Hi Huntsalotey,

I have never damaged a scope mounting one in Weaver rings....but they can be a pain in the a**. Because they have a tendency to "twist or roll" the scope tube as you torque the screws. And I do not mean twist....as in damage. I mean twist...as in changing the positions of the crosshairs...which means you loosen the screws, readjust the crosshairs, and start over again. I suppose you could damage a scope if you got "heavy handed" enough when torquing the rings....but that is true of nearly any rings. And Weavers may be somewhat of a pain in the butt...or not that good looking....but they work well! What I have seen people do more often to damage a scope is by using the scope tube to "turn the front ring" on mounts like Millets, Redfields old ones, (don't know about new ones), and Leupolds, (as well as similar systems). These are good systems but once you place the front ring in the base they need to be turned 90 degrees...and people sometimes get lazy and attempt to do it with the scope tube...instead of an one inch dowel rod.

If you have a damaged scope...it should become shortly apparent. It may rattle inside....you might actually see a crack through the field of view....it will leak or fog.....or maybe will not adjust or hold zero properly. Otherwise....just visually inspect it for signs of obvious damage. Such as dings, bends, etc.