A recent post about cheap scopes got me thinking...There have been a LOT of advances over the last 50 years, not only in optics but in manefacturing proceedures and tecniques. Even materials for that matter.
I know foreign country electronics have a bad reputation from the past, but allot of US companies have factories in foreign countries to cut down of manefacturing costs, which ultimately means that allot of these so called "Domestic" brands are, in actuality, foreign made items themselves. So what's so bad about that?
Many good products are produced this way. If the materials are the exact same, then in the end, what does it matter if the item was assembled in a different country? (As far as quality is concerned, not the political or economical implications.)
Anyway, back to Optics. When the M16/AR15 first came out they didn't have a flat-top option. Carry handle mounted optics were all there was to use. One of the most common were the 4X 22mm "tube" scopes like the ones you see mounted on some M16's in pictures of soldiers in Viet Nam. (usually mounted on an XM177) These scopes (Sold by Colt) were the most popular AR15 sights until the introduction of Refex and Red Dot type sights.
In the late 60's these scopes were the "top of the line" in optics for the M16/AR15. Nowdays you can usually find these for around $40-$50.
Options for optics for the AR15 was no longer an issue when the A3 (flat-top) design came out, and coventional magnified optics were fazed out for midrange use with the advent of Reflex and Red Dot sights. Even as far as the A1 & A2 AR15 designs were concerned (carry handle models) these sights became the equipment of choice. When these sights first hit the scene it wasn't uncommon to see Red Dot scopes selling for $250. These same exact Red Dot scopes go for as low as a 10th of that amount today. Once again, these first generation Red Dot sights fell by the wayside in favor of the new generation in Weapon Optics; sights that have excellent power use and/or alternate energy sources that are far less fragile than their predesessors.
While the latest type of Reflex Weapon Optics are a definate improvement over the early stuff, they basically do the same basic job as those old 4X 22mm scopes did; help the shooter to make better (more accurate) shots.
There are a bunch of cheap copy design ripoff sights available today. Actually, there's always been a bunch of cheap copy cat scopes & sights available to the public. These sights are junk. They are made from cheap materials to copy the look of high end optics to be used on "Airsoft" toy & BB guns. They should never be considered for use on 'real' weapons. If you see a deal for an Aimpoint or Eotech that's too good to be true? Is probably is. Be careful. Many of these copy-cat manefacturers are even putting the actual high end name brand markings on their products (you'll see this allot in Chinese and Korean copies).
But not ALL of the optics produced in Asian countries are crap, and there are a handful of manefacturers that produce decent quality optics for fair prices. Some of these manefacturers such as Hakko (a Japanese optic company) are producing good quality reproductions of the older type carry handle scopes. As long as the optic in question was made to be used on a firearm and NOT toys or replicas, and it is stated as such, you can save yourself some time and money and know you aren't bying a toy sight.
Not everyone wants or needs to have a top of the line optic mounted on their rifle. Sometimes all you want may be something to dress up the weapon a little and improve its sighting capabilities. There's nothing wrong with this. Just use your own common sense when making your buy and stick to brand names that you know produce weapon optics. Stay away from no-name copies.
Just because an item isn't expensive doesn't automatically mean that it's junk. Just take the time to do the research before you buy.
Oh and one last thing. Sometimes it's worthwhile to look to the past when it comes to getting good gear. A illuminated 4X carry handle scope can do everything a Trijicon ACOG can at 1/20th the cost. It just needs batteries that's all.
I know foreign country electronics have a bad reputation from the past, but allot of US companies have factories in foreign countries to cut down of manefacturing costs, which ultimately means that allot of these so called "Domestic" brands are, in actuality, foreign made items themselves. So what's so bad about that?
Many good products are produced this way. If the materials are the exact same, then in the end, what does it matter if the item was assembled in a different country? (As far as quality is concerned, not the political or economical implications.)
Anyway, back to Optics. When the M16/AR15 first came out they didn't have a flat-top option. Carry handle mounted optics were all there was to use. One of the most common were the 4X 22mm "tube" scopes like the ones you see mounted on some M16's in pictures of soldiers in Viet Nam. (usually mounted on an XM177) These scopes (Sold by Colt) were the most popular AR15 sights until the introduction of Refex and Red Dot type sights.
In the late 60's these scopes were the "top of the line" in optics for the M16/AR15. Nowdays you can usually find these for around $40-$50.
Options for optics for the AR15 was no longer an issue when the A3 (flat-top) design came out, and coventional magnified optics were fazed out for midrange use with the advent of Reflex and Red Dot sights. Even as far as the A1 & A2 AR15 designs were concerned (carry handle models) these sights became the equipment of choice. When these sights first hit the scene it wasn't uncommon to see Red Dot scopes selling for $250. These same exact Red Dot scopes go for as low as a 10th of that amount today. Once again, these first generation Red Dot sights fell by the wayside in favor of the new generation in Weapon Optics; sights that have excellent power use and/or alternate energy sources that are far less fragile than their predesessors.
While the latest type of Reflex Weapon Optics are a definate improvement over the early stuff, they basically do the same basic job as those old 4X 22mm scopes did; help the shooter to make better (more accurate) shots.
There are a bunch of cheap copy design ripoff sights available today. Actually, there's always been a bunch of cheap copy cat scopes & sights available to the public. These sights are junk. They are made from cheap materials to copy the look of high end optics to be used on "Airsoft" toy & BB guns. They should never be considered for use on 'real' weapons. If you see a deal for an Aimpoint or Eotech that's too good to be true? Is probably is. Be careful. Many of these copy-cat manefacturers are even putting the actual high end name brand markings on their products (you'll see this allot in Chinese and Korean copies).
But not ALL of the optics produced in Asian countries are crap, and there are a handful of manefacturers that produce decent quality optics for fair prices. Some of these manefacturers such as Hakko (a Japanese optic company) are producing good quality reproductions of the older type carry handle scopes. As long as the optic in question was made to be used on a firearm and NOT toys or replicas, and it is stated as such, you can save yourself some time and money and know you aren't bying a toy sight.
Not everyone wants or needs to have a top of the line optic mounted on their rifle. Sometimes all you want may be something to dress up the weapon a little and improve its sighting capabilities. There's nothing wrong with this. Just use your own common sense when making your buy and stick to brand names that you know produce weapon optics. Stay away from no-name copies.
Just because an item isn't expensive doesn't automatically mean that it's junk. Just take the time to do the research before you buy.
Oh and one last thing. Sometimes it's worthwhile to look to the past when it comes to getting good gear. A illuminated 4X carry handle scope can do everything a Trijicon ACOG can at 1/20th the cost. It just needs batteries that's all.