Can I use this scope on a .308 bolt action???

Good Value Scopes

For the money Simmons is hard to beat, but a step up in price and quality would be Redfield, Weaver, Nikon Prostaff, Sightron, and Vortex. I wouldn't go above 10-12X on the top end as anything above that would only be useful in broad daylight.
 
Far more deer have been taken with rifles using tasco scopes than nikons or whatever expensive brand you want to use.
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That's probably true. It's also probably true that more deer have been gutshot or missed with cheap scopes just by virtue of the fact that there are so many more of them out there. It's a true statement but probably not a meaningful one, statistically speaking.

Cheap scopes work fine...until they don't. I have a pile of scopes with dead adjustments, broken recticles and fogged tubes I've pulled off of used rifles over the years. Not a one of them is a Nikon, Sightron, Leupold, Burris etc. The difference between cheap scopes and good ones isn't usually most obvious in the optical quality. The difference is in the mechanical stuff you can't see until it fails.
 
To all the NA sayers with NO expirence with NCStar. I had and still have a 6 x 24 x 56 on my 223. Over 15000 rounds , still dead on, still flawless,still very clear and clean. Never have had to adjust it once over in all those rounds.
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Which is sort of my point. Sighting a gun in and keeping it sighted in at one set distance is not hard. People who spend money on good quality scopes tend to use them. Sure I have budget scopes made by Leupold and Nikon, but the higher dollar ones are on rifles where the scopes are used a lot. Tracking is important when going from a 100 yard zero and shooting out to 1000 yards or beyond. Everything comes into play when hunting or shooting at extended ranges.

If you just want to print holes in paper close range (under 300 yards) than almost any scope would do. A nice set of irons are equally effective at those ranges.

Depends on the shooter and the application, I can't argue that cheapo scopes "Work" but I don't consider sighting in for 1 range and continually shooting working. I am guilty of it sometimes as in PA where I live I rarely shoot over 100 yards at a deer, however I had some long distance woodchuck shots that were tons of fun.

Also where terrain changes radically, ballistic ranges change, and you may have to adjust a scope. The cheapo scopes do not track accordingly or even accurately if they are broken or not.

I watch people spend anywhere from $300-$1000 on today's popular big game rifles, plus hundreds more on clothing, scent products, food plot, game cameras, boots, you name it. And they throw a $100 scope on with $15 rings.

I understand in some circumstances its not needed, however the glass is more important than the rifle, especially in today's manufacturing age. I can take a $300 Ruger American Rifle and have it shoot just as good as a $900 Remington BDL if not better. I would spend more money on a scope than I would the rifle at that point, because the scope will maximize performance.

Every year there is a big rush before rifle season, I personally spent 12 hour days helping the gunsmiths tear off cheapo broken scopes and replace with new ones. It happens every year.
 
Gotta agree with hooligan on this. I have one and it's excellent. Very clear and adjustments are right on. Holds zero.
 
Be sure and put some Tasco rings on it. Junk likes company.
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My match rifles have had no issues getting accuracy equal to the best steel ones with scopes clamped in Tasco aluminum rings on Weaver style rails. They've got no moving parts and hold zeros as good as any. Their round crossbolts don't peen the square rail slots on magnums shooting 220-gr. bullets.
 
HKFan-- That is why you learn to se the Mil Dot system. Once sighted in you do not need to resight in for a greater distance,you use the Mil dots. Now that is barring going from 100 yards to 1000 yards. But any rifle you shoot at 100 yards would not be used at 1000 yards any how. But you knew that..

Elkins45-- I think it is the shooter that messed up not the scope for your gut shots or misses. It is always easier to blame the scope for a crappy shot.

I hunted for more years than most people are old here. Never spent more than 200.00 on a scope and always got my deer. I don't push cheap scopes by any means but for 100 to 350,,400 yard shots, one does not need a $1000.00 scope.
That is the biggest farce that was ever made up. I have a cheap $400.00 Mueller 8 x 32 x 44 on my 308. Tracks very well and holds zero good enough to shoot FTR Class with it. Right along side those $1000.00 plus scopes.
 
HKFan-- That is why you learn to se the Mil Dot system. Once sighted in you do not need to resight in for a greater distance,you use the Mil dots. Now that is barring going from 100 yards to 1000 yards. But any rifle you shoot at 100 yards would not be used at 1000 yards any how. But you knew that..
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Mil-dot......is a ranging increment, meant to determine an unknown range for a target... not compensate for a shot. A ballistic reticle WOULD do what you are saying.. however they are tailored for 1 round, on 1 rifle, for 1 altitude and so on, generally custom ordered (if you want them done right) for scopes that cost $$.

Yes Mil-Dot can be used to hold over or wind or moving, however if the first shot counts.. as they were designed for combat, or hunting that trophy animal.. it is generally understand to make your calculation, adjust your knobs, and take the shot, if the first shot misses, is when corrections can be quickly made using the mil's.

Also when using them, it can depend on what power your scope is set it, and what focal plane you are using inside the reticle. MOST scopes are Second Focal plane, so your measurements with your Mils will be different at 5 power than at 12 power. First Focal Place scopes the reticles adjust with the power of magnification, so you're measurements stay consistent.

Mil-dot hash's or MRAD's are only to meant to measure a target to figure out the unknown distance to it, you then can HOLD OVER to compensate for the shot, or adjust your turret. Generally speaking most people including myself will do the calculation, adjust the elevation turret, and then use a hold over to correct for windage as wind changes constantly, unless paper printing I rarely adjust my windage turret.

Problem with cheaper scopes even have mixed and matched reticles to turrets.... you may have a Mil-dot or MRAD reticle, but MOA adjustment turrets, or vice versa. Makes things difficult.

A rifle for shooting 100 yards wont shoot at 1000? really? I have a Kimber 8400 Advanced tactical with a Vortex Razor 5-20x scope that has no problem keeping a 100 yard zero and has no problem dialing up to 1000. The Vortex Razor and other scopes like it are designed to have the adjustment, along with the 20MOA base on my rifle. This is why proper tracking is important, if your scopes tracking isn't correct, you can do the math right, however when you make those turret turns from 100 to your 535yard target, if your scope isn't made well and the tracking isn't precise, well it won't be accurate.

On that scope, you take your turret caps off when zeroing the rifle, they free spool in this mode to get an exact zero, then re-install the caps at the 0 mark. If I want to shoot 100 yards I rotate my turret back to the 0 stop... if I range a target at 200 yards, sure a hold over will suffice... or I can click up .6 MRADs and be dead on, and so on.

NOW, all that being said is probably ill-relevant to the OP, however there are big differences in scope quality and mechanics that people actually using a rifle to its capability will pay for. I shoot handguns at 100 yards with iron sights... anything from my .45's to my 5.7. 100 yards you can shoot well with just about any scope/red-dot, irons, ect.

Not everyone needs to go out and drop $2000+ on a scope and $150+ on rings... however people into shooting long ranges accurately, or competition, hunting, you name it... I think its wise to invest in something decent.

A $150 Nikon or Leupold VX-1 will be worlds better than Simmons, Tasco, ect. Don't get me wrong I have an old .30-30 with a Tasco, and a few Simmons on a few .22lr's, however I still by the side the scope should cost what the rifle did.
 
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HK-What you say is very true,however not set in gold. I shoot my 223 from 100 to about 500. Never had to adjust my scope. Can't do that with a cheap one ( said that earlier ). I know what dot I need to be on for each distance( practice ).
I also shoot comp with a 6MMBR out to 1000 yards. Yes I can shoot it at 100 yards too, but why waste the time or the ammo doing such a easy job?. I never said you can't--I said you wouldn't. I also do not push cheap scopes. I said for 100 to 400 or so,there is no need for a 1000.00 scope ( waste of Money ).
I would guess ( unless things have changed ) that a 3-9 power is still the #1 deer scope sold today. At that power most all scopes ( cheap or expensive) are very clear. No need to adjust scope again for most hunting situations. Zero at 100 or 150 and hold over for up to 400 yard shots.
 
I don't think anyone was saying that the OP should drop $1000 on glass.
There's a lot of room between $100 and $1000.

It seems like most people are just saying that - even in the same neighborhood of price - there are better options.
You can spend $150ish on a NCStar that looks very "tactical" and might work, or you can spend about the same on a budget scope from a quality manufacturer that will almost certainly work better.

I'm not saying that inexpensive, off-brand scopes can't work.
I have a $70 "Hawke sports optics" 4x (maybe 3x, I can't recall) on my 30-30 and it works very well for taking deer inside 150yds. There's not much point in investing more in a scope because 150 yards is on the outside or where I'd be comfortable shooting at an animal with a 16" 336.

But, if I were going to invest in a nice .308 I'd want to buy a scope that would let me take advantage of it's capabilities, and not gamble on something that might or might not work.
 
4 runner.

While holding over may work for me or you, depends on the hunting environment. Guys hunting mountains, your true ballistic range changes depending on the angle of the shot. So yes on the flat range you may hold on say the 5 mil-dot of your scope with your load to shoot X distance, however when shooting up or down a slope, things change.

I shoot long range rifles at 100 yards very frequently. I always test loads at 100yards to see how they group before I go sending them longer distances, plus it is still good to practice the fundamentals. Or when switching over to loads... when I referenced adjusting .6 MRAD's up to go from 100 to 200 yards I was literally just adjusting for a load a co-worker hand-loaded, which were 150gr, lighter than I normally shoot, I re-zero'd them at 100, and went up from there.

Obviously there is a difference between long range rifles, and your everyday hunting rifle, I do not disagree with you, just pointing out the fact what makes a good scope vs a cheapo scope has more to do with internals than staying sighted in at 1 distance.

3-9x is obnoxiously still the most popular, and is even over scoping for some terrain. I try to go with a 2-7 or 2-8's on my hunting rifles when possible. Most times I keep them on 4x. I am lazy on adjusting on a hunting rifle too, I usually sight in an inch or two high at 100 yards. Depending on the load / caliber, I should have a pretty consistent hold out to 300ish yards, which for where I hunt, is over kill.
 
But why put an inexpensive glass on a good rifle?
It's beyond me why a shooter would put cheap glass on a centerfire
rifle.
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And that's why I don't tell people what kind of scope I have and why I blacked out the emblem with a sharpy. Because people like this guy just love to give me the business.
 
We don't need no stinking scope

A real shooter don't need a scope,iron sights work quite well.Its a shame new guns don't have them.
 
I have two hunting rifles that have cheap, short tube scopes on them. I think they are NC's, but am not sure. I think they came in under a different name originally. I hunt REAL hard and am hard on my equipment. I believe that I paid under $30 for each of them. The reason I bought them was because I could not find a short tube scope made by a "Name brand" that was in that style. I have a Weaver K series, but do not care for them on a bolt gun. In recent years, the only scopes I had trouble with were Bushnell and Redfield. I am done with "Name brand" scopes that have most of their parts made over the water anyway. I have to laugh at the posts recommending stepping up to a Simmons. I bought a short tube Simmons back when they first started marketing in the U.S.. Simmons was considered beneath Tasco. I silver soldered a steel base directly on a 12 Gauge single shot shotgun barrel and mounted it up. The recoil is brutal on a short, light gun like that and I am still using it with no problems. I have shot boxes and boxes of slugs out of that gun. I don't know about now, but back when I mounted that Simmons, no "Name brand" scope maker would guarantee a rifle scope mounted on a shotgun.
 
Well I can assure you, the 3 weeks before whitetail season, I replace over 100 cheapo scopes that are broken or won't sight in for our customers each year. You pay for what you get, hands down. Sure a short range game getter gun doesn't need anything fancy, I have yet to shoot at a deer in PA that I couldn't have easily used iron sights for.

When talking about scope quality differences, there is a lot more than meets, the eye. Getting some game animals is one thing, when make shots count at long ranges, or high winds, or angled shots up or down mountain slopes, scope quality plays a major part.

If all you are doing is sighting in at 100 yards in hopes to kill a deer, you can pretty much use anything with good success... like I said, I regularly shoot handguns at 100 yards, accurately, its not a long shot. One of my next projects is going to be a nice rifle build for just irons with a nice mannlicher stock, in an intermediate cartridge for just that purpose. PA is pretty easy hunting, guys out west in mountains or long ranges might require something more.

As for being made overseas.... don't get me wrong I love our country, but we are far from a producer anymore and more of a consumer. European and Japanese optics are of better quality anyways... even Leupold buy's their glass for their "American Made" scopes.

I can careless what name brand is on the side of it, but rather the features and warranty it has. I could have went nuts and bought a $4000 Schmidt & Bender scope for my Kimber advanced tactical, but I opted for the Vortex Razor because I still have a lot of learning to do and practice needed on a long range gun, I will get there eventually.
 
Well put. Most hunters will never be able to get full potential out of either an expensive scope or a really accurate rifle because they have no where to go shoot over 100 yards. I have a Game Commission range right over the hill that is up to 300. I see a lot of groundhog and yote guys practice there, but most of the deer rifles are at the 100 yard range.
 
Yea, my local public range is up to 200 yards, and is the same deal. I have private land I can shoot up to about 1100-1200 yards.
 
I must be lucky then. I have 2 Ranges within 20 miles. Both are 300 yards. I have my Boss''s land 30 miles from here with,well longer than you would shoot a 338 Lapua. I do not shoot at less than 300 other than with the 22 and the 223.
 
Shinwa98 - save yourself the headache

Keep looking. There are a lot of good quality scopes out there you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for. If you can spend 250 bucks you can get a good scope that will stand up to the recoil and function. Even 200 bucks will get you a scope that will do everything you need. Shop around. If you are looking for an less expensive version of the ACOG then check out Vortex products. However NC Star and scopes priced like that will give you more headaches than fun. I learned about buying a cheap scope several years ago. I bought a Simmons variable for a deer hunting trip in Nevada. This was when Simmons first came out. To make a long story short the scope fell apart internally and screwed up a great hunting trip. Never again will I make that mistake.
 
The biggest problem I have with my cheapo scope and the reason I'm looking to upgrade is it takes a couple of shots to settle down after making adjustments.
 
I usually tap on the turret with something after making adjustments, cheapo or not. The internals hang up sometimes. I would have to say that if you buy cheap, go with a fixed power. Maybe that is why I have had good luck with them. When I think back, the name brand scopes that gave me trouble were all variable power scopes. Most important to me in a scope is light gathering ability. I like to go with 38 0r 40 when it is available in the scope style I use. It is a rare day when I would have the time to adjust power on a deer sneaking through anyway.
 
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