I purchased two Sightron S1 3x9 scopes for a couple of new Marlin XL7 .270 Winchester rifles I had purchased. My brother sent me a review from a fella who had three failures while using these scopes on his .338-378 Weatherby magnum. I wrote to the company and asked them if I should be concerned. They sent a reply right back telling me that the S1 scope was designed for small to medium recoiling rifles. For heavier rifles they recommended the SII model or better. The free recoil of the .338-378 Weatherby magnum is 54 pounds in an 11 pound rifle compared to a fairly wimpy 16 pounds from my .270 Winchester. I asked them if these scopes were OK for use on my rifles and they replied "No problem!!" They assured me that if I EVER had a problem with any of their scopes all I had to do was return it and the problem would be resolved right way. I like that.
For those who may be curious, back in the 1980's I had a .338 Winchester with a felt recoil of 33 pounds. The .338-378 Weatherby dwarfs the .338 Winchester and gives some comparison as to the huge difference in recoil between a standard .270 deer rifle and a monster such as the .338-378....
Is there a moral to the story here? I guess for me, and many others in these tough times, the option of purchasing "better" scopes costing hundreds of dollars is just not an option. I paid $139.00 for each of these scopes, (and cried while doing it cause I'm a cheap bastard.
) but I have to say I am impressed with the quality. For the average hunter shooting a rifle from .243 to 30-06 these seem to be a good option. It's not an upper end scope but it is head and shoulders above most in it's class. Add on the great customer service Sightron offers and it seems to be a winning combo. I'm happy with my purchase.