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Scope quality

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Devy55 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Devy55 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Scope quality
    Posted: March/11/2006 at 14:18

I have a couple of inexpensive firearms which I want to scope.  (One of them I won in a raffle after buying $10 in tickets!)  These rifles are in .243 winchester and a .204 ruger.

 

I was hoping someone could give me some insight on the comparitive quality of the following manufacturers.

 

Barska

Tasco World Class

Simmons

Bushnell

Redfield

NcStar

Famous Maker (?)  (what the heck is that?)

 

These are not high dollar firearms, but I do want a scope that is accurate and will hold its zero.

 

Thanks.

 

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BillD1 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BillD1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/11/2006 at 22:04
How much do you want to spend for each scope, or what is your cost limit. 
Bill D
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koshkin View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/11/2006 at 23:34
Bushnell makes quite a few scopes and not all of them are cheap.

Of their lower priced lines Banner and Trophy seem to be fairly well regarded.  I have more experience with Trophy and it is a surprisingly good scopes, considering its low price.

With Simmons I'd stay away from their lower end scopes.  Their higher end scopes are OK but are sufficiently  expensive to comepte against better scopes from better companies: Burris Fullfield II for example.

Redfield just revamped their line-up and their new scopes are not cheap (and I have not seen them yet).  Redifld scopes from a previous generation do not seem to be well regarded at all.

Other scopes on your list are certified crap and, IMO, should be avoided.
 
ILya
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Urimaginaryfrnd View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Urimaginaryfrnd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/12/2006 at 08:42

Koshkin is right your list leaves out the best scope choices and includes mostly scopes I  would not buy.

I have a strong preference for Leupold but admit they are pricey. Some of the Bushnell scopes are ok but I would probably rather have Koshkin's Burris mainly due to the fine choice of reticles - the balistic plex is quite usefull. Nikon also makes a fine scope that is reasonably priced, good glass but little choice of reticles. Weaver Grand Slam scopes are good quality. While I would probalbly put a 3-9 or 4.5-14 on the .243 for a deer gun.  I might even put a tactical scope like a Super Sniper on the .204 Ruger as a varmit rifle- target rifle - can be a fun gun to dial in your correction for wind and elevation and for $299 you cant beat it, take your pick 10x or 16x or 20x all the same price.  I have the 20X and will soon buy a 10X.  (If you are really broke just take a couple of those $30 tasco 3-9s and put them on untill you can buy something better.) 



Edited by Urimaginaryfrnd

"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do".
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Devy55 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Devy55 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/12/2006 at 20:10

Thanks, for the feedback.

 

I have a Leupold VX-III on my custom built 35 Whelen which I took to africa last summer.  Great rifle with terrific accuracy.

 

These other 2 guns are for fun and I haven't dumped a lot of money into them.  So I'm trying to find a good compomise in cost and quality (if there is such a thing).

 

I really want to use the .204 for long range target shooting and precision varmint hunting.  The .243 would be a good deer rifle, but I'm not expecting any long range shots in Missouri.  Probably 200 yards or less, with most averaging about 100 yards.

 

I was hoping to pay less than $200 for the scope, preferable around $150.

 

Do you think there are any decent scopes for that price?

 

Once again...your feedback is invaluable.

 

Thanks

 

 

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Stud Duck View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Stud Duck Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/16/2006 at 08:31
Leupold VX-I.
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Longhunter View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Longhunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/19/2006 at 17:55

You might also consider the Burris Fullfield II. 

 

I replaced a Leupold Vari-X III 2.5-8x36 (higher grade than the VX-I) with a Burris 3-9x40 Fullfield II.  There was a significant improvement in both brightness and quality of view.  

 

The field of view was pretty much the same for both scopes, even though the factory specs indicated otherwise.

 

Leupold's current VX-III scopes are considerably brighter than their other (and older) lines.  There's nothing wrong with a Leupold scope of any kind, in my experience.  However, they were behind the curve for a few years in terms of brightness.

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woots View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote woots Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/19/2006 at 18:11
You can get the variX II for under $200 alot of places.  I picked up one from Cabelas for $180 about a year ago.  Good scope.  It would be a great fit for the 243.  I would look into a Burris scope for the 204.
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Devy55 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Devy55 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/20/2006 at 17:19

Thanks,

 

I shopped around and saw several rifle scopes manufactured by A1 Optics that interested me.

 

I checked here and other places on the internet, and never found anyone who had one and disliked it.  All that purchased one, were happy with it and many stated the optics were brighter than some Lupes and Weavers.  One writer was even using it on a .308 and stated it was holding Zero perfectly. 

 

I called the distributor for more info, and he indicated that they were manufactured in Japan using clear white Japanese sand, which (he indicated) has greater purity than other grains.  He stated the glass is the same quality and craftsmanship as precision camera lenses and microscopes.  When I asked what caliber guns were using them, he recited several, with the largest being a .375 and said that he has never had one returned for loosing Zero.

 

He also indicated that there is a stringent QC process for the scopes and they are designed to be rebust enough to withstand normal use and abuse, without fogging or loosing alignment.

 

Anyway, I orderd one at a discount for $110, plus shipping.  Once it arrives and I take it to the range, I'll write a review and post it here.

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Mats View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mats Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/24/2006 at 04:41

Originally posted by Devy55 Devy55 wrote:

Once it arrives and I take it to the range, I'll write a review and post it here.

 

Waiting with bated breath... I'm considering a cheap scope shoot-out myself, there seems to have been some improvement in quality over the last few years. Problem is that few, if any, of the often small firms that sell these cheap scopes over here (Sweden, that is) are interested in lending me the scopes. Some have even said that they don't consider me having the capability to give their scopes a fair review, that I'm too biased (I have written quite a bit about my experiences with cheap scopes in the past...)

 

We'll see. I'm still trying.

 

-- Mats

Far better is it to dare mighty things...
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