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Who makes the best Inexpensive Rifle Scope??

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My vote, Redfield in the low price range. Made by Leopold. I have a few bushnells but while most are ok for the money one has completely failed, will not hold zero at all, only used on a .22lr for a 200 rounds. I have a Simmons on a .22 and it's ok but not Leopold class. I had a cheap china made scope for a day. Adjustments failed comepletely.
 
T.R. the EPA shut the Redfield facility on Jewel Ave. in Denver CO. years ago due to dumping toxic chemicals into the ground soil and fined them 5 million dollars. I know, my house was in the contamination zone 2 blocks away. All the equipment was sold off at auction and that facility is now a tile company.

BTW ............. quit buying chinese products :cuss:
 
Best low price scope? Simple answer: The Redfields now being made in US by Leupold. Or look at it another way, the Leupolds with Redfield labels.
 
Nice write-up Sky :)

But I don't know if they all fit the word "Inexpensive" ? Not saying we are talking big $$ here, just <$100, $100~$250, $250~$600 and $600 and above all seem to be sort of normal price ranges? I think (could be wrong) we are discussing scopes in the <$100 range? If I'm wrong, please correct me :)

I think to make this a bit more meaningful, we should collect up some of these and do another side-by-side? I'll supply my new CenterPoint and see what else I might have? I'd be really interested in how it stacks up against a Mueller and some others?
 
Another vote for Redfields.

Midway was running a closeout/blemish sale on Leupolds recently and I got a great deal on a VXI. The thing was marked blemish in perfect condition.

MADE IN USA!
 
I worked in a gun shop part time for several years. Cheap scopes (BSA, Chinese Tasco, Swift, etc.) would have maybe 3 to 5 of 10 sold come back for warranty.

As the price increases, the warranty problems decreased. Brand didn't seem to matter much. If you think a $50 scope is just as good as a $300 scope, you're an idiot.

Also, it's hard to impossible to label quality by brand. Price is more of an indicator. That said, I bought a Traditions muzzle loader scope for a friend to mount on his 12 gauge. Works great so far, and it was maybe $100 on clearance.

I wouldn't take a Simmons free. Have a friend that uses them on all his guns and loves them.

If you're looking for a deal, see if your local shop will take a scope off a rifle on the rack. Most buyers look at the gun and consider the scope a freebee. Sometimes the dealer can make more by splitting them up. As noted, higher end scopes like (the real) Leupold have lifetime warranty.

Also, manufacturers tend to go through cycles of good and bad. What was true ten years ago may not be true now. Weaver used to make some of the best scopes, then starting building crap to hit price points. I have a new Weaver 2.5x8 on a .357 Herrett Contender pistol. To say the recoil is brutal is an understatement, and it's held up fine.
 
Mueller, I have 4 and they are more clear then my Nikon Monarch. The Mueller is made in China(most everything is )I purchased one for a 10/22 and could not believe the clarity and from that point purchased 8-32x44 target dot for my Savage 12 223. Leupold is now making a low cost Redfield at there plant I have a 2x7 which is an excellent scope has an outside finish I'm not crazy about but that is a minor issue.
 
I've had B&L, Bushnell 3200, Simmons ATV 4.5-14, Leupold VXII, Nikon Monarch 3-10x, Weaver K2.5 & T-36 (2), and others. Tasco 8.5-32x

So far the clearest and best has been the Leupold. Unlike the Nikon Monarch, the image is full to the edges. Comparing them very closely, the Leupold image is a bit sharper.

The Bushnell had terrible edge distortion. Moving the scope horizontally in the woods made all the trees at the edges bend, giving me a queasy feeling.

The Simmons scopes have a clear and very bright image, but I've had to return one because the adjustments wouldn't hold zero after a couple of years of intensive 10-22 shooting. The 4.5-14 ATV is no longer available. Too bad, I loved that scope and have them on several rifles.

The Tasco 8.5-32x (japan) is a great scope; not as bright or clear as the Simmons, but very accurate. It doesn't focus to 50 feet...bummer!

My B&L scopes are great, but after about 50 years, one eyepiece couple has apparently delaminated.
 
For the passed several years, whenever I bought a new scope, it's been a Leupold. They have clear optics, are tough, lightweight and good looking, and have a great warranty.
 
For the passed several years, whenever I bought a new scope, it's been a Leupold. They have clear optics, are tough, lightweight and good looking, and have a great warranty.
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And a mega price, I wouldn't classify them as inexpensive as the title of this thread is asking about.
 
I used to own a Swift Premier scope and was very happy with it. I've heard some bad things about Swift, but they do make a lower end line and I'm guessing that's where the problems came from. Mine was pretty clear (not as nice as a Leupold but still good), repeatable, and held zero.
 
First, I am a Leupold fan. All but a couple of my rifles wear Leupolds. I have an old Redfield widefield illuminator on a 700 ADL, Excellent scope, but no longer available. I have one of the Redfields that were produced when Weaver/Blount was the holding company, but the optices are not extremely clear. Aside from this, the scope works fine. I have a Nikon Monarch 4-12 which is very good, but not as good as a comparable Luepold. I have a Burris 4-16 Fulfield II which worked very well and the optices were good for the money. Replaced it with a VXIII 4.5-14 when I found a deal. I just finished bedding a model 700 with a Zeiss Conquest. It's ok, but I like Luepold's crosshair better. I will proably replace it.

I've owned more scope than I ever should have. What I find is that I end up getting a Luepold to replace anything else.

Strictly considering price combined with quality, I have to cast a vote for the Bushnell Elite 3200 scopes. I just couldn't bring myself to part with these scopes after using them. I have a 3-9 that I use for a backup. I also have a couple of 2-7s. One on a model 7 and one on a slug gun. These scopes are unbeatable considering price and quality.
 
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Cheap and good don't go together. Most cheap brands can all be lumped together into one big pile of risky business. That includes everything made by Tasco, Simmons, Barska, BSA, Centerpoint, etc. Some brands like Bushnell have good and bad. I wouldnt' consider any of their scopes that were not part of the "Elite" series, the old Bausch & Lomb line. I learned the hard way, which seems to be the way most shooters have to learn. By getting cheap scopes and having them fail and the most inopportune time.

Buy the best optics you can afford. Don't be afraid to save your money. You're far better off with lower end scopes from Burris, Leupold, Redfield, Nikon, etc. than anything from a lesser brand. Skimp on features before skimping on quality. A $150 Burris 2-7x will serve you far better than a $150 Tasco 6-24x, regardless of use.
 
I have one Tasco World Class scope mounted on a Howa 1500 in 223. Scope has been on there for years w/o any problems. Never had much luck with Simmons.
 
One rule I follow is any optic I would consider must be manufactured in the US, Japan, or western europe.

For cheap, I would go for a new Redfield (USA) or a Nitrex (Japan) on blowout from Natchez. The Nitrex also have a nice rebate. You can get a 1.5 - 5 or 3-9 for under $100 after rebate, then add shipping. Honestly as much as I hate to say it, the Nitrex strikes me as a little better scope for the money due to the marked down prices and rebates.
 
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I would have to stand behind almost all the scope mfg. But everyone has a friday even the guys at leupold
 
Just reading these threads has given me an insight.....no one wants anything to do with "chinese" made....which may well be the future for us all. does makes me wonder...after the second world war...how many distained the idea of "japanese" glass..swearing only to buy american...I do remember back in the day when most things stamped "made in japan" was considered junk......look where we are now
 
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