scope shopping

[neverenough]

i've heard with many things in life...you get what you pay for. i've also heard that you wanna stay in the $300+ range to get a decent scope, but are there any brands that i should definitely stay away from?

[Carbon23]

i've heard with many things in life...you get what you pay for. i've also heard that you wanna stay in the $300+ range to get a decent scope, but are there any brands that i should definitely stay away from?

I heard Chinese stuff is garbage (brands like Tasco.) Many have told me to find out where its made and not to waste my money if its China. It may just be pro-American propaganda though.

I just bought my first scope for about $200; a Nikon Buckmasters. It was cheap and I couldn't be happier with it. It's bright, sharp, and plenty for me to learn with.

From my shopping experience a good idea would be to go to a Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops or some store like that. They should carry many models of many brands and prices are fairly close to the bottom. Three good brands to check out for a first scope would be Leupold (lower range models), Bushnell (upper range models), and Nikon. At a place like that you can look through each model in your price range at the same time to compare the picture and features to find which you like most.

I'm beginning with a budget .223 rifle though, so big-time range and high-end scopes aren't really anything to consider yet. You might be different.

[aplinker]

I'd go with Nikon or Bushnell in the budget realm.

There are too many companies to avoid to list them all.

What kind of shooting and on what rifle are you mountingt he scope? That will help with recommendations. There are gems and turkeys within each of the product lines.

[EBR Works]

Another option. Well reviewed and inexpensive:

http://swfa.com/SWFA-SS-Scopes-C1719.aspx

[greyfell]

SWFA.com or Opticsplanet.com are both good online sources for scopes, and they both offer many of the same brands, and then each offer a couple brands the other doesn't. They both both also have forums as good as Calguns, for getting more detailed optics information.

Yesterday I saw a review, and a Youtube video, for Nikon's specialized scope for the 223. Looks darn good!


Stephen

[freonr22]

Swfa has thesamplelist. For demo/refurb units

[neverenough]

i just got a loaded m1a with vltor battle rails and i'm just a recreational shooter who will one day push the limits of the m1a....well as far out as my skills will take it! hehe