Zeiss Conquest Issues

[JungleBoogey]

[/QUOTE] "Has anyone else had these issues with a Conquest? Is it possible that I'm doing something wrong?
At this point, my confidence level is nil and I'm considering emptying the bank account to get a really top quality scope that I won't need to worry about.
Thanks in advance."


I can only comment that I have 2 Zeiss Conquests DLs 3-12x50 (one with illuminated reticle). They are mounted on a 30.06 and a .308 with Leupold rings. I've hunted deer and wild boar at distances a little over 300 mtrs for the 6 years with no problems (focusing or otherwise), and that's why I'm thinking of buying a 3rd scope (Conquest DL 2-8x42) to mount on anothr .308 for daylight drive and shorter distance hunting. Based on my Zeiss experience, I'm not expecting any issues. The advice you've received so far sounds good though. I wouldn't give up on Zeiss. Curious to know how it turns out...

 

[Laelkhunter]

Not exactly the same scope you have, but it's pretty close. We had a man show up to shoot at our Range Tuesday the 3rd. He wanted to sight in his rifle with his new Zeiss scope on it. It was the Conquest HD5 5-25 X 50, he just bought at Cabelas. They installed it for him on his Rem 700 in 7 Rem Mag. He related to me that he had a Leupold Gold ring on the gun before, but thought it was time for a change so he went to Cabelas and bought the new Zeiss, paying $1200.00 for it.
We set it up on some sand bags after putting a target at 25 yards to begin sighting it in. With the bolt removed from the rifle, we "bore sighted" by looking through the bore and tried to align the crosshairs with the bullseye. As we looked through the scope we had trouble seeing the target clearly. Everything was out of focus- The crosshairs and the target were very blurry. The scope was on 5X, and the parallax was set to the lowest setting.
I told him to look through the scope at a target we had at 100 yards, to see if we could get the scope to focus. At 100 yards, the target was still blurry and out of focus no matter how far in or out we adjusted the eyepiece or where we adjusted the parallax setting. We turned the scope up to 25 power, then back down to 5 power. We were unable to get his scope to focus. Another Range Officer came over when he saw us "scratching our heads", and he too found everything in the scope out of focus.
This was a brand new, fresh from Cabelas Zeiss HD5 scope the man just paid $1200.00 for. He was not happy, but I had to ask him if he even looked through the scope after the Cabelas staff mounted it for him, and if they even set it for the proper eye relief for him while he was looking through it. He said "No, they didn't do that- I came straight to the range with it to sight it in".
Long winded response to your question, and I'm sure this is an isolated incident, but apparently it can (and does) happen. It could happen with any scope though, I reckon.

 

[JungleBoogey]

LabRat. As I mentioned previously, I have two Zeiss Conquest DL scopes (3-12x50) and personally have had no problems. I am by far nowhere close to an expert on Zeiss or any other scopes but I do have some thoughts.

Were any and all special instructions followed? Example in the owner instructions:

"Special requirements should be met when sighting in the Conquest
6.5 – 20 x 50 MC riflescope.
To be able to use the full range of the elevation adjustment, the riflescope
should be mounted on the rifle at an angle of approx. 20 angular
minutes with commercially available mounting systems (corresponds to
21 inch/100 yards or 58.4 cm/100 m)".

Zeiss also sells their scopes for specific markets (countries) depending on type of hunting done. An example of this is that the German hunters like 30 mm tubes (metric) vs 1 inch so Zeiss scopes sold in Germany are 30 mm. Also, since outside of Bavaria most hunting here is at distances of less than 300 mtrs, most of the line sold in Germany are lower magnification scopes (with exception to the Diavari with 16 and 24 magnification models) .

Don't know the percentage (?) but I do know that many 1 inch Zeiss scopes sold in the USA have Zeiss (German) glass but are assembled in the U.S. I live and hunt here in Germany, so I buy the scopes with 30 mm tubes (they are assembled here).

Don't know if any of that affects you or any other Zeiss owner in the U.S. but at any rate, it's information for thought

 

[LabRat]

Jungleboogey, when I first mounted the scope, I didn't use a 20moa rail. I tried to shoot 600 yards with the .308 but couldn't so I had to go back with a 20moa rail. Each time, everything was torqued properly and fit well. I was very happy with the glass as well as everything else. Then suddenly, one day over a year later, I couldn't bring the target into focus even going through the entire range on both the diopter and parallax much as Laelkhunter described.

So I removed the scope and sent it in. Zeiss didn't say what they found but replaced the scope entirely. Remounted the new scope properly torquing everything and I'm happy again. Until over a year later when it all happens again.

This was the 1" tube 6.5-20 Conquest and I don't believe there was anything unusual or special about it. Zeiss is again replacing the scope but since they no longer manufacture the Conquest 6.5-20, they are moving me up to the HD5 5-25.

I have since replaced the scope on that rifle with a Vortex HD GenII 4.5-27. Which is an awesome scope.

 

[lloydsmale]

dont worry to much. Ive owned about every brand of scope made (except the real high dollar ones) and have had scopes from every manufacture be it ziess, leupold, bushnell, nikon, buris ect ect back for work. Im sure even the real high dollar ones occasionaly break. Anything mechanical can. I don't judge them on whether they break or not. I more judge them on how well the service dept takes care of the problem.

"Has anyone else had these issues with a Conquest? Is it possible that I'm doing something wrong?
At this point, my confidence level is nil and I'm considering emptying the bank account to get a really top quality scope that I won't need to worry about.
Thanks in advance."


I can only comment that I have 2 Zeiss Conquests DLs 3-12x50 (one with illuminated reticle). They are mounted on a 30.06 and a .308 with Leupold rings. I've hunted deer and wild boar at distances a little over 300 mtrs for the 6 years with no problems (focusing or otherwise), and that's why I'm thinking of buying a 3rd scope (Conquest DL 2-8x42) to mount on anothr .308 for daylight drive and shorter distance hunting. Based on my Zeiss experience, I'm not expecting any issues. The advice you've received so far sounds good though. I wouldn't give up on Zeiss. Curious to know how it turns out...

 

[bruce_ventura]

... Zeiss is again replacing the scope but since they no longer manufacture the Conquest 6.5-20, they are moving me up to the HD5 5-25. ...

Ever since Meopta stopped making Conquest scopes for Zeiss, repairs have been in limbo. I'm glad to hear the Zeiss is replacing your scope.