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Rifle scopes and crossbow scopes destroyed by crossbow recoil

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#1 ·
Crossbows and pellet guns have reverse recoil. Scopes have historically not been designed for recoil in the other direction. Watching slow motion videos of crossbows being shot are eye opening. The flexing is hard to believe.

The majority of my crossbow shooting has been with rifle scopes. Primarily Bushnell 4200 2.5x10 and 6x24, Weaver Classic Extreme 2.5x10, Zeiss Duralyt 2x8 and Conquest 4.5x14, and Weaver T-36. Well over 10,000 shots. No observable failures.

But, these videos still cause me concern. Have any of you experienced failures?
 
#3 ·
I've always only used crossbow scopes on crossbows.... BUT one time I put a rifle scope on a multi-pump air rifle... that sucker broke that reticle in about 3 shots. Was a quick lesson learned for my much younger self.
 
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#5 ·
I have both a crossbow and break barrel pellet gun. Both have specific scopes. I have been told by enough experienced shooters to not use a rifle scope because of reverse recoil. You can definitely notice reverse recoil with the pellet gun, crossbow, not so much. I figured, don't temp fate. Is it possible to share a link to the videos you mentioned? Quite possible scope damage could be related to older scopes or more low end scopes. I would think newer firearm scopes would be built much more tougher due to bigger and more magnum type ammo, therefore more apt to stand up to a crossbow recoil.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I have a Mueller APV 4.5-14 that may have been damaged by using it on a crossbow. Not sure, but I put it on my dad’s old Savage .243, which had shot under 1.5” at 200 with a cheap Simmons scope. When I put the APV on it, I had trouble staying under 2”, despite being able to see much better. The Leupold shotgun scopes I use seem bulletproof.
 
#8 ·
I contacted the local sales Rep. for Swavroski about using one of their scopes on a crossbow! I was told NEVER to use one of their scopes on a crossbow and if I did it would void the warranty. Leupold and Zeiss laughed at me when I asked them the same question! Their answer was "go for it".it won't hurt them at all.....I've used both and had zero issues!
 
#11 ·
I think it was SEW or OLDFLYER that posted the TenPoint video of the xbow bouncing like a boat in a hurricane.
Probably in the SWAT testing thread.

As for me I have only experienced mounting screws coming loose on our Ravin R26's scope so far.
Fingers crossed!

Here, found a couple vids:





 
#12 ·
I have a Gamo Tac Whisper air rifle and upgraded to a better Hammers air rifle scope after I got it. The new and old mounts have a 4 screw side attachment on the mount but the rear ring has an access hole in the bottom to an Allen screw to anchor it into a picatinny slot to keep it from slipping.

I used to frequent an air rifle forum when I first got it and they said these plunger air rifles will ruin a regular rifle scope in no time.
 
#13 ·
Buy cheap … and you run the risk. :oops: Worst part is you may not find out the scope has augered into the toilet until you lost some mega-buck. It's one thing if they suddenly start scattering arrows during practice, but like that smoke alarm battery that only goes dead at 2 o'clock in the morning, odds are she quits on you in the field. :eek: 😂
 
#14 ·
I've used Vortex, Leupold, Burris and Bushnell 4200s on my bows and nothing has ever failed on me. I've also used all of those mentioned on a Diana 350 magnum in 22, a Diana 48 in 117 and a couple of others to no ill effect at all. The 350 has got some pretty brutal recoil for a air rifle. I broke 2 scope bases before settling on one that didn't break. It is my belief that crossbow recoil is a non issue particularly if it is timed close to being correct.
 
#15 ·
There are some good writing on the subject. Some of the most eye opening suggest/say there is no reverse recoil perfect scopes. In fact... Some very well educated people who say there is no reverse engineered scopes and it's all bull feathers, as to claims that there are. Cheap scopes are the biggest problem. That I have found via crossbow and pellet guns.
One of the reasons I will be buying a perfect iron sight...As soon as it is invented/Available.
 
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#17 · (Edited)
I agree this is an old style scope issue, that is only an issue on cheaper scopes from no namers. I have used a couple rifle scopes, a Burris 1.5-6x Signature, and a Simmons Whitetail extreme on a Beeman R=10 and R-1,,, the Burris never missed a beat, the Simmons didn't last long and got replaced and off to market.

I have a Umerex Octain 22 also today, (extremely quiet for in town use) but It went thru the Bsa I bought with it in short order, it now wears a Hawke Varmint 2.5-10 and has never missed a beat in over 4 years,, and that Hawke is like $125.00 dollars, no high end scope, but after listening to Jess at Hawke,, it seems to do its job.

I think today any of the quality scopes are more than capable of using on either. And with the warranty from Burris, Vortex, Leupold, even Hawke and some other, your covered if they don't,

But Iron Duke makes a good point,, when it does,, it will likely be when that Buck of a lifetime shows his headgear at 47 yards,,,, I'll stick with the XB-30 Pro SR or the EVO-X and side with caution! (y) 😉
 
#18 ·
I have some very resent experience with this subject.

I purchased a Bushnell prime 3.5 - 10 x - 32 rifle scope to mount to my PSE thrive 365 crossbow. Shot it about 500 times mounted to the picatinny rail. This scope held true (same hole accuracy out to 50 yards) for the 500 or so shots.

I then mounted it to the same scope on top of a HHA speed dial. I didn't get more than 30 shots from it when I noticed windage errors in my shots. The shock from the crossbow had shaken the eye bell loose. There was 3 small countersunk screws that fixed the eye bell to the main tube. They one had backed out and the shock load was now taken up by the adhesive that had let go on allowing the eye bell to float some what on the tube. The countersunk screw were glued / locktite into the eye bell.

It wasn't until I tightened up the 3 screws again and mounted the scope to a bench. That i noticed I only had about 5 clicks of windage adjustment in the turret before the cross hairs wouldn't move any more instead of the 40 clicks in each direction it had when new. the dual spring retention was working fine against the turret screws but I think something was damaged back towards the eye bell where the assembly pivots on a socket.

So the scope was trashed in under one month.

Spring air guns are very hard on scopes and back in the day I trashed a few inexpensive 4x32 scopes on airguns before I learnt that lesson. Though my opinion is crossbows are even harder on scopes that spring air guns. That shock when the string stops and limbs flex out is a killer.

I feel with say a scope mounted to a light weight 308 gets a shock but its mounted solid to a very stiff section of the rifle. With (most) crossbows the scope is mounted to a picatinny rail that is only supported at one end so most of it is counter levered out with no support. It wobbles and flexes all over the place. Placing all kinds of twisting and flexing stresses on the scope.

I think this unsupported twisting and flexing of the scope on the pica tinny rail is the scope killer. Perhaps the addition of a HHA makes it even worse.

I will try and dig up the video I watched a week again showing a crossbow shot in slow motion the entire crossbow looked like it was made a jelly! Think the video was part of a review on CBN but having trouble finding it....

I am to afraid to mount top shelf glass to my crossbow as I feel its like mounting telescope to a jackhammer.
 
#19 ·
I will try and dig up the video I watched a week again showing a crossbow shot in slow motion the entire crossbow looked like it was made a jelly! Think the video was part of a review on CBN but having trouble finding it....
Maybe one of these videos a few posts up?
 
#21 ·
Ok I found the video.... watch the scope in the video at 28 seconds then again at 35 second mark. looks like the scope is about to fall off the bow!

Just looking at how most crossbow scopes mount with that picatinny rail hanging out unsupported with a heavy scope on top is a bit of a joke. then we have people worried about lapping in scope rings ....my as well have the scope mounted to a fishing pole.

 
#22 ·
Ok I found the video.... watch the scope in the video at 28 seconds then again at 35 second mark. looks like the scope is about to fall off the bow!
Just looking at how most crossbow scopes mount with that picatinny rail hanging out unsupported with a heavy scope on top is a bit of a joke. then we have people worried about lapping in scope rings ....my as well have the scope mounted to a fishing pole.
Yes, that's the video, thanks Kurt.
About the picatinny rail, I prefer Ravin's picatinny rail for the scope, it is like a bridge, not a diving board.
 
#23 ·
In an ideal world all you need is consistency so as long as the diving board settles in the same position each time then I guess its ok. Though it cant do the scope or the optical alignment inside it any good attached to that diving board flexing all over the place.

I would love to see the same slow motion shot of the Ravin's bridged picatinny rail.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Nothing quite … like zero'ing your weapon, shooting for a session and putting the thing down for a few days. Take it out and it's 4 clicks low and right. Rezero figuring "something inside is just settling in" and practice. (That was the rationalization phase. Denial if you prefer...lol) Couple days later and it's back to high and left. Bout then you get that "feeling" and try to give it a Tracking Test. Yup, the piece of junk … is a piece of junk! 😢 :mad:

And, the picatinny scope rail isn't a "diving board," it's an engineered bracket designed NOT to be a flexible diving board. There's nothing wrong with a cantilever if it's engineered properly. If it didn't work properly, 99.9% of the crossbows out there wouldn't have one and it would have been replaced eons ago.
 
#27 ·
I don't know if this has anything to do with anything but here goes.
It may explain this "I had it dialed in nice two/three days ago!!!" scenario.

I take my xbow and arrows out of the air-conditioned house (or vehicle), open their cases and let them all sit outside in the heat (not in the sun) for 30 minutes before using.
This let's everything heat up before shooting.

After shooting and before going in to the house (or vehicle) again, I place everything in their respective cases and close them.

It's a practice I used with handguns, rifles, astronomy and photography equipment.
Not sure if it helps but surely can't hurt.
 
#25 ·
The diving board works and is most likely not the week link for crossbow when you just take accuracy into account. As it most likely flexes back to it's original position.

The topic about crossbows being hard on a scope I feel has a lot to do with being mounted to that thin flexible diving board.

Why most manufacturers use it would most likely come down to the need for a long bridge that would add cost to the bow.

The worst crossbow I have seen for this is the new top of the line PSE crossbow . It has so much over hang. I wouldn't be surprised if the picatinny rail had more twang than the limbs.

would love to see a video of that being shot in slow motion.
 
#28 ·
Going under … the "assumption" that the 99.9% of the crossbows out there have a flexible scope mount (and they don't) if the mount did flex, it obviously comes precisely back to the original position and has zero effect on accuracy. Below is a Unertl scope that is completely mounted with springs. It moves forward and back, and springs in the rear ring hold it both side to side & up and down. It provides same hole precision as far as the rifle can shoot same hole precision. So your fear of diving boards is at best "much ado about nothing." Unfounded concern. Hypethetical concern. Not to mention if all this flexing was going on, why aren't any of them breaking from metal fatigue?
181342
181343
:unsure:;)
 
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#29 · (Edited)
I don't think the thread was started due to accuracy concerns but scope damage concerns.

I certainly have never seen slow motion video of a scope on any rifle moving up and down like ripples on a pond as was shown in that video I posted of the crossbow in slow motion.

I could understand if the scope was mounted on springs if that picatinny rail is supposed to be solid and it's flexing that much as the bow locks out after the shot. Then if you mount a scope to the front and back of that picatinny rail then that flex shock is now bridged by the scope and the scope is now taking that shock.

On a rifle the barrel most likely flexes some but if the breach of the gun (where most scopes are mounted) is flexing you in trouble and just doesn't happen.
 
#35 ·
I don’t think the SWAT or SWAT XP scope mounts flex much. Robust and 3 arrachment points.

That's bad! … Without all that shock absorbing flex now all the recoil is going right into the optic!!!:p:p:p;)
 
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