Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics old bushnell banner scope. question

i pulled out my old browning BLR 243 and on it sits an ooold bushnell banner 6x scope. i cant upload a pic it says file too large but were these sxopes any good? this was my dads gun im assuming the scope is from early 80s. thought about getting somethin like a 2-7 or 3-9 burris and throwing on it

I have one in 4x and it was made in Japan. It is only on a 22 but it seems like a really nice little scope. Guessing mine is early 80's too.

I suggest a new scope. Burris is good. Lots of good scopes out there. Jack

It's probably decent, but the technology and cost of technology is much different/better than it was 30 years ago. Look through it bit and then go to a local store and look at them. I wouldn't be surprised if even those in the $150 range are better than that scope. I had an old tasco (Japan made) 4X on my grandpa's old Remington 721 when I received the rifle. I hunted with it and it wasn't long before I found that the quality of view wasn't that good and that it had probably leaked through the seals as a drizzly/foggy day hunting made it all but useless. I put a Bushnell Trophy on it because that's all I could afford 10 years ago and it was 10x better. The scopes I've bought in the last couple of years are noticeably better than that Trophy.

I have had several of the old B&L, Japanese, Bushnell Banner 2.5 and 4X scopes. Other than the rubber ring around the ocular bell coming off easily, I can find no fault with them. They hold zero well, have true adjustments and surprisingly good glass.

It's been quite few years but I think Bushnell had 3 lines back then, Scopechief, Banner, and Sportview with the Scopechief being the best and Banner the midrange.

If you've got spare funds, I'd replace it. If not, it'll work.

Dale

Not just opinion, this is fact. It will serve the OP for a long time. Nothing like a rifle and optic the same age. Now that's cool.

I've ran several of the newer Bushnell Banner 1.5-4.5 on leveractions from 30-30 to 45/70. The optics are way better than the price suggests and have yet to have one break on me even on multiple 45/70 Guide Guns.

If had several of the old Japanese banners over the years. They are pretty tuff scopes and I still have a 4x on a 22 mag. Obviously the technology of lens coatings has improved but that doesn't mean this scope works any less effectively than it did 25 years ago which was pretty fair. Since this gun is not one of your most used rifles I'd leave it on the rifle and use it as is. Believe me the deer will be in grave danger with this scope.

I have one of those old Banner scopes on a spring-piston air rifle. That type of air rifle is tough on scopes and that Banner has held up for many years. Before that it was on a semi-auto 30-06 which is also hard on scopes. No problems. It just isn't as bright as some of the newer scopes.

My longest kill on a deer was with a Fixed 4X Banner on my 30-06. It was back in 1989 and I didn't own a rangefinder at the time but he was far enough away that I needed my 7X binos to determine if he had a decent rack or not before I shot. My dad is still using that scope on his 30-06 today..........

"...Most people think anything older than themselves can't possibly be very good; they are wrong of course. Bushnell has sold many variations under the Banner label and even within a production run some will be better, as an absolute, than others but the differences due to any "improved optics" are much less than many believe.

The way to answer your question is to look through it. If the image is bright and clear you wouldn't see much - if any - difference with a magic "new" scope.