OPTICS AGAIN

My apologies to all, but once again the question of scopes has arisen. I have had a 3X9 Buris on my 375JDJ for about two years. As always, the scope decided to fall apart on me in the middle of hunting season. I have always read that Burris can handle the punishment, but I am not so convinced. Leaning towards a Leupold brings me back to the same problem. I had a custom 10" Encore 500 S/W that destroyed a 4X Leupold in one shooting session. Now that I have two handguns w/o scopes, I am wondering what glass to put on the 50 B&M AK I have recently ordered. It just seems to me that the power of these new high-performance handguns are just too much for the optics that are currently on the market. Any suggestions ?????

I would put Leupold at the top of a short list (my list any-ways.) But remember, particularly with the big calibers, no matter what scope you buy it can, and has the potential, to give out. the only way to guarantee that it will not is to put a nice set of iron sights on it. LOL A fixed scope is also stronger than a variable, but I don’t think I need to tell you that looking at your post. But a 4X Leupold going down in one shooting session… WOW!

The leupold is the strongest and also lighter than the burris which makes a difference in inertia. I've run leupolds for years on nasty calibers and have yet to have a failure but it will happen eventually. I would definitely run 3 or 4 rings depending on what the spacing on your mount and scope will allow, although some people like the dual dovetail with two rings it allows for deflection which will destroy the innerds of the scope.

Thats what I thought too. Folks at Leupold said that same thing......but so did the people at Burris. Both companies wanted to know what handgun the scope was mounted on. I wanted to say both were 22 rims, but I couldn't stop laughing long enough spin a story.

You may want to try a brake to take some of the punishment away from the scope. Leupolds and Burris' are at the top, the brake may be the answer.

The Bushnell Elite 3200 is also a scope that will handle a lot of punishment. I'm not sure whether the 3200 is more durable than the Leupold but both are more durable than the Burris. With that said none of my Burris' have failed - they are also older scopes.

I put a new 2.5-8 Leupold on my buddy's 460 this week and it died in 3 shots. (I told him to buy the Lupold it was the best)

I still think Leupold is best over all I think Burris is the best Value and I think the bushnell Trophy is the best low $ scope for the money.

As for the JDJ I might go to the Leupold but the Burris will be free so I would put it back on something.

Or just send me the Burris I will put it on my 257R AI

Knock on Wood I haven't had any scope problems,Got a 2-8 Leupold on my 454 and a Gilmore on my 45/70,and Burris' on all the rest(XP's and 243 Barrel)

Bug, how many rings did you use on the 460? I had one on my 460 and 500 x frames and on a 45-70BFR shooting loads with data for the Ruger #1 (440gr @1660+ out of a 7.5" barrel)and I've never had the slightest problems, also did you check ring alignment before you tightened them down? I've also used them on the 375 and 309JDJ's and on the 45-70 in the contender with the same results.

Thats what I was wondering too. One thing I like about the length of most Burris scopes is that I can get 4 rings on them.

I'm leaning toward mounts being the issue. Taking great care when mounting optics goes a long way to allowing them to function to their potential as well as surviving the punishment dished out by nasty handguns.

For the most part I use Burris Signature rings (w/ the plastic inserts). When not using those, I lap the rings on EVERY scope I mount regardless of what caliber gun it is going on.

I used a Leupold base and ring duel dove set up. The scope windage would no adjust. Elevation was fine.

as much as I like the dual dovetail set up I'm a firm believer in staying away from it on big guns. Use the warne or weigand base with 3 or 4 rings and it should cure the problem. out of the big bores I had my leupolds on the 460 was by far the mildest and shouldn't tear up scopes. A single action 454 without a brake will do alot more damage and my 475's have at least twice the felt recoil of the 460 so I think if you get the base changed out and add a ring or two it will be fine other wise with the scope deflection failure will come sooner or later regardless of which scope you put on it.

Thanks again to all. Being a novice I appreciate all of the help. Just an FYI: I have a tsob, and porting on both guns, but only ran three rings, and no lapping. I'll try a fourth with the lapping to see whats what.

one last thing to check since your guns are ported and your 500 barrel is only a 10" is make sure the scope is well clear of the blast. Porting can be real rough on scopes if they are too close to the discharge.

3 or 4 rings will reduce scope flex. I would never use 2 of any type on a heavy kicker.
Lighter weight scopes are easier on mounting set ups than heavier scopes. Porting will also help, as will additional weight. I use 4 rings on my heaviest kickers, and prefer the Leupold 4X above all others, with the 2X running second if the gun will be used mostly in heavy brush.
My .375 JDJ, .45-70's, .475 L's, and .500 WE's all use 4X or 2X Leupolds without problems...the oldest .375 JDJ Contender for over 20 years.
I've broken a Burris or 2; I haven't yet broken a Bushnell 3200 2-6X, but suspect that I probably will- I have them on several Contenders, including a .338 No.2, and a .375 JDJ Encore ( 4 rings ea.), as well as some lighter recoilers.

Nice you guys really know a lot about guns and scope, I am in awe. GSA = guns scopes and ammo
Hopefully my Nikon encore on my S&W 500 lasts, I am shooting mainly Recoil reduced rounds, which are soft and easy for target practice. But I also shot some platinum tip winchester which are about the meanset I could find.
Also Bubba if you have scope ring alignment rods that would help too in checking that the scope is not getting twisted. Lapping will definitely help.
Also Bubba make sure the mounts are solid or this may happen, watch the attached video.
http://splodetv.com/video/500-magnum-scope-dome

Brian

I actually use a reamer for scope ring alignment, to me it seems to work a little better, especially it there is more than a very minor alignment problem.

Brian, I don't think you'll have a problem witht he Nikon, I had one on my 475 for a while and it held up fine.