Do Scopes Wear Out?
We all know that rifles can wear out. Firing pins fracture, barrels get shot out, and stocks swell and warp with time, but can scopes wear out? In a word, yes. Optics fog, glue cracks, nitrogen gas leaks, and springs wear out.
Normally, scope issues are rather apparent. Cracked glass and foggy optics are easy to spot, so what about the tough one? Elevation and windage turrets are normally spring loaded, and when the springs wear out, the dials lose their precision and reliability. A quick box test check can verify. Get a big piece of 1” grid paper, and post it at 100 yards. Take a shot. Dial your windage 4” to the left. Take another shot. Dial down 4”. Shoot again. Now dial 4” to the right and fire. Finally, dial up 4” and fire once again. Are you close to your original hole? If not, you may have flinched, your gun may be dirty, your ammo may not be as reliable as you wish, or your scope may be wearing out. Rule out the first three factors. If everything else checks out, check your rings. Are they over-tightened or loose? If not, then your scope may be wearing out.
Be skeptical, though. Scopes are rather robust. Normally it is something else that is out of whack, and 99 times out of 100 it won’t be the scope. But if nothing else explains the variance, your scope may have indeed worn out – time for a new one!
Turret springs age and lose their precision.
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