Buy the most expensive scope you can afford?

If I need a wrench for a job I need to do once, I will shop at Harbor Freight. If I need a tool where the consequence of poor quality is significant I will buy a good one.

If I know a rifle will be used only to fling cheap bullets at rocks across the hill, who cares if the scope breaks...but if scope failure might cost me a trophy buck or a freezer full of meat, the extra $100 spent on a decent scope is an investment.

In the moment when old mossy horns steps out into the clear and you discover your scope is fogged, you won't congratulate yourself for having saved a few pennies.

I have a box in the garage with 6 or 7 scopes that have failed somehow over the last 30 years. They are Tasco, Bushnell, Simmons, BSA and the like.
 
I say: Buy the best quality you can afford that corresponds to the importance of the need. Keeping in mind that I have never spent more than $150 on a used Leupold. I can see spending more if I had to. But for my purposes, I have been able to meet my needs for less. I trust Leupolds and older Weaver K-4's if they are in good condition. The steel Weaver K-4 is simple and rugged, which I appreciate more than something with all the bells and whistles.
 
Maybe having iron sights as a back-up in case of scope failure was the right idea the whole time after all......
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My favorite post of all. Now that I have had cataract surgery and once again have excellent long range eyesight I am once again in love with open sights.

For 200 yard target shooting a $100-$200 dollar scope should work if you do a little homework.

When I first started hunting I bought nice rifles and inexpensive scopes. Scopes that were under $100 bucks. I have only had two scopes that failed and never from abuse or while on a hunt. But I did used to spend time on the deer stand wondering if my cheap scope may have lost its zero.:confused:

I have replaced all the cheap scopes over the years with better scopes like several VX 1s, Nikon Pro-staff. Burris and Millet and Weaver. My cheap scopes are in a box and go on 22s or are given away to new shooters who need a scope on a 22 rifle.

So do you need the most expensive scope you can afford? Probably not but if you can spend the bucks then a pricey scope is OK. You only have to make yourself happy.
 
Somehow I think the term "cheap" is garbage. Just because the scope doesn't cost $500+ doesn't make it cheap, simply inexpensive! I get inexpensive scope's. Why? Because they work!
 
Somehow I think the term "cheap" is garbage. Just because the scope doesn't cost $500+ doesn't make it cheap, simply inexpensive! I get inexpensive scope's. Why? Because they work!
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Exactly!
It's also a relative term. To some, even the lower priced Leupold products are cheap because they don't cost a thousand dollars. They would be embarrassed to have such a cheap product be seen by their friends. To others, a $200-$250 would be considered high end, and something to be proud of.
 
A high quality scope sure won't make a cheap rifle perform better, but a cheap scope can sure make a high quality rifle preform poorly. Any fire arm is only as good as the sighting system it wears, unless you're using it for a club.

I try to pair the scope to the gun for it's intended use. I have a RPR in 6.5 Creedmoor that wears a $1,000 Black Diamond, the jury is still out on that scope, haven't had it long. My hunting rig wears a VX-3. It's 30 some odd years old. I have had no need to have the turret caps off of it since it was first sighted in. I have a 22 mag with a Prostaff on it, and a Super Blackhawk Hunter with a Leupold on it. That's the third one. The first two would not hold up to the recoil.
 
Figure out what you want to do with the gun and buy a scope that fits the purpose. Buy a good to better grade scope, and you can keep moving it to better and better rifles. And as many posters have pointed out, the eyes get worse as your years go up..
 
Last year I aquired some rifles worthy of decent scopes, and began researching them myself, for really the first time in my life. I was overwhelmed because it seems everybody has several different product/quality lines, and I couldn't figure out how they all compared to the rest of the industry. I found this article extremely useful: http://www.chuckhawks.com/recommended_riflescopes.htm

Five-Star Scopes
Leupold VX-6
Schmidt & Bender
Swarovski Z5, Z6
Zeiss Victory series

Four-Star-Plus Scopes
Bushnell Elite 6500
Leupold VX-3, FX-3, VX-R
Sightron Series III (SIIISS)
Swarovski Z3
Weaver Super Slam

Four-Star Scopes
Bushnell Elite
Leupold VX-2, FX-2
Minox ZA
Nikon Monarch 3
Pentax Lightseeker
Sightron Series II Big Sky (SIIB)
Vixen Sport Optics line
Weaver Grand Slam
Zeiss Conquest

Three-Star Plus Scopes
Burris Fullfield E1, C4
Bushnell Legend Ultra HD
Leupold VX-I, FX-I, Mark AR
Sightron Series II (SII)

Three-Star Scopes
Burris Fullfield II
Bushnell Trophy XLT
Leupold Rifleman
Nikon Buckmaster
Redfield Revolution
Sightron SI
Weaver Classic V-Series and K-Series, Rimfire

Two-Star-Plus Scopes
Nikon ProStaff, Rimfire
Pentax Gameseeker
Redfield Revenge

Two-Star Scopes
Bushnell Banner
Mueller Optics line
Simmons Simmons ProHunter, 44 Mag
Weaver Kaspa

"Now, hopefully, you will not feel compelled to write a letter to the editor to ask what we think about the "Brand-X Super Scope." We reiterate, if it's not listed here we either don't care for it or don't know enough about it to have formed an opinion. In any case, the scopes that are listed here represent a reasonable assortment and range of prices from which to choose."
 
We have to use shotgun slugs for deer here in IL. I had a cheap Simmons scope on my slug gun, and the crosshairs broke loose. I told my dad and brother how I planned to send it in for repairs, and asked if they wanted me to box up anything & mail it for 'em while I was in the mood. They each brought me a broken scope, and then I realized that all 3 of them were Simmons. Take from that what you will.

The aforementioned shotgun slugs are not cheap, sometimes costing upwards of $3 per shell. One afternoon I figure I must have blown $80 or $90 worth of different deer slugs trying to get a very cheap scope sighted in, and still doubted whether I was leaving performance on the table. I would have been a lot better off investing that $90 in a better scope.

Sometimes the differences aren't obvious until you can compare them side by side, as others have mentioned. Dad has a Tasco variable that goes up to 24 power. It's so dim and blurry I can't see bullet holes in the target at 100 yards. They're easy to see with my Sightron at 16x.

I'd always leaned towards big scopes with a lot of magnification because of astigmatism in my right eye. The target still looked blurry, but at least it was bigger. Just a couple weeks ago I had Lasik surgery on it, and now I'm seeing better than 20/20. Maybe I should have spent the money on my eye instead of scopes years ago. I'm enjoying a resurgence in shooting irons, since I can finally see them clearly for the first time in decades (I never got glasses or contacts, and just lived with it).

I have seen several thoughts from guys saying they don't really need a $500 scope, and are fine with $300 scopes (or whatever). Don't rule out the more expensive scope right away, because you just might be able to find one in your price range via clearance sales, factory rebates, or buying a used or refurbished one. I've lucked into a couple nice ones that way, but of course I'd have never found 'em if I just scoffed at the MSRP & put 'em out of mind.
At least check out the Sample List first: https://samplelist.com/
 
I'm with the leupold crowd. Mine have bever failed or fogged. I hint/shoot on the east coast so my shots, unless down power lines or across hay or soy fields are a max of 200 yards. I use a leupold vx1 3-9x40. My girlfriend has a vx2 1-4 that I got for a steal. If I'm shooting over 50 yards it's wearing a leupold. But I have less rifles than a lot of people so I don't get ate up too bad on costs of optics. BUT I don't see a visible difference between the vx1 and vx2 looking through the lens, so if I had to buy another scope at retail price it'd be another vx1.
 
Buy a good quality scope. I can afford a Schmidt and Bender, but I am not going to put one on my 336 35 Rem. Actually, I am not going to put one on anything, they simply cost too much for me to justify one.
I use primarily Leupold, but they fail just as often as any of the other scopes in their respective price range. I think that by far the best scope for the money right now is the MEOPTA meopro. It sells even cheaper wearing the Cabellas Euro name tag. Cabellas does not hide what it is. They still have "MEOPTA" and the MEOPTA model number on the tube.
 
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Cabelas also has some Vortex scopes that have the Cabalas name on them. I was looking at one that seemed to be Vortex HS. Nice quality too. I prefer Vortex or Leupold.
 
Lots of good scopes out there for not a lot of money that will do the job. You might want to check out the SWFA Super Sniper 10x scope. Mine has been mounted on many different rifles over the years including a stint on my M1A, and it has held up fine. Some like the idea of a variable scope, but I found the SS to be adequate for whatever I threw at it, and never missed the variable power. It is extremely robust, simple to operate( I prefer the rear focus model), and the glass is comparable to any in it's price(around $300). Another good scope for the money is the Bushnell Elite series. I purchased a 3x9x40 SF on sale a few years ago to use on my varmint AR. I really do like the scope, and while it is nowhere near the top in monetary value , there's just something about the image that really appeals to my eye. It is one of my favorite scopes and I think they can be had for well under $300. Really bright image.
As to buying the most expensive scopes, I really don't hold to that. I have scopes from Simmons, Tasco, Browning( a 2-7 Japanese on a .22 that is clearer than a Leupold VX-1 on another .22) Weaver, Super Sniper, Vortex, Leupold, Horus Vision and Bushnell. I picked the scopes for the job I wanted them to do, and they have all performed adequately without fail. Most fall in the $200-$300 price range. When I bought my scopes I bought them for specific rifles at specific ranges, looked through a lot of glass, compared features and prices and bought what I considered to be the best value for the money. For simple paper punching at the ranges you described there are no doubt hundreds that will fit the bill in the price range you described. What I'd do is look for an optic with fine stadia, reasonable clarity, and enough magnification to suit your eyes. I'd take the time to look through a lot of glass and find the optic that suits your eyes best. Your eyes are the only ones that matter in this case.
 
Between $200 (the half of your budget you'd like to spend) and $400 you get a big increase in choices of scope size and type, reticle, illumination, and glass clarity. You can get a good scope for many uses from Nikon, Leupold, Vortex, or others for $250 but you'll have more choice in the scope you want up to $400.
 
My rule of thumb in a scope's purchasing.
"Purchase a scope & mounts equal or better than the price of the rifle.

I don't own a Swarovski or Zeiss. But I do have quite a few high end Leopold's mounted atop of my Remington 700s and others. Pretty hard for me to complain about my choice in scope/s.
 
Ask yourself this question. "What do I want the scope to do?" The answer dictates what you buy. In your case, you aren't going to be hunting, so low light quality isn't going to be an issue. At only 200 yards for max target shooting, you don't need to dial. Unless you are going to be shooting a heavy magnum, you don't need one of the heaviest possible construction. There are a lot of moderately priced scopes that will serve you well.

Years ago I bought a Marlin 45-70 Guide Gun. It was to be a walk about hunting gun and a 100 yard target rifle. I wanted generous eye relief, quick target acquisition and robust construction. I found a fixed 2.5x20 Simmons shotgun scope for $19.95. I thought why not? If it can handle shotgun recoil, it should be able to handle 45-70. It survived hundreds of rounds of heavy 45-70 fire without a hiccup. I regularly cut 3/4 inch groups at 100 yards. The 100 yard hanging golf ball got hit every time. I sold that gun (dumb move on my part) and it is still getting the job done. That was the best for the money scope I have ever bought.

The moral of the story. Tailor the scope to the intended use. Most of our uses don't dictate the most expensive scopes on the market. Truth be told 90% of the people I know would be perfectly well served with a USA made Redfield Revolution 3-9x40 for $179.
 
I would love to see a $1000+ scope in say a 3-9x and compare it side by side with a $200 3-9 x. I have a hard time with how much more light they pick up.
 
Don Fischer said:
I would love to see a $1000+ scope in say a 3-9x and compare it side by side with a $200 3-9 x. I have a hard time with how much more light they pick up.
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You will need to assure both have the same size objective lens, but even then the difference will be immediately apparent. But the difference doesn't stop there. Eye relief will likely be much more forgiving with the more expensive scope. Changes in POI, due to parallax when your eye isn't centered, will be diminished with the more expensive scope. MOA clicks and return to zero are likely to be more refined, etc.
 
Every Bushnell I have ever owned has failed.
Every Simmons I have ever owned has failed.
Every Burris I have ever owned has failed (except for a Red-dot ... but that's not a scope).
And the list goes on...
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Gosh, FM, you using them to drive tent pegs in rocky ground?

Granted, most of my rifles don't even have a scope, but several do ..... and get shot hundreds of rounds a year ...... the oldest scope (a Simmons that can be picked on E-bay for under 50 bucks these days) is over 40 years old, and the barrel in front of it suffers more from wear than it does.......

.... I've seen just a few scopes lose zero ..... mostly cheap Tascos on Magnum rifles ...... just one have a reticle wire break (ancient secondhand junk that came on pawnshop glennfield .22) ......

I've been thinking of replacing the Simmons, just because the clarity is much better in newer scopes...... but it still works, and if it ain't broke ....
 
...... and as for the "Spend at least as much on the glass as you did on the rifle." thing ...... that's really not a good thing to repeat- While it may be a fine maxim for experienced hunters, dedicated long range or benchrest gamers, new, uninformed shooters will get the impression that they can really improve their shooting by dropping at least a least a Grand on some sooperdooper scope when what they REALLY need to do is learn to shoot: practice all the fundamentals until they do them reflexively. $1,000 in ammo would go much further toward that goal than anything else they could buy (save maybe a reloading set-up and components, if they have the time).

Gun board folks generally know how to shoot pretty well, but forget that most people don't.......
 
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