Best inexpensive scope?

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Sniper66

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I'm helping a friend pick a scope for his $150 Savage MKII. He is not wanting to spend much, $100 max. I haven't looked at such scopes for awhile and not sure what to suggest. Your ideas would be helpful. I'm thinking a 3-9X would work best. He plans to hunt squirrels and rabbits. I will do some looking on eBay too. Maybe suggest some decent inexpensive rings too. I know there are lots of guys out there who do quite well with scopes in this category. Thanks for your help.
 
Probably most of the scopes in that budget are going to be Chinese made glass. A decade ago, I would try and find stuff made stateside or worst case in the Philippines (ie: Nikon), but these days I quit caring where it is made and rather how it performs.

For that price-point, the rebranded Redfield stuff sold exclusively through Academy Sports is decent. I have a couple and have had no issues in the field hunting deer and varmints. I also have one of the Weaver scopes made exclusively for Natchez SS, or so they say. It's been just fine on my 300 Weatherby. it's also in the low $100-ish range.

I had an issue with eye relief on a Burris FullField 2-7 on a lightweight 308 Win. But I have another Burris FullField on a 30-06 and the relief is fine so mixed bag there.
 
bushnell and weaver for cheap scopes, never liked BSA (Best Stay Away) tasco works but glass looks like crap. Athlon neos 3-9x40 I haven't tried the cheaper athlons but the higher end ones are good and good warranty. I've had 1 vortex and that was enough for me, I used to put Nikon buckmasters on everything budget wise but they don't make scopes anymore I miss the buckmaster series.
 
For rings ... hard to beat the old school Weaver QD , 1" low mount . set of 2
they sell for around $30 ... I've never had a set fail , Rifle or handgun scope mount .
Not sexy but if you want a scope ring that holds ... the old fashioned Weaver Quick Detachable will get the job done and not cost you an arm , leg and first born child !
Over 50 years use and never a failure with that design !
Gary
 
As for scopes that don't break the bank ... Look at the line of Tasco scopes .
I have two on big game rifles a fixed 4X and a 3-9X adjustable ... bought 25 years ago, hunted with both often , ... not one complaint .
They are still made and sold ... Midway USA carries them ... still decent prices !
Gary
 
I'd give the Bushnell Banner 4-12x40 Gen 1 a look. The gen. 2 has a christmas tree reticle which I feel is wasted on a .22lr given that I have no idea what cartridge the reticle is for and as far as I can tell Bushnell doesn't specify. The gen. 1 has a simple Multi-X reticle with an adjustable objective which I prefer.

Here's a link for one I found on ebay for 100 bucks: https://www.ebay.com/p/2254489947
 
My experience has been that if a scope is going to fail, it will do so right away - like within a few dozen rounds. That's not always the case, but has been so about 95% of the time - again in my personal experience. The main difference between K-mart blister pack scopes and big name display-case scopes is that the blister pack ones are a lot more likely to go kablooey right away. But once any scope has gone a hundred rounds, I find that I can usually count on it.

Glass quality is another topic. Certainly, the $75 Bushnels and Tascos are going to have more clarity issues - chromatic aberration being probably the biggest one, with edge distortion close behind - but I'm honestly not sure that should be worth worrying about in most rifle scopes. Okay, yeah, my target isn't exactly the right color through my scope. And?

Repeatable adjustments are maybe the biggest issue. A really good scope will let you click up and down the same amount all day long, and at the end of it, you'll be exactly where you started. A basic scope probably won't. That matters a great deal in certain kinds of shooting, and not at all for the rest. The great majority of my rifles get zeroed to a particular load and distance, and then stay that way until the heat death of the universe. I couldn't care less about "clicking around the box", etc.

Which is all a long way of saying "Buy a Bushnell. Zero it, then shoot another twenty rounds. If it still works at that point, then it will probably keep working forever. And if you really need great color rendition, put the money you saved toward a really good binocular."
 
While I agree with some of the above suggestions most are over budget and I have that friend (or 3) that would sooner flitter away the $20 difference between ok and very good on a greasy burger after that trip to Walmart.

So on a Walmart budget, a Bushnell Trophy and a set of Burris Zee rings would be my choice on a hard budget. If there’s wiggle room I’d throw in the Sig Buckmasters and double down on the Zee rings.
 
I like the Bushnell trophy for under 100. If you can catch the signtron s1 for under 150 it's pretty good, as are the Burris e1's. I have not been impressed with the crossfire at all. The few I have looked theought were very dark and yellowy.

Here is my takeaway: don't pay retail for a scope. Natchez, midway, other places always have some scope for40% off or so. Buy the sale. Buy the clearance.
 
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