Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Simmons Whitetail Classic scopes

Anyone used these? More specifically this 2-10x44 that Natchez sells for $60
http://www.natchezss.com/Category.c...20Riflescope%20Truplex%20Black%20Granite

How are these? How is the glass, and how is the durability. I'm just wondering if it would be a good choice for a rifle that only sees target use. I'd like it to last, but if it failed it wouldn't ruin a hunt because it wouldn't go on a hunt anyway. Or would I be wasting my money and should I go with something nicer? I've got a friend with one and he has had good luck with his, and the glass looks pretty decent, but he is only one example so it's hard to judge the scope from just his experience.

Yes. Just shipped one to my father in law this morning in fact. (Replacing with one of Doug's Vortex Viper 3-9x's!)
Here's the trick though, there have been at least 2-3 designs sold as the Whitetail Classic by Simmons' various owner companies. So quality reports will vary. I had an older Philippine model that had great glass, but adjustments were not too consistent over time. It was nice when purchased though.
By all accounts, the current Chinese made ones at Natchez are the Meade era Simmons WCs (red ring under the scope cap),and have finger adjustable dials after the Meade redesign. Expect ok multicoated only glass,but maybe iffy tracking over time. If that's what your budget can afford now, it will give you a bright picture and should probably hold zero for quite a few years. Not sure it's warranty covered though, as Simmons doesn't catalog the Whitetail Classic anymore.

I didn't realize that they were made in China now. The one my friend has was made in the Phillipines, but I don't know how long he has had is. I just assumed that's where they were all made, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

I guess I'd probably be better off just staying away from these or at least that's how it sounds. I knew the 6.5-20 model Midway sells gets a lot of great reviews so that's what interested me. I have a Nikon Monarch to use on this gun, but I figured if the Simmons was a decent scope I might use that instead and save the Monarch for something else. However, it sounds like I'm better off to just use the Monarch.

The Midway 6.5-20x WC model is a weird case. Those might still be made in the Philippines, but I believe they're specifically made for Midway, or they're old stock. Simmons doesn't catalog them anymore, that much is certain. I think it's like those "Prairie Master" Simmons models that Natchez used to sell. When you're as big as those two, you can get special production runs easily. By all accounts on Midway, those 6.5-20x models give good service.

The whole Simmons series of top end lines has always been weird. First they made Aetecs, 44 Mags and Whitetail Classics in the PI, then they switched manufacturing of some of them to China. Then Meade took over and you got the "Master Series" redesign. Then companies like "Intensity Optics" popped up selling very cheap copies of the older type Chinese made Aetecs/.44Mags (touting the "aspherical lens" elements again). Then ATK took Simmons over, and all of a sudden Weaver has the 40/44 series scopes...which are nearly identical to the Chinese Aetec/.44Mag copies and are priced at about what the old Aetecs/44Mags/WCs and Whitetail Expeditions went for.
The swapping of names and factories and scope rebranders can make you dizzy.

Years ago I had a one in a black matte crackle finish.
It was a lower power, 2.5-8x?
It was on Remington 7600 .243.
I shot 100 yd, inch groups with it. I never had any problems and it looked good too.

FWIW, I currently have 12 of the 3.5-10x40 Whitetail Classics that have been purchased from Natchez and they are new, old stock, made in the Phillipines scopes that carry Simmons' part # 800053. I think that they work about as well as any other <$200 scope, but I'm a "set 'em and leave 'em alone" guy when it comes to hunting scopes, so repeatability of dialing for distance and back again isn't something I have done with these scopes. I also have 3 of the made in the Phillipines 6.5-20x50 Whitetail Classics and think that they are OK, but the higher magnification seems to cause more strain on my eye if I'm shooting pdogs with them. I have these scopes on 2nd and 3rd tier, casual/loaner, rifles, not on my 1st tier rifles.

JEff

PS - IMO, the 3.5-10x40 Simmons Whitetail Classics made in the Phillipines are far superior to the 2-10x38 Weaver V10 that I have in every way. For $60, how far wrong can you go on a scope that Cabela's was selling for $130+/- not long ago.

Pretty sure that Seafire likes these scopes also.