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SWFA SS 1-4 Problem

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Caliche Drifter View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Caliche Drifter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: SWFA SS 1-4 Problem
    Posted: August/05/2011 at 01:38
Howdy...I'm having a little problem with my new scope and i was wondering if somebody could help me out....ok so heres the deal when i recieved my SS i was having some issues getting the reticle to focus correctly..the best way i can explane it is if i move my head even slightly the reticle will distort badly...especially @ 4x....its almost like the glass is warped or something....so i read online that the focus can be a little picky and to keep playing with it....ok so i tried to to adjust the diopter until i was blue in the face but to no avail Sad... so i called swfa about the problem and they told me that i probably had a defective scope and that i needed to return it...so i did and roughly 2 weeks later i received my replacement scope...ok so as soon as i had a chance to give it a once over i immediately noticed the same problem....


so after 3-4 days of playing with the focus again i have come to the conclusion that this just cant be right and
with all the positive reviews this scope has gotten i cant believe that this is a universal issue...so needless to say i am pretty bummed...part because i have been waiting so long for this scope and part because i really wanted to do a video review for youtube and for another forum... (mainly because there isn't any videos reviews around for it yet) and i dont want to make it if i dont have a good representation of the product...so i emailed SWFA about the problem about a week ago and haven't heard anything back yet...i would call them but i work during there business hours most of the time which is why im looking for help here...what do yall think? did i just have really bad luck and hit on the only 2 bad ones? or is this a known issue? anyway thank you for your time.... thanks for the help and God bless

PS
if it was not for this issue i would absolutely love this scope...
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cheaptrick View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cheaptrick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/05/2011 at 04:52
Welcome to Optics Talk. 

Have you had any one else look through the scope? 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Urimaginaryfrnd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/05/2011 at 07:44
Sounds very strange to me.  Have you tried calling and talking to them?   The 1-4 and the 16x are the only models I have not had.  The 20x is the least forgiving regarding parallax adjustment / focus. The 3-9 is the most forgiving as it has no adjustment for parallax and always seems to look clear and in focus.  I really have a hard time believing that a 1-4 variable would be at all picky about parallax/focus. As for what the useable eye box is for working behind the scope I dont know not having that model however the models I have are quite generous as far as useable eye box. I've asked CF2 to look into this to see what he comes up with since he is much more familiar with that particular scope than I am.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SVT_Tactical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/05/2011 at 08:00
I know a few folks have had issues adjusting the focus on their 1-4's normally they do so in a rush, with tired eyes, or just improper.  Not saying any of these are your case but can you tell us how you are trying to focus it?  It may help us walk through what your are doing or not doing correctly.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BeltFed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/05/2011 at 09:25
I too am still having the same issue with my 1-4 SS. While I think I have managed to get it down to a slight blurr of the reticle when my head is not in the proper position, I still have the problem. I'm not ready to give up yet, so I have started playing with the eye relief to see if that will make a difference. Hopefully it will.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote shooter07 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/05/2011 at 09:34
I've been reading about this problem on other forums as well. I've not personally tried the scope so i can't comment with any first hand knowledge. I think if we could get 3-4 scopes together that are giving people problems and let someone like Ilya investigate we could figure out rather quickly whether it's an internal problem with the scope itself or the person. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rancid Coolaid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/05/2011 at 09:44
I have a 1-4SS and have been somewhat befuddled by the debate.  My scope is perfectly focused and, aside from the 4X head position being a bit unforgiving, I cannot make mine blurry or distorted.

If ILya wants to undertake an assessment, I will gladly ship mine to him as a "working well" model, to be compared to others' "not working well" specimens.

Caliche, what is your experience level with optics in general and 1-4s in particular?  It is not at all unusual for an optic to be least forgiving at its highest magnification.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/05/2011 at 10:58
Originally posted by Rancid Coolaid Rancid Coolaid wrote:

I have a 1-4SS and have been somewhat befuddled by the debate.  My scope is perfectly focused and, aside from the 4X head position being a bit unforgiving, I cannot make mine blurry or distorted.

If ILya wants to undertake an assessment, I will gladly ship mine to him as a "working well" model, to be compared to others' "not working well" specimens.

Caliche, what is your experience level with optics in general and 1-4s in particular?  It is not at all unusual for an optic to be least forgiving at its highest magnification.



The "Dark Lord of Optics" testing laboratory is expected to be on lock down for 8-12 weeks for a couple of reasons, one minor and one major.

Minor reason is that I am late on a couple of reviews I have to get out of the door.
Major reason is that my wife is due any day now and I expect to be a tad busy.

With that out of the way, the 1-4x24 SS is the only SWFA SS model I have not seen, so I can not make a comment on that.  Well, actually I have some ideas, but without looking at the scope I can't say for sure.

For the original poster: how old are you? do you wear corrective lenses? have you ever seen a similar effect with any other scope? can you describe the exact process of how you were trying to get the eyepiece focused?

Thanks
ILya
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Caliche Drifter View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Caliche Drifter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/05/2011 at 11:42
thanks for the feedback guys... im working so i gotta make this quick...so sorry if it seems rushed

CheapTrick - yes i have had 3 people check the scope and the focus and they all report the same problem

SVT - i tried many differant ways to focus it hoping that there was some sort of trick i was missing but for the most part i did it the same way i did my other scopes....look at a blue piece of sky and slowly turn the focus back while stopping to let my eyes rest every few seconds.

Coolaid - my experience with optics is very high i have been a die hard gun nut my whole life and have been building guns with my father practically since i could walk...i also work part time at a small custom rifle shop as the resident AR expert....but as far as one 1-4's go i only own one other one which is a Burris XTR and i have never had any kind of issue like this with it

Koshkin - i am 22 - no i dont wear glasses  - no i have never seen anything like this before - and as for my focus method see above.

thanks you guys for all your help and God bless
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/06/2011 at 06:57
Since your handle is Caliche Drifter, you had to be from Texas (I used to operate oil field dozers).  I was going to suggest you just take it to SWFA and go over it with them... then I checked MAPS and saw you liver over half as far away from SWFA as I do (and I'm in Alabama).  
You really need to contact Chris Farris or Christopher Farris and talk with them directly.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Caliche Drifter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/06/2011 at 13:41
haha...yeah most people have no clue what caliche is...anyway yeah im quite a ways from SWFA so going there in person is not really an option....so im guessing Christopher Farris or Chris Farris are the top dogs over at SWFA? how would i go about contacting them?


PS how did you know where in texas i was located? just using caliche as an estimate?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote billyburl2 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/06/2011 at 15:03
Call during business hours, Mon through Fri. Ask for either one of them.
 
If it is tourist season, why can't we shoot them?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/06/2011 at 23:16
Originally posted by Caliche Drifter Caliche Drifter wrote:

haha...yeah most people have no clue what caliche is...anyway yeah im quite a ways from SWFA so going there in person is not really an option....so im guessing Christopher Farris or Chris Farris are the top dogs over at SWFA? how would i go about contacting them?


PS how did you know where in texas i was located? just using caliche as an estimate?

Vee haf vays... 
Yes, caliche is not a "common" term in the eastern part of the state. My oilfield days were in Midland/Odessa, but I also LIVED in Dallas, and Houston and... Texas was/is home.  If you were born in Texas, everyplace else is just where you are... Texas is always home.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/06/2011 at 23:18
Originally posted by koshkin koshkin wrote:

Originally posted by Rancid Coolaid Rancid Coolaid wrote:

I have a 1-4SS and have been somewhat befuddled by the debate.  My scope is perfectly focused and, aside from the 4X head position being a bit unforgiving, I cannot make mine blurry or distorted.

If ILya wants to undertake an assessment, I will gladly ship mine to him as a "working well" model, to be compared to others' "not working well" specimens.

Caliche, what is your experience level with optics in general and 1-4s in particular?  It is not at all unusual for an optic to be least forgiving at its highest magnification.



The "Dark Lord of Optics" testing laboratory is expected to be on lock down for 8-12 weeks for a couple of reasons, one minor and one major.

Minor reason is that I am late on a couple of reviews I have to get out of the door.
Major reason is that my wife is due any day now and I expect to be a tad busy.

With that out of the way, the 1-4x24 SS is the only SWFA SS model I have not seen, so I can not make a comment on that.  Well, actually I have some ideas, but without looking at the scope I can't say for sure.

For the original poster: how old are you? do you wear corrective lenses? have you ever seen a similar effect with any other scope? can you describe the exact process of how you were trying to get the eyepiece focused?

Thanks
ILya

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Scottyman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/07/2011 at 07:42
 Mine is very unforgiving at 4X. Head position must be perfect for the reticle to be focused. The slightest movement and the reticle goes all blurry. 
 I played with the focus for quite a while. My eyesight is perfect. I've had experience w/ Diavari's, Bushnell Elite's (4200 and 6500) IOR, Redfield Illuminator ect. Not one of them gave me this kind of a problem.
 It's bizarre. Design flaw or quality issue?
 
Maine? Where's that?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Magnumdood Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/07/2011 at 14:24

I'll go ahead and offer an opinion without ever having looked through any of the Super Snipers; there is either a serious design flaw, or assembly and QC are MIA.  I've looked through plenty of low power variables, and have never encountered the problem the OP and two other posters had.  You guys are spending too much time trying to fix something, that you paid $800.00+ for, that is fatally flawed.  I would have kept sending the scopes back until I got one that worked, then I'd sell it and buy something else.



Edited by Magnumdood - August/07/2011 at 15:22
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SVT_Tactical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/08/2011 at 07:09
Originally posted by Magnumdood Magnumdood wrote:

I'll go ahead and offer an opinion

 without ever having looked
 
 through any of the Super Snipers;
That right there gives you basically no valid input or useful information you can offer. 

Edited by SVT_Tactical - August/08/2011 at 07:41
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SVT_Tactical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/08/2011 at 07:41
To the original poster.  Call SWFA, 1-972-SCOPE-IT and ask for Christopher or email Christopher Farris, Christopher@swfa.com, directly.  He will ensure that you are taken care of.  You may or may not have a defective unit and you may be the unluckest person and got two.  But I can assure you they will make sure you are taken care of given the chance.    Apparently there are a few "hard to focus" SS 1-4's out there.  I, like RC can't get mine not to focus so I do think you have an issue but I dont know what could cause it.  I'd be anxious to see if we could get the scope you have in the hands of a qualified evaluator just to see if we can duplicate what you are experiencing and see if they can not get it to focus as well.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote topbrass Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/08/2011 at 09:20
Originally posted by SVT_Tactical SVT_Tactical wrote:

Originally posted by Magnumdood Magnumdood wrote:

I'll go ahead and offer an opinion

 without ever having looked
 
 through any of the Super Snipers;
That right there gives you basically no valid input or useful information you can offer. 
 
 
That is such a brilliant quote, SVT_Tactical.  Excellent
 
COUNTERSNIPER! 
 
 
 


Edited by topbrass - August/08/2011 at 16:21
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rancid Coolaid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/08/2011 at 10:21
Let's keep this civil.

I don't think the SS1-4X has a design flaw, nor is this a product of poor QC.

I have used MANY 1-4s (SFP and FFP) and this isn't beyond what other FFP 1-4s offer (and many other 1-4s with significantly higher price tags.)

Caliche, call SWFA, they alone can bring about an outcome that will make you happy.
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