Leupold 36X Scope question.

S

skeetlee

Active member
I traded for a Leupold 36x-D scope a couple days ago and i am pretty sure the internals are moving a bit as i shoot. I put the scope on a very accurate rifle i have thus confirming my thoughts. The gentlemen i traded it from also thought this was the issue. So now i need to decide if i need to send it back Leupold or have a tucker conversion done. The scope is excellent in every other way so i want to do whatever needs done correctly. I dont know what the tucker conversion cost but if thats the best way to go, then i will. I am afraid leupold will just replace the broken spring with the same weak spring and this will happen again. I sent Mr Tucker an e-mail and i am waiting on his response. any suggestions would be appreciated. I also thought about getting the scope frozen. I am new to any of these scope mods so i dont have a personal opinion. thanks Lee
 
Skeet

Send it back to Leupold First. They will address any issues that could possibly be wrong that has nothing to do wih issues that the Tucker Conversion addresses.

I seriously doubt there is anything wrong with the spring assrmbly in the scope. It is a pretty substantial piece.

Other issues could be a loose lens assy in the erector (very rare), a loose joint that screws the two halves of the erector tube together, a loose reticle nut, a loose jam nut that secures the objective lens in the housing, or too much slack in the turret screws, or loose turrets

I am confident that Leupold will address these issues if any do occur............jackie
 
Thanks Mr Schmidt Will start with Leupold first. The scope seems to move sideways as i shoot. Every once in a while everything holds together but most of the time not. Thanks again! Lee
 
What is the tucker conversion ?
Anyone boost scopes anymore
 
What's the extent of warranty work that Leupold will do for the older scopes? I've got a 36X made in 1980 and am curious.
 
Warranty

It is my understanding that if a scope is unmodified, Leupold will do warranty work on it for as long as the scope exist.........jackie
 
Gunslinger

A Tucker Conversion consist of a plunger and spring assy that takes the place of the Factory Arch Spring, and a O-Ring added to the pivot end of the erector tube to secure it firmly in the radial plain.

What ever Cecil charges for this is not too much. Believe me, tearing into these things, and actually doing machine work on the pieces, is not for the faint of heart. ......jackie
 
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Mr schmidt
It is very clear that you know how scopes work. I sent my scope back to Leupold yesterday, but if this happens again, would the tucker be the best route to go? The tucker conversion is going to cost a couple hundred bucks. I didnt know if there were any other real alternatives? Just curious? Thanks Lee
 
Rumor or Truth

I've heard, that when a scope starts to wander, it may be due to spring set. Would turning the turrets from one stop to the extreme, and then back to your starting point, help solve this problem? I guess I stated that correctly.
 
Fred

I doubt that is the case. Of all of the things that might go wrong inside a scope, I would say the spring, or springs in some cases, that hold the erector tube against the adjustment abutments is the least likely to cause problems.

The two originol Leupold 36x designs had a small arch spring that does appear to be on the weak side. Especially when you compare it to the rather robust spring that they installed in the 36-D models. the originol Tucker Conversion with the coil and plunger addressed this.

Most problems in scopes can be traced to either a loose lens somewhere in the focul plain, or a erector tube pivot joint that has become compromised.........jackie
 
Jackie, I was always told that the 36X-D was the only one that had the lock ring,but I just got and older 36X that has a lockring. Can you help me out as to what I have, the scope is mint.
 
gerald said:
Jackie, I was always told that the 36X-D was the only one that had the lock ring,but I just got and older 36X that has a lockring. Can you help me out as to what I have, the scope is mint.
Click to expand...

There were 4 versions of the 36X Leupold. The first one to my understanding had a single cam on the objective adjustment internally. You can tell if it's a first generation scope by the ring on the objective. It will have coarse straight knurls on the adjustment ring about an 1/8" or so between knurls. The objective doesn't lock. The first model also had slightly shorter turret caps than the later models. I'm not sure when it came out, but I bought my first one in 1982. The second generation also has a nonlocking objective and has fine lines between the knurls on the objective. It was supposed to have a double cam on the objective mechanism. The third generation is what you have. The black models were gloss fnished and have a lock ring on the objective. Internally the back end of this model is the same as the earlier models. The main change was in the objective. The BR-D is a matte finished in the black scope with a locking objective. It used a dual spring to hold the erector tube against the turrets. There was also a change to the size of the front part of the erector tube. The BR-D also is marked BR-D on the gold ring on the objective. There is no marking as to A, B or C on the pre-BR-D scopes. I beleive the 3rd generation was marked 36 BR as to the model designation. The first two were M8-36X's.

That should help you differentiate between the different models. I've owned the 36's from when they first came out and have at one time or another had all four models. I've seen the internals of all 4, but that's about it and what I've seen has been limited especially on the first two models. I've had the last two models apart from front to back. I'm certainly not an expert on internal scope design, but can tell apparent differences.
 
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mine must be some what newer as it does have the locking ring. I already sent it off to Leupold but from what i remember all it said was 36x-D. The scope looks fantastic with no ring marks what so ever. I am really excited to own it. Hopefully Leupold wont have it for very long and i can enjoy it on my ppc this season. One of my goals this year were to upgrade my optics. My weaver scopes seem to be fine, but i would like to have a couple upper end scopes. I do have a Sightron s3 on one of my dashers and i think it is a great value as well. I think i paid 6 bills for it and it is also like new. I am on the right track anyway. What can someone tell me about the exit pupil on my leupold scope. I was hoping to possibly add one of those optic boosters to it. My understanding with the weaver is that some folks feel the exit pupil is to small to take full advantage of the booster. Will the Leupold be the same way? Thanks sir's!!!! Lee
 
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