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Old 01-17-2011, 07:12 AM   #1
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Default simmons pro diamond scope

Is the simmons pro diamond scope a good muzzleloader scope?
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Old 01-17-2011, 07:16 AM   #2
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Parallax is set a bit close at 50yards but i like them. IMO you cant beat them for the money and they hold up pretty well.

Ive only tried the 4x32 Pro Diamond and a 2.5x20 in another model. Nice scopes for the money if you can find them for under $50. I got mine for about $30 new.
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Old 01-17-2011, 07:24 AM   #3
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I have them on four muzzleloaders. They are inexpensive for sure, but appear to have good glass. Also they do gather light well. I use the 4x32mm and the 2.5x20 on rifles. For hunting in the woods where I do, 50 yards being a normal shot or less, I like the scope. I am going to throw one on my TK2000 shotgun and see if I can shake it apart.
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Old 01-17-2011, 07:32 AM   #4
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The best for the money MLer Scope I found and bought is the Bushnell Dusk to Dawn MLer Scope, got it from Cabela's for $89. I also got the Camo Version but Im not sure if they have that option anymore. It's as good as My Leupold Ultimate Slam and 1/3 the money.
Now I also have a Cheap Simmons and Tasco, both were in the $30-$40 range and are still going strong after 15years and have taken some serious abuse. Just look for a Scope with at least 3" of eye relief and your pocket will determine the rest.
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Old 01-17-2011, 09:16 AM   #5
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Simmons 4X ProDiamond Evaluation

I have four of these scopes, all on muzzle loaders. The oldest one is 4+ years old. All have been trouble free.

Pros: Long eye relief (4+ inches for me) - wide field of view - clear, sharp optics with a wide adjustment range for elevation and windage - light and short - inexpensive. The last three I bought have what Simmons calls a "fast focus eyepiece" which allows you to quickly focus the scope to suit your vision by turning a focus ring at the very end of the rear lens - kind of like the focus ring on binoculars. It's a real nice feature because you can have it adjusted when wearing glasses, then take your glasses off and quickly adjust it for your naked eye. I do that a lot when hunting because I remove my glasses to use binoculars. My oldest ProDiamond does not have that feature.

Cons: You're limited to the 4X power, of course, so it's less flexible than a variable magnification scope for things like evaluating the size of a buck's rack out there at 150 yards. Not a big a deal if you carry binoculars as I do - but still a limitation. It's a shotgun scope, so parallax is set at either 50 or 75 yards (I’m not sure which) rather than the standard 100 yards used for rifle scopes. That means on long shots if your eye is not lined up perfectly with the centerline of the scope you could have a parallax sighting error. But it's so small (an inch or less at 200 yards) as to be meaningless to me. Because it's a shotgun scope, the cross hairs are thicker than on most rifle scopes. At 100 yards the cross hairs cover about one inch of your target. Not the best for fine target work at long ranges (but dang nice in low light hunting situations).

Durability: I have a ProDiamond on a little Omega X7 that develops "significant recoil" with 110 grains of T7 FFFG and 300 grain bullets. It hasn't been able to shake the Simmons loose yet. I also have them on three TC Renegades. When I clean the Renegades after a shoot I put the breech end in a bucket of water, including the back half of the scope, and pump the bore with soap. Haven't had one leak yet.

For most practical hunting situations, if you can’t get it done with a 4X scope a higher power one isn’t going to solve your problem.

Look here for best deal around.
http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm...TOKEN=29194401
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Old 01-18-2011, 11:34 AM   #6
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thanks guys!
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Old 01-18-2011, 11:40 AM   #7
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The other guys have hit it right on. I have 2 and have been very happy with them. A good workhorse scope for short-to-medium range.
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Old 01-18-2011, 12:42 PM   #8
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One more thumbs up. Semisane pretty much nailed it. I have shot deer ranging from 30 to 75 yards with no problem. I shoot fairly stout 110gr of BH209 loads with 240 to 300gr bullets, again no problem. I see very little need for a variable on my ML shooting out to 100 plus yards.
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Old 01-18-2011, 06:24 PM   #9
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It is a good scope for the money. It was designed for turkey hunting with the diamond recticle but works well for slugs or ML. I have the one I own on my wife's 22 rifle now and it is working good on it as well.
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Old 01-18-2011, 06:41 PM   #10
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I have one too, and really like it. It is the first scope I have ever owned, so nothing to compare it to.
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