The Shooting Sports Cheap Scope Recommendation Page

What I Recommend?

I will limit this only to scopes I have personal experience with, whether they belong to me or friend. These are my opinions and you are free to disagree. Why do a list country of origin? It's not prejudice. If you run into the same brand and model scope but the country of origin is different, it is a different scope and my review is not relevant. Who knows, it may be a better scope, but it is not what I reviewed and you shouldn't get angry with me if your results differ from mine.

For 22 rimfires, the Simmons 44 Mag 1048 6x-20x44m AO with target knobs, Made in Philippines (Simmons moves scope lines around manufacturers frequently, so pay attention to this.), comes highly recommended on Rimfire Central. I can second this. The adjustment increment is even less than the 1/8MOA listed, and I have yet to test it "on the square" (soon). I also wouldn't recommend it on anything with a lot of recoil. This is the only "cheap" scope I recommend, but that recommendation is limited to rimfires like 22LR, 17HMR, 17M2, 22WMR, and very low recoil centerfires, like 221 Fireball rifles. Going rate around $149.

For varmint rifles, the Bausch & Lomb (406244A/406244M) Elite 4000 6x-24x40mm, Made in Japan by Light Optical Works, with Target Knobs and A/O has worked well for me. It is mounted on a very accurate varmint rifle and turns in sub-MOA groups and responds well to adjustments. It has been obsoleted by the Bushnell 4200, which I have no info on, but is still stocked by some vendors.

For target shooting, I'm starting to wring out a Weaver T-24, with Micro-Trac adjustments. No problems so far. Mine is marked Made in Japan.

For high power Rifle, I've really been wringing out a Leupold Vari-X III 3.5x-10x40mm scope. It handles high recoil and my adjustments track perfectly. Group size dropped the moment I mounted it in place of an older scope.

For budget deer and big game hunting, the Burris Fullfield II 3x-9x40mm can be found for $179.00, often in a combo with a cheap 1/2-binocular spotting scope. (The "free" spotting scope is great for handgun use or just give it to the kids.) Near the same price range is the Weaver Grand Slam 3x-10x40mm, Made in Japan.

Reserved Opinions

For deer & big game hunting, I use several brands of scopes. However, not all my deer rifles are highly accurate yet, and I'm still in the process of figuring out why. This includes a Burris 2.5x Fullfield, a B&L Elite 3000 3x-9x40mm, and a couple of Leupold Vari-X II's. I generally trust these scopes, but reserve judgement until the rifles they are on are fully sorted out.

I just acquired a couple of Burris scopes. I haven't had time to test them yet, so no opinion yet.

I went through a phase of buying older US made scopes. Of these, an ancient steel-tube Weaver Marksman fixed 4x has worked out well. The field of view is limited (for a 4x), the crosshairs are a single diameter and rather thin, and the lens are yellowed a bit. After buying it and sending it back to El Paso for a recharge, it has helped shoot many 1 to 2MOA groups. I keep it because the unusually forward placement of the knobs doesn't interfere with ejection on a poorly designed rifle.

I have two old Colorado-made Redfield Widefields, one with the TV-like front objective in 2x-7x and the other with a round objective in 4x. The 4x has 1-2MOA of reticle float and is retired. Still suspicious of the 2x-7x but haven't proven anything yet. It is semi-retired.

I went through another phase of buying old Japanese scopes. Actually some came in trade. One was a first-generation (60's? 70's?) Bushnell ScopeChief II, 3x-9x about 38mm. The adjustments were too stiff but Bushnell fixed them for shipping charges. It tracks OK, but the view is a bit yellowed and the crosshairs always have some parallax at ANY range. It has a cute flip-out post reticle for low-light or close-in shooting. There is no parallax adjustment. I got a Mauser branded (Japan made) 3-9x40mm scope with illuminated dot reticle, probably late 1980's. It has about 1-2MOA of reticle float.

Not much point in recommending it now, but for a multi-purpose deer/varmint rifle, I have an old Colorado Redfield Ultimate Illuminator 3x-12x56mm scope. It tracks perfectly and is nearly as good as night vision. It also is very big, heavy, and unwieldy. If you can find one on closeout somewhere, I recommend it- as long as you can deal with the size. I have no experience with the new imported Redfields.

In the future, I plan to try some European value brands (Steiner, Kahles) and some high-end brands (Zeiss, Swarovski, Leica, Schmidt & Bender). As these are all expensive, so it will take some time.

What do I not Recommend?

This is my opinion based on personal experience. Your experience may vary.

I bought a BSA 24x (fixed power) Target scope. It was Made in Japan and came with screw-on aluminum lens protectors.It also came with multiple images. They could not be removed or adjusted away with the A/O or the ocular. I sent it back to Midway for a refund immediately. As far as I know, this scope is discontinued, but another BSA Platinum variable scope (also Made in Japan) with similar lens protectors is still available.

After being impressed by a friend's Made in Japan AETEC, I bought a Simmons 6-20x AETEC. It came with 1/2MOA adjustments, and was made in the Philippines. I didn't think to ask about the click increment when ordering. I mounted it and tested against a collimator. The adjustment was actually considerably larger than 1/2MOA, so I returned it for refund. This scope has also been discontinued. Who knows, it may have worked fine, but I wanted a 1/8MOA click varmint scope, or at least 1/4MOA.

I've had two Bushnell Sportviews and one Bushnell Sharpshooter, all in 3x-9x32mm. All three had considerable adjustment increment problems. One would reverse a bit during large windage adjustments. After having one repaired I tested it and saw a large disparity between the adjustment increment through the middle (~1MOA) versus near the extremes (~1/8MOA). I gave it to a friend to put on a .22 (which he enjoys but never adjusts), and retired the other two.

Anything Tasco. At Hunter Sight-in, I must have adjusted over a dozen Tascos, and none of them tracked anywhere near their given adjustment increment. A few could not be made to hold a zero. I was helping a friend sight-in with his Tasco 3x-9x variable when the crosshair turned into an X. I saw the same thing happen recently to a fellow shooter's Tasco on his low-recoil, pistol caliber carbine.

Some folks have had good luck with Tasco. Generally it seems to be with earlier Japan-made models on low-recoil setups. The once-a-year deer hunter types often get several years worth of opening mornings out of a Tasco; that was the target market.

Back to Home


Photographs Copyright © 2002 by Ken Marsh or credited photographer. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1996,1997,2000,2002,2005 Ken Marsh All rights reserved.