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Bushnell 8x36 Custom - Advice? (1 Viewer)

Bencw

Well-known member
Hi, I have a really nice custom 8x36, great condition, good image, but it could be improved with a clean inside, and appears to have a smear on one prism. Now I am fairly proficient at dismantling and cleaning old porro's but I can't see the way into these? The tripod adapter at the front does not appear have any way of removal, no holes for a wrench, and I don't want to try and prise the Bushnell button on the IPD end off without knowing if it does come of. I know Optic nut has worked on these, but appreciate any advice. Thanks. Ben
 

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Ok thanks, have got into these now, the cap surrounding the tripod adapter unscrews, although it was stuck and it was not obvious that it should. A little warmth and perseverance and it finally moved. Pretty straightforward after that.
 
Bob, It is a nice binocular, or in the case of my one was !! I dismantled it, cleaned it up inside, re-assembled and it was much improved, great view, but there was just a little smear left inside, I should have left it, but me being me, I took the ocular arms off again and clumsily dropped them, even though it fell on carpet, now the grey plastic twist out eye cup on the dioptre side is broken grrrrr!! Oh well, ever the optimist, maybe an eye cup or damaged custom will turn up.
 
Steve (mooreorless) owned one of these, but I think it was slightly out of collimation, however, looking through each tube, the view was very good, and I like the configuration - 8x36. I'd like to see a revival of that configuration and the 7x35.

What struck me as odd were the ergonomics. The flat part of the prism housing is on TOP rather than the bottom. I like the flat part on the bottom for better thumb support. The best in this regard was the CZJ 8x50 Octarem, whose prism housings were flat as a board and gave such good thumb support (no matter how I positioned my thumbs) along with the excellent balance that it made the bins feel a lot lighter than they actually were, which was a very good thing since the Octarem weighed over 40 oz.

Does the print on the objective rings scatter light into the tubes? I also wondered this about the with new Theron Questa La Vista.

Brock
 
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Sorry I'm late to the party...
Good to see all went well.

I love the dowel-pinned prism carriage in Customs.
I've been able to remove smudges and dust without disturbing them,
and then just slide the carriage back in.
The easiest way in to the 7x35 Customs involved popping the medallion off the front.
Easy enough to replace, with a tiny dot of E6000 that can come off later.

Note: the writing on the front cap doesn't scatter into the barrels due to its beveled angle.
Extremely oblique light would hit the external ribbing just behind the cap.
 
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Brock, No, the print does not seem to scatter light into the tubes, not that I can notice anyway, funny you mention the Octarem, I have just bought an 8x50B Octarem, not arrived yet but looks in very good shape. Will post it on here in vintage section when it arrives.

ON, thanks, useful info as I have a 7x Custom I need to clean at some point. As you see above, I stupidly broke one of the twist out eye cups on the 8x36. Getting clumsy in my old age.
 
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I mailed Bushnell UK to ask if remotely possible they might have an eye cup in some dusty box somewhere, I did not expect anything given how old these are, but they got back with a form to complete and asked for photos', which they will circulate to their worldwide service/spares dept to see if one can be found. Excellent customer service even if it proves unsuccessful.
 
That is great customer service. Hope they locate a set for you.
FWIW, I don't think I could have lived with a smear on a prism either. :)
 
Solution found

Something may be worth knowing, if you need an obscure eye cup, that guy on the auction site, jameslee is brilliant. As posted above, my really nice Bushnell Custom 8x36, I dropped it and broke a twist out eye cup. Bushnell could not help, so I asked him if he could make some. He made a perfect new pair, see photo's , ok, black not original grey, but exact replica's, they work and fit perfectly, just £18 inc pp. Highly recommend him. Really pleased as I thought I had ruined a great bin. Breaking the cup did me a favour in a way, I was cleaning it inside when I broke it, and I was thinking of selling it, but now I have decided to keep it, as it's pretty in much perfect condition.
 

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That looks great. You definately need to start a thread, Ben, refabs and custom mods : what fits what illustrated.

Best wishes,
 
Anyone compared this model Custom 8x36 to the newer [mid / late 80's version] Custom?

I still have the newer 10x40 and find it wonderfully sharp but, compared to modern stuff, the view is a bit dim and yellow and the FOV is narrow.
 
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