really really cheap scope... really

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In a word...NO. Have had both, and trashed both (forget about BSA too). Irons, any irons...even ones duck-taped on, easily trumps all of the above. The only uber-cheap scope that I will consider is a Bushnell...the glass isn't great (as expected) but they hold together fine and hold zero well, which is an improvement over most others in their price range. I have a CenterPoint on my 10/22, but I can't recommend it because I had to buy two to get one that worked properly (couldn't zero the first one)...perhaps I got a lemon, but either way i'm going to replace it (likely with a Sightron S-II Big Sky) before long.
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I think the quality of cheap scopes vary quite a bit as I've had good luck with the Tasco's and I've had pretty good luck with the Simmons. I know that Bushnell now owns Simmons and Tasco, so they are probably now all the same.

I've also had a cheap Bushnell and it's by far the worst scope I've ever used. Once zeroed it does stay zeroed, but the adjustments aren't at all close. At 50 yards one click was moving it 3/4"-1". So it made it very hard to get it sighted in. For a gun that shoots one hole groups at 50 yards this was a pita as the bullets either impacted to the right or left side of the bullseye and I couldn't get it centered. The next thing I noticed is every time I'd make an adjustment it would take several shots to settle in. It would move a little each shot. I always saw older guys beat on their scopes after adjusting them. I've never done this, and never planned too, but I learned quickly that you have to beat the crap out of this scope to get it to settle. When it comes to the glass the glass isn't horrible, but it's not good either.

That's why I think quality varies from scope to scope, because like you, several of my friends have had good experiences with the cheap Bushnells, so I figure they can't all be as bad as the one I had. I've also got friends that have had good and bad luck with the $30 Tasco's, and quite a few that have had good luck with Simmons.
 
That's why I think quality varies from scope to scope, because like you, several of my friends have had good experiences with the cheap Bushnells, so I figure they can't all be as bad as the one I had. I've also got friends that have had good and bad luck with the $30 Tasco's, and quite a few that have had good luck with Simmons.
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You may very well be right, but I have never owned a Bushnell (of any sort) that had any problems, nor have any of my friends...but that doesn't mean that all were that way. ...but once you get bit, it is hard to go back to the same brand and/or model.

Best advice is simply to save up and get something a little better. Sightron S-Is are pretty darn good, though not super cheap...certainly not in the realm of a Tasco.

:)
 
Be careful with the Simmons 22 Mag scopes. I had one on my Marlin 60 and loved it. I must have bumped the eye end of the scope somehow, and it sheared all the nylon nubs off inside-no more focus. I'll send it in for repair one day, but wont buy another.
I replaced it with a Wally World Center Point 3-9X32 and I'm very pleased with it. I'll be trying out the 4-16X40 soon.
 
Bushnell all the way. I have probably owned more cheap scopes then any man alive, and any time I don't feel like investing in another Prostaff I reach for the cheapest bushnell I can find. I have owned seven of them now and have yet to have the first problem with any of them. I even had them on a couple of them on high recoil magnums. Bushnell also makes a pretty darn good glass for their price range the $30 Bushnell I have on my .22 is clear enough to let me easly shoot nickle sized targets out to 100 yards in any decent light. BSA and Center Point have the same issue in my book their recticals are bulky and their glass is a little hazey, althout I have to say that I never had any mechanical issues with them either. Tasco is JUNK and I have yet to have a Simmons hold a zero for more then one shot.
 
Same with me on Simmons.

Anyone have much experience with BSA Sweet 22? Got a 3-9x40 on sale with parallax adjustment, trajectory vertical adj, and external adj knobs. I got it so cheap thought it would be fun to try. Seems to work ok but weather has been so bad haven't had a chance to shoot much. Big clumsy suckers
 
I had an old Tasco 3-9x40 that was a reliable if not so bright scope. I have a Simmons 8Point that has been reliable as well.

In my opinion, the best deal in good scopes is the Nikon Primos Edition scopes. These are the previous gen monarch UCC scopes. They have 95% light transmission, and are super bright and contrasty. You can still get them for $199 or so on ebay. These are as good and a VX3 and 1/3 the cost.
 
Given the gun and the intended purpose I would say whatever walmart has on the shelf in your price range will work just fine.

That whole you get what you pay for is a line of horse hockey unless the purpose you are buying a scope is to get high quality, for precision shooting. I have grown up around hunting and causal shooting and have seen hundreds of deer taken with $50 scopes and plenty of bulls-eyes hit with the same.
 
I find it odd that soo many people bash Simmons and Tasco when recommending Bushnell since they are the same company. I wonder if the products are that different.
 
I have 3 centerpoints and completely happy with them(3x9x40 3-12x40 4-16x40).

They hold zero on everything from my .22 to my 30.06. I dont really care for the tacticool styling that the ones walmart sells.

Cheap "good enough" scopes exist out there and are completely worth your money.
 
I have used Tasco, Bushnell, Simmons, Barska, and even a BSA scope on everything from a pellet rifle all the way up to a .50 muzzleloader. BSAs do tend to be the very bottom of the barrel, and though the finish of the cheap tascos isnt much better, they do their job without too much trouble. For a cheap scope, I have had the best luck with Barska. The clarity is decent, and I currently have a 3-12x50 IR on a CVA .50 that has been nothing but wonderful.
 
There are plenty of "cheap" scopes so your selection process . The Tasco Pronghorn for $32 or even the Tasco World Class for a little more aren't too bad - YMMV.

Purchasing "Cheap" scopes should be more of a strategy than anyting. Mail order a cheap scope and most likely the shipping cost to return a bad unit is 1/3 the cost and you'll most likely sit on it. My strategy is to always purchase said scopes locally (Walmart, Bass Pro, Cabelas etc) so that a defective scope can be promptly returned and not have to deal with shipping or mfg warranty. Keep this in mind to if you do get a bad scope don't be afraid to exchange it for the same make and model. I've only had to return a few scopes in the last 15+years and the 2nd ones always worked fine.

Usually the "cheap" scopes have less Quality Control from the factory...you are the QC and may end up wasting some ammo and time on a defective scope. So keep that in mind when buying low end products most of the time they are real bargains some of the time an expensive experiment.
 
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My BSA Sweet .22 was fine. It had some lag in adjustment, but when zeroed, it maintained the zero. My Tasco Pronghorn scopes also were fine enough scopes, given the cost and application. Neither of these brand scopes were the quality of a Leupold, Redfield or Nightforce. However, neither were they as expensive. For a purely day-time-use scope, I have no problem with Tasco's straight 4X Pronghorn. JMHO.

Geno
 
Based on my personal experience over many years, and as a range officer over several years at my club's sight-in days - IMO, cheap scopes aren't worth the money or the aggravation.

This year, I saw two that literally self destructed after less than 20 rounds and most all o

f the rest had problems zeroing-in and then holding zero shot-to-shot. A lot of these were the package scopes from box stores. Haven't tried them all and I'm sure some are better than others, but in general I can't say much for them.

One exception is a Cabelas Pine River that came on a 10/22. So far, it has proven to hold zero and track fairly well. Optics are nothing great. However, it was selling for $99 and is on a .22.

IMO, one is better off savng for a better scope and one should not overlook used and the older, Japan Tascos are not bad.
 
well, i was just about to hit the button on a Simmons 22 mag. 4x scope but shipping is a killer. i just can't see spending 1/3 the cost of a scope on shipping.
i'm gonna take jpwilly's advise and see what's available locally. i dought i would save much in a B&M but at least i could return/ exchange it cheap enough if there is a problem.
 
Years ago while looking at WalMart scopes the guy behind the counter an I ended up in a discussion about cheap scopes.
He went in the back and brought out an entire basket of scopes that were models no longer being sold due to the Manufacturers changing something with them.
I bought 5 scopes for $50 or so.
I dont know store policy, but you might try that. It worked for me.
 
hometheaterman said:
I find it odd that soo many people bash Simmons and Tasco when recommending Bushnell since they are the same company. I wonder if the products are that different.
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Why wouldn't they be? Lamborghini, Bentley and VW (also a few brands cheaper than VW that aren't sold in the US) are all made by the same company as well. Corporations understand branding. If anything, the bottom end products benefit because similar engineering goes into all of the products. The lower end stuff is just made with with lower cost components and probably less QC.
 
Here's another idea, how about a period correct? I can't find a pic of that model, but check gun shows for an old Weaver 4x or 6x. If you can find one that's clear, it shouldn't be more that $30 or so, and would look great. I found an old C6 that I'm holding for my Remington 512 that I'll eventually get.

Also, I've got a Simmons 4x on my 30-30, and it's never given me any problems.
RT
 
Sometimes, the sad fact is that it's better to just do without, than to squander money on junk. Talking about a $25-30 scope AND rings is waste of your money and our time. Learn to shoot irons and enjoy them.
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I agree! I'd rather throw $30 in the garbage can than buy a $30 scope. The result is the same but the garbage can doesn't result in any frustration. As a wise man once said, "cheap is too expensive".


I find it odd that so many people bash Simmons and Tasco when recommending Bushnell since they are the same company. I wonder if the products are that different.
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They may be owned by the same company but that in NO way means they are the same. By your logic there would be no difference between a Bushnell Elite 4200 and a Tasco World Class but you could not be more wrong.
 
I have a Leaper's 4x fixed scope for my AR, and it's worked great.
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I have one as well (a 3-12x model), and while it hasn't afforded me the best in optical clarity it has retained zero well, and has proven to be repeatable. Per my understanding they are making the CenterPoint scopes as well (and are tied in with Crossman IIRC). I wouldn't say that i'd buy another one, but I can't recommend against it either. OTOH, NCStar optics appear to be similar to Leapers brand scopes, and are often sold by the same retailers, but are in no way similar in operation...they are amongst the worst I have ever tried.

:)
 
i like red tornado's retro idea but i stopped haunting gunshows a while back.
through the power of the internet i found a centerpoint 4x 32(with rings) at about $28... shipped free through walmart. the Simmons 22 mag roles in at about $37 shipped with rings.
i'm liken the centerpoint and it falls into the budget. good reviews on Wally's web and several mentions here of centerpoint scopes. i had not heard of the brand but i haven't heard of any bad reviews so far. i think the few bad things i have read re: cheap scopes is that the buyers expectations of quality were out of line with price. there is a place for everything.
 
I just find it hard to believe that Bushnell is making a ton of difference scopes in the $30 price range and each one sold under their brands is different. I wouldn't be surprised if several in that price range are very similar internally, but I could be wrong. Now obviously the Elite series scopes aren't the same as a Simmons 8 point.
 
i used a tasco world class handed down to me by my father that i used for probably 10 years before finally upgrading to a redfield this year. I still have the scope mounted on my .243 which my little brother shoots. so i guess i would be in favor of the tasco.

btw the only reason i upgraded is because i now hunt in more open areas versus hardwoods. the tasco was 3-9 and the redfield is 4-12
 
I have a couple $30 scopes that work great with no frustration but I guess I should just throw them in the garbage :rolleyes:

Tech has come a long way and cheapo scopes are up to snuff since the 80's - 90's when the last time some of these guys tried a cheap scope.


Would I put a $30 scope on a hunting rifle no but for a plinker some of them work just fine.
 
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