Impact Protection for Scope

I have always used a giant rubber-band made of 825 x 16 truck tire tube as a scope protector. Cut about 75mm wide so that it completely covers the scope from one end to the other when stretched over the scope. These are really good, last for years, keep the rain and crap off the scope and protect it from garks and minor inpacts and can be used to get an emergency fire going @mopheadrob
Having just put a very good scope on my 270 I now lie awake at night switching between the alternate fear of Corona Virus and the fear of slipping over and smacking the new scope it on a rock and how to avoid both.
What I am thinking is that I could make an impact shield that protects the full length of the objective.
Ideas so far are to tape a layer of tyre tube rubber around the scope and split a piece of HDPE water pipe about 80mm long slip this over the top of the rubber and secure it with some large diameter electrical shrink tube, the split being centered at 6 oclock.

Other materials considered are Kydex and polycarbonate tube.
What I am wanting to do is absorb and spread / dissipate the impact of a blow so that it is not localised
Ideas ??

All my scopes have a neoprene cover for them.

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Originally Posted by 223nut

All my scopes have a neoprene cover for them.

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I have tried those neoprene covers, but just not tough enough for pushing through scrub and not the 'hammer blow' impact resistant that I am after, I found the tyre tube rubber-band superior.

Bike or motor bike tube around the scope tube and objective and bikini covers or just be really careful with your new scope.

If it gets that bigger hit that's what my contents insurance is for. If its on the side of my pack i find the Cactus rifle holder offers a lot of protection. Rest of the time i have a neoprene cover on it

If I’m travelling I take the scope off the rifle and put it my pack

Neopreme cover is a good idea for huts and so forth - other people bumping it

Scope caps to protect the glass

Ok so how would it work if I cut a piece of neoprene off the top 80 - 100 mm of a slip on wading sock /dive booty that is single and then put that over the objective with a piece of HDPE tube over the top of that.
I know that is fashionable to wrap the scope with camo tape to protect it as well as stop any reflexion. I will do that but I just figured on an extra layer or two of protection.
In the situation where an animal has been shot and one bloke carries the animal and the other bloke carries the two rifles, the rifles can clang together a bit.
Just before Christmas I had a bad fall at night in a river while recovering an animal and managed to save the scope and crack a bone in my wrist - next time I don't want to crack both

open sights......

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

open sights......

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Open sights for us oldies.?................. Not gunna work!

Attachment 132323

Lots of self amalgamating rubber tape?

Rubber car tube been used on my scopes for water and dust protection for last 50 odd years. Works a treat and as stated earlier can be used to light a fire if needed. neoprene seem to be all the rave now ( must admit I use them on my Leupold scopes while in transit) but being neoprene are not waterproof.

take off mounts..contreol???? I think it is that make them.... open sights for the odd occasion you get caught without scop fitted...

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

take off mounts..contreol???? I think it is that make them.... open sights for the odd occasion you get caught without scop fitted...

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Conetrol mounts are bastards of the highest order bar none !! That is what I have got and being a tight arse and because they are the right height I used them again instead of taking them off and throwing them into the trees when I swapped scopes like I should of and buying Leupold mounts like a sensible person.
I hang my head in shame at the hours I put into getting the scope straight in those bastards - ended up with the stock sitting on a spirit level in the gun vise and a coloured Plumb line hanging down a deer post that I could get the vertical line of the reticle parallel with.

LMFAO.......oh how we have complecated what is simple......
back in WW11 they has scope mounts that were take on and off with repeatable zero....two flat plates with grooves n ridges to align everything and a couple of wingnuts to hold them together from memory that how they worked....
Ive taken my weaver clip over mounts off rifle by unscrewing the big mount screw from base and flown to north island,then put them back on....checked zero and it was still spot on. the weaver bases have a cross bar that puts them back in place.....havent done it often enough to PROOVE its always repeatable but I cant see why it wont be.

@Moa Hunter well if you are giving those gosh darn awful controls away, I'll have them.
what are they on?

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Originally Posted by csmiffy

@Moa Hunter well if you are giving those gosh darn awful controls away, I'll have them.
what are they on?

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If you are in any way suicidal, fitting Conetrols will tip you over the edge

Nope I'm good in that regard. That sort of thing wouldn't faze me in the slightest

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Originally Posted by csmiffy

Nope I'm good in that regard. That sort of thing wouldn't faze me in the slightest

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That's what you write now, but you'll be reaching for the Prozac too if you get Conetrols

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Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Conetrol mounts are bastards of the highest order bar none !! That is what I have got and being a tight arse and because they are the right height I used them again instead of taking them off and throwing them into the trees when I swapped scopes like I should of and buying Leupold mounts like a sensible person.
I hang my head in shame at the hours I put into getting the scope straight in those bastards - ended up with the stock sitting on a spirit level in the gun vise and a coloured Plumb line hanging down a deer post that I could get the vertical line of the reticle parallel with.

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if you want to get your scope verticle put it on the lowest mag setting and look through it at a mirror then just get the verticle post to run through the center of the barrel

That's a clever idea northdude, normally I can get back a bit from the scope and get the vertical line running down through the centre of the barrel but with the higher comb and particular scope I couldn't do it that way. Conetrols are bastards because you cant rotate the scope in them to straighten it up. They have to be loosened / unclipped from the scope with a tap from a screw driver handle moved a little towards the pencil mark you made earlier clip them and try in the bases again.

Buy it, thrash it, don't touch the lenses out in the field.
If you are worried about it you are either not using it enough or you have spent too much on it.
Just my take on gear

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Originally Posted by Gkp

Buy it, thrash it, don't touch the lenses out in the field.
If you are worried about it you are either not using it enough or you have spent too much on it.
Just my take on gear

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Agreed. With my tyre tube rubber band my scopes are pretty well protected and stay dry. Just opening up any ideas on a bit of extra impact protection as to me it makes sense. On one Leupold scope what I did was buy cheap push on flip ups and cut the silly flip up cover off and just kept the push on base part to protect each end of the scope in combination with the tyre tube.

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Originally Posted by Gkp

Buy it, thrash it, don't touch the lenses out in the field.
If you are worried about it you are either not using it enough or you have spent too much on it.
Just my take on gear

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98% agree. I would just say "enjoy it" rather than "thrash it"...

I can laugh at you simply because I've been there, done that. I purchased a Swaro Z6i and for the first couple of trips I was cradling the rifle like a new-born baby and protecting it like it was the last scope on earth. I got over it eventually. I still take care but I'm now back to the more grounded opinion its just a scope, it is replaceable, its a tool, I paid this much for the functionality it provides so I need to use it and enjoy it.

I never clean the glass in the field. I do have a cap on the objective to keep it clean. I have a scope cover but that comes off as I step out into the field.

So yeah... use it heaps and enjoy it.

I found my ‘grand idea’ of fitting a section of bike inner tube as a hood extending forward of the front lense was good for keeping it dry but had the not-so-good side effect of cutting down the light gathering ability of the front lense by a surprising amount

The similar idea on the rear of the scope worked well - but didn’t stop me being ‘scoped’ above my eye when shooting steeply uphill....

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Originally Posted by northdude

if you want to get your scope verticle put it on the lowest mag setting and look through it at a mirror then just get the verticle post to run through the center of the barrel

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draw a line on the floor in the evening and line up the centerline of the rifle with the line with the recoil pad on the ground
shine a torch in the objective bell and check that they line up

rubber inner tube seems to be working this far make one up while you think about what could be better
ill bet it never gets replaced

@Moa Hunter what scope did you end up getting?

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Originally Posted by CamFlatt

@Moa Hunter what scope did you end up getting?

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A Z5. I discovered that I needed one with the side focus, which the Zeiss didn't have.