I see alot of posters come aboard to ask questions about optics on their long range guns as scopes and mounts will always be a weak point for a rifle set up no matter the amount of money spent. For this reason I have decided to chronicle all the optics and mounts that have failed me or caused some kind of problem over recent years. Some may not believe my accounts, but it seems like if there is a problem that can happen, it will happen to me, no matter the cost of the optic or mount.
I hope this helps somebody who is considering any of these products.
1.Burris AR 332- set up on an el cheapo 300 blackout ar pistol that was made to be a truck gun. Shot 9 inch groups at 20 yds. Never cared to find out if it was the gun or the optic. Sold them back to the store.
2. Aimpoint T2 KAC night vision height mount- set up on an FN 15 rifle. POI would shift back and forth between high right and low left if it got bumped. Turned out to be the KAC mount had faulty screws. It has been permanently shelved.
*The LWRC M6A2 6.8spc* this rifle gets its own section because it was like a magnet for defective products.
4. It started with a vortex viper pst lpvo in a WARNE XSKEL mount. Would not hold zero. Disassembled the mount. The screw inserts were not thread locked in
properly after being examined by a warne tech; they said it was defective.
5. On to warne mount #2, same optic. It slowly rattled itself apart on a lead sled and once again the optic would not hold zero. Same tech said this mount was fine,
their mounts were just not rated for lead sleds. Weak sauce.
6. Ditched the lpvo that required a separate mount. got an ACOG. The torqued down thumb screws (done by a qualified armorer, whose work i double checked) rattled loose on a 556 rifle after 20 rounds and lost zero. Promptly returned it to the dealer.
7. Finally settled on a different ACOG with a bobro throw lever mount for the original intention of using with a clip on thermal. This ACOG worked fine. Chose a BURRIS BTC 50 thermal. Worked great functionally, EXCEPT for the fact that the thermals mount was non-adjustable, and could not be properly calibrated to line up columnized with the day optic, to which BURRIS technicians said there was nothing they could do about. I now no longer buy, support, or recommend Burris products to anyone. Period. YMMV
Back to everything else.
8. Had a SIG ROMEO 8 red dot on a STAG 3 gun elite match rifle. Rifle had shot awesome groups with other red dots, but the Romeo 8 never seemed to hold repeatable groups like anything else even though the 8 is supposed to be SIG's high end made in america red dot that got a military contract. Sold the red dot back to the dealer used.
Aaaaaand finally,
The SCAR 17. Ive started a couple threads about this rifle as it is my most recent gun id planned to use optics instead of irons on and it is definitely a BIG bag of problems.
9. Started out with a vortex diamondback tactical and an A.R.M.S #72 30mm mount. The scope worked fine but would not fit in the mount, and this is the only mount ive ever had problems with getting a scope base to clear the bottom. Demerit to A.R.M.S.
10. Traded the vortex for an SWFA SS 12x which did fit the A.R.M.S mount (which i really wanted to use). After all that trouble, i finally got the rifle out to shoot and zeroed it, only to find that by the time I had moved back to further distances, when I went to adjust the elevation turret, the set screws that hold the caps on had come loose, so i messed up my zero by turning the turrets back and forth without hearing clicks every time until I realized what was going on.
This was INCREDIBLY frustrating. I then debated if I should keep going with this set up. I took the A.R.M.S qd #72 mount off with the scope still attached, and noticed that not only had the scope caps come loose, but the mount's throw lever locking screw had loosened almost to the point of falling off.
I then decided that it was no longer worth the time, effort, or money to continue pursuing this setup on my SCAR, and that even though it was likely the rifles fault for rattling everything loose, I am still disapointed in both SWFA and ARMS for having products that were supposed to be rated for the SCAR AS STATED by their technicians I spoke with, but clearly arent so capable.
**side note: after all this tomfoolery, i then discovered that my SCAR has a canted barrel, which fills me with inexpressible rage, as I now have a $3000 rifle that I can only use with irons, which has no practical value to me any more than being a novelty at this point.
SO, there you have it. I hope this helps someone else avoid having some of the same problems I did. I have many rifles with optics that have worked out great for me, but these are all the ones over the last year or so that have been giant turds. Do what you will with this information.
I hope this helps somebody who is considering any of these products.
1.Burris AR 332- set up on an el cheapo 300 blackout ar pistol that was made to be a truck gun. Shot 9 inch groups at 20 yds. Never cared to find out if it was the gun or the optic. Sold them back to the store.
2. Aimpoint T2 KAC night vision height mount- set up on an FN 15 rifle. POI would shift back and forth between high right and low left if it got bumped. Turned out to be the KAC mount had faulty screws. It has been permanently shelved.
*The LWRC M6A2 6.8spc* this rifle gets its own section because it was like a magnet for defective products.
4. It started with a vortex viper pst lpvo in a WARNE XSKEL mount. Would not hold zero. Disassembled the mount. The screw inserts were not thread locked in
properly after being examined by a warne tech; they said it was defective.
5. On to warne mount #2, same optic. It slowly rattled itself apart on a lead sled and once again the optic would not hold zero. Same tech said this mount was fine,
their mounts were just not rated for lead sleds. Weak sauce.
6. Ditched the lpvo that required a separate mount. got an ACOG. The torqued down thumb screws (done by a qualified armorer, whose work i double checked) rattled loose on a 556 rifle after 20 rounds and lost zero. Promptly returned it to the dealer.
7. Finally settled on a different ACOG with a bobro throw lever mount for the original intention of using with a clip on thermal. This ACOG worked fine. Chose a BURRIS BTC 50 thermal. Worked great functionally, EXCEPT for the fact that the thermals mount was non-adjustable, and could not be properly calibrated to line up columnized with the day optic, to which BURRIS technicians said there was nothing they could do about. I now no longer buy, support, or recommend Burris products to anyone. Period. YMMV
Back to everything else.
8. Had a SIG ROMEO 8 red dot on a STAG 3 gun elite match rifle. Rifle had shot awesome groups with other red dots, but the Romeo 8 never seemed to hold repeatable groups like anything else even though the 8 is supposed to be SIG's high end made in america red dot that got a military contract. Sold the red dot back to the dealer used.
Aaaaaand finally,
The SCAR 17. Ive started a couple threads about this rifle as it is my most recent gun id planned to use optics instead of irons on and it is definitely a BIG bag of problems.
9. Started out with a vortex diamondback tactical and an A.R.M.S #72 30mm mount. The scope worked fine but would not fit in the mount, and this is the only mount ive ever had problems with getting a scope base to clear the bottom. Demerit to A.R.M.S.
10. Traded the vortex for an SWFA SS 12x which did fit the A.R.M.S mount (which i really wanted to use). After all that trouble, i finally got the rifle out to shoot and zeroed it, only to find that by the time I had moved back to further distances, when I went to adjust the elevation turret, the set screws that hold the caps on had come loose, so i messed up my zero by turning the turrets back and forth without hearing clicks every time until I realized what was going on.
This was INCREDIBLY frustrating. I then debated if I should keep going with this set up. I took the A.R.M.S qd #72 mount off with the scope still attached, and noticed that not only had the scope caps come loose, but the mount's throw lever locking screw had loosened almost to the point of falling off.
I then decided that it was no longer worth the time, effort, or money to continue pursuing this setup on my SCAR, and that even though it was likely the rifles fault for rattling everything loose, I am still disapointed in both SWFA and ARMS for having products that were supposed to be rated for the SCAR AS STATED by their technicians I spoke with, but clearly arent so capable.
**side note: after all this tomfoolery, i then discovered that my SCAR has a canted barrel, which fills me with inexpressible rage, as I now have a $3000 rifle that I can only use with irons, which has no practical value to me any more than being a novelty at this point.
SO, there you have it. I hope this helps someone else avoid having some of the same problems I did. I have many rifles with optics that have worked out great for me, but these are all the ones over the last year or so that have been giant turds. Do what you will with this information.
