I know you are on a budget, but how tight of a budget? Are we talking $50 here, or $250?

That being said, if it was me I'd go with a set of quality Weaver style bases and Burris Signature Zee rings with the inserts. These rings are the best I've tried under $100. I love them. They seem to be strong and well made, plus the eliminate any need for lapping the scope rings, and they don't leave ring marks. If you have any alignment issues, you can also solve them with these rings. They just really are great for the $30 they cost. I've used some of the cheaper $10-12 Weaver aluminum rings and there is absolutely no comparison. The Burris rings are well worth the extra money if you can swing it. If you absolutely can't swing $30 for a set of rings, I guess I'd go with the Weaver Quad Locks, but I'd really try to get the Burris rings.

I don't have the Burris rings on my muzzle loader, but I have them on other guns, and if I ever replace the rings on my muzzle loader I will go with the Burris rings. I currently use the Weaver steel strap style rings on my muzzle loader and they are very strong and seem to work well. The problem with them is they are a pita to install as they turn the scope when you tighten them down. So it takes a lot of patience and practice to get the crosshairs level. They also leave ring marks, and the price isn't that much cheaper than the Burris rings.

As for a scope, there are lots of options depending on your price range. I've never used one of the Konus scopes mentioned earlier in this thread, but I have a friend that has 2 of them and he likes them.

The biggest issue I've seen with cheaper scopes is that often they don't track accurately. That really isn't such a big deal on a muzzle loader as you aren't going to be making adjustments in the field.

As much as I'm embarrassed to admit it, I personally use a $30 Tasco Bucksight 3-9x40 scope on mine that they sell at Walmart. I bought it as I wanted something cheap to just see how I liked muzzle loading and it's never given me any reason to change it. I've been using it for about 3.5 years now with great luck and the glass is surprisingly decent for $30. I had one other one on a centerfire rifle, but only for 2 months while I had a Leupold sent in for service. I then sold it. It worked well too. I'm not sure if I just got lucky, or if overall they were pretty decent scopes.

This gun has worked so well for me I hate to change anything on it unless I have to.

That being said, that's my cheapest scope I own and even though it's never given me any trouble I sometimes worry about it failing since so many people talk bad about Tasco's. If I was to do it again knowing how much I like muzzle loading I'd probably go ahead and buy something more like a Burris Fullfield II 3-9x40, or I'd probably actually go for the new Burris E1 3-9x40. IMO if you aren't constantly dialing on the turrets, it's about the best scope I've used in the price range.

If you can't pay for that, but want something more than a cheaper Tasco or Simmons, you can still get the older Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40 with the regular reticle for $100 last I checked at Cabela's. I had one of these and it was a decent scope. The turrets were pretty bad on it, but they worked fine to sight it in and leave it. The glass was decent, but not great. I saw some chromatic aberration, and the glass wasn't anywhere near the quality of the Burris FFII, but it was decent. I found it identical glass wise to the Simmons I replaced with it. However, the glass was plenty good enough for most all hunting situations. The biggest thing it had going for it was it seemed very durable, and never lost zero even through some abuse. It seems like a bargain for $100, but for it's normal price of $160 or so, I think you can get much better options.

Another great buy that probably is the best buy going right now is the Vortex Viper 2-7x32 that's on clearance if it fits your needs for a scope. It's also a great scope with a great warranty, at a great price.

As for the Simmons Pro Diamond, I've never used it, but I have used 2 Simmons scopes both their cheaper ones, one a Deerfield, and one a Blazer and I've had good luck with both of them despite what many others say about them. Now, neither were on a muzzle loader, but one was one a .22 and one on a centerfire and neither gave me any trouble. One tracked great, and the other not so much, but they both held zero once sighted in and they had pretty decent glass.

I just have mixed feelings on the cheap scopes, I've never really had any problems with them, and the large majority of my hunting buddies use cheap scopes under $100 and they hardly ever have problems, but at the same time I read so much bad online about them, it makes me hesitate to trust them even though I've never had any personal experiences make me doubt them. I've found by spending more you can often get better glass, but for the most part it's been very small subtle differences you really had to look for, and I've found that often times the higher priced scopes have more repeatable adjustments, but for durability I've not really had a problem with the cheaper stuff.

The only cheap scope I had that I felt was a total POS was a Bushnell. The thing tracked horribly, you had to tap the scope after making adjustments for it to settle, the glass looked fuzzy around the edges and had a lot of glare, and while it did hold zero, if you bumped it hard by knocking it over, dropped it, etc it would always shift the POI. The rest of the cheap scopes I've had have worked well.


So, it really all depends on exactly how much you want to spend as to what we'd recommend to you.