Looking for a rimfire scope NOT made in China - Please advise

[kenboyles72]

Specifically springers ruin scopes.....pneumatics are the same as powder burners
Airgun scopes are always a good place look for .22 optics, most decent airguns scopes are either SF, or AO, down to 10yds or less.
Again tho, if avoiding Chinese made, your options are more expensive and limited.


a note on the bugbusters.
The early ones were fantastic for the price, many of the more recent ones have had crooked crosshairs, and slightly poorer glass. I havent had one for a year or two tho, so that may have changed again for all i know.

I have one of the new models of the UTG Bugbuster. The glass is super clear and doesn't have much glare to it, but the crosshairs do seem to be canted just a tad. I doesn't bother me that it's canted, cause I don't level the scope housing to the rifle, but level the crosshairs. I get my rifle leveled in a vise, then tape a piece of paper with crosshairs on it to a wall with that's leveled. After that, I shine a flashlight down the scope to project the scope crosshairs on the paper, make adjustments till everything lines up. Came across a y-tube video a while back with that procedure and have been doing it ever since. Takes a little more time, but works great.

 

[LoonWulf]

I have one of the new models of the UTG Bugbuster. The glass is super clear and doesn't have much glare to it, but the crosshairs do seem to be canted just a tad. I doesn't bother me that it's canted, cause I don't level the scope housing to the rifle, but level the crosshairs. I get my rifle leveled in a vise, then tape a piece of paper with crosshairs on it to a wall with that's leveled. After that, I shine a flashlight down the scope to project the scope crosshairs on the paper, make adjustments till everything lines up. Came across a y-tube video a while back with that procedure and have been doing it ever since. Takes a little more time, but works great.

My issue with the cant is that vertical and horizontal track diagonally.

The last bugbuster i got had both relatively poor glass, with noticeable fish eye, and a canted reticle. They may have improved again as that was a few years ago, or i may have just got a bad scope. It actually went straight back to amazon, so i cant say if it would have worked ok or not. The older ones i had were great, they even tracked well. Hopefully i just got a bad scope, as they were an excellent option for smaller rifles, especially if you needed an AO.

 

[greyling22]

nikon rimfire 2-7x $135 https://www.natchezss.com/refurbish...2-7x32-matte-mk1-moa-reticle-black-matte.html
different reticle https://www.natchezss.com/refurbish...ope-2-7x32mm-bdc-150-reticle-black-matte.html

they are phillipino.

 

[CraigC]

China is where $125 scopes are made. Hard to get around that. If you want one made somewhere else, it's probably gonna cost more.

No reason a big game scope with parallax set on 100-150 yards can't be used on a 22. Parallax is one of those things we worry about way more than the issue justifies.

I don't agree with this at all. It tends to be fine up to 4x but get much over that and you can see serious parallax issues at 50-75yds.

 

[Ernie Bass]

Weaver and Nikon being discontinued really limits the choices within your budget. I have the aforementioned Clearidge Ultra RM which I really like and which is considerably higher than $125.00. Don’t know anything about the Bushnells but in your price range they are the only ones I’d try.

I love the ClearRidge for my Rimfires and high end pellet guns. They run about $200.00 but worthy of scopes costing much more. And weight is only a little over 11oz. I have about 5 or 6 of the Bug Busters, on my Magnum air rifles . Tough scopes. I have a quick detach mount that fits over my Henry 22 which has a Skinner sight in case I want to shoot at longer distances.Notice that the description say's "Airgun Rated".
That desination means it is built tough.

Looking for that scope that you can use target shooting at close ranges or shooting that squirrel out of a tree at longer distances, than the Ultra RM Rimfire scope is for you. With an adjustable objective that will focus range from 10 yards to infinity, making this scope one of the most versatile scopes on the market. Offering Semi-Target finger adjustable elevation and windage knobs, the Ultra RM is a breeze to sight in or adjust at any time. Optical performance is not spared in our Ultra RM line of scopes, with quality fully multi-coated lenses that offer over 95% light transmission and a crisp, clear image. Airgun Rated.

Here is the Link to Clearidge

http://www.clearidgeoptics.com/product-p/3360.htm

 

[cdb1]

I love the ClearRidge for my Rimfires and high end pellet guns. They run about $200.00 but worthy of scopes costing much more. And weight is only a little over 11oz. I have about 5 or 6 of the Bug Busters, on my Magnum air rifles . Tough scopes. I have a quick detach mount that fits over my Henry 22 which has a Skinner sight in case I want to shoot at longer distances.Notice that the description say's "Airgun Rated".
That desination means it is built tough.

Looking for that scope that you can use target shooting at close ranges or shooting that squirrel out of a tree at longer distances, than the Ultra RM Rimfire scope is for you. With an adjustable objective that will focus range from 10 yards to infinity, making this scope one of the most versatile scopes on the market. Offering Semi-Target finger adjustable elevation and windage knobs, the Ultra RM is a breeze to sight in or adjust at any time. Optical performance is not spared in our Ultra RM line of scopes, with quality fully multi-coated lenses that offer over 95% light transmission and a crisp, clear image. Airgun Rated.

Here is the Link to Clearidge

http://www.clearidgeoptics.com/product-p/3360.htm

Yep, I sure like my Ultra RM.

 

[Ernie Bass]

One scope manufactuer that I have heard many of my range buddies talk with very positive reviews is he HAWK series. Very low price point for the quality. From what many say, the best scope under $100. And of course up graded beyond that.
Models specifically for Airguns, Rimfires.

https://us.hawkeoptics.com/about.html

 

[cdb1]

I bought a 2-7 Hawke Endurance a few years ago. Price was similar to a Fullfield II 2-7x35 I already owned. To my eyes the Hawke glass wasn’t as good, by a good margin. So I sent it back. My understanding is Hawke scopes are pretty tough though.

 

[Skylerbone]

If you live near a Cabelas the Leupold Marksman 3-9x40 Windplex is $159.97 if you trade in a scope August 6-26th.

 

[3Crows]

It is the expectation that one should be able to buy a good $125 scope that forces manufacturing to China to begin with. Good scopes cost that much in 1960.

 

[LoonWulf]

I generally feel that you can get an pretty decent scope for 125 bucks, and you can get them from Korea or the Philippines, but your limited to the "standards" like 2-7s or 3-9s with relatively few features. Also gotta wait for sales to drop, rather than just grabbing one off the rack.

 

[Axis II]

Sorry to highjack this one but I too am in the market for a sub $150 scope of a beater squirrel gun. Ive been looking at the bug buster pretty hard. Just need something I can wack a squirrel in the head with out to 50yards.

 

[gunsrfun1]

Thank you all for your responses and suggestions. I'm pretty firm on 1x or 2x as the lower magnification, because I am going to be using this on guns I shoot offhand, and I just find that I need a bit of "clarity" at 50 yards or more (i.e., seeing the target), but not necessarily a lot of magnification. Too much magnification makes it hard for me to settle in on the target. And I would like an objective of at least 32mm or so.
As for the China thing ... it's not a question of quality for me. I have some scopes made in China, and they are fine. For me, it's a personal philosophy: I'm avoiding buying products made in China if I can (not always possible, I know.) And I am lucky enough that I can afford to pay a bit extra if need be for a scope made elsewhere. Philippines, Korea, US, etc, I don't care. But not China if I can avoid it. But that's just me; everyone can make their own decision on that.
The parallax comment from jmr40 has me thinking that maybe I can just get a scope with the normal 100 yard parallax and use it, since I won't be shooting this gun at more than 50 yards. That definitely increases my options, so I am thinking about that.
Thanks again all for your input.