Who makes the best Inexpensive Rifle Scope??

Status
Not open for further replies.
depends on how cheap.

i have a tasco world class on my 243 that has the television screen view in it that works very well. hard to beat for 90 bucks.

i also have a redfield revolution 4-12x40 that is a pleasure in the 175 dollar range.
 
I do remember back in the day when most things stamped "made in japan" was considered junk.
Click to expand...
Completely different circumstances. With Japan, for the most part, it was propaganda. With China, it is true, most of what is manufacturered in China is the cheapest garbage known to man and 99% of it is sold at Walmart.
 
I got a Barska 6-24x 50mm on sale at Gander Mountain for $99.00 I put it on a 7mm Rem Mag with souped up handloads and it really takes a beating. Hasn't loosened up or failed yet, nor has it lost its zero. Now that's a great scope for a cheap price.
 
Sorry to hear that - you seem to be the anomaly :( Maybe Tasco just does not like you?

I just sold a 702TR to another member here who now has two and was very happy to get another. I think there are TASCO's and then there are tasco's?
 
Or maybe cheap scopes are just a big, fat, steaming gamble. They don't seem like much of a bargain when you have to replace several of them.
 
Completely different circumstances. With Japan, for the most part, it was propaganda. With China, it is true, most of what is manufacturered in China is the cheapest garbage known to man and 99% of it is sold at Walmart.
Click to expand...

HaHa, you must be forgetting the Japanese tools, optics, toys, ect that was shipped here in the early & mid 50's. Might not have been sold by a WalMart as there were non but the goods were alot more like junk than what we get from China now. Take a good look at a Cannon camera, or check the bottom of your laptop. Sure would like to know just who is producing all the glass for Leupold & their division Redfield.
 
Last edited:
For under $250 I would look at bushnell 3200 or nikon buckmaser (they are 1" tubes, however).

Bushnell is having a 4200 closeout (Natchez, Midway, etc)for just over $500 Mil/Mil FFP scope w/ 30mm tube - that is a bargain, got two inbound for my 10/22 plinkers.
 
Anything Nikon -- As a photographer who shoots Nikon I can attest to their quality glass and durability. A Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40 can be had for $169 before tax.
 
Check the price of some Nitrex TR1 & 2 scopes at Natchez, on clearance with a $50 - $100 rebate. Those are very nice scopes!
 
As BrocLuno said, we have been testing the centerpoint and from what I can tell so far, for under 100.00, you would be hard pressed to beat the centerpoint!
 
Cheapest that worked well for me would be between a Cabela's Alaskan guide I got on clearance for $100 that normally ran for $350 and a Nikon Buckmaster for around $350, though the Alaskan Guide is a 6.5-20x and the Buckmaster is 6-18x, both towards the top of the magnification range for those lines. I would be willing to use similar scopes in lower powers.

I have had ok performance with a Mueller APV. Not outstanding, but ok and usable. Not sure I would really buy another.

I've tried the cheap Simmons, Barska, BSA, Bushnell, Tasco, and a few others and all have failed or had major issues, typically sooner than later.

I know you are trying to ignore country of origin, but personally, with the results I have seen, if you get out of China your odds of a good scope go up quite a bit. Mueller, Vortex, and Pentax seem to be three brands with at least some China made scopes that are made fairly well. If I had to spend as little money as possible I would go with a scope from one of them. If I could afford a slightly higher budget to pay for something from a different country, a lot of scopes come to mind that I would trust.
 
There's a bunch of em out there. I have a few myself. The cheapest i have on a center fire rifle is the Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40 with BDC reticle that I paid right at $160 total for. It's clear with 90% light transmission, and I like the BDC system. Also I have this scope on a Rem. 700 SPS 30-06 and I shoot a 200 grain Sierra Game King over 56 grains IMR 4831 at about 2650 FPS MV, and it knocks you back pretty seriously when shooting those. But the Prostaff takes it like the pro it is. I love this scope. It's clear, It's tough, and it's cheap. What is there not to like?

I also have some Leupolds. I have a Rifleman 3-9x40 on a .270 Winchester that is a great scope for the money and I have two VX-1 Leupolds, one 3-9x40 and one 4-12x40. The 3-9x40 is on my custom build Mauser with a 26 inch E.R.Shaw Barrel in .280 Remington. The 4-12x40 is on my Remington ADL Synthetic 22-250. Then I have an older Vary X II Leaupold 3-9x40 on a Custom built Howa 1500 action with a Krieger 26 inch heavy sporter SS barrel in a real classic caliber, a .250 Savage. It's a really clear scope but it is nothing but a VX-1. When Leupold changed their lineup a few years back, the Vari X 2 became the VX-1. Anyway, all these Leupolds are nice. They are clear enough for my hunting needs and quite a bit cheaper than their high end scopes. And they all hold zero well.

Also, there is the new Redfield Revolution scope made by Leupold which are I've heard excellent for the money. And they have an average 92% light transmission, the same as a Leupold VX-2. You can get a Redfield 3-9x40 Revolution for about $150.00. Now that's a deal, seeing that it has the same percentage light transmission as the Leupold VX-2 which costs about $150 more. Anyway that's just a few I know about. There's more deals out there and good products.
 
Last edited:
Last year I would have leaned towards a Bushnell Elite or a Nikon Buckmasters but now I going to say the new Redfield Revolution has got the best glass I've seen in lower end scopes without an Adjustable objective. I base this on being able to see .22 cal. bullet holes at 100 yards. I'm in my late 50's so there are a lot of scopes that look good to me under hunting conditions, but at the range it's a different story. Just my observations.
 
Weavers from the 60’s and early 70’s are still running fine on my .308 and .358 winchesters

I shot out (destroyed with recoil) a couple of Tascos from the 60’s and 70’s

I have a couple of Bushnell banners on .222 and .223 Contender carbine barrels and they are not that clear.

I have one Zeiss that was purchased used and is a great scope.

I have three Nikon Prostaff scopes on a .280, .35 Whelen and a .300 RSAM. they are taking the recoil and are very clear.

My favorite, but not the cheapest are Leupolds VX-2 and VX-3 which are on my primary hunting rifles.
 
just got my Vortex crossfire 6-24x50mm scope.... this thing is massive!! Seems to be built well... glass is pretty good definitely NOT Leupold quality but still very good for 100 bucks!!

I will hopefully have it sighted in this weekend on the ole 25-06 Stevens 200... now if I can just get a good thumbhole stock I will be set!!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
  • Locked
The best scopes in the world?
2 3 4 5
Replies
108
Views
10K
007BondJamesBond007
0
L
  • Locked
Best $300 rifle scope?
2 3 4
Replies
76
Views
7K
leadcounsel
L
K
  • Locked
Leupold QD scope mount
Replies
9
Views
1K
Mike Hull
M
S
  • Locked
Inexpensive Scout Rifle Scope
Replies
16
Views
3K
Storm
S
Outlaw75
  • Locked
Rifle/Scope Packages
2
Replies
30
Views
4K
Captcurt
Captcurt
Back
Top