game4lunch

What do some of you think of some of the newer scopes on the market for under $200.00? Like the BSA Platinum in the 6 - 24X40. Seems like more and more companies are putting out some impressive products with awsome features found on more expensive optics.
I mean, why pay $2,000.00 for a Zeiss?! Seriously.

Duckbutter48

All depends on what you mean by awesome features. I wouldnt buy any scope that isnt a 1 piece and has afull multicoat on all lenses. You couldnt give me a BSA or Tasco or something like that because they just arent as clear and bright as the better scopes in the 200-600$ range.

Butttt thats not saying you cant hunt or be fine with one of the cheaper scopes. My bud has had a crappy 4-12 Tasco for years and has killed many deer with it. I think youll here alot more horror stories with guys using the cheap scopes and having problems in the field with them.

Paying 2000$ for something like a Ziess would be like saying why buy a Mercedes over a Hundai they both can get me back and forth to work so why do I need the quality of the Mercedes over the Hundai.

dvdegeorge

Cause the Mercedes is less likely to be broke down on the side of the road in the middle of now where!

Paul L Mohr

If you go with a BSA don't get the Platinum or contender series, go with the slighty more expensive Catseye or Panther line. They have better optics and build quality.

And you don't have to spend 2 grand on a ziess, you can get a conquest for under $600 and it's an awsome scope.

There are some decent scopes for under and around 200 bucks, but not in that power range. You can get a nice 3-9 hunting scope for a decent price. If you get a scope for 150 bucks with that much magnification and all the bells and whistles it is lacking something. If other scopes like that cost twice as much they had to cut costs somewhere. And most likely it will be in the optics and quality control. If you are looking at a 6-20X scope I would start looking at the $200 range and work you way up.

I went to Cabela's and tried several scopes when getting one for my .17HMR. I mean I took them home and mounted them and used them for a few days, not just looked thru them in the store. I went thru 4 scopes before finding one I liked and ended up spending around $400 on an alaskan guide model scope in 6.5-20x44 with mildots and A/O. I started with a 18X platinum BSA and there is no comparison between the two.

You normally get what you pay for in optics. Not that a cheaper model will not work, 40 dollar binoculars will work. That doesn't mean 400 dollar ones will not be more pleasant to look thru and yeild more detail.

Paul

iloveto4x4innc

Be careful putting those cheap scopes on hard recoiling rifles. I put a $200 Swift 4-12x40 on my 300WM, and it self destructed. It wouldn't hold zero. I sent it back in to the factory for repair and bought a Nikon 3-9x50 to put back on the 300. I'll put the Swift on my 17HMR when the NcStar on it goes belly up.

game4lunch

I didn't pose this question because I need advise on what to buy . . . But more a general discussion on how much better low priced optics are that just a few years ago. I myself was a Leupold man for years, until I went to Cabellas and had the opportunity to "A/B" scopes on their scope stock. (Two scopes mounted at the same time for A/B comparison!) I was comparing optics by looking through them, not what name was on them!
I was amazed at what I found. I went home with a NIkon. This was four years ago and have had ZERO problems on my .300 WM ever since.
The BSA I mentioned comes with illuminated reticle, Mil-Dot for long distance elevation windage markings, adjustable objective, multicoated optics, up to 8 - 32 power, fogproof and waterproof, and target turret knobs. These are some of the features you can't even find on many scopes.
Now I know you "40 acre" boys sitting in your tree stand all day don't need some of this, but out here in the wild and wooly west, we might be sligin' lead at a 40 MPH Antelope at 385 yards! These features sure come in handy.
In short (too late for that), durability is the first thing I want when paying for a scope. Clear optics in low light is a tight second. But are we still judging product according to the name on the scope, or the product inside?

Duckbutter48

I guess Ive had some cheaper scopes when I was young and poor and have nightmare stories hunting with them and them just failing.
The new scopes with all these features are still crap in my mind. Put illuminated xhairs in a turd and its still a turd. THese scopes do not have full multicoat lenses.

Like I mentioned earlier nice stuff like duel exhaust and some cool looking rims on a Hundaiand its still a piece of crap Hundai, I dont care how cheap and how nifty it seems.

Again not saying you cant hunt with scopes like these. Maybe never have a prob with them but next time you goto Cabelas look thru one of these compared to your Nikon I dont think theyll compare very much to the Nikons even the cheap Nikons.

James B

I won't spend over about 200.00 on a scope. Ihave hunted hard for 49 years and have never had a scope fail me. I will go up to the VX-l or Aetec or Nikon Pro-Staff but thats it. The 3200 Busnell fits in there as well. I love the Aetecs and I have had several Swift scopes on Mugnum rifles that never blinked once.

So many times scopes go bad because of lousy mounting methods. Not doing most of the sighting in with the rings instead of the scopes internal adjustments have ruined more scopes that all the shock, moister and recoil combined. You can buy a quality scope for around 200.00 and never need worry about having it go bad on a hunt. Just mount it right with windage adjustable rings and forget it. I have many 20-30 year old scopes that sold for as little as 60.00 that are still going strong.

thndrchiken

Well let's see, 2 vari-x 2's, 1 rifleman, 1 prostaff, 1 buckmaster, 1 elite 3200 and 2 banner's. Satisfied with all, the leupy's have the eye relief though.

James B

The older Aetecs had five inches of eye relief. About the most in the industry. The new ones have 3.3/4- 4 inches.[:@]