Hello all. I have indeed searched and so apologize if this question is well covered in threads I was not able to locate. I have a scope on a rifle I haven't shot in 2 or 3 years. I have moved a lot in that time and simply haven't taken it out. When I did take it out last week, I was astounded at the severity of the fishbowl effect I saw through the scope. Would this normally be considered to constitute "broken," or is this something that some brands (even with lifetime warranties) would consider "normal?" This is a Simmons AETEC scope, though I'd really appreciate keeping aspersions of the brand out of the thread. Thanks for any insight you have.

If by "fish bowl effect" you mean distortion around the edges of the lens, then some can be considered normal. This is referred to as "Spherical abberation", and is a result of the curvature in the lens not entirely being corrected to eliminate it. Degree is the question, and is a quality control issue for the manufacturer. You should contact Simmons and discuss it with them. They may wish you to send the scope in for examination, and if found to be beyond specification they could replace/repair at their discretion.

If this is a condition that has developed since last use, then it could be a result of de-lamination of the lens(es) and could be a warrantee issue also. The only way to know is contact Simmons.

Thank you, Alk8944. Yes, I thought it would 'normally' be considered spherical aberration. The AETEC line is supposed to reduce that, but this scope has SIGNIFICANT "fishbowl" effect going on. I had not considered delamination of the lens(es). I believe I shall call them today.

Send it back to Simmons - they will replace it with a new one, no questions asked. Their warranty is a great one. All you have to pay is the postage.

Own several of the older ATEC's and only had one failure - the reticle came loose. They sent a new one within a week. The others are/were mounted on some fairly high powered rifles and have performed flawlessly.

Simmons/Weaver will replace that. I would send it in. They will let you upgrade (I think) if you pay the difference (wholesale). I would do that and upgrade to a Grand Slam if I were you.

I had similar issues with an Atech. Of course it took a nasty spill out of a fairly tall oak tree, so I can not blame the scope!

Thanks, fellas. I actually like my other AETEC pretty well. It doesn't fishbowl like this one, though in truth I have convinced myself that it does it slightly. If Meade will let me "upgrade" or swap in some way, I might be interested in that. I'd really like one of the new Redfields, but I can't use that kind of magnification for this rifle. What do you think of the 4.75x40 fixed-power GS vs. one of their K4 or K6 scopes?