Q&A for Minox ZP5 5-25x56mm THLR scope

Not to be combative, but that is a very high failure rate for a bunch of randomly selected scopes that have just been in inventory. Seriously - should we also expect a high failure rate for the entire production of these scopes if they sit for years without being used at all?

Very happy to hear they're extremely willing to help - but this failure rate is just way too high for it just to be "old inventory".

Thank you for helping us out with this. It's appreciated, and any capability you or the company have to help shepherd our scopes through this process, is also appreciated. You will get attention in ways we just can't expect to, as individual end-users.
Concerningly high failure rate out of the box for scopes that have passed lots of abuse otherwise.
 
Scopes generally use greases to lubricate the moving parts internally. Think of grease like a sponge - a matrix carrying oils and additives, that will generally stay stuck to surfaces under movement, even vertical surfaces. Press the sponge a little, and a little oil is released within the sponge's materials to lubricate the moving parts. That oil is also carrying additives, like molybdenum in moly greases. When the work is done, the oils generally get sucked back up into the carrier sponge over time. That stuff also acts like a sealant, keeping the oils from drying out and oxidizing, generally over the course of years. It's also why many scopes get stiff in the cold, especially extreme cold - the grease isn't well chosen for those temps and that application.

A big caveat to grease is that if it is applied excessively, especially if there is an air bubble or there's a blob of it that's got external folds, the oils can leak out of it a little, and run out of those bubbles and folds. That's what I suspect happened with that scope - improperly and excessively applied grease, leaking a little of its oils.
Gotta keep the seals drying out! The man was certainly heavy handed with it though. The question is, what sort of testing should I do on the scope to ensure that its not my "transmission" leaking like an old ram truck? 🤪
 
Gotta keep the seals drying out! The man was certainly heavy handed with it though. The question is, what sort of testing should I do on the scope to ensure that its not my "transmission" leaking like an old ram truck? 🤪

If that stuff is getting outside the scope, it's probably flowing inside it too. Would definitely send it to Blaser/Minox.
 
View attachment 1011560
Ideally in one of these two spots.
That's where bone/nerves/bloodvessels meet and you kill fast.

Where the jaw meets the ear or exit the bullet 1/3 up from the FRONT side of the leg (if you don't see the bone through the fur)
This is great stuff, thanks. To make sure I'm understanding that body shot correctly from more quartering angles - are you still trying to impact bone at the base of the shoulderblade? Or more, slip it between and get the arterial / nerve bundle?
 
are you still trying to impact bone at the base of the shoulderblade?
As far as I understand your question - yes.

Quartering from behind (regardless of above or below) - avoid diaphrame, bullet goes in roughly in line with heart and punches bone out

Quartering from front - reverse, onnthe bone and through heart/lungs going out.
 
From the email I got, it says I am on the hook to ship both to San Antonio. I have replied back to confirm (a bit ridiculous since we already paid shipping to receive broken scopes, now we get to pay shipping again to get broken scopes fixed).

Either way, certainly better than being on the hook for shipping to San Antonio AND Germany, but every broken Nightforce I’ve RMA’d got a return label from Nightforce (4 at this point).

Edit: I live in Houston, so shipping both of my ZP5s is potentially less painful than other people in this thread. Still annoying.
 
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