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I bought a savage rifle with Nikon scope on it as a combo. When sighting in everything was fine but now the scope does not seem to zoom in anymore. It goes from 3x to 5x fine and then things no longer get magnified and the picture just shrinks... To the point where at 9x it is no longer usable.

Anybody had something similar? Do you think I should contact Savage our go straight to Nikon?

Thanks

Bring it to where you bought it and talk to them first. Nikons in my experience are a bit finicky with eye relief. Especially at higher magnification.

Throw a boresighter on. Most likely, the scope is adjusted past it's rated range. When over adjusted, it pinches the cam tube on the erector system, preventing the inner erector lenses from sliding.

Most likely your base is off, your rings are not seated properly in the weaver rail, or your rings are too tight pinching the tube and throwing your POA off.

Sounds like you have a vast knowledge of scopes.

Nikon has a limited lifetime warranty. Contact Nikon and get an RMA and they'll fix the scope for your, or else replace it. If the magnification isn't working, the scope went Tango-Uniform.

JJ wrote:Throw a boresighter on. Most likely, the scope is adjusted past it's rated range. When over adjusted, it pinches the cam tube on the erector system, preventing the inner erector lenses from sliding.

Most likely your base is off, your rings are not seated properly in the weaver rail, or your rings are too tight pinching the tube and throwing your POA off.

JJ, I sighted it in at 3x at 46 yards. I did notice when adjusting though that it took over 30 clicks to go up 5 inches which is much more than it should. Should have raised some red flags...

gun_fan111 wrote:

JJ wrote:Throw a boresighter on. Most likely, the scope is adjusted past it's rated range. When over adjusted, it pinches the cam tube on the erector system, preventing the inner erector lenses from sliding.

Most likely your base is off, your rings are not seated properly in the weaver rail, or your rings are too tight pinching the tube and throwing your POA off.

JJ, I sighted it in at 3x at 46 yards. I did notice when adjusting though that it took over 30 clicks to go up 5 inches which is much more than it should. Should have raised some red flags...

Click and tap click and tap my friend.

"Tango-Uniform",Ha ha!

Crap! Can I somehow get it to "zero" for adjustment tabs again? Before I re-sight it in.

To find mechanical center, adjust all the way to the stop in one direction. Count every click to the opposite stop. Divide that number in half and you have reached mechanical center.

To find optical center, use only the bottom half of your rings and a bore slighter. Rotate the scope 180 deg adjusting until the scope turns a full 360 without the POA changing.

Thanks!!! I will give the mechanical center a try tomorrow to see if the zooming function comes back. Really appreciate the help!

As you can tell this is my first scope

Had some time to mess with it during lunch. If anybody is interested the adjustment range on a Nikon ProStaff is 417 clicks

First reset the up/down - no luck.

Then reset left/right - I am back in business!!! The diameter of the visible picture shrinks a bit but magnification works all the way to 9x.

Love this forum! Thank you!

Love this forum! Thank you!

Under the current circumstances, isn't it more accurate to say you love J.J.?

ETA: Thanks for the "optical center" wisdom. I've needed that before and never thought of it myself.

Easier than counting clicks, going to a stop, count full revolutions to stop and divide in half.

Anywho, if you need more than 10" to get to zero, you need to evaluate your rings or bases.