Reticle Replacement?

[litig8or]

The goods folks at Leupold refused to remove and replace the reticle on my Premier boosted scope. The only way Leupold would change the reticle was to return the scope to its original condition, i.e., remove the boost.

If anybody knows where I can have this work done, please respond and Thanks in advance for your assistance.

[kevinbear]

Call Bill Ackerman at 1-505-589-3833

[chickenchoker]

TK Lee
www.scopedot.com

[sobrbiker883]

Is Premier too busy building their uber-tactical Heritage to help you out??

[GeoNLR]

The goods folks at Leupold refused to remove and replace the reticle on my Premier boosted scope. The only way Leupold would change the reticle was to return the scope to its original condition, i.e., remove the boost.

If anybody knows where I can have this work done, please respond and Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Please follow up and let us know how this turns out. As I understand it, the boost lens is 'glued' inplace and is distroyed to get back into the scope. Hope I'm wrong, but that is he story from Premier when I spoke to them about this last time.

Chicken

[kevinbear]

I was told that as well, I decided to not go the boost route because of it. That was 25 years ago, procedures/techniques may have changed.

[GeoNLR]

Is Premier too busy building their uber-tactical Heritage to help you out??

First off, I'm not 'taking up for' them in anyway, but when they split the sheets w/ Leupold going on 4 years back. Part of the agreement was that Leupold would send them the parts they needed to repair scopes, to honor the warranty from both companies (premier and Leupold). Their first stock order has gone un-filled at my last discussion w/ premier, it was 3 years old at that point, and that was a year back or so...

I've thrown my share of darts at them, but I'm not sure how I would be able to do it any differently... It's not like they can go into production to make parts for repair cases only, even then the parts are covered under current patents as I understand it...

Chicken

[Evelio Mc Donald]

My two cents, STAY AWAY FROM ACKERMAN, TK LEE is the way to go, but he just got out of the hospital ( heart problem I heard ) and is way behind, could take 2 to 3 months to get anything back.
Evelio.

[Boyd L.]

I've used Ackermann. My 10 X Leupold was boosted to 16 X and a 3/8 dot installed. About 2 months turnaround. As returned to me, I couldn't get the proper ocular focus. A quick call to Bill, a returned scope and two weeks later it was back to me in fine working order. That was 2 1/2 years ago. I've since "heard" internet rumors (we know they're true!) that he'd retired.
Good luck. Let us know how it works out.

[Jim T.]

Bill Ackerman is still in business (see his add in Feb. 2009 Precision Shooting, page 95). His company is called Optical Services CO. His phone number is 575-589-3833 and his e-mail is [email protected]. I have never had any work done by Bill, but I have done some research on him (Google: "Bill Ackerman Scope"). As far as internet banter, his credentials seem to be impecable, in fact, Sightron apparently authorizes him to be the sole vendor to be able to modify reticles in their new SIII variable scopes.

Not sure what precipitated Evelio's "drive by" on Bill but I am sure he will enlighten us?

[Jim Beckley]

If you go to the Rings and Scopes Post (or vice-versa) page two, under changing dots, Wally Siebert is the guy that I use. I don't know if it's a drive by or a fly by, but years ago I called Ackerman to put a dot in a KT-15, after he told me what a cheap Jap piece of junk for a scope that I had, he would take 60.00 some dollars to put a dot in the Jap junk, a couple others around here have had work done on their scopes that were not to impressed with his work, so there it is.

[kevinbear]

Fords, Chevys, or Dodge? I read somewhere on the internet that aperture sights are going to be the next big wave to hit silhouette so there's no need to bicker over who the best scope mechanic is, sell all of them and break out the irons!!

[Evelio Mc Donald]

I knew that I should not have put Bill down, but to be honest, he boosted several of my Lyman scopes, and everyone of them is fine so far, I am talking several years back before his last move. He also boosted several Weavers, But two years ago I send one back that he had boosted,because it had mold around the edged of the lense, he charged $185.00 for the work, and when it came back, it looked the same, actually it look like it was not even touched, I call him, and told him that I was not satisfied with the work, he said to send it back, which I did, when I got it back, it looked exactly the same, I even put a sticker over the eye piece junction to the main tube, and it was still there, the bad thing is that he charged another $65.00 plus shipping. The scope still looks the same way as the first time I send it over.
I don't like to put anybody's quality of work down, unless not only from personal experience, but also from comments from other shooters, I get a negative attitude.
Again just my opinion.
Evelio.

[shakes]

I had Mr. Siebert install a dot for me in a luepold in 2007 and it hasent moved or anything top quality work, he even did it while I waited at his place( I dont live to far from him). I was thinking of sending a weaver back to t.k.lee but if the wait is supposedly two to three months I'll see if Mr. Siebert can do it for me. I think he only charged $60.00 for the reticle and labor. Very nice man to deal with.

[kevinbear]

But seriously folks, as a person that has worked in a related field for many years,{construction survey optics} unless your Jesus Christ himself your going to make a mistake occasionally. One person can easily disassemble, repair, and reassemble 4-8 instruments a day. I would think a good scope technician could easily match that number. That works out to 20-40 a week, 960-1920 a year with days off/vacation. That sounds like a high number to me but maybe it isn't, even if they/you only work on 500 a year the odds are against you, to me it's how you address that screw up that matters. Admit the mistake, correct it, make some kind of monetary allowance. That being said there are people that you cannot please once a mistake has been made, no matter what you do they will badmouth you as long as they can draw a breath. The ironic part of life is that the same people usually don't hold themselves to nearly that high a standard. Nearly every Leupold scope I own has been back for service, or reticle change, or target knob installation at least once. I would guess something like 30-40 transactions with them, they sent the wrong binoculars back once and screwed up a 6.5x20 that had tracking issues. They resolved both problems just like I would, that's all I expect in life. I'm sure the independent repair people have an occasional problem as well, look at there responses, base your decisions on those responses.