Leupold scope - what is this on the outside?

M

mossyoakglock

Inactive
Has anybody had this happen with a Leupold scope? It's like a film on the exterior of the scope. It's not condensation because it is always there and doesn't go away with temp changes.

It's there whether it's 70* or 10*. It functions properly and sights in fine but I've never seen this before. I have 3 other Leupolds and they haven't done this.

It almost looks like greasy fingerprints but it's definitely not that. I attached two pictures also.
 

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Possibly residue from a spray gun oil? Try wiping down a small section with a q-tip wetted with rubbing alcohol.
 
I agree with Doyle. It looks like a reaction to one of the chemicals used to clean your gun. I would be particularly suspicious of bore cleaners that use ammonia.
 
It's not residue from gun cleaning oil since I don't use a spray and never get anything on my scopes or clean my scopes with any sort of gun cleaner. I also clean the gun with the scope up so nothing could possibly drip on the scope.

If they are dirty I will take a microfiber or terry cloth and wipe it down. Might even put a little split of water on a corner to wipe away anything stuck.

I'll try rubbing alcohol with a q-tip on a small section and see what happens.
 
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I think it is an oil or grease left over from the manufacturing process. It won't hurt anything, but it might be a tad unsightly to some.

Jimro
 
Do you smoke, and a lot?

I ran into something that looks very similar to that with a relatives gun that was kept in a room where he smoked like a chimney.

When it came my way, I had a hell of a time getting it (what I believe is/was nicotine) off the scope.
 
Do you hunt with the rifle? I've seen something similar to that when some of the "scent killer" spray or "doe pee" spray got onto a buddies rifle. He used a rag with rubbing alcohol on it to get the residue off.
 
You or Leupold got some sort of petroleum on it. Clean it with ethanol. The kind from the hardware store works best, but moonshine works well too.:D
 
Thanks, everyone. I will try the cleaners.

It's definitely not nicotine as nobody in my family smokes and neither does any of my friends or anybody I hunt with.

I do hunt with the rifle but I know it is not overspray from the scent killer. The rifle is usually the last thing I take out before I walk to the stand and always stand about a ways away from my truck since I don't want the spray to accidentally get on my truck.

It's not contamination from cleaning since I don't use any spray cleaner or oil when cleaning my guns. I'm careful to not splatter any cleaning oils everywhere. I'm leaning towards grease from the manufacturing process.

Thanks, again! I wasn't sure if this was an indication that something is wrong with the scope even though it functions great (no fogging, etc).
 
I have got remoil spray on my leupolds without a problem. Like liquids make good cleaners. That might be a simple thing to try, wipe gun oil with a rag.

While I have no first hand experience with this problem, I expect the Leupold lifetime warranty will cover this.
 
What Smoke and Recoil said I've seen it before on scopes and binoculars.Usually you clean it off once or twice you never see it again.
 
dirty scope

I agree with the above answers... CLEAN the scope with alcohol and a clean rag. It's definately not condensation!

Larry
 
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