Rifle Scopes Nightforce in the snow and cleaning lenses

[Magstang1]

The good news is that my Nightforce performed flawlessly in the wind and snow.

Temps were below freezing, it was snowing, wind was blowing 10-20 and I even managed to throw a bunch of snow right on the objective lens when I neglected to realize my bikini had accumulated a bunch of snow while at one of the shooting points. I quickly blew the bulk of it out which fogged the lens for about 10 seconds. The fog cleared itself and I kept shooting unhindered by the conditions or my mistake.

Now that I'm home my OCD is blowing up and I really want to clean the lenses.

What's the best way?

 

[Magstang1]

Re: Nightforce in the snow and cleaning lenses

So no one has cleaned water spots off of a lens?

 

[Luna]

Re: Nightforce in the snow and cleaning lenses

my USoptic scope recommends using acetone but i would recommend looking up cleaning procedures on nightforces website.<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Magstang1</div><div class="ubbcode-body">So no one has cleaned water spots off of a lens? </div></div>

 

[LoneWolfUSMC]

Re: Nightforce in the snow and cleaning lenses

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Magstang1</div><div class="ubbcode-body">So no one has cleaned water spots off of a lens? </div></div>

I don't generally mess with it because there will be more the next time I use it in the rain.

If you really want to go at it, you can do it the bubba way with breath and a clean cotton cloth. If you want the scientific method you can use acetone and cotton balls.

Lots of us just use a lens pen. Works well on my camera lenses that HAVE to be clean.

 

[samnev]

Re: Nightforce in the snow and cleaning lenses

I use camera lens cleaner and lens cleaning paper.

 

[Trigger Monkey]

Re: Nightforce in the snow and cleaning lenses

This is what I do:

http://www.snipershide.com/2012/08/cleaning-and-maintaining-optics/

It's worked well on everything from S&B's to Canon cameras.

 

[scudzuki]

Re: Nightforce in the snow and cleaning lenses

Lenspen.

Joe

 

[Magstang1]

Re: Nightforce in the snow and cleaning lenses

Thanks guys

 

[E. Bryant]

Re: Nightforce in the snow and cleaning lenses

Using acetone on lenses creeps me out, but I think that's primarily because 99% of my optics cleaning is performed on polycarb eyeglass lenses

My typical approach is as follows:

1) Gentle mechanical removal of debris. For stuff that is waterproof and really dirty, I like to hit it with a quick spray of eyeglass cleaning solution and then run it under hot tap water. For things that aren't waterproof (like most camera lenses), a LensPen brush is used.

2) Surface cleaning. I will typically use a pre-moistened lens towelette for this step to remove any deposits (usually oil or mineral) from the surface of the lens. DO NOT WIPE A LENS WITH ANYTHING UNTIL STEP 1 IS PERFORMED! Also, be careful of the material used for wiping; typical paper products will scratch as will many types of clothing, so no facial tissue, t-shirts, or anything of the type. Generally speaking, I try not to touch a lens with anything that is not specifically labeled for such a purpose and can be verified to be 100% free of contamination.

3) Final polish. Since many of the pre-moistened towelettes will leave behind some minor residue, I use the chamois-type cloths that I get from my optometrist. These wipe away any remaining oils or deposits that may have been left from step #2.

I usually clean my eyeglasses on a daily basis using the above method, and on many days, they are dirtier than my scopes have ever been. Also, anti-reflective coated polycarb lenses are way more fragile than glass scope lenses. Despite all of those caveats, I have avoided scratches on my current set of glasses in the past 16 months of use, and even my 3+ year old prescription safety glasses still look good.