A question for those who know how scopes are put together

Just how easy is it for a scope to get knocked off?

You hear this claim quite often from those who have recently dropped a rifle. Still, it makes you wonder if the inner workings of the scope really did change, or if the problem was a loose base or rings?

Should you find a scope's settings have changed after some type of impact, should you just re-adjust after checking the screws, remount the scope, base and rings, or even go so far as to ship it to the manufacturer for a complete check up?

Ive hit my gun and missed and have yet to check zero and find that it moved.

Good question and curious to the answers you will get. I have had several rigs that could take a beating in the truck or whatever and never loose zero. I have had others that would loose zero for reason unknown. All being mounted and sighted in by me. Surveying instruments being the same. Some can take a little abuse or rough handling by a crew and never loose calibration. Others need to be calibrated on a regular basis. Being the same brand of instrument.

I saw a leupold rep at cabelas and he said they test their scopes with a testing device that hits 5000 times. He said their tactical scopes get put to the test 10,000 times. I didn't clarify but in guessing this is batch testing.

Here's a little bump test.

http://vimeo.com/m/109698139

That being said quality matters.

This is just my opinion....unless you buy a pretty expensive scope I think a fixed power has less parts and therefore less likely to get knocked off. I pretty much use a 4X fixed and it works well. If I go where there is close range shooting, I use a Marlin 336 in 30-30 with a fixed 21/2X scope. If I had to do some very long range shooting then I'd move up a notch. In any event, I haven't had much luck with variable scopes in the lower price ranges.

Wow, the NF video will open your eyes for sure! Holy carp!

The only rifle that I have ever had change POI and the scope was not screwed up was one that was in a soft case that my son stepped on while climbing around in the back of the truck and it had crapola tacticool 30mm rings shimmed down to 1" and he nailed it hard enough to break the stock. I have had a few scopes go belly up with no known occurrence of trauma to the rifle. Most of my poor shots have been plain piss poor marksmanship like yanking on the trigger or thinking I can hit something way to small and far away offhand. Field positions and bench shooting are night and day, and even the relatively steady rest of a blind window is not the same as shooting with sandbags from a bench, especially when you are half frozen, bleary-eyed, and highly excited about the beast that just walked out of the woods.

-ww

Here is a test with the aimpont T1 I wouldn't do this to mine considering how much it cost me, but good to know it's rugged.

I think it is only natural to believe the high dollar scopes will maintain their settings best. However
many years ago we bought a Tasco 3x9x30 and use it exclusively on a Remington 700,243. That scope has maintained the settings unbelieveably well. We did use quality base and rings, maybe that makes a difference.

Quality base/rings/mounts make all the difference.

I have a 7 Mag with a 50mm Leupold scope on it. Originally, I used the Leaupold base and rings on it. I used to check the zero on it every year before season, 1.5 hour round trip drive, 3 shots, dead on every time for 10 years. I used more ammo checking the zero then I did killing with it. Well, after a while I quit checking it every year. Once in a while we'd have a friendly shooting competition at the ranch or something and I'd take it. Another 5 years go by and suddenly it is off, missed a pig. Wasn't sure what happened, could have been knocked off zero. Went to check the zero on a range at the ranch and I could not get it to group, it was all over the place. Everything looked fine, thought the scope might be ruined. Didn't shoot it for a while and used other rifles. Finally got around to pulling the scope off and found that the screws for the front of the base had backed out just a little. I never really cared for the Leupold base and rings and swapped them out for Burris XTR base and rings. Loctite, torque to spec, and she's good to go now.

It's funny how a scope can get knocked out of zero. I have seen them dropped and pitched around, fallen on you name it and they stayed on zero. The only time I have had or seen one knocked off zero they fell over and landed right on the rim of the objective or ocular and the fallen seemed minor and they were knocked off.
Basically you never know if it has been knocked off if it takes a jolt so it is best to check it out.
I saw a guys gun slip off a lob it was leaning on once and fall about 4 inched but it hit the rim of the objective.
We didn't think much of it. Next day he blew a shot at a 180 class mile deer. We went and shot it after that and it was off 3" to the right and 2" low.

When I first put a scope on a 30-06 I tightened down the rings as normal but the recoil was moving the scope. I just tightened down more but I might have crimped the tube because I didn't lap the rings- I'm not sure if lapping is that essential.
While we are on this topic- any advice on tightly mounting a scope?

I'd say "yes, lap the rings first." Lapping gives you more contact between scope and ring and therefore more friction and grip, not to mention the damage to the tube and having a tube that's being strained out of shape.

Today's eebayy listing is for a "slightly" used optic. I've only had this optic mounted on one weapon and fired less than a box of ammo through it. Bid with confidence..

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On the lapping, Brownell's sells a special tool but can a less expensive piece of tubing or pipe work as well?

Also, lapping elevates creasing the tube. It will always have a great footprint of pressure on the tube. I don't get the "no need" mentality. Especially since it's so fun to do, for me anyway