life_is_short_hunt_hard

i am thinking of taking my current scope off of my muzzleloader and putting it on my shotgun since i got a rifled barrel for it. the scope i have now is actually a shotgun scope. i was looking at getting the Simmons 3-9x40 ProSport Master Riflescope for my muzzleloader from Dicks Sporting Goods for $70. Do you guys think this is a decent scope or am I wasting my money, and should look at other options. By the way, I'm looking to keep the cost under $100 if possible, w/o mounts and rings.

timbercruiser

The Simmons probably won't be any better than the scope you are taking off. I would save my money up and try to buy a better grade scope, even if it was used, if I was you. I went through the cheap scope route and was never satisfied till I bought a good scope.

Lifeguard

I put one of these on my muzzleloader, and am very impressed. For the price I don't think you can beat it. $104.99 canadian.

http://www.bushnell.com/products/riflescopes/specs/71-3944.cfm

o2bebowhunting

what he said

hardcorehunter

Me too. A muzzleloader has heavy recoil and not a place for a cheap scope. Cheap scopes are OK for plinking or when it doesn't matter. I am way to serious about hunting to use cheap optics on a big game rifle.HCH

Paul L Mohr

The minimum I will spend on a hunting scope is 100 bucks, and it will usually be a low power bushnell trophy. Other wise it will be 150 to 200 bucks and up.

Now for a rimfire plinker or something I might get a 50 to 70 dollar scope, then again maybe not because I will spending a lot of time looking thru it and nice optics are good on your eyes. And don't get good optics for cheap, just doesn't happen.

My main concern with cheaper scopes and hunting are the quality control on the cheaper scopes, and the optics quality. They have to save money somewhere and those are the two places the will cut corners. When hunting you want a scope that will work when you need it to, you don't have room for error hoping it won't go bad on the biggest buck of your life, or the first buck of your life. If you miss you will be wondering if you missed or the scope wandered off point of aim or something got jarred loose. Been there done that, never happening again. Or worse yet wounding an animal, it's hard to live with.

There is also not much worse than bringing your gun up, taking aim and having your scope fog over in crappy weather. Which will usually be the case during deer season, at least in the area I live in. Good optics are sealed well and have coatings to keep them from fogging up and getting blurry.

Not saying you have to spend 4 or 5 hundred on a leupold or conquest, although if you could afford it I highly suggest them. I can't afford them though. However if you step up to 150-200 bucks there are some nice 3-9 power hunting scopes that will serve you very well. In that price range it really doesn't matter what brand, they will all be pretty decent. Just go with the one you like the best. I also really suggest going to look at them in person. I can't bring myself to buy a scope over the net. Unless it was one I already owned before or had looked at somewhere. I really need to look thru it and hold it in my hand before I am willing to spend my hard earned money on it. Especially when you are talking optics.

Good luck,
Paul

Western MA Hunter

If I could have the $$ back that I spent on the "inexpensive" scopes over the years I'd probably havea nice Zeiss or Swarvoski by now... Don't cheap out... Make due w/ what you have untill you can get up to the next level...

chiefks

The simmons scope is probably a decent scope. It might only last you a couple years. Seems like scopes around $100 are hit and miss as far as how good they are and how long they last. Not everyone has the budget for better than average glass. I shoot with Bushnell $100 scope because thats what I can afford at the time. I havehad zero problems with it, so I keep shooting with it. One of my brothers friends had the same scope on a 270 and it didn't last himall that long.I ended up with the scope, and traded it off when I traded off a rifle. I told the dealer the story and they sent the scope to bushnell. The scope was not repairable and they shipped a new scope of equal purchaseing value back for free. If you can afford better scopes then I think they are worth the investment. If you can't afford it then don't worry about it. Simmons probably makes a decent scope for the $70, but if your budget says you ahve $100, then I would look for a better scope. I like the bushnells myself. Alot of people on here don't though.

life_is_short_hunt_hard

thanks guys. i think i might just wait until next year to get a scope. we will see. especially with all the other hunting things i wanna buy.