Need a good scope for a novice shooter

S

skiftcky

Inactive
My son is going to be getting a mossberg atr 100 in .243 for his first deer gun. Being that he will be spending pretty much all of his allowance savings on the rifle I was wondering what a good scope for this rifle would be but, low cost and easy to work for a novice shooter for a novice shooter on this rifle. Also, what is the best round to shoot from this gun to bring down a good sized deer
 
I bought my little brother a rossi .243 and I got a barska 4x 32mm fixed scope for about 40$ to go on it. A pretty good value ,and a good little scope to start out with.
 
For .243 I've shot the Winchester Super X 100 grain soft points (i.e. silver box Walmart special) for several years and it has brought down a number of deer. It expands well but has enough punch to go through a southern whitetail. I've got some boxes of 2002 and 2003 vintage which still shoot nice tight groups. Lots of folks here use 85 grain but I think that for me 100 grain is my personal minimum.
 
Take a look at Bushnell. Their Banner Dawn till Dusk series are very good scopes for the money. I've use one on my 7mm and have been very impressed with it.
 
I'd avoid the cheap Chicom stuff like Barska, BSA, etc. unless you want him to learn the lesson of how often cheap scopes disappoint. Instead I'd look for bargains and closeouts. Not having any idea of a budget how about these... Bushnell put out a limited run of unmarked scopes under the Bushnell Limited Edition name. These are similar to the Elite 3200 - possibly minus the Rainguard treatment. In 3-9x40mm these ebay for about $160 brand new. If that's too much then Bushnell Legend 3-9x40s have been ebaying for about $100 lately. Just be sure to stick with a large reputable domestic dealer so you can avoid the counterfeits that have been hitting the market.

Here are a couple of giudes that may help.
http://www.chuckhawks.com/scope_magnification_rifle_caliber.htm
http://www.chuckhawks.com/recommended_riflescopes.htm
 
Best of luck to your son! He certainly doesn't need a Zeiss, but everyone always says to get the best glass you can afford - it's kind of true, but I'd say the $200 mark is about where you move from "reliable" to "bells and whistles." (Waiting for people to disagree with me on that ;) )

So if he can scrape it together, a Burris or less-expensive (perhaps even used, given their warranty) Leupold would probably suit.

However, I still certainly consider that a chunk of change to drop. So if he's looking to budget, I think the Nikon Prostaff is alright, and he could do one of those with magnification up to 9x and an objective lens 40 or under for well under $200 new, maybe even $100 on eBay.

I honestly like Bushnell as well. I have a 20-50x spotting scope that I use on the bench, a laser-rangefinder, and a 10x pair of binocs that are all Bushnell. I think they're all solid optics. I haven't tried their riflescopes, but I do think it's a brand that deserves more credit than it gets.

Anyway best of luck with the shopping and hunting!
 
Look at the Bushnell Elite 3200 series scopes. They are one of the best scopes in the price range you are looking at.
 
Since hunting scopes, generally, are "set it and forget it" after sighting in--and IMO a .243 oughta be sighted in for a 200-yard zero, which is right at two inches high at 100 yards. Quality adjustments to reset and repeat just aren't necessary.

Heck, a good used Weaver K4 oughta work just fine. The deal on checking used scopes is to look through the wrong end. That way, any chipped lenses or internal grunge are readily visible. A few bucks more, and a good used Leupold oughta be available.

I've been using Weaver bases and rings since 1950, for whatever that experience is worth...

Art
 
Just got this in my email today:

http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=NK6308BR&src=BE293

I don't know much about the Prostaff rifle scopes as I don't own one but I really like my Nikon Monarch in this power range. 2-7 power would be pretty much ideal for me on a .243 Deer rifle. Should have adequate upper magnification for range work and the lower power will allow you to track a moving animal better and give you a larger field of view.
 
BSA Optics has a wide range of scopes for deer rifles for under a $100. I have the contender series on my .243 and it works great
 
Sightron S2 3x9 is a great scope for around $200.
Lifetime warranty, if you ever have a problem, send it back you get a new one free.
 
I know a lot of people say stay away from cheap scopes! But I have had great luck with the cheap bushnell and simmons scopes I have on a couple of my rifles. The bushnell fixed 4x is very clear and durable. I had it on my 12 guage for shooting slugs for 5 years, I have dropped it once and it was fine. Now its on my 10/22 which is a tac driver and I have no complaints. I think the model is sportsman? It was under $50. I had another bushnell 3x9 cheapo on a rifle that I ended up selling but it worked fine and it had decent optics. I also have a cheapo simmons 8 point which you can get under $50. That came as the package deal with my 30-06. I have put hunderds and hundreds of rounds through it at the range and banged it up hunting and it is still fine. Not as crystal clear as the bushnell but fine for hunting. Not sure why everyone is buying $600 dollar scopes for beat around hunting rifles anyway:confused: I have a spare scope and lazer bore sighter that put together are under $100 if something should happen. I have bought several bushnell and simmons scopes over the years along with a spendier burris and leopold. The burris and leopold are very nice but arent a absolute must have like some people believe. That may have been true 10-20 years ago but now thanks to technology cheap scopes are built better than they used to be. I preffer to use the cheaper ones on my hunting rifles because they will get beat up.
 
I had a Buschnell Banner 3x9 on my 300 WM for years. I upgraded to something with more power and mounted it on one of my 25-06s untill recently and now it sits atop a custom M44 Nagant for my grandson. It has been subjected to a lot of punishing rounds from the 300 and quit a few from the 25-06. In all more than a 1000 rds in all kinds of weather and hunting conditions with many trips to the range. It was purchaced in 1970 and still views and shoots as good as it did when it was new. At the time that I purchaced it, I paid about $40 for it if memory serves me correctly. There is nothing wrong with an inexpensive scope if it is made by a good manufacturer!
 
For the price I have had real good luck with my Bushnell Elite 3200 and 4200. I also like Nikon Monarchs but the price on those have went through the roof lately.
 
Check your local walmart they have Nikon's 3x9x40 on clearance here for $125. Nice scope for the $$$$
 
Burris Fullfield 3x9
Bushnell Banner 3x9 Bushnell Elite 3200
Leupold VXII 3x9
Nikon Monarch 3x9
Any good condition used Redfield variable 5 star
Ditto for any good used El Paso Weaver fixed power
Any used Leupold 3x9
 
I'd have to suggest a NightForce 3.5-15x50mm NXS. Crystal clear, accurate adjustments, the best out there...

I'm just kidding! That's definately not what your son should get! Amazing scope though.

...sorry, couldn't help it
 
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