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

[ckleeves]

@EuroOptic,
First off sorry you guys are having to deal with this. I don’t think anyone could have possible seen this coming but I’m at least thankful Eurooptic is involved because I have no doubt you guys will go above and beyond like you always do.

Couple questions for your Blaser/Minox rep:
What are repairs down the road looking like? Is Blaser planning on or do they currently have a stock of parts for ZP5’s where in 8 years if something goes wrong will we have a scope that can be repaired?

Reason I ask is probably 10 years ago I had a Minox go belly up and they deemed it not repairable and actually gave me the next model up due to mine not being made anymore. Which is fantastic, but in this case I don’t think there is a comparable scope and the THLR reticle more than likely is gone.

Next question would be is there a way for them to find the history of each scope by serial number and see if it was a return, serviced at one point, demo, prototype, failed QC, etc? I think at this point it at least appears something is funky with these, maybe even the ones that seem OK. There is no way 20-30% ish of the ZP5’s shipped out in the past have had problems. A clear history would be nice to see.

Normally I wouldn’t be concerned but I feel like with there not really being replacements of these available and service being overseas (at least that’s my understanding) transparency on the history and future warranty/service of these would be nice to see.

 

[EuroOptic]

@EuroOptic,
First off sorry you guys are having to deal with this. I don’t think anyone could have possible seen this coming but I’m at least thankful Eurooptic is involved because I have no doubt you guys will go above and beyond like you always do.

Couple questions for your Blaser/Minox rep:
What are repairs down the road looking like? Is Blaser planning on or do they currently have a stock of parts for ZP5’s where in 8 years if something goes wrong will we have a scope that can be repaired?

Reason I ask is probably 10 years ago I had a Minox go belly up and they deemed it not repairable and actually gave me the next model up due to mine not being made anymore. Which is fantastic, but in this case I don’t think there is a comparable scope and the THLR reticle more than likely is gone.

Next question would be is there a way for them to find the history of each scope by serial number and see if it was a return, serviced at one point, demo, prototype, failed QC, etc? I think at this point it at least appears something is funky with these, maybe even the ones that seem OK. There is no way 20-30% ish of the ZP5’s shipped out in the past have had problems. A clear history would be nice to see.

Normally I wouldn’t be concerned but I feel like with there not really being replacements of these available and service being overseas (at least that’s my understanding) transparency on the history and future warranty/service of these would be nice to see.

I just screenshotted your whole message and attached it to the email chain, I'll let you know what the response is

 

[ID_Matt]

Mine came set at the second rev as well

Sounds like most did. It took me a minute to figure out how to get it set correctly. Not that I will need 13.7 mils of elevation very often but may as well have it set with the proper amount available.

 

[Nine Banger]

Sounds like most did. It took me a minute to figure out how to get it set correctly. Not that I will need 13.7 mils of elevation very often but may as well have it set with the proper amount available.

Same, it was set at zero between the 2 revs.

I was looking at my dope charts, pondering a pic rail and it totally sunk in how unimportant 28 mils of travel is.

 

[Nine Banger]

The amount of oil pooled on the NIB scope still has me dubious

New conspiracy theory:

What if the oil is some kind of agent they dunk it in to test for gas leaks when a scope is checked in for a fogging claim?

 

[RockAndSage]

I just screenshotted your whole message and attached it to the email chain, I'll let you know what the response is

@EuroOptic , another item that might be an indicator, is the date the QC cards are marked - mine are marked for 2020 and 2022. It would be surprising for a scope to sit in inventory for 6 years.

It also positions both of these scopes to possibly have been impacted by Covid complications during manufacture - people being sick, intermittent factory shut-downs while items are partially assembled, parts and materials shortages, etc. Quality of everything took a dip during that period.

Also - does Minox ship these $3000 scopes with no shrink-wrap or seal of any kind? Neither of my boxes were wrapped or even had some sort of sticker keeping the box lids closed. Is this indicative of some sort of failed QC where the scopes were sequestered in red boxes, or something?

Finally - do the red boxes actually mean anything?

 

[hibernation]

The 6mm coppers require quite precise shot placement; shoot lungs and they run into next week.

What shot placement do you like with this setup? Are you aiming for the heart, or high shoulder..? I've had similar experience lately with 6.5mm copper and lung shots.

 

[ckleeves]

Also - does Minox ship these $3000 scopes with no shrink-wrap or seal of any kind? Neither of my boxes were wrapped or even had some sort of sticker keeping the box lids closed. Is this indicative of some sort of failed QC where the scopes were sequestered in red boxes, or something?

Finally - do the red boxes actually mean anything?

My white box doesn’t have a seal of any kind either so I’m not sure if that means anything or not. I really wish I had the QC card with it so I could see dates vs these red box models. I have no idea how Minox does serial # but the red box scope is 19,xxx after the white box model.

 

[Mik123]

You can send Minox and email with your serial number and they'll let you know when it was made etc

 

[schmidty3]

New conspiracy theory:

What if the oil is some kind of agent they dunk it in to test for gas leaks when a scope is checked in for a fogging claim?

Whatever we do, we won't let Trump know about the amount of oil, I might wake up with delta force next to my bed . From some research its not uncommon for a little bit of oil to be on the surface of scopes just from the lubrication of the orings during assembly. But that was a bit more then id expect, just hoping it wasnt an internal leak.

Im trying to think of what tests I should run to vet this thing further. . Theres certainly a cloud of doubt over the entire lot of scopes.

Once I got the hang of the reticle and slipping the turrets (took me too long to realize that there were two set screws in the dark range )... everything seemed to track ok. I was able to use the milling reticle to adjust the scope. Clicks were accurate. And my 6.5 mil tall target seemed to rezero properly. I might do a box test next trip. Im gonna have to get used to the reticle some more . Im used to the clutter being below the aim point. I found myself trying to aim with the "aim short" dot. Oops!

When I mounted up my athlon back in 2016ish I was dubious of the off brand. Did a box test and tall targeted test and it tracked. When I did my nx8 I just had confidence in it. Did a tall target and it was perfect. Never doubted it.

 

[THLR]

What shot placement do you like with this setup? Are you aiming for the heart, or high shoulder..? I've had similar experience lately with 6.5mm copper and lung shots.

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)

 

[Formidilosus]

View attachment 1011560
Ideally in one of these two spots.
That's where bone/nerves/bloodvessels meet and you kill fast.

If I didn’t know anything about you, this post would tell me that you know how to kill well.

 

[EuroOptic]

Got word from my Blaser rep
They are aware and up to speed on the individual issues we are seeing and have asked me to have you guys contact them for warranty work. Warranty work will happen in Germany, but will be done expeditiously; they will not wait for a pile of scopes, they will be shipped out as they come in.

Contact info is
[email protected]
210-377-2527

As always, I am here to middleman if needed
Per Blaser, these are all brand new scopes and not returns or QC rejects ; just old inventory so it seems..
My interpretation is they are ready and extremely willing to help, If you have not checked out your scope yet - Please do and check in with Blaser if you are unhappy or weary in any way.

In conclusion, if anyone needs anything else from me - don't hesitate to shoot me a PM

 

[rbutcher1234]

Got word from my Blaser rep
They are aware and up to speed on the individual issues we are seeing and have asked me to have you guys contact them for warranty work. Warranty work will happen in Germany, but will be done expeditiously; they will not wait for a pile of scopes, they will be shipped out as they come in.

Contact info is
[email protected]
210-377-2527

As always, I am here to middleman if needed
Per Blaser, these are all brand new scopes and not returns or QC rejects ; just old inventory so it seems..
My interpretation is they are ready and extremely willing to help, If you have not checked out your scope yet - Please do and check in with Blaser if you are unhappy or weary in any way.

In conclusion, if anyone needs anything else from me - don't hesitate to shoot me a PM

I will send both mine in to Blaser, and then whatever they send back, I’ll send one to Form to compare against his.

 

[Nine Banger]

Got word from my Blaser rep
They are aware and up to speed on the individual issues we are seeing and have asked me to have you guys contact them for warranty work. Warranty work will happen in Germany, but will be done expeditiously; they will not wait for a pile of scopes, they will be shipped out as they come in.

Contact info is
[email protected]
210-377-2527

As always, I am here to middleman if needed
Per Blaser, these are all brand new scopes and not returns or QC rejects ; just old inventory so it seems..
My interpretation is they are ready and extremely willing to help, If you have not checked out your scope yet - Please do and check in with Blaser if you are unhappy or weary in any way.

In conclusion, if anyone needs anything else from me - don't hesitate to shoot me a PM

I sent an email.

I had questions and I'll share responses if I get them:

Hello, my new Minox Zp5 is flawed.

Please let me know what the next steps are to get it in for repair.

I'm also curious as to who is paying for shipping both there and back as well as any duties levied, etc.

What is our expected turnaround time from when you receive it to repairing it to sending it back to us?

 

[Wilfred]

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)

I have seen the second spot you described referred to as the Hilar shot by New Zealand author Nathan Foster. Very popular with professional cullers.

 

[Nine Banger]

Jake, that email address might be a dead end.

 

[rbutcher1234]

Jake, that email address might be a dead end.

View attachment 1011579

Got the same auto email.

 

[RockAndSage]

What if the oil is some kind of agent they dunk it in to test for gas leaks when a scope is checked in for a fogging claim?

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.

 

[RockAndSage]

Got word from my Blaser rep
They are aware and up to speed on the individual issues we are seeing and have asked me to have you guys contact them for warranty work. Warranty work will happen in Germany, but will be done expeditiously; they will not wait for a pile of scopes, they will be shipped out as they come in.

Contact info is
[email protected]
210-377-2527

As always, I am here to middleman if needed
Per Blaser, these are all brand new scopes and not returns or QC rejects ; just old inventory so it seems..
My interpretation is they are ready and extremely willing to help, If you have not checked out your scope yet - Please do and check in with Blaser if you are unhappy or weary in any way.

In conclusion, if anyone needs anything else from me - don't hesitate to shoot me a PM

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.