How to keep a clear view: Clean the riflescope properly
Clean lenses are essential to give you an outstanding viewing experience. With the right care, your riflescope can remain in a superb, performing condition for a long time. Your Schmidt & Bender riflescope is a high-quality optical instrument with high-grade optical lenses which requires regular maintenance. We would like to explain to you how to take care of your riflescope in the best way.
Scratches on the lenses and corroded coatings reduce transmission and cause light loss and irritation which will result in a poor image quality. Cleaning with a jacket sleeve or a handkerchief is not a good choice, as grease and dust particles will just be wiped around and will smear, damage and cloud the lenses.
Using Protective Lens Covers such as provided by Schmidt & Bender will protect the lenses reliably and should be closed when the riflescope is not in use. For transport, the riflescope should be protected by a protective bag, our so called Tactial Bag.
Contamination with debris and dust particles on the lenses of your riflescope cannot be avoided while hunting or shooting at the range. The eyepiece easily picks up dirt from eyelashes, skin flakes or grease while the objective will pick up dust from a muzzle break or raindrops will cause water stains.
Cleaning after using your riflescope will be necessary in any case, the only question is how. The answer is easy: with the Schmidt & Bender Cleaning Kit.
1. How to remove loose contaminations such as dust and hard particles?
Bigger and solid particles should first be carefully removed from the lenses before continuing to clean the lenses. To remove loose dust and coarser residue, use the LensPen brush (1) from the Cleaning Kit or a bellows. The brush can be pushed out via the green button on the LensPen. It is utmost important to carefully and gently remove the finest grains of dust before continuing to clean the lenses. If this is not done properly micro-scratches may occur and will affect the optical performance of your riflescope. If not all contaminations has been removed during dry cleaning, you can hold it under the tap and clean it with warm water. Then follow the steps under point 2.
2. How to remove stains and other contaminations?
Generally, stains caused by fingerprints, rainwater and grease should be removed immediately after using your riflescope, since this can harm your lens coating. We cannot recommend to clean lenses with solvents, because these do not remove the dirt but will spread it.
he combination of cleaning spray (2) and microfiber cloth (3) from the Cleaning Kit is perfectly suited for this purpose. The spray consists of a liquid solution which contains surface agents and alcohol to effectively dissolve and remove fingerprints, grease or other contaminations without damaging the coating. Simply spray onto the lens and use the microfiber cloth to remove residual dirt particles on the lenses.
As soon as the lenses are dry again, remove the cap on the opposite side of the LensPen brush and place the black cleaning attachment – the so called microfiber pad (4) – directly on the lens. Apply gentle pressure of the pen to remove adhering dirt. In slightly circular movements, water stains, for example, can be removed in this way. Cleaning should be carried out dry, as moistening impairs the cleaning effect and can lead to streaking. Due to the round shape of the microfiber pad at the tip of the pen, the inner edge of the objective and eyepiece can also be easily reached.
After successful cleaning, store the LensPen by covering it with the cap and sliding the brush back into the pen. Ensure that the microfiber cloth as well as the microfiber pad of the LensPen are always clean. Both can be cleaned under running water, the microfiber cloth can also be washed at 30 °C/86 °F.
3. How to remove fingerprints, oil and grease splashes?
Oil, grease and fingerprints will harm the coating if they are not removed. Especially warm and humid temperatures will accelerate this process.
Using the combination of cleaning spray (2), microfiber cloth (3) and with an after-treatment with LensPen (4) with its microfiber pad (see point 2) is important. This combination ensures that all residue is completely removed from the optics. Please be aware that paper towels and napkins are not suitable for this purpose!
4. How to remove water and lime residues?
Raindrops and salt water leave crusty stains on the optics. These have to be moistened first with the cleaning spray (2) and then removed with the microfiber cloth (3). As already mentioned in step 2, the microfiber pad (4) can also be used for this.
5. What about alcohol, acetone and other cleaning agents?
Pure alcohol (ethanol, isopropanol) can also be used for cleaning the coated lenses. However, acetone, thinner, petrol and other solvents must not be used. These can react with the lens coating and will result in permanent damage.
6. The Schmidt & Bender Service-Team is available for you
Severe damages of your riflescope in general or scratches on your lenses in particular can be repaired by our experienced service team. We will be happy to check your riflescope and to submit an offer for repair. Please contact our service department either by phone +49 (0) 6409/8115-20 or by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.