Canadian Airgun Forum

How are you faring in your experience with them?? How many guys have them mounted on springers?

My reason for inquiring is because I purchased two of these scopes based upon numerous recommendations that I had read online. My very limited initial testing through the winter months was all done indoors, at 10 yds, so I couldn't wait to get out and do some testing at FT ranges. My enthusiasm was rather short lived.

Scope number 1 failed after less than 500 shots - on an 8.5 FPE springer - an FWB 300S. From being able to hit 9mm shell casings at 50 yds one day, to wildly wandering POI the next - a 2" group at 25 yds is not acceptable. The elevation turret had issues as well - the last two full rotations did not move the POI at all - zip, zero, nada.

Took scope number 2 off the rifle that it was mounted on, and mounted it on the FWB 300S. Managed to get much of the range markings done, and then started checking at the intermediate distances - the wandering POI is starting to rear it's ugly head again. I also noticed that the repeatability of the elevation turret is just not up to snuff - take it from zero, to one full rotation up (10 yds), and then back to zero, and the zero position is out by 8 to 10 clicks !!!!! I have very little confidence in this scope at this point.

These scopes are supposed to be rated for heavy recoiling springers, so I have to wonder just how long they would last on a 15 to 20 FPE springer, when an FWB 300S can apparently kill them with impunity within 500 shots, or less, at 8.5 FPE.

Needless to say, my experience with Leapers scopes has left me less than impressed........... . I now get to find out how well their "Limited Lifetime Warranty" works........

Thank goodness I still have my Bushnell Elite 8-32 x 40 !!!!!!!!

Bummer, hope the "Limited Lifetime Warranty" proves honorable ....
Mine is mounted on a CO2 rifle, although I've yet to sit down and really give it a good go, It responded quite nicely to all and any adjustments made out to the 40yards I was afforded at the outdoor range.... That only lasted till the JSB 5.52 got exhausted ...LOL
The Leapers will stay on that non-springer until more feed back is made available....

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Shoot Safely, Shoot Often & Share Your Sport!...

I thought I was impressed by the look of the scope, very nice ...
I never got a chance to play with one yet but after looking thru the
lense after approx. 35 - 40 + yards, it's not as clear as I was
expected to be but then it goes with the price too. It reminds me
very much like the fitco that I used to have, perhaps a bit better.
In 200 hundreds dollars range, I still like the bushnell legend but
no wheel ....

Sorry for your luck! A very poor experience indeed. These scopes are rated for any springer, they've been tested on some very high powered ones with good results.

If it was anyone else, I'd say perhaps it's the mounting that is wandering, or something else, but I know how thorough you are Supr.

Are both scopes that bad a re-zeroing?? To test mine, I took it off the scope, mounted it on a bench and sighted it to 10 yards, then went through a complete simulated FT match. I found that it'd be off by a few clicks (only 2 if I remember correctly)

So what I now do it go an equal distance down after each correction. By this I mean if I shoot say 15 yards and have to go up by 40 clicks, then before my next shot I go back to 0, then down 40 clicks, then back up to 0, and the 0 is spot on.

This really is weird, to have 2 scopes fail like that in such a short period of time.

I have a Leapers 3-9 x 40AO and a Fitco 2-7 x 32AO.... with both scopes, I find that when I am trying to refine the zero that they both have a significant "dead-band".... I'll explain it like this:

If you go "up" 4 clicks and end up a touch high and then go "down" 2 clicks, nothing happens.... so you go down 2 more, and now it's low.... So you go up 2 clicks and nothing happens.... so you go up 2 clicks more and now it's high....

The solution I use is to always approach my zero from the same side.... If I go up 4 clicks and I'm a touch high, I go down 8, then come up 6 and that usually does it.... If I need one more up, then that works, if I need one less, then I go back down 8 and then up 7.... bang on!....

I have never had any experience with "expensive" scopes, so I figured that is just "the way things are in scopeland".... I figured that any mechanical adjustment will have a bit of play in it.... kind of like the handwheels on a lathe.... you always have to work from the same direction....

I have my Leapers on a tuned Phantom (registered) that is over 15 FPE and I have no problems with it keeping zero....

Bob

Bob

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Dominion Marksman Silver Shield - 5890 x 6000 in 1976, and downhill ever since!
Airsonal; Too many! Springers, Pumpers, CO2, but I love my PCPs and developing them!
Proud Member of the 2000+fps Club!

Supr.... One thing on the warranty.... you have to return it to Leapers in the USA.... you will need to work through the Dealer and make sure you have the paperwork in order BEFORE you send it to them (you also need a warranty number from Leapers).... or US Customs may sieze your (replacement) scope on the return trip.... Leapers are aware of the paperwork hassle, but it might pay to remind them and have all your ducks in a row BEFORE you send it....

Bob

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Dominion Marksman Silver Shield - 5890 x 6000 in 1976, and downhill ever since!
Airsonal; Too many! Springers, Pumpers, CO2, but I love my PCPs and developing them!
Proud Member of the 2000+fps Club!

I don't have one of these, so bear with me... A while ago I read that the Zero Locking feature can somehow interfere with the turret settings re repeatability etc. in some cases. Is it possible?

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Why, whenever there's a shooting, do the politicians go after the people who didn't do it?

A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well. - Murphy's Other Laws

Super,

Have you taken your 8-32 4200 and placed in on the same FWB300S and put it through the same level of extensive testing lately?

We shot next to each other, but I still can't remember exactly what you did. From memory, you started with your 300S FT then when it was acting up you switched to the new 300 with the lower powered Bushnell mil-dot scope.

If you have only taken one Leapers off the 300FT and switched it out to the second Leapers, and found the same problems, the problem may be something other than the scopes (the gun or the mount).

If you have tried the 8-32 after your concerns started, just disregard the above comments, but if not, try that 4200 with its mounts (like you had it last year) and see if the wandering POA starts up again after shooting it a while.

The above comments does not address the other known mechanical issues you mentioned. Two revolutions with no movement is crazy. I have seen the last 10-20 click produce no movement, but two full revolutions??

Regarding zero wandering...the only real way to test that is with the scope off the gun and mounted on firm base. I use a tape measure standing vertical up a wall, and place the scope on a heavy side stand that is located 10 yards from the measuring tape. I leave the mount on the scope to produce a firm base. Even a thick carpet can give deceptive readings as body pressure on the stand or desk can sink it into the carpet slightly. This eliminates the possibility of gun or mount issues, and isolated the scope activity. What Tom mentioned with simulating a match is a wise approach to testing repeatability. I always go back to zero after each shot. While you are at this test, check how many clicks it takes to move one inch. For true 1/8, it should take 80, but I have yet to see any of my scopes be exact. The 4200 is around 74, Nikko 75, L. Comp. 70, etc. Another important test.

Happy testing...and hopefully a happy resolution to your problems.

Take care.

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Canadian Airgun Field Target Association (CAFTA)

When the FWB 300S/Leapers combo started acting flaky, I switched to the FWB 300S/Bushnell Elite 4200 combo. That 8-32 Bushy is amazing - I took it off one FWB, mounted it in a new Sportsmatch 5039 mount, which was pre-adjusted to 0.040" droop, placed it on the other FWB, which is shooting at the same approximate FPS, and to my amazement, the clicks are only 1 or 2 out across the board, from my last years cheat sheet !!!!! Now that is a good scope!


I tested the scope by eliminating the possibility of recoil altogether - I mounted the flaky scope on my newly acquired Logun Solo - and the results were pretty much identical to what I had experienced on the FWB. I then proceeded to replace the Leapers with a Bushnell Trophy 6-18 that I happened to have handy, and the Solo is now performing as it was meant to, at all ranges out to 55 yds.

The second Leapers 8-32 was the one that was on my HW97KL, but it hadn't seen more than 100 or so shots. When I switched it over to the FWB, it seemed to start out working OK, but after a couple hundred shots, it started acting up as well, pretty much the same way that the first scope did.

That was the first thing that I checked, just to make sure that nothing had worked itself loose, etc. - but all was tight.


Interesting - I return to 0, then go past by a couple dozen clicks, then back up to 0. I may try the equal distance trick to see how that works out.

The locking feature is backed off (unlocked), and left that way, as the turret is pretty much constantly being moved for FT.
The problem you allude to is noted when constantly locking, and unlocking the turret while making adjustments.

Thank you for all the info, Bob - much appreciated.

Does anybody ever try the 4 corner repeatable on this scope ......

I think the turrets won't last on it if the ball bearing rides on plastic ....
and being constantly adjusting ....

I thought pirellip did the four corner test for his review. Correct me if I am wrong pirellip.

Tim

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Tim
CAFTA Governor and lifetime learner

I haven't done the 4 corner testing - I have never had the opportunity to shoot indoors at any significant distance. My knowledge of the 4 corner testing is to see if you're scope is level.

If you're looking to see if the clicks are repeatable and return to zero, then yes, I did that testing. After a 60 shot match, the zero was out by 2 clicks (no way the 4 corner test would have picked that up, especially not on a piston rifle)

But if I go equal down as I do up on my clicks, then the 2 clicks disappeared.