Who works on rifle scopes these days?
A local police officer dropped a Springfield scope by and asked me to send it off to be repaired. I gave Springfield a call to see who works on their scopes, but the guy said they were referring customers to Iron Site for this, but they were getting bad feedback so he wasn't sure who to suggest.
So, do you guys know of a place to send this to???
So, do you guys know of a place to send this to???
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Try this guy:
L&K Scope Repair in Eldridge MO. (417-426-5041)0 -
That number has been disconnected. 0 -
Sorry its been a few years since I had him do some work on a old German scope he may have gone out of business or died.
Cecil Tucker (432) 530-2919 I know he converts scopes and does work on them. I don't have a website0 -
Locust Fork wrote:....
So, do you guys know of a place to send this to???
To the dump.
Well, you asked. Just IMHO.
I own a bunch of Leupolds and used them hard over the years and only had 1 problem. The up/down knob on a new scope moved the crosshairs 1/2 in. while the left/right knob moved them 1/4 in.
They fixed it promptly!
I realize Leupold is not the solution to fix a Springfield....but then again - maybe it is the solution.
Apparently Springfield scopes are made by a "sub-contractor". Japan? China?
I see they aren't well thought-of by the Internet experts.
The scope owner may have to accept the "Replace It" business model that has taken over most of the industry.0 -
I gave Iron Site a call just to see what they say. The guy that answered was SUPER NICE so I think I'll give them a try. The bad feedback Springfield was getting might have been some crazies that complain as their hobby (we've all dealt with these guys.) I'll tack Mr Tucker's name on my board by my desk for later. This one has a problem with the lighted mechanics so its going to need parts and I think Iron Site bought all the scrap parts from the maintenance guy Springfield was using. Hopefully this can get fixed for my guy. I'm betting this will be impossible to get done soon after now.....if its not already a lost cause. 0 -
I used Iron sight a couple of years ago on an older weaver. Very professional and did an excellent job. I believe turnaround time was about 14 months. Would not hesitate to use them again. 0 -
I'd not get into providing such a service, myself, since the turnaround times I've heard about are so lengthy. 0 -
wolfpack wrote:I believe turnaround time was about 14 months. Would not hesitate to use them again.
I believe anything I can do without for over a year I can do without forever. The Empire State Building was built in 12 months. :roll:0 -
The guy who owns Iron Site just retired from the Ok. Highway Patrol. I have never done business with him but we did have a long conversation a few years back and he seemed like a good guy. I just read this at their website.
"Iron Sight is owned by Mike Sexton, a 33 year law enforcement, veteran, competition shooter, and hunter. Sexton is also a U.S. Marine combat veteran. Early in his Marine Corps career, he was a technician on optical sight systems for the "Tow" missile and other optical instruments. He has been repairing rifle scopes and other optical instruments for the Military and law enforcement industry for the past 23 years. In addition, Mike built Leatherwood Art II rifle scopes for Jim Leatherwood from 2004 until Jim's death in 2008. Then Mike bought the remaining parts from Jim's estate and continues to repair, service and rebuild the Leatherwood Art !! scope. In 2006 Mike built 50 rifle scopes for the U.S. Marine Corps scout sniper association and is servicing rifle scopes being used by soldiers, sailors, and Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq theaters of operation. Mike employs three additional technicians full time in the repair shop besides himself, and an office manager who receives all calls to Iron Sight. Mike takes pride in all work that goes out of this shop and is well-known as "The Scope Guy." He is very good at what he does and has taught his technicians to perform in the same manner."0 -
Scope Repair
(Updated 08/30/2015) So it is now a bit out of date likely.
Iron Sight, Inc.
4814 S ELWOOD AVE
Tulsa, OK 74107
Phone1 : 918 . 445 . 2001
Phone2 : 918 .521 . 7736
http://www.ironsightinc.com/
ABO(USA) Inc
14041 SW 139th Ct
305-860-4858
http://abousainc.com/
Dan Stangerone
104 Pollywiggle Ln
Pleasantville, NY 10570
ds1911@verizon.net
I stick to replacing crosshair wires on ONLY Unertl & Lyman & Fecker external adjustment scopes and the Weaver 330 and M73B1 sniper scopes as well. No cleaning or other repairs. Turnaround time is immediate, as I usually get the scopes fixed and back in the next day?s mail. No 6 or 8 month wait...Price for crosshair wire replacement is $85 and I?ll pay return shipping. For Do It Yourselfer?s, I also sell the best crosshair wire money can buy for about 20 years now. Its annealed Tungsten, is very strong & shows up Jet Black when installed. I have two diameters to choose from. Medium (.0015?) and Fine (.0005?). Price is $15 per 10 foot length of either wire. I'll pay return shipping to anywhere in the lower 48. USA sales ONLY, please. US Postal Money Orders ONLY, please.
Please communicate by email.
L & K Scope Repair
PO Box 32
Eldridge Missouri (MO) 65463 United States
Hours of operation: We prefer no phone calls after 6 pm (Missouri time)
417 426-5041
lkscoperepair@hughes.net
Parsons Scope Repair
1563 Compton Road
Cincinnati, OH 45231
Phone: 513-867-0820
parsonsscope@zoomtown.com
We principally work on all externally-adjusted scopes, spotting scopes, some foreign-made scopes, most any vintage scope and antique telescopes. The only German scopes we work on are Weatherbys. We do NOT work on Tasco, Simmons, Bushnell or any Japanese-made scope. We do NOT work on Weaver, Leupold or most Redfields.
We limit service to the United States and Canada0 -
I had the M84 scope on my M-1 D special forces sniper rifle - special CMP lottery gun restored by a gent who bought all the surplus sniper optics the US government was getting rid of - and later the pieces and parts of those scopes that the US government destroyed and torch cut and rendered inoperable prior to selling in one big lot as scrap.
He did a fantastic job.
I had my unertl 20 1/2 X restored by old man unertl himself when he was still alive and puttering around the custom shop - semi retired. His wife worked with him as well. I sent two scopes in and they came back better than the day they were made - master craftsmanship level work - one of the last work tickets he took before he stopped working.
I had a stith and a kolmorgan and an Ajax and a Lyman Alaskan overhauled and cleaned and serviced and tuned up as well.
Only the US sniper scope gent is still alive and I don't know if he still accept orders.
Leopold and Steiner both provided replacement scopes under warranty - and they insisted on retaining the scopes sent in for repair.
There was a gent at Thomas scientific that would do bespoke work on optics including scopes and field glasses and range finder but he also passed away some time ago.
I think that it's probably cheaper to replace commercial optics than repair them - if it's not covered under warranty the cost can be absurdly high. In the cases I reference above the scopes were from authentic numbers matching sniper rifles were value and originality were supremely important.
I am told that many of the Chinese clone knock off scopes are sealed and are not designed to be repaired or adjusted - is some cases they have been epoxy sealed and you nearly have to destroy them to open them up and service them.
When I was a kid the local jewelry store had a retired army armorer who would tinker with guns and optics - I think such situations were once common but now non existent.
Knowing someone through your gun club - usually somebody retired and a veteran was an open path that also has mostly closed.
I have two sniper rifles whose original optics need repair - and I keep them in storage because they are matched sets and the history and value rely on them remaining together - but I shoot the guns with lesser optics because the cost of repair is exorbitant if you can even find someone who can do the work and is qualified.
I have Japanese type 99 sniper rifle scope that has no matching rifle - was a box lot find...
I have a gun and mounts I would like to put it on but the scope needs repair. These were hand built high end limited production oddities and nobody wants to touch it.
It's not a total loss as I have two intact and functional arisaka sniper rifles - but it irritates me to see it sit idle - and to be frank I don't particularly care for these scopes - look them up sometime they are a nightmare.
Japanese snipers were trained with and assigned a rifle and it stayed with them. They were not permitted to adjust the scopes or mounts - but trained on were they would shoot and to use Kentucky Windsor and holdover...
It's fascinating reading but damn confusing to understand the why's???
Optics curation is now a lost art and as practitioners die they are not replaced by new folks or trained apprentices for the most part.
So thank you for sharing - I suspect some orders will be generated and word of mouth recommendations will be given
Mike0 -
SA Inc has never "made" scopes: over the years, they contracted with at least 3 companies to assemble scopes for them. When they got too many complaints on one assembler, they moved on to another. I don't know how to tell who made which "generation" for them, but it probably doesn't matter. Technology has improved dramatically, there are a lot of quality scopes on the market now.
Neal0 -
I ran by one of those battery places with Larry......just to make SURE the battery wasn't the issue before sending it in. Its not the battery. So, I guess we are about to find out what the turn around time is for these.
The owner likes the scope, so its worth the trouble for him.0
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