22 LR to the range. Had an older Jap Bushnell that came off a 30-06 trade years ago. These scopes had MUCH better optics than the cheaper Bushnells of today, and I figured it would be okay on my old High Standard/JC Higgins .22.

Well, range session went fine, and scope worked fine. Like I said, the optics on it are surprisingly good for what it is.

Got home, unpacked the rifle. Looked through the scope, and the reticle was canted BIG TIME. I'm talking 15°-20° here! Of course first thing I did was make sure scope had not turned in the mounts. It definitely did not.

The reticle turned inside of the scope tube. Needless to say, I'm quite pissed about it. I have pretty much all but got rid of all the cheaper scopes I've owned.

Here is the kicker: I took the scope apart to see if I could turn the reticle back. It wouldn't turn far enough. It would move, but not enough. Lack of the proper tool probably had something to do with this. I ended up breaking the crosshair. Something I knew was a definite possibility, but I really did not care. I have no money invested in the scope, and if I never saw it again, I would lose no sleep.

Soooo, we will see how Bushnell customer service is tomorrow. It is an older scope, but still has a limited lifetime warranty. I will be completely up-front and tell them exactly what happened.

I have dealt with them before, and have never been impressed. One time they sent me a bill for $6 for a turret cap. I never paid it

I have sent 2 scopes in to Leupold that were far older than the Bushnell. I was taken care of without question both times. Another guy I know, stuck his fingers in a Leupold and broke the reticle. He told them what happened, and they still fixed it without any hassle. Free, of course.

I must say, as the S&B add states, "Only a rich man can afford a cheap scope".

Stay tuned........

 

[Savage cat]

That's a bummer about your scope, leupolds are hard to beat! If I had the money that I spent on cheap scopes while I was younger I could probably buy me a nightforce or a mark 4, you live and learn I guess!! Lol

 

[BWB]

I just emailed Bushnell the other day about the battery cap on one of my rangefinders because the tab to unscrew it broke and they sent me a new one, no questions asked in just a few days. I've talked to them a couple other times over the years and never had an issue with them. I hope you find the same treatment, good luck!

 

[2muchgun]

Just got off phone with them. I'm already annoyed

The lady on the phone actually sounded like a homo, and talked to me like I was 6 yrs. old. Was more than happy to offer up answers to questions I never had.

Bottom line is, after they get the scope "in 2-3 weeks or maybe a little more" a postcard will show up in my mailbox saying they have it. Then "in a few more days" the technicians will decide on what to do with it. It will "most likely be replaced and not repaired should they determine it is covered under warranty". If this is the case I should have a new scope in about 4 weeks.

Needless to say, another reason why I buy Leupold. I'd have my scope back in 2 weeks or less from them. But it probably wouldn't be broken anyway.......

 

[BroncoGlenn]

Heck, I'm surprised they are taking it in under warranty even though you exacerbated the problem by taking it apart and breaking the crosshair as a result. You did mention that part to them, right?

 

[mj36639]

Originally Posted By: BroncoGlennHeck, I'm surprised they are taking it in under warranty even though you exacerbated the problem by taking it apart and breaking the crosshair as a result. You did mention that part to them, right?

My thinking as well. The OP lost me when he described disassembling the scope. OP do you have your own nitrogen or argon purging equipment to purge the internals of oxygen? If not that scope would fog every single time you took it out in cold weather.

 

[doggin coyotes]

Originally Posted By: mj36639 OP do you have your own nitrogen or argon purging equipment to purge the internals of oxygen?

He normally sends them to me for purging and refilling after the repairs.

 

[mj36639]

Originally Posted By: doggin coyotesOriginally Posted By: mj36639 OP do you have your own nitrogen or argon purging equipment to purge the internals of oxygen?

He normally sends them to me for purging and refilling after the repairs.

Do you offer this service? I used to buy and sell night vision and a few years ago. The ITT purging kit when I could find them was about $1500 used and I was unable to find a company that would offer nitrogen or argon purging service.

 

[2muchgun]

Originally Posted By: mj36639OP do you have your own nitrogen or argon purging equipment to purge the internals of oxygen? If not that scope would fog every single time you took it out in cold weather.

Please tell me why you feel internal fogging to be of importance when the reticle is canted so badly that the scope is unusable?

Do you know of a way of fixing the scope without breaking the seal? If so, I'd love to hear it.......

 

[Wedgy]

"and talked to me like I was 6 yrs. old"

She probably has kids and is used to talking to them that way. Come on, she's stuck there all day listing to all kind of BS.

That sign is in the repair shop comes to mind;

"Labor $50/hr

$75/hr if you watch

$100/hr if you worked on it first"

So now you have gotten rid of your last cheap scope, too bad the glass is good in those old ones.

 

[2muchgun]

Not exactly

I just bought a 10/22 deluxe carbine with a Bushnell Banner on it. For what I paid, you may as well say the scope was free, as the rifle alone was worth more than the price.

AND, after that scope broke yesterday, I traded a guy for a ANIB Bushnell Scope Chief. I gave him 1.5 lbs of TAC for it.

So, once again I am haunted by Bushnells that seem to have "found me"

The ScopeChief has pretty nice Japanese glass in it. The newer Banner is not too impressive in comparison to either of the 2 older scopes, optically. But again, I really don't have any money tied up in them. I basically paid 1.5 lbs of TAC for all 3. Plus the $10 shipping today

 

[calling4life]

Well if it makes you feel better, I've got one of the new $2200 Bushnell xrs 4.5-30x50's in FDE, so at least you're keeping your investment in their stuff to a minimum.

I've always had good luck with them though, bulletproof warranty doesn't hurt, though it sounds like they're being bought now, so who knows what the future holds.

 

[2muchgun]

The last 3 Bushnells that I have used have all broken. One older one took a long time, the other 2 newer ones almost no time. One range session.

A Trophy, a Banner, and a Red dot.

The older Jap Bushnells are better than the newer ones, without a doubt, IMO.

I am going to mount/use the 4X Scopechief, but I will sell the 1.5-4.5x32 Banner, and probably whatever scope they send me in return(If I get one).....

 

[venatic]

I have only dealt with Bushnell repair once. I sent them a 30+ year old spotting scope to be repaired. They had it back in about two weeks but they did bill me for return shipping but I was so surprised they were able to repair it I was a happy camper and am still using that spotting scope over the Nikon I bought to replace it because I never thought they would fix it as it was so old.

 

[Ricky Bobby]

I really really like my Bushnell Elites. I currently own 3 @ the moment. I haven't found better glass for night hunting than my 6500 ... IMHO. Never had to use their CS though. I owned a Leupold VX III at one time and sent it packing because I thought the glass was much better on my Elites. To each their own.

 

[2muchgun]

Bushnell has only had a limited lifetime warranty for 29 years now. I am surprised they fixed your scope free of charge if it was 30+ years old.

The first thing they asked me was how old was my scope. Luckily, it was made in 1984, the first year the limited lifetime warranty began......

 

[reb8600]

I had to send a pair of binoculars back one time. When you looked through them they were crossed eyed and gave me a headache. They replaced them with the newest model. No questions asked and nothing billed to me. I have had good luck with their scopes over the years and still have several of them on guns. I dont recall ever having a scope that didnt work or hold up.

My brother sent in a old spotting scope. not sure how old but probably from the 80's. They replaced it as well for free.

 

[venatic]

Originally Posted By: 2muchgunBushnell has only had a limited lifetime warranty for 29 years now. I am surprised they fixed your scope free of charge if it was 30+ years old.

The first thing they asked me was how old was my scope. Luckily, it was made in 1984, the first year the limited lifetime warranty began......

I am not 100% sure but I think I bought it in 1979. I don't remember them even asking on mine.

 

[2muchgun]

Apparently they can be dated by the numbers on them. Although I am not familiar with their dating system like I am with that of say, Leupolds.

I have an old ScopeChief here that looks ANIB, I think I will call and find out it's age.

OR, maybe I can just google and come up with Bushnell's system.........

 

[mj36639]

Originally Posted By: 2muchgunOriginally Posted By: mj36639OP do you have your own nitrogen or argon purging equipment to purge the internals of oxygen? If not that scope would fog every single time you took it out in cold weather.

Please tell me why you feel internal fogging to be of importance when the reticle is canted so badly that the scope is unusable?

Do you know of a way of fixing the scope without breaking the seal? If so, I'd love to hear it.......

It's real simple I don't do garage repairs on sealed optics. The last time I took a scope apart I was 10 years old and didn't know any better. It's not something you can repair without proper knowledge and equipment. You have neither. I used to work for Leupold. Guess what I do when my optics break. I send them back to the factory.