Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting ? Cheap Scopes that Work. ?

Do you have or have had CHEAP scopes that work/worked?
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This is NOT a blanket approval/recommendation of any particular scope/s.
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I have 4 INexpensive (cheap) scopes that work & have worked MUCH better than I expected.

Back in the '80s I bought 1 Bushnell BANNER 4-12X40 AO scope for LESS than $100.
It worked so well, zeroed, clocked, & held zero so well that I bought 3 more. They also hold zero thru out the 4-12 range.

In 08 I bought a rifle that came w/a 'simmons' 3-9X40 'whitetail' scope. I would NEVER have bought the scope & did not even consider it in the price paid.

Long story short, from nothing it sighted IN, with 3 shots. That is the 4th shot was zeroed. I've never had to adjust it either. That on a 300 Win MAG.

Just curious IF I've been real lucky or if others have experienced similar.

I STILL have them & they are still dependable.

same with bushnell.

have used a few of the bushnell trophy low-powered variables on inline muzzleloaders, have held up fine for years.

I bought a Bushnell Banner 3-9x in 64 for $18. It didn't even have self centering reticles, butI killed a lot of elk, deer, and pronghorn with it on a Model 88. I also have two Weaver V-7's I think they were less than $50.Still working good,but one has been refurbished. One saw duty on a model 70, 7mag and another on my .06. The.06 now has a Leupold 2,5-8x, only because someone gave me it.
I have cheap $50 2-6 x on 44 carbine.
The only other scope I have is a Leupold 6x fixed o nmy 6.5 pronghorn rifle.

I have never had scope fog on me,break or fail while,hunting andmost of the time the rifles are in scabbards, scope down. I do my huntinng in CO and the early years,NM.

Might be diferent if I hunted high humidity country,butI think peopel tend to get way too tied up in all this equipment stuff rather than paying atteniion to learning how to hunt.

The first scope I ever bought was a Bushnell ScopeChief 3x9in the 70s. I then bought a R77 in 270 and over the years they were worked hard and performed well enough that I bought a B&L ScopeChief 3x9.
The Bushnell scope one day just gave up the ghost and it had paid its dues so I scrapped it. Yesrs later on the B&L scope came loose inside and someone suggested I return it to them as they are warrented. They returned a new 3200 to me so that worked out well also.
I have had a compact Tasco 4x for years that has performed very well on several guns and now lives on my future grand daughters 10/22.
Tim

I've had very good luck with Simmons AETEC in 2.8X-10X. Very clear and bright optics. I bought mine for less than $150. about 11 years ago.

Sherwood

These were well made scopes not Chinese junk. I like wise have used some of these scopes and still do. They were made in Japan, Korea, Phillipines, etc.

Tasco whitetail hunter on a 300 mag and it is spot on every year.Got one waiting to replace it but if it ain't broke,don't fix it.

Jayco

I lucked into one of these too. Just used it for some precise work on a deer in November. Could be brighter, could be clearer, but for the money it's a really good scope.

Real good service from a Bushnell Banner 1.75-4 shotgun scope.

The Weaver Classic K-series and Grand Slam fixed power scopes in 2.5x, 4x, 4.75x, 6x and 15x have all worked very well for me.

Weaver Classic K-4 and Burris Fullfield II 3x-9x

I bought two Simmons MS Pro-Hunter models when they first came out. A 2-7x32 and a 6x42. The first one sees duty on a .45-70 Marlin GG after two seasons on my lt wt .300 and the 6x is retired to my .22mag after one season on the .300.

Despite what the boys that wear their wallets on the outside of their pants say, there are some pretty good quality scopes out there available for modest prices. You don't need a Porsche to drive to your job at the 7/11.
A young fellow came by to have me mount his scope and sight it in. It was a Tasco that was so old most of the paint had rubbed off. It tracked as well and was as repeatable as any scope I've seen that cost several hundred dollars.
I sometimes think that the boys with their magic bullets and eurotrash scopes are trying to compensate for the fact that they spend too much time on the keyboard than not enough on the range.

Anyone remember Kassnar? I had one on the first centerfire rifle I got in '81. A M700 Classic in 7mm Rem magnum. Did just fine through ALOT of shooting and hunting for 3yrs until a fall bent the objective bell bad.

I used to love the Bushnell Trophy scopes when thats all I could afford as a teenager.

Difference between goat hunting in SE Alaska and hunting your back 40 in Pulaski, TN. Just saying.

the exact opposite is true, more than likely..

I've bought more than a few used, and some abused, Leupolds, Burris, Nikons, anything with a good warranty, from $50-$100.

A good warranty is worth a few bucks more.

Mine has been on 2 shotguns and 2 ML and just helped me take a small but good eatin buck just last week. Maybe 20 years and still kickin. Those slug loads have a bit of snap to them as well... I never "shot the box" but it does fine.

It fogs a bit though.

I just got one of those sightron SII 3-9's for $112, and hope I'm writing similar praise about it 20+ years from now.