Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Why so many scopes that suck?

Congrats Jud.

Ok, let me ask this, since last year on opening weekend of deer season I shot a really nice 8 point buck using a $120 Weaver K4 Classic and this year saw nothing but does(which I did not fire at) with the same rifle and a $450 Meopta Artemis, I need to blame the optic?

Will it still suck if I shoot something when I get back from 3 days out of town for work?

I still have yet to use a scope for hunting this year.

Hunting with good "iron" sights does provide a certain level of confidence that something mysterious hasn't happened inside 'em....

How many Mils did you have to use on the windshield and what was your windcall and atmospheric conditions for that buck? Did you adjust your dope for altitude?



Am I the only one that remembers back in the day when you “worked” your way through Tasco and all that stuff....and finally scratched enough money together to have a Leupold? Then felt like you’d entered the big leagues?

Funny enough, I still have the first Leupold I ever bought.

Business defamation?

That's a major consideration for me. Maybe with today's scopes it shouldn't be but it still is.

EXACTLY

Run whatcha brung and don’t worry about other folks.. perty simple

I still have a 3-9x32 made in Japan Tasco from the late 70's that works/adjusts/holds zero perfectly.

In my opinion any variable power scope is unreliable. Unless you are willing to pay more than $1000

I shoot an awful lot of woodchucks at 250-350 yards every summer with variables that cost way less than 1000.00.....You snobby bastards are a hoot though.

Just stating my observations. I think our cold weather is the "death" of a variable.

Uh-oh..I've been here too long...I'm starting to agree with Blackheart

I spent a lot of years killing animals with a Weaver K6, Bushnell Elite 3200 and a Leupold FXll. Most hunting shots were at reasonable distances of 200yd or less, except for a few Stone sheep that were in the 400yd range. These were set and forgets and other than rezeroing once in a while, the failures were the bushnell fogged up on a cold Nov mule deer hunt, and the Leupold FXll reticle came loose and rotated.
In the last 4-5 years I’ve been doing a lot more long range practicing at the range and switching to Leupold LR reticle and CDS was not cutting it. It hasn’t really changed my hunting needs, the longest shot I’ve had since switching scopes is a 405yd shot on a big caribou, but the scopes I’m using now handle what I want to do at the range and easily handle my hunting needs as well.
I only keep 3-4 rifles and I don’t feel the same need to fill tags that I used to. So I’m a lot more selective of what animals I shoot these days. Because of that, most of my actual shooting is at the range so that’s the main priority for my scopes. Right now I use two NXS compacts and one SWFA. I have a rifle in the works right now and it will probably have a Bushnell LRHS on it.

I'm willing to bet that there are more so-called sucky scopes taking more game than the more expensive "not sucky scopes" by a large margin.
Many hunters are happy with their $150.00 - $300.00 scopes that fill their tags every year. I am one of them. If I can take my favorite rifle out every year and kill game with one shot at 150-400 yds with an old 6x Redfield Widefield, I probably won't change that scope. I have done just that with the last 10 Antelope and Deer I have shot.
That scope is mounted on a FN mauser 98 action with a 257 Ack Imp. that I built. Of course it has a so-called sucky Wilson barrel on it.
I don't blame the guys for liking those new scopes that are pushing a $1000.00 , but I know very few that can afford one.
When I had my gun shop, I sold and mounted 100's of scopes and there was no way any of my customers would pay more for their scope than they did their rifle.
I also have a good friend that has a $4500.00 rifle and a $2000.00 + scope and he has had to buy a $1000.00 range finder to round out his equipment. I really enjoy shooting a 1000 yds, with him, and I am jealous, but am glad he can afford his equipment.
I just thought I had to say something in defense of the average shooter and hunter. The main thing is we all have the freedom to own our on firearms and use them as we wish.


thanks for listening,
Ken

I would trust an appropriate model Leupold for any hunting in North America except a dangerous game hunt. Then I’m going Night Force.

I remember taking a well worn K6 off a .25-06... because I finally scraped together the coin and bought a 4.5-14x40 Leupold Vari-X III.... then wondering why I had to constantly check and adjust my zero. I don’t ever remember having to touch that Weaver, and I beat the schitt outta that gun.... but somehow I even convinced myself that that the Leupold was “better”.

I think if I had to pick a sub-$150 scope to hunt with for the rest of my life.... it’d probably be a Weaver K6.

A mans scope don't mean [bleep] to me but I cherish friendships, as I'm so sadly reminded of today.

I still have one on a 1971 model Marlin 336 30-30. It's a pig whacking sonofagun.