inexpensive scopes

S

std7mag

New member
I bought a Savage 111 in 7mm. Rem mag used. Came with a Shooters Edge 6x18-40 scope already attached. Won't hold zero.
Budget is very limited. Have been looking at the Barska scopes. Any feedback on their rifle scopes?
Is there another option you might suggest?

Thanks
 
There was a Barska on top of my 7mm rem mag sendero when I bought it. It was ok until I could get something better. Not very clear past 300 yards but always held zero. I ended up trading /giving it back to the guy who sold me the sendero and he is still using it.
 
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You just have to ask yourself "how much is hitting my target worth?" The general rule of thumb is spend AT LEAST as much on your glass as your rifle. I know with a savage that doesn't mean that pricey of a scope but you will never regret getting a good scope. I have spent a lot of money on cheap scopes and finally broke down and bought a leupold and have never looked back. One other thing to look into other than your scope is your base and rings, are they installed properly? Base should be around 55 inch lbs and rings 18-25 in/lbs (not foot lbs!) Buy a torque wrench that measures in/lbs and torque your stock, base and rings to manufacturer specs.
As for affordable scopes what do you plan on doing with your rifle? Are you shooting paper at 1000 yards or deer at 75 yards? For hunting you won't need more than 1x/100 yds you plan to shoot. For example a 4x scope is PLENTY of magnification for out to 400 yds for deer size game, as for paper I shoot a 20x leupold at 1000yds and would use more if I had it but still do ok. I would take a lower magnification in a descent scope over a high power in cheap glass.
I have seen barska hold sub moa in 308 but cant say for your 7mm mag. I'd look at millet or weaver for starters and avoid the super cheap brands. Remember, it will be cheaper in the long run to buy the right one the first time.
 
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Nitrex. $100. They were $300. Discontinued, so when they're gone, they're gone. Weaver is covering the warranty.

Relating the cost of the scope to the cost of the rifle makes no sense.
 
Not sure what your budget is but I"ve had wonderful performance out of one of the newer weaver classic k scopes (6x) thing rides around in my trunk and still shoots true whenever I pull it out. It's been dropped several times on both carpet and tile and no damage to the scope and no change in zero. They go for around 150
 
Base should be around 55 inch lbs
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:eek:

Reciever screws which are much larger in diameter are torqued at that level. IMO way too much torque for those small screws holding the bases.

As far as "inexpensive" scopes one of the lesser known names is Minox. I purchased one 2 years ago and have a second one coming as a Christmas present. (shhhhhhhh don't tell my wife I know) The glass is extremely clear and they hold zero very well. Mine are 3 x 9 x 40 and were under $200.

Another of the lesser known scopes is Alpen. I have had one of their spotting scopes for several years and love it.
 
Yes, I do have the Wheeler Engineering torque wrench, and used a small drop of blue lock tight on the threads of the screws also.

With this gun I'm sighting zero at 250 meters. My neighborhood range goes to 425 meters. One day I hope to go to a 1000 meter range and try my luck. Ballistics chart is taped to the stock.

"Only accurate guns are fun to shoot". This one has been pretty fun, but the scope is losing zero, which takes the fun out of it.

Alas with my budget a $400 and up scope is simply not in the cards in the anywhere foreseeable future.
 
Scope quality is directly related to scope price. Low priced scopes are low quality scopes. For a rifle for hunting game such as whitetail deer, mule deer, pronghorn, black bear, elk, etc. a lower power variable such as a 2x7, 2.5x8, or 3x9 is better (and costs less) than a higher power variable of the same brand and model series. The Leupold VX3 2.5 x 8 is currently available at Cabela's for $400. I have the predecessor version of this scope on my .270, 7mm mag, and .300 mag.
 
I shoot a 7mm rem mag and it has a Nikon Prostaff 3X9X40 BDC on a one piece rail for the 111. I put a size 11 eye piece flip-open cover and a size 27 objective flip-open cover on the scope. Butler Creek.
You can use the scope rings you have already if they are 1".
I think the rail is made by Weaver.
I just took the rifle in to the local gun shop and they figured out what scope rail I needed.
The scope runs around $160.00.
If you are planning on bench shooting it, I suggest a bi-pod.
You don't have to spend a fortune on one. A 6"-9" non swivel is around
$35.00 for a Caldwell and $60.00 for a Harris. They aren't the best (Atlas) but they are durable and work.
My best groups with this set up at 100 yards is the scope set on X6.
The accuracy is amazing.
 
Scope quality is directly related to scope price.
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Horsefeathers.

Price = What the market will bear......



There's a ton used/discontinued scopes out there that work perfectly fine ...... they just don't have the 'roided out marketing campaigns driving demand for them anymore.

The very same scope that rides atop my deer rifle can be had on E-bay for $50 ..... mine has held zero since the 1980's. No, it is not as bright as the modern more modern scopes, but it will certainly outperform any scope that breaks (won't hold zero) and won't cost anything near what a rifle would.

Similarly, old Leupold Vari-X-1 scopes cost less than 1/10th what their latest models do ...... do you really believe the newest ones are more than 10 times better?

At best, spending more money on optics is a case of diminishing returns ...... Generally, when dealing with reputable people, you get what you pay for ..... when buying the newest model of anything, much of what you are paying for is start-up and R&D costs, along with the marketing costs ...... my advice is to buy something that you know works, but is in less demand now .....
 
I've got a Barska spotting scope and I don't recommend it to anyone. Based on that, and on a neighbor kid's Barska rifle scope, I think you should put your money elsewhere. I had several Tasco's quite a few years ago, and they all held up very well. Not great in dim light, but good for punching paper and shooting varmints in good light. And, I've got a Bushnell Legend 4-12 on a grandson's rifle, and for less than $150 it's a very nice scope. Very clear and it's held up for a few years with no problems at all. And then there are the refurbished Nikons, which are fairly inexpensive. I don't have one and don't plan to get one, but for a starter scope for little money, it might be worth a try. Natchez Shooter Supply usually has some for decent prices.
 
Alas with my budget a $400 and up scope is simply not in the cards in the anywhere foreseeable future.
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With this budget in mind, I would highly recommend a Vortex scope. Either a Crossfire II or the Diamondback models. Some of the Leupolds will be in your price range as well and it is hard to go wrong with them. I used Leupolds for a while then tried a Vortex, and have not looked back. While the clarity is great in both, the Vortex scopes are more generous with eye relief and have less parallax (usually none) issues than the Leupolds I have owned. The Vortex options I listed will be in the $170-$280 range depending on specific model, and the Leupolds can be bought in countless models and configurations up to your $400.

As for Barska scopes you ask about, I have owned two of them as well. When I first started out shooting rifles, I bought them thinking "how much difference could there really be?" Well, it turns out a lot. The Barskas were good out to about 200 yards as long as you did not crank them up to their highest powers and were decently clear. But once you went past 200 or tried to use the higher powers, they got very fuzzy. Parallax was also always an issue. But my biggest problem with them was the tracking of adjustments. In theory, if you adjust the turrets 8 up and 6 right for one shot and then turn them back 8 clicks down and 6 clicks left, the POI should be back to where it was before adjusting them, and mine never worked very well. I gave both away after trying Leupolds before my journey led me to Vortex.
 
Bushnell banners are good for the money. I have a 6-18x50 on my .300 mag and the scope cost me $125 shipped to my door on ebay. You can't go wrong with a $125 scope that has a great warranty. It has held up to the recoil on my .300 mag just fine, not to mention the banners are " low light" scopes.
 
Scope quality is directly related to scope price.
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With a few exceptions this is 100% accurate. The question is how much quality do you really need.

Personally I've not seen a sub $150 scope I'd give to my worst enemy. (new, MSRP 2013 prices), there are good used scopes under that price, and sometimes stuff on sale. A Nikon Prostaff at about that price is the least expensive scope I'd recommend to anyone. Sometimes the cheaper scopes work, at least for a while, sometimes they never work right out of the box. You can spend $150-$200 for a decent scope now, or spend $50-$100 now, and then spend $200 later. Trust me, if you buy cheap now, you will be buying again, and there are too many GOOD $200 scopes to let a few dollars come between you and a decent scope.

For most people there are LOT of scopes selling right around $200 that will be lifetime investments capable of any hunting, anywhere, under any conditions.

Upping the price range to $300-$500 does net a bit better optics, but you'd have to be pretty picky to notice the difference in the $200 scopes.

After that the sky is the limit. If someone has a $3000 budget, they make $3000 scopes. They are better than a $300 scope, but not 10X better, and do nothing for me that a $300 scope won't do.
 
g20gunny said:
Base should be around 55 inch lbs and rings 18-25 in/lbs (not foot lbs!)
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That number is at least double the common recommendation for base screws. Leupold, for instance, recommends 14in-lbs for their bases and some companies (DMZ) recommend 25in-lbs.

For the rings, at least one manufacturer (Minox) says that ring torque over 15in-lbs may damage the scope and void your warranty.

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On the matter of price of optics, relating it to the price of the gun is silly. Why is a $300 scope sufficient on a $300 Savage but insufficient on a $500 Savage shooting the same exact cartridge and a $500 scope insufficient on a $1,000 Savage shooting the exact same cartridge?

Relatively inexpensive optics have served me well for many years, with only one ever failing. That was a $100 10-40x Tasco that lasted quite a while and was more than worth it's price.

Any of the major brand name optics from about $100 on up will likely serve you just fine. In that price range, I like the Nikon BDC versions and the Bushnell Dusk and Dawn series.
 
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Scope quality is directly related to scope price.

Horsefeathers.

Price = What the market will bear......
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I was referring to new scopes. Most (all?) manufacturers produce scopes ranging in quality and price in their different model lines. Leupold and Vortex are obvious examples.
 
Relatively cheap scopes that give decent performance?

EU prices are usually the exact same digits but with a € or £ sign in front of them, so I am assumin that what is cheaper yet good will also be cheaper yet good over the pond...

I'd say have a look at the Redfield line (Leupold made, I believe, but without the price tag) and Nikon Prostaff series.
 
I've got some high end scopes, that said I also have a few cheaper ones. My favorite cheapo brand is Mueller. Never had a problem with the three that I have. Decent to look through.
 
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