Myth Busting/Confirming - Mike Branson of Gideon Optics discuss "cheap" vs "expensive" optics and differences

[LiveLife]

an interview with an optics dude (Mike Branson) that discusses what you gain from spending more on a high-end optic:

Thanks to @Dave DeLaurant, Mike Branson of Gideon Optics (formerly of Primary Arms and Swampfox discuss differences between $400-$1500 optics from Primary Arms compared to $2800 Nightforce and busts commonly held notions/myths about cheap vs expensive optics and confirms some others:

Fundamentals of LPVOs: Cheap vs Expensive

All the best firearms history channels streaming to all major devices:weaponsandwar.tvAt SHOT Show this year I took some time to speak with Mike Branson of G...

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NOTE: "< >" comments are mine

• Lower priced optics have Chinese glass compared to Japanese/German glass
• Higher priced optics lens are brighter, sharper and clearer
• In bright sunlight to cloudy conditions where you have 98% light transmission through the optics, [price] difference "doesn't matter"
• If you spent $15,000 on an elk hunt with tags, guides/outfitter and travel/lodging expenses to another state burning up your two week vacation for the year in northern hemisphere < Less sunlight due to tilt of Earth > and sun has gone down, you need as much light gathering and want as close to 100% light transmission through the optics to see the elk (Unless using night vision) and then [price] difference "does matter"
• You approach "point of diminishing return" as you get past $3000 mark but what you gain is specific to what your application is
• People don't realize light entering $3000 scope will hit cheap eye glasses that are dirty and all scratched up < Or cloudy from yellowing and blurry lens from old/pre-cataract surgery eyes > and won't be able to tell the difference < After my cataract surgery with 100% light transmission Vivity IOL implants, I sure was able to tell the difference between brands/models/pricing that I could not tell the difference before the cataract surgery >
• "Can I tell the difference between Vortex and Nightforce ATACR? Not with my eyeballs but someone can and it's worth the extra money for them"
• Scope that is fine shooting at the range from the bench in bright sunlight can be a problem when hunting and sun is low and field of view is dark ... "Who zeros their scope at 6:30 in the morning?" < I specifically test my scopes in the late afternoon/evening without sunlight in dark shadows of the 150' trees because that's the shooting condition I shoot at and need to see 22LR holes at 100 yards >
• "Issue with First Focal Plane LPVO is when you crank the zoom to 1x, your reticle goes away unless you have illuminated dot/reticle and that extra feature costs more"
• When friend of Mike saved up 5 years to buy Nightforce ATACR and got 4 MOA, he told him "You spent 5 years not shooting to save up for ATACR to be great but lost your MOA shooting skillset from lack of practice ... He could have spent $400 and kept shooting to become sub MOA shooter instead ... and he went 'Oh ... Crap'" < There's something to "trigger time" >
• Exit pupil - "All the 1-10x LPVO have 2.3mm to 2.6mm exit pupil (Objective lens size divided by magnification power ... 28mm/10x = 2.8mm) and you have to line that beam of light to 4mm eye pupil and that doesn't change regardless of price of scope and you need to get the right stock to maintain same cheek weld to stock to align eye pupil"
• Country of manufacture - "Union guy making $35 an hour in the USA pushes the button on CNC machine ... A guy that makes $4 a day in Vietnam pushes the button on CNC machine ... CNC machine doesn't care who pushes the button"
• "But if you want perfect turret, you will pay for the perfect turret" ... Higher priced scopes can allow you to eliminate as many shooting variables as possible, to an extent
• Manufacturing process improvements have allowed "cheap" mismatched parts AR build with $400 scope made in China to consistently produce hits at 600 yards using "cheap bulk" PMC 55 gr FMJ which was unheard of decades ago when military service grade accuracy was 4 MOA
• "I want blue collar workers raising two kids go to college ... If I can help them buy into Second Amendment, I will" and mentions $399 Gideon Optics Guardian 1-10x28 LPVO (With etched glass reticle and illumination) - https://gideonoptics.com/shop-all/guardian-1-10x28-lpvo/?ue-mini-cart-product-added