Scope Recomendation

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Last Post 22 April 2020

Banned

David Reiss posted this 12 May 2017

I am looking to buy an inexpensive target scope and have been looking at a couple scopes and need feedback on them.

----Vortex Crossfire II, 6-24x50mm AO, Dead-Hold BDC, Rifle Scope

----Mueller 8-32x44mm Side Focus Rifle Scope

Don't own either brand, but I can get either for about $250-275

David Reiss - NRA Life Member & PSC Range Member Retired Police Firearms Instructor/Armorer
-Services: Wars Fought, Uprisings Quelled, Bars Emptied, Revolutions Started, Tigers Tamed, Assassinations Plotted, Women Seduced, Governments Run, Gun Appraisals, Lost Treasure Found.
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CBA Member

mashburn posted this 22 April 2020

Hello again Ken,

I can say one thing for sure about Iowa and their cowboys They produced one heck of a saddle bronc rider. He won the PRCA saddle bronc championship a couple of years ago. His name was Swindell. But he found a Oklahoma cowgirl and now they are raising and training barrel horse on a Oklahoma ranch. Nice picture.

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

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CBA Member

mashburn posted this 22 April 2020

Hello delmarskid,

I found out, years and years ago, that human head hair is much to coarse for cross hairs. I've got some old Tasco scopes from back when they were made in El Paso, Texas. I like old classic rifles and refuse to put a big ugly, high tech scope on them. I use the old Tascos to put on this type rifle. I don't plan on winning a national target championship with them but they look right, are good and clear and hold their zero .When I'm serious, I put VX111's on. I also like the older Burris scopes.

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

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CBA Member

delmarskid posted this 22 April 2020

I shot the best wallet group of my life with a scope that cost 15 bucks It was some off brand 3x9. The reticle broke and I repaired it with a gob of epoxy and a cut down seeing needle.

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CBA Member

Shopdog posted this 22 April 2020

Wait,got a first year issue 3-9X40 Weaver with an adjustable objective(which was an industry "first") for beer money at a gunshow. Some knucklehead had turned the objective lense too far. I picked it up,looked through it.... obviously wacked when viewed. Then never took my eyes off the seller whilst confirming what I thought happened.....

Beat him down on the price saying it was "broken",which he already "knew".

By this time,still with eyes locked on seller..... I had the objective "problem" fixed,gave a quick nuther glance through and started to put it back in the pile and the guy says.... "yeah,I'll take that".

That scope is also a prize,wouldn't take serious $$$ for it either. Cost less than a case of beer.

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Shopdog posted this 22 April 2020

Two of my nicest scopes were $15 total for both. Bought,if you can call it that.... "broken". One is a late model 3-9X40 B$L,the other a 3-12X52 Euro class Tasco. Sure,we "fixed" them and that might be out of the question for some but I wouldn't take $200 for either.

A lot of what goes into high $$$ scopes is,hand fitting.... like so many things shooting related. If you can get to the place where you're the "fitter" instead of the fit'ee,well the money is better spent on more equipment.

I do enjoy a sport where money isn't the "driver"..... watch out for that guy with just one gun(scope?),he may know how to use it?

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CBA Member

mashburn posted this 22 April 2020

Hello John,

I agree whole heartedly with you in all of your posts in this discussion. Well said.

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

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CBA Member

mashburn posted this 22 April 2020

Hello Searcy,

I did the same thing by buying up VX111 years ago and am very glad I did, like you said, there isn't many out there now days. I've never had one bit of trouble with any of them in all the years that I have owned and used them, of course, I haven't ran over one with my pickup YET.

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

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CBA Member

RicinYakima posted this 22 April 2020

Iowa didn't have cowboys. They had Dragoons and Herders. Iowa was the promised land between 1832 and 1850. By the end of the Mexican American War they were founding colleges and religious utopias all over the state. Still one of my favorite states to visit.

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mashburn posted this 21 April 2020

Ken,

Congratulations. You just wrote a very good thesis on scopeology You have now earned your PHD, and can now be the authority on scopes and other related fields. I'll watch the national newscasts to keep up with your future releases. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

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CBA Member

Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 21 April 2020

... oh oh ... i am on my 3rd Simmons 22 Mag scope ... 3-9 with AO ... and 2nd RWS Airgun scope ... 3-9 with AO ... all about $60 each ... all still working after about 20 years ... oh oh ... i am embarrassed ...

seem to work just fine on anything at least up to cast in a 30-06 ...

*********

but then i also still shoot an old Herter's non-adjustable scope in funky Loophold adjust-o mounts ... and of course an old ( Ed's) B&L Balvar in those funky B&L mounts in my funky Rem 722 in 300 Savage ...

**************

while my B&L 36X target and my spiffy Weaver 6-24 varmint sight lay forlorn somewhere in my stash ... i like funky ...

*************

anyway, those little sparks thrown off by the sun bounce off the target and if the target is a long distance, the sparks go through the front lens ( the rated * focal length * ) and are bent into a coherent ( focused ) image down the scope tube ... this has to be right on top of the crosshairs to avoid aiming error. the eyepiece is only to see a pretty picture, so just focus it on the crosshair ... ( aim it at the sky so you don't get distracted by the target image ) .

if the target then comes closer than real real far away, the front lens can't get the sparks bent in time, so the coherent image is behind the crosshairs .. so you need to move the lens forward to bring the image back up to the crosshairs. ( note the crosshair is still in focus through the rear eyepiece so that doesn't need more adjustment unless your eyes change. )

*************

a funny thing ... about 6 years ago i was shooting my ruger 22 auto with a weaver 1.5 scope .. i thought the crosshair was bent in the middle ... dang !! ... lucky for me i found i had a detached retina in my shootin eye ! ... Great ... , no need to fix that great micro-trac scope !

ken

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CBA Member

RicinYakima posted this 20 April 2020

CBA matches are one of the few games where it is very hard to buy your way into first place.

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CBA Board

John Alexander posted this 20 April 2020

The Weaver 36X ($400) has probably won more at our nationals then any other scope. Most of the rest have used the Leupold 36X that cost about twice that. That isn't exactly inexpensive for most of us but almost always far less than the attached rifle.

If somebody thinks a $2,500 scope will give them an edge they should come out and give it a try.

John

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Standard Member

Wheel Weights posted this 20 April 2020

inexpensive target scope is an oxymoron.

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CBA Board

John Carlson posted this 19 April 2020

Another player I don't see mentioned here is Sightron. I have an SI TAC 4-12, 2 SII 4-16, and an SIIb 6-24. I've found them to be quite clear and the clicks are very crisp. I bought one off e-bay and when I received it found the turrets were loose. Don't know just how I'd go about wearIng out the turrets but there they were. Sent it to Sightron for repair. Don't remember just how many days but I was very pleased with the turn around. Had I not written down the serial number I would have sworn they sent me back a new scope.

I also have a VISM (NC Star?) 4-16. Very nice scope, good clarity, illuminated dot reticle (wanted to try one of those), tactical turrets with nice crisp clicks. Trouble is the second time I took it to the range the POI shifted about 4 inches. Haven't sent it back yet. Also they discontinued the model.

John Carlson. CBA Director of Military Competition.

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CBA Board

John Alexander posted this 18 April 2020

I agree. Even modest priced modern optics are so good that it is next to impossible for a non optical expert to tell the difference. I think almost all the difference between a $700 scope and a $2,000 scope is between our ears and without knowing the price tag we couldn't tell the difference. i will admit to falling for the hype for both a rifle scope and a spotting scope. I have tried many times to see the difference with my $700 equivalent scopes under a variety of conditions with optical resolution charts. I would really like to see what I bought with my extra money but if I'm honest, which is hard because it is a lot of money for a depression baby, I can't.

I think the fairly recent skyrocketing in price of the upper end of rifle scopes is much more a matter of successful marketing than superior performance for either hunting or target shooting.

The old saw that "you get what your pay for" is true only part of the time at best.

John

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Qc Pistolero posted this 18 April 2020

For hunting I agree that an exceptional definition might be an asset.But I don't hunt,only shoot at paper tigers and at my age,I won't see the difference between a $700 and a $2500 scope.I've tried both and the mental photo of my wife's face while I am trying to explain the difference convinces me that I better stick with the $700 option.

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Standard Member

Wheel Weights posted this 17 April 2020

Hate to say it but BigMan got conned by Ebay not Leupold. there are many "Leupold" optics on Ebay that are Chinese fakes. The scope he bought was not a Leupold. If he still has it, he should check the serial number w/Leupold.

NO Leupold scopes have EVER been assembled in China.

Seem to be Leupold bashers all over the net spreading wild accusations with no proof.

As Scearcy says I buy every bargain "Leupie" I run across. They all work fine and if they don't Leupold fixes/replaces them. Had a horse crush an ancient M8 6X. Leupold sent me a brand new FX II 6X.

Here's a typical fake Leupold from China !

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2020-Top-Leupold-1-5-5x20mm-VX-3i-Duplex-Reticle-Rifle-Scope-ADJUSTMENT-WHEEL/401923829665?hash=item5d9486efa1:m:mPcru_U78n883GUhfzTEVEw

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Standard Member

Wheel Weights posted this 17 April 2020

If you spend more money on the rifle than the scope you screwed up.

Case in point, $1700 rifle, $2600 scope.

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Scearcy posted this 03 June 2017

I do need to defend Leupold a little here. I have a 6X target version that I used to use when I shot military mod scope. It seemed to me the zero was wandering so I sent the scope in. What came back was in essence a brand new scope. They transfered the lenses to a new tube with all new internals - under 10 days - no dialogue at all.

I also drove over a deer rifle and scope with my pickup. You know the drill. Lean it on the rear tire, crawl in the cab for a cup of coffee, decide to move, have a brain fart, etc. No one replaced the rifles stock but Leupold sent me a new scope. I am sure there have been bad experiences but I still buy almost every used VXIII that I find which is not many.

Jim

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CBA Member

BigMan54 posted this 03 June 2017

Leupold MURDERED my faith in Lifetime Warranties & Honesty about 12yrs ago.

1st, My 2X7 VARI-2, the OCULAR Bell came loose. I sent it back to Leupold under warranty, they called & told me it would be $100. Replacement fee. I pitched a fit. So they sent me a "Rifleman" scope. I paid $120. New for my scope in 1975. They replaced it with a scope retailing for $185. 30yrs later. What a ripoff.

2nd, at the same time My Wife bought me a new Leupold spotting scope as gift. She had checked the Leupold catalog that I had & their website. Found a 25X60. Bought it off Ebay. When I opened the box I found a tiny gold sticker on the bottom of the scope that said "CHINA". NO WHERE IN THE CATALOG OR WEBSITE DOES IT SAY ANY OF THEIR OPTICS WERE NOT BUILT IN THE U.STILL. of A.

I called the factory, they said the catalog says "ENGINEERED BY LEUPOLD" , I replied their advertising states " made in USA". They replied that was last year's catalog. Dishonest. Untrustworthy. By NIKON or VORTEX. At least they're Honest about where their stuff is made.

H**L I'm still pissed !

Long time Caster/Reloader, Getting back into it after almost 10yrs. Life Member NRA 40+yrs, Life S.A.S.S. #375. Does this mean a description of me as a fumble-fingered knuckle-draggin' baboon. I also drool in my sleep. I firmly believe that true happiness is a warm gun. Did I mention how much I HATE auto-correct on this blasted tablet.

Scope Recomendation

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