Most of the discussion is about Leupold, Conquest, Swarovski, etc. but how many have cheap scopes on rifles that work well. My normal big game hunting rifles use Swarovski(DGR),Conquest, & Leupold scopes & are subjected to severe duty. I also have a Tikka 223 used for predators that has a Simmons with an ill. reticule. Untold numbers of foxes, coyotes, a few bobcats, & Javelina have all been shot with this cheap scope. Its so accurate & great for night hunting that many of my SCI buddies borrow. I have an 11-87 12G. with an old Simmons 4X with turkey reticle that has traveled by plane, ATV, air boat, & jeep to kill turkeys in many states up to 55 yards. There is a 234 with a Bushnell Lightsight 3-9 that has lit up many coyotes & another Lightsight on a 22 Mag. for foxes. How many of you will admit to using cheap scopes on some rifles or shotguns?

I have used some of the Simmons scopes with good luck -Gold Medal series and their Pro Air scope. Also, have used several Swift scopes without a hiccup. They have worked for me. Currently trying out a Vortex Diamondback. Time will tell on it.

I'm currently using a Bushnell Trophy 3-9x40 on a .22, Tasco varmint 6-24x40 on the .22-250, as well as a Vortex diamondback, and Simmons master series prohunter (44 mag series). They've all been beaten severly, and only the Simmons needed to be sent in. I was sent a brand new replacement scope pronto.

I'm also using Burris tactical, signature select, and Zeiss conquest scopes.

My second deer rifle (Winchester 670 .243) came with a plain jane Tasco 3-9 that looked like it had been to hell and back. Glass is good and it's always held it's zero. Spent quite a bit of time in a scabbard also.

Shot well when I bought it, probably took 8-10 deer with it. Swapped it out at one time, but now it still has the original Tasco.

Still shoots well, although it hasn't been out for a few years.

A couple of years ago, Simmons discontinued their 'Top of the Line' 1.5 X 6X Whitetail Expedition scopes. Dick's sold them for ~50 bucks. I bought two and wish I had bought a few more. They have turned out to be perfect .22LR hunting rifle scopes. Size appropriate for the rifle, parallax free from 20 yds to infinity, bright, distortion free and tracks reproducibly as well as the CZ 452s are capable of shooting.

Simmons Aetec.

Nikon Buckmaster 4x

Burris Fullfield II, any model up to 3-9x.

Weaver K2.5 and K4. Simmons 2-7X Gold Medal pistol scope. Simmons .22 Mag 4X rimfire scope.

The only one I still have is the 2-7X pistol scope and it still is one of my all time favorites.

Tom

My favorite "Cheap" scope is a Mueller Eraticator. Its an 8.5-25x50mm illuminated recticle AO, full blown bells and whistles varmint scope, and in the last 4 years has never failed me. As a matter of fact, it has become my "standard" scope to check against any other scope I have.

Cheap only applies to this scope in the sense that it would cost alot more with someone elses nametag on it.

Mr. tbear;
I had a early '80's Bushnell Banner 4X that was quite clear and never gave any trouble. I traded it to a nephew who needed to start deer hunting with something reliable and as far as I know, it's still running for him.

I've had good luck with a newer Weaver 6X, I think it's Japanese, but I'd have to look to be sure. I thought it is quite bright and clear for the money and held up on a fairly light .308 Norma for a few years of shooting. I wouldn't say I shot it lots though, so it may not be as robust as others.

I seem to need to buy every 2.5X and 3X straight steel tube El Paso Weaver I come across. They mostly end up on .22's, but so far so good with them for me.

Thanks to all who responded, it's made for interesting reading.

Regards,
Dwayne

I have a Tasco Pronghorn Fixed 4x32 that has been absolutely abused and still performs with out of the box quality.

Dwayne,

I had much the same experience with a 4x Bushnell Banner from the early 80's. I bought a Ruger 77 .30-06 in 1983 that came with the scope, and I used it for a couple of years before "upgrading." Then I used it for a test scope for a while, and seem to remember having it on my first .375 H&H for a while.

Eventually I gave it to my cousin for a .30-06 he'd just bought, and he is still using it.

That scope was just one among many that convinced me that fixed-power scopes are tougher.

There is a 4x Banner on Model 760 30-06 my dad purchased used in the early 80's. It is still chugging along with no problems. Would be great if that scope/durability could be purchased today. Someone could do well providing that sort of service/price with a similar scope.

GreggH

When I bought my first big game rifle (Savage 110 7 mag) in the late 60's it came with a cheap "Hurricane" 4x scope. Being in a lot better shape back then, I put that combo through the hoops and I never once had to adjust that scope. It took some pretty good whacks and the finish is a lot worse for wear but it still held it's zero. I'm sure it was built in Japan but I can't find anything bad to say about it.

There's a Bushnell Sportview 4x on my Rem. 572 .22 pump that's been on the rifle about 30 years or so.

Another vote here for the AETEC. Had one on my 300 RUM for years before I put a Leupold on it.My dad is still using that Simmons on his 30-06.

Japanese Weaver V9. It's been on countless rifles from muzzle loaders up to 300 Wby. It always works and is normally the first scope I try on a new rifle.

Simmons Aetec!

I bought one probally 12yrs ago and still have it on a 30-06. I haven't had to touch it in forever.
My buddies bought em for a 7mm & a 7mmSTW and they haven't had a seconds trouble either. I have no idea about the newer ones but the older Aetec's were really good scopes for the money.

My old man has never had nothing but cheap Tasco's and their still working fine too.

I've had some Jap Tascos that were great.

When you think about it, a scope is not that complicated if it gets screwed together right... I know, good glass, bad glass or the best scopes have better innards but I have had but one scope that I sent back and it was broke when I got it new and I knew it.
It was on a Win Mod 70 that Walmart sold for $150 because... the scope was broke. Simmons sent me a new one. Was about three years ago.

g

Bushy 3-9x40 Sportview bought for $55 back in the late 80's. Its on a model 30 Marlin 30-30. Seen 10+ years of hunting and never had to mess with it .... Dat 30-30 needs another trip to the woods soon, but may have a M8 4x when it does ....

There's a very big difference between cheap and inexpensive...

I have a few that have worked out pretty good.

Simmons Aetec 2.8-10 was on my favorite varmint gun and saw a lot of use with no glitches and good glass.

Cabelas Pine Ridge 3-9x this one has been on just about every rifle I own and has performed great. Glass is ok for the price I don't think you can go wrong.

I've had a couple of the older Bushnell Banners, too, including a 4x12x40 that worked just fine and never gave me any problems at all.

I think I spend too much on scopes lately.

Lies, lies, all lies!

(My son's 870 has one of those Tasco Pronghorns on it that doesn't seem to realize just how abusive the recoil is from 3-inch sabot slugs.)

Never had a problem with my Tasco or Swift scopes.

Depends on which side of the tracks yer from.

This is a very good thread, especially for guys looking for a scope that don't want to spend big bucks for it.
My vote goes to two scopes, the Bushnell Scopechief line and the Weaver V-16. Both are "Best Used Buys" when you can find them.
I use an old Scopechief 6-20x as a slave scope for developing loads for rifles. It may not be the brightest bulb on the scope tree, but it sure works in mid-day light at 20x.

I forgot about an ElPaso Weaver 4X I purchased as new in original box years ago. I had it reworked & added a post & cross hair reticle. I mounted on a beautiful Sako 308 with a Mannlicher style stock & gave/loaned it to a young relative. He shoots several Whitetails each year with this rifle & loves to show off the scope. Those old ElPaso's may have obsolete glass but they are brute strong & still work for most general purpose hunting. Its interesting in this age of $500 to $1500+ scopes that game can be shot with older inexpensive glass. Its a wonder the bullets don't bounce off.

I have had great luck with the Jap Tasco World Class and World Class Plus scopes, especially the fixed 6X models, the Bushnell Scopechief is another scope that has shown me good service,I dont think they really were cheap in their time as I never bought one new, one reason I love gun shows, amongst the stuffed Alligators and G I Joe crap sometimes you can pluck a favorite little trinket outta the rubble

Early 80's Bushnell Banner 4x I bought used and a 3-9 Japanese Tasco.

I've got an old 3X Leupold I bought used. It's been on several rifles, a 7X57, a .358 Win., a .25-20 and a .243. It put up with over 250 rds. of mostly magnum rifle slug ammo out of a very light Ithaca 12 ga. And it's still going strong.
I've got a Leupold 4X that I bought new in 83, or 84, that put up with so much abuse I shudder to think about it. Never changed zero.
But I think the all time champ is my old partner's cheap Swift, 3-9X. He broke one leg off of the reticle way back, like over 15 yrs. ago. The thing is still holding zero. I've seen him kill some nice bucks with that thing. Broken reticle and all. E

I had a Kassnar 3-9x40 back in the early 80's. It was all I could afford after buying a new 7mm RM 700 Classic. Worked GREAT for 3yrs until I took a fall that would have wrecked ANY scope.

My son is using an old Swift 1.5-5X 20mm scope on his 10/22 Ruger.
This is the fifth one of these I have owned, the other 4 were replaced as they failed. I can't really fault Swift's warranty, but their product sucks.
Since I purchased the first iteration some 8 years ago, I guess you could make a case for it 'lasting'.

i have a leupold vari-x ii 3-9x40 i bought in 1993-ish for about $200. Not rock bottom cheap but also certainly not terribly expensive. It is now on its 4th rifle. Not the best glass i own, but when i bring the gun to my shoulder i've used this scope so much that muscle memory just makes it feel right. in my opinion it is also better than the 2004-ish vari-x iii 3.5-10x40 in low light. it has taken its share of bambi's through the years.

I have a Swift scope I got from their warranty department as a replacement for a throughly trashed out 4x12 that came on my first Gunbroker purchase: a Stainless Classic M70 308. I remember it came from a pawn shop in Nevada and there was sand under the scope caps. I never had a Swift before, and didn't know much about them, but knew they had a great warranty when the new one came in the mail.

I used that 4x12 AO Swift on any number of rifles to work up loads. Then the time came when it got a permanent home on a 10/22 I tricked out on the cheap with a Boyds/Shaw package deal. It's still there.

After that, a Tasco 6x24 Mag IV filled in for some load work-up work, though I liked the Swift's optics much more. The Tasco handled some heavy customers too and performed very well. They both impressed me in the tough and reliable department.

I have a Swift 4x that has worked out very well. Nice little $100 scope.

In no particular order:

1). 6-18x AO Bushnell Banner (Japan). Crystal clear, bright, sharp image, excellent resolution, reliable adjustments on mini-turrent.

2) 4x Bushnell Scopechiev IV. Excellent resolution and edge-to-edge uniformity, bright.

3). Weaver k4 steel tube microtrac scope. Not as bright as above, but very good overall.

4). Picked up some Lyman All-American Permacenters in the past 10 years, including: 2.5x (2.75x?) post/crosshair; two 8x versions with AO. Flawless scopes for my lever action (2.5x), and woodchuck rifles (8x).

5). Bushnell Banner 4x straight tube .22 rimfire scope. clear, bright. yada, yada, yada.

All scopes were picked up for well under $75 (most under $50).

tbear,

I have scopes from the old Weaver a 2 1/2-10X Tasco up to a NightForce. In the middle are several 4-16X Tascos on big kickers. I bought them for 75 bucks each and they hold up well. The .340 Weatherby and the .375-.416 Rem Mag both had the Tascos on them when we went to Alaska. They are a GREAT value.

One refers to price, the other to quality

I have two Japanese Tascos that are still running strong. Made by Haako. Great scopes.

We also had great luck with the older Bushnell Banners. The new ones, not so good. I have one now that is only suitable for pounding tent stakes.

Hello,

I have had Weaver Micro Tracks (2,5x and 4x) and like them. Not great optically but strong enough for more than 300 shoots each in a .375 H&H.
But my absolute favorite old (now cheap but not originally)scope is the Redfield Bear Cub 1" tub, or the earlier Stith or Kollmorgen Bear Cubs. They all are great scopes even by today standars. Mecanically for sure but also optically ! Very wide an flat fields and resolution on par with my Zeiss Diatals (old non centered reticles), new Zeiss Victory and Schmidt&Bender. May be not so bright but equal on resolution, indeed.

Regards,

PH

Sorry,

I forgot to say that I was talking about 4X fixed scopes Redfield 1" and Stith/Kollmorgen 26 mm.

Regards,

PH

They were quality made. Too bad the bunch that started making the Wal-mart scopes trashed Tasco's rep forever.

In this day and age, it's about productivity not quality. Virtually every scope line has suffered and will continue to suffer until Quality changes. Every company via Asia, Euro or US is doing more with less and we as customers are now the inspectors/quality control department.

I have the following inexpensive scopes that have never been sent back for even a cleaning.

(3) 3-9X40 World Class Plus (Japan)
(2) 4X Tasco 20+ years old (Japan)
(1) 2.8-10 Aetec 15+ years old
(2) 3-9 Banners 20+ years old
(1) Fullfield USA

The 3-9 Banners were on a Savage 210F and Browning Bolt slug special, these 2 were used for slug development for the better part of 7 years after doing duty as loaner scopes. 1 still resides on the 210F and the other is now on a Thompson Omega Laminated Thumbhole .50 and has seen many days of load development and both are still going strong.

Both the Tasco 4X area on Mossberg 185's that I converted to smooth bore slug guns. Barrel change, bend the bolt handle and drill and tap for bases. These have seen many years of 20 gauge slug reloading. These are still doing duty and loaner slug guns for friends and family and still see some reloading duty's.

The Aetec has been on more than 10 of my rifles and can't count the amount of others it's been on. As of now it's on one of my son's 17HMR's.

The World Class Plus's have been on about everything from a Lott down to a rimfire. These are still mounted on various guns. 1 is on a 7mm Rem Mag 700 BDL SSDM with factory porting that's a loaner gun, 1 is on a .270 700 BDL SSDM that has seen over 2000 rounds in it's life time. Last one is on a 10/22 with unknown loads ran through it.

Most of the Testing was done with Lead Sleds or something very similar that I built and used before the Lead Sleds came out.

YMMV

My favorite cheap scopes are the little 2.5X Bushnell Banners from quite a few years back. They make great scopes on 22's and I had one for years on my Remington 760 .35 Rem. They're light and just don't break.

I have two Japanese Tasco 3x9 scopes from the mid 80s. I had one of these mounted on a 30-30 as a kid and then on an Interarms Mauser 30-06 for 10 years. I can't imagine a scope taking as much punishment as this Tasco got from me. I'm now in my late 30s and I put the Tasco back on the Interarms becasue my dad bought both for me and I wanted it back on for sentimental reasons. I carried it for two days in 2008 and it finally gave up with a case of scope fog. I have a few Simmons scopes from the mid 90s that have done well.

In general I've found the hard way you get what you pay for.


That being said there is normaly a small expection to the rule. For examply in bolt action rifles there are several makes/models out there that perform way above their price. The Marlin XL-7, the Stevens 200, the Savages and so on.

In optics big money will get you great glass such as the VX3s the Zeiss Conquest and so on. BUT on the opisite end of the spectrum are some killer deals to be had. Here is my list of great buys from personal experience:

The Bushnell Banner series of scopes. Specifically the 1.5x4.5x32 I have had this model on several big bore Marlins and trust me 45/70 recoil will tear up a crappy scope. This model has never shifted POI or fogged up on me. Optically to my eyes they are just as good as the VXI scopes from Leupold, maybe as good as the VXII as far as brightness and edge to edge clarity. I currently have a fixed 4x Banner that is my backup scope. Its probably going to get mounted on the 7600 I have on layaway. These scopes cost $70-80 and perform as good as scopes twice to three times that price. The guy that got me hooked on the Banners has over ten of them mounted on various Marlin leverguns, with a good bit of them being on 444, and 45/70 - that is a lot of field testing. His handle on most websites is RanchDog.

The Nikon Pro Staff line is another good for the money buy. I have a 3x9x40 I picked up for about $140 and its done well mounted on the Vanguard in 30-06 that is our family loaner gun. Optically I'd say they are every bit as good as a VXI from Leupold. That being said I am moving away from Nikons due to a sour experience with their customer service department over a brand new Buckmasters 4x.

The Burris Fullfield II line is kinda a not cheap but not expensive choice for me. Every FFII I have had has been awesome optically, as good as the Vari-x IIIs were. I currently have a FFII 2x7 that is going on a buddie's first hunting rifle. I like that they offer a couple of good recticle choices. I like a post/duplex and you can get a good 2x7x35 with that post/duplex for around $170. Their more expensive lines are really good too FWIW.


Glad others here have had good luck with the Banners too. I noticed several people make the difference between older and newer Bushnell Banners. All the Banner's I've had were new ones and not a problem.


Good subject

I have several Burris Fullfield IIs and a couple of Burris "Short Mag" scopes that have held up well on light rifles and a couple of hard-kickers. I have Simmons, Tasco and Bushnell scopes on .22s. I have a Tasco (Chinese) 6-24 Target/Varmint scope that has been on my go-to .223 Savage and always holds zero. I also have Leupold scopes, B&L Elites (pre-Bushnell), Zeiss, a Nikon or two and a couple of Weavers.

BSA are junk, in my experience. I had a Tasco (Chinese) 1.5-5 that turned foggy and unclear in just a couple years.

I have to admit that I don't have many scopes that cost over $500, though. I doubt that my eyes would discern the difference, as I see little difference (mainly around the edges) between my Pentax binoculars and my buddies' Swaros.

Burris FFII's have been good to me over the years. Not cheap, but inexpensive and a good value, IMHO.

DJ

Bushnell Banner x2 and both still holding up.

I got a Tasco Euroclass on my 264. Never have a problem with it. It was one the gun when I bought it, never saw a reason to switch it.

The older Tasco World Class scopes from Japan were super! Have a 6x and a 3x9 that are still going strong! The old Bushnell Banners from Japan were good also. I am showing my age when you talk about Made in Japan Bushnells, that's been a while back!

I have a couple of Made in Japan scopes that are exactly like the old World Class Tascos that I am going to sell. Ones a 3-9x42 and the others a 4-16x42. Any interest?

I have a Charles Daly 6x40 scope that I have no idea who manufactured, but it's clear and seems solid as a rock. Pawn shop scope for $25.00 which I intended to put on a sale rifle. Needed a scope to sight in a rifle one day and threw it on there and it's been suprisingly tough and reliable. I have no idea who made it, but I'd love to know as it's a heck of a scope for $25 bucks.

I have a Tasco 6x24x40something that I got about 10 years ago when I sent in a DOA Tasco that came on a rifle purchase from Gunbroker. I used it for a while on a 22-250 before picking up a better scope. After that I put it on several rifles while I was working up loads, liking the higher power range. It was on some heavy kickers and always held up fine.

Then I got the idea to move it on. I was done with the heavy kickers after shoulder surgery and was not looking to add to the herd anymore, so I wouldn't be needing it. A guy on the classifieds bought it for fourty bucks and off it went. Shortly thereafter, he contacted me and told me I had mispresented the scope. He had put it through some scope gymnastics and found it wanting in some way. I had no problem taking it back, even though I was a little miffed about being accused of ripping him off, but reimbursed both the fourty bucks and his shipping. Well, it came back and sat unopened in it's shipping box ever since.

Last weekend I wanted to take a Model 70 out and shoot but had just pulled the scope off of it to sell. I remembered the Tasco. I went and unpacked it and put it on the M70.

Yikes! The guy must have been right. What had been a reasonably clear scope was now completely unusable. I messed with it for a little bit and then noticed the AO was cranked way out. Most AO's have stops but not this one and the guy, or a kid, had cranked it about 6 or 7 revolutions beyond the intended range. I'm surprised it didn't come off.

So I got it adjusted properly and went out and shot some good groups.

BSA 3.5x10X50 Cats eye scope put it thru hell and it works great.

Weaver K2 2,5x20

Had it on a 9,3x64 for a long time. No issues.

The Charles Daily scopes that I have been around did indeed work well

Bushnell Elite II 3-9x40 that has been a go to scope on many rifles awaiting funds for a better scope. Never shot better grouyps upon installing an upgrade.
Bushnell Scope Chief 1.5-6x32 made in Taiwan that has been used similarly without missing a beat.

I have a Bushnell Sportview 4x32,and a Japanese made Simmons model # 1010,3x-9x32.These are my cheapest scopes,and they were on rifles I bought.The Bushnell was on a Ruger 77/22 I bought used in 1984,I have no idea when it was made.I've swapped it back and forth from .22s,to bigger guns like .30-06s and the like.The Bushnell is still very bright and clear,and has always held zero.Pretty much the same with the Simmons.It also came on a used gun I bought,is still very clear and bright and has been on some stout kicking guns without a change in zero.They both have been very good scopes and have held up well and have never fogged up in any kind of weather.I've had other lower priced Simmons and Bushnells that I just gave away to get rid of them,because if they were bumped a little you never knew where the bullet was going,or the recoil would shift impact on every shot.

One I haven't seen listed (maybe because I just got lucky with this particular scope) is the old Denver Redfield 4x. I bought it used years ago and had it on a 30-06 where it absorbed 200 grain loads for years until I had it re-barreled to 35 Whelen and it is still working great with the 250 grain loads. I'm a one rifle guy, so it gets shot quite a bit.

Paul

I got a Redfield 2x7 on a .270 in a Pachmeyr swing side mount thats been on it for 40 years that I know of.Still just as solid,and clear as ever.I also have a Redfield Partner in 3x9,it's in need of an 'o'ring but it's still a great little scope.

The newer ones are junk.

Tom

my vote goes to the "older" Simmons Pro 50 and Pro 50 Plus scopes.

Ive had 3, buying another, and Ive never had a single problem on shotguns, muzzleloaders and various rifles.

Retail was 189 or so, I forget but then they went to 118 on wholesalers when mfg stopped. You can buy one now for 50 bucks or less and Id put it on anything that goes BANG with confidence.

Ive made LONG shots that I hestitate to mention here with them.

Still like the original weavers and redfields but for "cheap" oh yeah......a Simmons Pro 50.

They made the 2.5-10x50
the 4-12x50 and the 6-18x50. I never had the big boy but had two of the 2.5-10s on deer guns and dang do they suck in the light for the money. The 4-12x50 was on a varminter and about to buy another one.

The Plus models (maybe some of the others?) had a type of BDC that was very easy to use once you figured it out.

God Bless to all!