Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Hi my name is Tim and I'm an average guy...

There's a lot of good information here, and a lot of opinionated bs. Let's just make this real clear.

I don't know much of anything about "Alpha" glass. I'm 39(almost 40) pour concrete for a living and have a 3 year old and a wife at home and a 6 year old and an ex that I pay support to. "Alpha" glass is more cash than this cowboy can spend.

If you hadn't guessed, I'm kind of a Weaver slut. Old guy that owned one of the local shops sold me a Classic V9 when I was really disgusted with a couple cheaper scopes that failed when I was 19 or 20. It's been nothing but great. I've been running Weaver Classics on most of my stuff for a while now, great glass for a great price and that's where I stand on that.

I don't twist knobs, or have much use for anything beyond a simple ballistic plex or LRD. I have no great aspirations of taking game at uber distances. If I can't get within 300 yards, that critter is going to live another day. In fact, it would please me greatly to have powder burns on every single game animal I ever take.

I'm an honest guy, I won't knowingly lie to anyone. If I tell you something, it's true and accurate to the best of my knowledge and experience.

Someday I want to be a professional squirrel hunter, most fun animal to hunt with a rifle IMHO...but the bigger critters fill the freezer a lot faster.

That's all I got, carry on.

Someday I just want to be retired and able to enjoy it! Nothing wrong with your point of view IMHO.

I've got some alpha glass and I've got a weaver V9 that I've had for years and I remember paying $88 for on sale. The V9 has been on several rifles over the years and several deer have fallen to it. It's a good scope, I could hunt deer the rest of my life with that scope and not be handicapped.

Here's the problem with Tim's post. It's not that he can't afford "alpaha" glass, it that it's not a priority. I saved for months to get my Swarovski. I saved for months to get my Weatherby. I didn't settle for something almost as light as the Swarovski or almost as light as the six lug Weatherby.

But then I don't have a couple of small children to save for or an ex to siphon off some of my money. In fact my wife is still working even though we have been married fifty years.

I respect that Tim, seems to me your priorities are in just the right place.

Tim, don't sweat the small stuff. Your scope is good enough to do it's job, so all else is fluff. I will never own a S & B scope. The first guy I ever met that had more than one of them would have been a pr..k, except that is part of a man.

A now deceased multi-millionaire friend of nine used a Rem. 742 topped with Weaver. Another equally wealthy friend used a 336 with a 3X Weaver. Both did the job.

A man should take care of his family first. Most of us have more toys than we need. Good for you.

Jack

Then you are somewhat less of a man, not worthy enough to post here on the "Fire".

Tim,
Pretty much been there. Some day the ex will be paid off, the kids will be out of school and supporting themselves and your ship will come in. Then you can sit back and laugh at the BS on the Fire. Til then just do what you gotta do.
It'll happen faster than you can believe.

No truer words have ever been written on the CF forum. Just yesterday (it seems) I was holding my new born son with just one hand. Last month he turned 26 and HIS son, my grandson turned 2. Time truly does fly by when you're having fun.

+1.

Remnds of of seeing old dudes driving expensive sports cars while all the young guys are driving crap. Who's getting the does?

I really don't care who uses what. Use the best you can afford, or the best you feel you need. No need to justify it to anyone.....

Good morning Tim, I do know a little about alpha glass and yes I own some Alpha glass, but just like you for years I was raising a house full of kids and had obligations that kept me from considering Alpha glass. I made do just fine for years with a fixed 4X Leupold and could do that again if I needed too.

Hopefully as time goes by you will be able to experience the joy of owning and using Alpha glass, it really is nice! But until then keep having fun with your Weaver and just maybe we will run into each other chasing tree rats ~ one of my favorite pastimes.

Randy

I had bad luck with the older Weaver products( they would always fog).I have two 2X7s on my 22 Rifles and they work just fine.What ever trips your trigger!!!

+2....

+3

IIRC - Well, if you don't shoot �ber glass at ultra long range with a 223AI around big bears in Ak you will never be a real hunter.

Great advice, Tim.

DF

My first rifle was an old 7x57 I picked up for $75 with scope. Don't know what the scope was as it was so worn you couldn't even read the lettering. I hunted with that rifle with 100% reliability for 7 years and killed every animal I shot in one shot using factory 140 gr corelokt ammo.

I have found nothing to this day that has worked any better.

Shod

Hi Tim. I'm 50 and have 2 kids.....1 starting middle school and 1 starting high school this year. Oh....wife, too.

20 years ago, I couldn't have imagined paying $300 for a decent Leupold scope. They seemed unobtainable to me. After frustrations with Burris and Simmons and even Sightron scopes, I finally bought my first Leupold. Big mistake.

My first rifle was a new Remington 788 carbine in 308. I put a Simmons on it. I let the local gun shop rape me when I was in college and needed money and sold them that rifle outright. I'm still looking for a nice 788 carbine in 308 to replace it....but haven't run across one. While still in college, I traded a Win Featherweight 257 Rbts at a local gunshop for a Remington 700 Classic 257 Rbts. Big mistake.....not just because I traded off a rifle I'd like to have back....but I had ventured into quarterbores and Remington 700's.

Probably 20 years ago, I foolishly sent an old Remington 700 30-06 to Pac-Nor and had them rebarrel it with a custom barrel in 6mm AI. Big mistake.

Now I've got a very bad habit that I've had to feed for the last 20 years or so. Custom rifles with McMillan stocks and Leupold scopes (I even graduated to Swarovski's when LL Bean had them for 30% off).

Could I afford all of them?? NO. Did I find a way to acquire them? YES.

Where there's a will....there's a way.

The END.