What scope and where?

[300WSM]

I started this thread not to hi-jack a current one because I do think some of this does need discussed.

What scopes are coming from where. And how much of them are made from where?

The facts I know are this
There is a plant and it has seemed to move around from time to time. From mylasia to china and anywhere in between. It absolutely no longer is located in Japan.
This plant makes Bushnell, Burris FFII and other Burris, Nikon, etc etc etc and just about every scope except for the following...
Leupold... is not 100 percent American though so where are they getting glass?
Redfield... says it is and promotes it...so ? :roll:
Swarovski...Austria through and through
Zeiss...We know this is a German company but is this a 100 percent German scope?
Schmidt and Bender...I know very little about other than German Company again
Burris high level scopes...but I don't know if they are 100 percent usa or they get the glass over the river as Leupold does. ? Someone confirm?
Nightforce....A scope I know even less about other than it does NOT come from the Asian plant.

I know I have left some out and that is ok. Please add to this list with scopes I might have missed or just opinions.

Also can anyone confirm if there are any scopes that are actually being made in Japan. ? Not just Japanese company...but being produced there. I don't think there is a current scope made being produced in Japan. Bausch and Lomb....which at one time was a very respectable optic...was bought by Bushnell, then later the name dropped and just renamed Bushnell Elite. Those scopes were the last to my knowledge to have been made in Japan.

 

[BK]

The Zeiss Conquest line is assembled in the US from what I assume (maybe incorrectly) from German parts.

NF is assembled in Idaho, from Asian (I think Japanese) parts.

 

[Songdog]

Leupold and Redfield scopes are both made in Oregon... with the exception of "non-goldring" (meaning "Windriver" and such from Leupold)... not sure where the Redfield glasses and spotters are made.

i can just about hit a golfball to the Burris plant from my house.... but what exactly is "made" there... I can't say for certain. I believe they assemble there higher end ("signature") lines there... glasses, spotters, and scopes.

I can't think of a single piece of optics that are made with true "American" glass... pretty much all optical glass comes from one of a small handful of manufacturers... like Schott... none of which are located here in the US of A.

 

[BK]

I THINK the upper end Vortex are made in Japan (think Razor line), the Viper line is made in the Phillipines.

 

[Mountain Goat]

I believe the Elite series are made by Light Optical Works in Japan, as were the B&L. They still make many items for many companies.

http://www.light-op.co.jp/english/?page_id=22

 

[Woodycreek]

Zeiss has the U.S. distribution/repair facility here in Chesterfield Va. Don't know if the Conquest is made here or not?

 

[BK]

Assembled from foreign parts.

 

[Oldtrader3]

The Zeiss Conquest is assembled in the US from European made components. Since Zeiss owns Schott Glass Werk, I assume that all glass in the *T or Conquest line is Schott. The Conquest glass may be Schott, Czech Republic though, as per what Zeiss said originally when they shut down the Diavari C line in 2002 and moved manufacturing here as the Conquest.

I do not really care about where they make glass, as long as it fully meets customer expectations and criteria. Glass probably will not be made here for the present because they technology has been transferred to developing nations. I do wish that these companies were more forthright about what they are using. Privately operated and owned (technology based) firms have always been very cautious about trade secrets or anything else that they feel is none of our business. All of the scope manufacturers read a scripted response whenever you ask a technical question.

I guess the bottom line with me is changes being made to be cheaper without regard to product performance, reputation and standing among their customers and then acting like it is better than before they changed it. Nikon is my particular gripe but they have been cheapening all of their products for 2 decades.

 

[300WSM]

Old trader,
Nikon at one time was spectacular and they were made in Japan. I could sell them all day long doing a test for people with a dollar bill against any Leupold or Burris. They were less money as well. That all changed at a certain point in time as it did for others as well.

A lot of the companies out there hit a time came when they just all started using the same plant...albeit to their specs and design...to produce scopes because of course they just couldn't do it for a dollar point everyone is trying to meet.

One of the things that has always bothered me with Leupold...and I do own several.....why outsource anything. Even if its just the glass. But that leads us to something else....
would that make Leupold too expensive using glass from our country or would it make it inferior?
Is it just impossible for us to make quality glass or is it impossible for Leupold to be priced at a respectable level using our glass?

Here is a question...
Redfield is made at Leupold. Leupold Rings and bases were made by Redfield.

The new modern day Redfield promotes the made in the USA. Website, magazine ads, etc etc. They actually promote it. Leupold only promotes "American Company"

So can anyone confirm or disprove Redfield being 100 percent USA?

Is the Nightforce line really made here using Japanese parts? Confirm?

 

[ROVERT]

I, too, believe that Nightforce scopes are largely Japanese and assembled here in the U.S.

I also highly doubt that Redfield glass is made in the USA, even if the rest of the components are. Regardless of where it is assembled or where it's parts come from, I won't be buying another one.

I think virtually all glass used in scopes is either Asian or German.

 

[Oldtrader3]

There never were many lens companies who really made precision lenses. Even at the height of the film photography rage, there were only 3-4 major makers of camera lenses.

I worked in manufacturing as an engineer for a long time and we went forward to nearly fully integrated vertical manufacturing in the late 1970's. Then in the 1980's took it all apart and sourced key components with key technologies from vendors who were better at it (i.e. Japanese needles). In the 1990's we outsourced everything to the region for build at point-of-use and then in the present decade moved it all back to "Centers-of-Excellence in one giant plant somewhere.

After 4 decades nothing has been proven except that you can skin a cat many ways. My only hope is that we retain our centers of excellence in manufacturing so that, when China becomes too expensive (which be soon), we can go back to making some of our own stuff again. Maybe keeping Leupold around is the key to this transition in sport optics? Plus, I know that the Germans and Austrains are not going to abandon scope making and precision optics, it is a core technology for them.