scope price.

[Carlgustaff243]

Would say myself that you can't beat a Nicko Sterling for a cheap centrefire rifle scope value for money is excellent. Although moving on from that and spending the cash on a cheaper swarovski you can deffinately see the difference in clarity but as something like a starter scope the NS is a good buy!

 

[Rake Aboot]

Meopta are nice, as are Docter

Old Jap Tasco if you can find one are bloody superb, as are Nikon (not Nikko which are total crap) Simmons are rubbish as well
High end Hawke are very good,(sr30)
High end Bushnell as well but the cheaper ones are not up to much

 

[dunc65]

well 42 posts later am i any the wiser

 

[Caberhill]

well 42 posts later am i any the wiser

Buy a second had s&b, you sometimes see German 6x42's go for £250 on eBay, if you then don't like you'll most likely get every penny back when you sell it. Although they are great scopes can't see why you would change it.

 

[jay 22]

The fact is most people could get a top end scope if it wasn't for the silly amount shops make extra on them.
I have a friend who can get khales. Doctor and nf scopes. And when I was told the prices by him.

I was shocked at how much these shops in the gunmart add on them. Put it this way one of the model nf scopes could be had 500 pound cheaper then sportsman gun centre was selling them! !!

 

[Rake Aboot]

The fact is most people could get a top end scope if it wasn't for the silly amount shops make extra on them.
I have a friend who can get khales. Doctor and nf scopes. And when I was told the prices by him.

I was shocked at how much these shops in the gunmart add on them. Put it this way one of the model nf scopes could be had 500 pound cheaper then sportsman gun centre was selling them! !!

Said freind , needs to stick a post up on here so that we can fill his orders books then bud.

 

[danpd]

This is a rather daft comment.

Shops have to make money in order to stay in business. They have to invest a lot of money into stock, and then make decent margins on the stock in order to pay wages, security, heating etc etc.

They don't exist just to make £50 on a £1500 deal.

We actually pay a lot less for products over here than most other European countries.

 

[Paul at Fechan]

I shot roe for years with a tasco silver antler that cost me £60, it was a fixed 6 mag scope and now it's on my rimfire.

*********YOU DON'T NEED AN EXPENSIVE SCOPE TO SHOOT DEER*********

This is providing your are at sensible ranges with reasonable light and a reliable rifle with good bases and mounts. Providing your rifle shoots fine and the scope is well fixed the difference between the best scope and entry level scope comes down to your ability as a stalker and not the wedge in your back pocket.

The better the optic the clearer the sight picture. How clear does bambi need to be for you? If you can though, buy the best you can afford as a little difference can help.

 

[TIFFY264]

Some say my z6i was a waste of money.I say it removes one more weak link from the equation.
Oh! and its a pleasure to use.

 

[biffo]

Buy a second had s&b, you sometimes see German 6x42's go for £250 on eBay, if you then don't like you'll most likely get every penny back when you sell it. Although they are great scopes can't see why you would change it.

agreed totally. I have a S and B ( west german made) 6x42, cost£200 about 8 years ago. Wouldn't change it for any other scope. Holds zero, great optics, bomb proof. Enough said!

 

[jay 22]

This is a rather daft comment.

Shops have to make money in order to stay in business. They have to invest a lot of money into stock, and then make decent margins on the stock in order to pay wages, security, heating etc etc.

They don't exist just to make £50 on a £1500 deal.

We actually pay a lot less for products over here than most other European countries.

There is a difference between making profit and over charging!

 

[Rake Aboot]

This is a rather daft comment.

Shops have to make money in order to stay in business. They have to invest a lot of money into stock, and then make decent margins on the stock in order to pay wages, security, heating etc etc.

They don't exist just to make £50 on a £1500 deal.

We actually pay a lot less for products over here than most other European countries.

So you won`t want one then, fair play, but the rest of us don`t enjoy being well and trully shafted by UK retailers

If you don`t believe we are, have a look at US gun prices.

 

[Munty_Hunter]

Not having a pop at Meopta but I hear so many people saying how good they are. About 9 months ago I stood with a chap who had an Artemis 3-12x56 or 50?. He turned to me nearing last light and said he could no longer see through the scope. I had a look and he had it wound back to low mag, I checked the lenses for dust etc but it was completely gone. We stayed for another ten minutes with the option to use my Zeiss 7x50. I told him perhaps he should get the scope checked but he said it was as good as his mates, of the same type.
Was this a ringer or are they good but not that good.

 

[monarman]

how many of you 'top end' scope users have to go looking for your shot deer in the dark?.... if that's the majority of you then you are using your scope to its full potential but also being a tad unfair on the creatures that sit in the crosshairs of said scope.....A bold statement i know.....i have used and owned scopes from all these top end makers and to be honest i should of saved my money! It's fair to say that the majority of scopes will allow a safe shot at the limit of light so why spend that extra thousand for a couple of extra and rather dogdy few minutes of light?
just summat to think about.

in answer to the original question..... cheaper scopes are fine and work well. What's more importand is that you are consistent with the equipment you use and that you put safety and humaneness first.

 

[Paul at Fechan]

SETUP Tikka T3 HB S/S Varmint .308 Win bought from new - Bushnell Elite 6500 4.5-30x50 bought from ebay (£400)

In fairness, I do shoot a fair few deer, foxes and other vermin. The important Bit:

I could not shoot better or 'stretch light' to make any more shots that I currently do with any other hunting scope of any price BUT:

If a top end high mag Zeiss FL Diavari was put in my hands (because there is a God after all) it would be on my rifle in minutes and the Elite would sadly be on ebay after a stunning few years of performance.

Because a great scope at a bargain price is not the same as the finest scope money can buy. I drive a puggy 306 nuff said but then it does everything I need a car to do.

 

[dunc65]

well Sade

 

[Milligan]

There are a lot of reasonably priced no nonsense scopes around and in reality, the quality of the mid range stuff has come on leaps and bounds in the last 20 years.
MTC, Nikon, Doctor, Meopta all make decent glass. Nikon in particular make competitive products! There is a reason they're one of the biggest camera brands out there.

My advice would be to take lense quality over features.

Parrallax adjustment and target turrets serve no practical purpose on a stalking scope, IR adds a hefty price for arguably little value. Don't get hung up on tube size, you don't need 70MOA elevation unless something is wrong with your mounts.
The other point is that a fixed power will always have better image quality and light transmission than a vari at the same given price point. The wider the mag range the more you'll give away on image quality, light transmission and weight.