Good Scope for around $150

[Kestryll]

Nikon P-223 3x32, good magnification range for an SKS, short tube for mounting over the receiver cover, light weight, BDC reticule, clear glass and in your price range.

http://www.opticsplanet.com/nikon-p-223-3x32-bdc-carbine-rifle-scope.html

http://www.turners.com/nikon/nikon-p223-3x32-bdc-carbine-263696

[sunborder]

I wouldn't call the glass on that nikon clear. It's decent, but it's not good, by any stretch of the imagination. It also has a weird tint to it. It's OK for that price point, but I don't like it.

[ffemt]

Vortex Crossfire II 1-4x, I had one like new for $180 off of ARF. Very clear and nice illumination and reticle. Lifetime warranty too

[Kestryll]

I wouldn't call the glass on that nikon clear. It's decent, but it's not good, by any stretch of the imagination. It also has a weird tint to it. It's OK for that price point, but I don't like it.

I don't know about your experience but in mine I would call it clear.
I own one and it's been a great little carbine scope.

Is it as good as the Vortex FFP on my AR? No.
Is it something I would put on my 10FCP-K? No.

But we're not talking about those, we're talking about scoping an SKS.

[Divernhunter]

BSA= Back Slowly Away

I was given one and it did not work right out of the box. I wasted a bunch of ammo trying to get it to. I put an old Bushnell on the rifle and one hole groups.
I sent it back and had to pay $10 plus shipping. They sent another and it would not work right out of the box again. Send more money which ticked me off plus shipping and got a 3rd scope. It is working but who knows how long.
For what I spent on shipping and $10 fees each time to them I could have bought a better scope to start with.
If this one craps out I will use it as a target and buy a Bushnell/Weaver etc

[sunborder]

I don't know about your experience but in mine I would call it clear.
I own one and it's been a great little carbine scope.

Is it as good as the Vortex FFP on my AR? No.
Is it something I would put on my 10FCP-K? No.

But we're not talking about those, we're talking about scoping an SKS.

I had one on my daughter's AR, and I regret buying it. It holds zero, but the turret hashmarks are off-center, so you are always in the middle of a click, and the glass is tinted strangely. I'm not comparing it to the ACOG, but I am comparing it to the Primary Arms scopes in its price range. Much better glass from PA, for the same money, with better fit & finish.

I would put the Nikon just above a BSA in overall quality. For glass, I had a daisy BB gun that came with a 4x "scope" (20mm tube, I think) that had equivalent glass. For what it's worth, I bought it for her last christmas, so maybe the one you have is an earlier/later model. I love the Nikon cameras our family has bought, but I just can't belive the P223 3x Carbine is Japanese glass.

[MrSam]

Vortex Crossfire II
Nikon P223 or Prostaff
A few PA scopes fall in that price range
And a Leupold 3-9 if you stretch the budget a bit (I believe they go for $175 on ebay, brand new)

[Wallabing]

Nikon Prostaff 4-12x Mildot.

[sunborder]

A few PA scopes fall in that price range

1-4 Illuminated
6x ACSS (wrong BDC for SKS, but you could use it, and it's almost the same BDC as the Nikon P223 series, since it's the same ballistics, but at least the ACSS has wind holds)
4-14x FFP Mildot (overkill for that cartridge, I grant you)

All those are in that price range.

For about $250, you could get the 1-6 ACSS 7.62x39 when it arrives.

[FMJBT]

BSA= Back Slowly Away

I was given one and it did not work right out of the box. I wasted a bunch of ammo trying to get it to. I put an old Bushnell on the rifle and one hole groups.
I sent it back and had to pay $10 plus shipping. They sent another and it would not work right out of the box again. Send more money which ticked me off plus shipping and got a 3rd scope. It is working but who knows how long.
For what I spent on shipping and $10 fees each time to them I could have bought a better scope to start with.
If this one craps out I will use it as a target and buy a Bushnell/Weaver etc

Which BSA were you running? Not all scopes under the same manufacturers name will be of the same quality, and most of the time with import scopes they probably are not even made by the company that puts their name on the scope. Not trying to defend the BSA brand, because most of their line IS garbage, but you can't bash an entire brand based on several bad models. Even the low end brands sometimes get it right on rare occasions.

[bigbearbear]

It is a little bit above your budget, but have you considered the Mueller Speed Shot 1-4x?

http://www.amazon.com/Mueller-Speed-Rifle-Scope-Black/dp/B006WPSCOI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412405995&sr=8-1&keywords=Mueller+speed+shot

It is a red dot scope, think of it as a red dot that zooms up to 4x. The red dot is very bright. MAC has a review on it too:

[Click Boom]

Weaver v3. I have run two of them on AKs, ARs and a bolt carbine. Lots and lots of rounds. Never ever a problem. Read the reviews.

I AM SO TEMPTED TO BUY THIS SCOPE. I can only find it online. I am not a scope snob at all, but i like scopes with big eye boxes and decently forgiving eye relief. Does the picture "shut off" quickly if you move your head left to right, or is it forgiving in this regard? Can you mount it low on an AK and not have issues with the rear sight? Do you regret that it does not have an illuminated reticule? does this make it seem unsuitable for low light conditions?

I am pretty familiar with the burris mtac/tac30, the bushnell 1-4x24's, the cheaper leupolds, and the vortex 1-4 crossfire and pst. how does the weaver compare to these, if you know any of these scopes?

Thank you graciously for as detailed answers as possible!

[Click Boom]

Someone answer these burning questions!

[MongooseV8]

Just food for thought. A good scope will allow you to shoot well after legal hunting hours. An illuminated reticle is a tacticool novelty at best. All is does is add weight and bulk to your scope.

When looking through my swfa fixed scopes, my field of view appears brighter than looking across the fields with my naked eyeball. In practice the illuminated reticule makes it tougher to see your target.

[sunborder]

Just food for thought. A good scope will allow you to shoot well after legal hunting hours. An illuminated reticle is a tacticool novelty at best. All is does is add weight and bulk to your scope.

When looking through my swfa fixed scopes, my field of view appears brighter than looking across the fields with my naked eyeball. In practice the illuminated reticule makes it tougher to see your target.

Tacticool novelty? I suppose it depends on what you intend using the weapon for. An SKS is not really a viable hunting weapon in California, anyway. Yes, you can put a magazine limiter in there, and you can probably find lead-free ammunition (I think Corbon makes some at about $2 per shot). But that seems like an awful lot of trouble to take a close combat carbine and turn it into some sort of poor-man's hunting rifle.

I'm pretty sure the OP is not really considering the illuminated reticle for hunting purposes. The illuminated reticle is useful for a defensive weapon, where you might be using it in low-light conditions like a night with a full moon, twilight or pre-dawn, or a dimly lit room. The SKS is for dealing with 2-legged predators, not game.