Lower end optics

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bob97 said:
Nikon for me. I figure if they make some really good cameras, at least they are making informed choices in their budget scopes. I have a p223 fixed 3x that i am reasonably happy with. Keeps zero and has good repeatability. Low light performance really is not its strong point, however.
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That’s how I feel about Nikon too. In the camera world, they aren’t base line camera’s.
 
Low end optic can and does mean different things to different people. I don’t buy the best of anything normally except for manly footwear, I have bad feet. But I never buy the cheapest of anything either, the exception would be gifts for LoonWulf, Chicharrones, Skylerbone, troy fairweather and kudu.

I’ve definitely never understood why people buy a $1k rifle and conjoin it with an $89.00 scope using $10.00 mounts. If I’ve got $1k I’ll spend $600.00 on the rifle and $400.00 on a scope and mounts. And just between us girls I’ve got two firearms where the ratio was reversed and I spent more on the scope than the rifle, both were NIB. The reason for doing so was because I felt it’s what Marty Feldman would have done.
 
cdb1 said:
Low end optic can and does mean different things to different people. I don’t buy the best of anything normally except for manly footwear, I have bad feet. But I never buy the cheapest of anything either, the exception would be gifts for LoonWulf, Chicharrones, Skylerbone, troy fairweather and kudu.

I’ve definitely never understood why people buy a $1k rifle and conjoin it with an $89.00 scope using $10.00 mounts. If I’ve got $1k I’ll spend $600.00 on the rifle and $400.00 on a scope and mounts. And just between us girls I’ve got two firearms where the ratio was reversed and I spent more on the scope than the rifle, both were NIB. The reason for doing so was because I felt it’s what Marty Feldman would have done.
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I've been upgrading my optics, for the most part but have limited cash flow. The best optic I have is a vx3l 3.5-10x50 paid 500 otd it took about 3 months to be able to take home.

I was in a local gun shop yesterday the owner has 4 vx2 3-9x40's for 299 each. A tika blue and steel in 260 rem and a couple ruger American's I'm interested in. Just couldn't swing the initial layaway fees. Maybe next week.
 
stillquietvoice said:
I've been upgrading my optics, for the most part but have limited cash flow. The best optic I have is a vx3l 3.5-10x50 paid 500 otd it took about 3 months to be able to take home.

I was in a local gun shop yesterday the owner has 4 vx2 3-9x40's for 299 each. A tika blue and steel in 260 rem and a couple ruger American's I'm interested in. Just couldn't swing the initial layaway fees. Maybe next week.
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Some places online have the vx-3i 3.5-10x40 for $299. Wish I had the money to grab one.
 
I paid more for my Leupold 3-15X44 IR scope (about $800)

https://www.leupold.com/scopes/compact-scopes/vx-5hd-3-15x44mm-cds-zl2

than I did for the Steyr Mannlicher rifle I had it mounted to (about $600),

https://www.steyr-arms.com/us/news-and-media/post/prohunter-closeout

both brand new, and FWIW, I'll probably never do that again.

I plan to relocate that Leupold scope to my thirty years or so old .25-06 Remington Interarms Mark X rifle I've been using the most recently (successfully), and gift the Steyr to one of my nieces or nephews. So far one of my nieces has expressed the most interest in going hunting with me. I'll have the Nikon Buckmasters 3-9X50 (not Buckmasters 2) scope that was originally mounted on the .25-06 mounted to the Steyr. Nothing wrong with the Nikon scope, I took a whitetail spike bang-flop with a perfect head shot after I first purchased the .25-06, but IR really helped the next hunt I was on, a feral hog hunt, take 2 feral hogs close to dusk, one with a black coat in particular, with a Konus IR scope. And my older eyes can benefit more from the 3-15 zoom of the Leupold than their young eyes can. Time enough for them to use that Leupold after I'm gone.

JM2C
 
About all I have are low end optics LOL. Nikon P223 3x on top of an AR that I think is really good for the money spent. A Leupold VX1 sitting on top of a Ruger American that seems to be a perfect budget hunting set up for ranges inside of 300 yards. I even have a Redfield Revolution sitting on top of a Winchester M70, the rifle probably deserves better, and maybe someday. I hunt with my rifles or punch holes in paper. 90% of target work is at 100 yards. Hunting is up to 200 yards, but most of it is inside of 100 yards. I do not feel I need $800 scopes for what I do. When I first started hunting 35 years ago I could barely afford any equipment, and took really good care of what I had. No I can afford to splurge but still struggle with justifying the spend.

My plan for this year is to set something up for shooting out to 600 yards. I'll likely spend a little more here but again within reason.

-Jeff
 
As others have said, low end is a very subjective. To ME, low end is the cheap Simmons, UTG, etc.. Maybe the Bushnell Banner line could be included due to price though they generally seem to be well viewed for what they are.

I personally have never paid over $200 for a scope. I've owned two Bushnell AR Optics scopes (2-7 Rimfire and 4.5-18), two Muellers (2-7 Multishot and 4.5-14 APV), a Primary Arms (4-16), and a Simmons (1-6 Varmint). All of them have served their purpose and I've had no complaints. Some people might look down on them, but who cares as long as they do what I need them to.

Personally, if I were recommending inexpensive scopes, I'd put Mueller and Primary Arms right with the Nikons and Bushnells in the same price range.
 
Bushnell for me because I live near enough one of the Bushnell outlets to pick up some real bargains....like an AR Optic 6X18 6.5 Creedmore BDC for $49:what: or a Trophy BDC 3X9 for $25:neener:. I try to keep from going there, but my will is week.

I'm not above picking up a nice Leupold for the right price at pawn shops either.

And isn't Nikon going to stop making scopes?
 
berettaprofessor said:
Bushnell for me because I live near enough one of the Bushnell outlets to pick up some real bargains....like an AR Optic 6X18 6.5 Creedmore BDC for $49:what: or a Trophy BDC 3X9 for $25:neener:. I try to keep from going there, but my will is week.

I'm not above picking up a nice Leupold for the right price at pawn shops either.

And isn't Nikon going to stop making scopes?
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Jealous of those prices. I live close to the Plano Molding HQ so I've hit their outlet store for some awesome deals on gun cases and such, but I'd take awesome optic deals over that in a heartbeat.

Nikon is stopping selling scopes, so now may be a great time to try to find some deals on discontinued products.
 
cdb1 said:
Low end optic can and does mean different things to different people. I don’t buy the best of anything normally except for manly footwear, I have bad feet. But I never buy the cheapest of anything either, the exception would be gifts for LoonWulf, Chicharrones, Skylerbone, troy fairweather and kudu.

I’ve definitely never understood why people buy a $1k rifle and conjoin it with an $89.00 scope using $10.00 mounts. If I’ve got $1k I’ll spend $600.00 on the rifle and $400.00 on a scope and mounts. And just between us girls I’ve got two firearms where the ratio was reversed and I spent more on the scope than the rifle, both were NIB. The reason for doing so was because I felt it’s what Marty Feldman would have done.
Click to expand...
least your thinking of us!
 
So my two cents on the whole mater is that get a bad scope, and you got a bad scope, less you pay the more those chances go up.
Still ive gotten less than ....maybe 4-5 that i can think of that were bad right out of the box. None of my others "died" during use, and Ive had at least a couple dozens of bargin bin scopes, many purchased used.

Even the 29 dollar no name i got off amazon as a test subject survived being left out side for a week, tossed in the freezer over night, and all most 100rnds on my sks and still functioned fine....it even had fairly decent optics in good lighting.

Ive got a few nice scopes, and ive used some fantastic ones.....but my bread and butter scopes are all under 400 bucks. The FF2s are way up there on my value list.

Now to answer the question directly, Ill take any Nikon NOT a buckmaster2 over any Bushy upto the legend hd lvl of quality. I havent used any of the newer bushys, but generally i find both Nikons and Bushys to be about the same to me when comparing them directly in terms of performance and price. Nikons used to have a more pleasing form factor to me, so they were what i preferred, when they went to the chubby tubes and big oculars i kinda quit using them.
 
I have a Bushnell on my 30-30 that couldn't have been more than $50, 30 years ago. I sighted it in and have never had to adjust it since. Granted I baby my guns but it's been shot a lot. For 30 years I've been hunting with it and never had a complaint about the glass, the light collecting ability, how it performed in low light. I can still see through it past when I'm comfortable shooting anything.

I never knew there was better and I still have no issues with that scope.
 
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Bushnell over Nikon. Better tracking, less lensing at high magnification, and that little detail:

NIKON HAS CEASED ALL PRODUCTION OF RIFLESCOPES.
 
I run the gamut from Center-Point to Leupold. But mostly reconditioned blue steel tube Weavers. I especially like Weavers with Micro-Trac. But even used, they are above the budget range the OP wants to discuss ... Blue steel scopes on blue steel rifles :)

I have some Nikons and Bushnell Elites (very nice scopes), but again, above the range the OP wants.

I have to say, I have bought two Weaver Kaspa's for AR projects underway (one mine, one a bud's). They are within the budget the OP wants and are pretty good scopes. They are on clearance on eBay for now, for decent money. But when they are gone, the new ones will be more ...
 
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