Are there any reliable budget scopes?

[UKwildcatfan]

Meopta 3x9. Holds up well on our muzzleloaders.

 

[Honyock]

I've got a 30 year old Leupold VX2 3-9X40 on my muzzy. I'm not shooting over 200 yards and haven't found a need to change it for something newer/nicer.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I have a pile of old Bausch and Lomb scopes I picked up cheap. The best ones are from the late 1980s or early 1990s. Most of them are built like tanks. The glass is good too. No need for a fancy reticle. You can get a very reliable fixed 2.5x or 4x B&L scope for about $60 bucks (or could last year). A 3-9x40 was usually under $200.

Just don’t get the ones from the 1960s and 1970s that have the adjustments only on the mounts unless you know you want those versions. Those are also excellent old optics, but the springs on the mounts sometimes wear out.

I also like the really old Leupold and Redfield scopes for anything that is “sight it in and forget it.” I have a Redfield 3-9x40 that is probably forty years old and I haven’t adjusted the scope since I put it on the rifle 30 years ago. Still shoots to the same point year after year.

I gave my brother a Ruger No. 1 in 9.3x74R. It has a 50-year old Leupold 3-9x40 on it. The tube has turned a beautiful plum color, but it holds zero even with the recoil from that heavy cartridge.


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[TaperPin]

I have a pile of old Bausch and Lomb scopes I picked up cheap. The best ones are from the late 1980s or early 1990s. Most of them are built like tanks. The glass is good too. No need for a fancy reticle. You can get a very reliable fixed 2.5x or 4x B&L scope for about $60 bucks …

I still remember our local gun store having only one new B&L 4x in the scope case in the 1980s - it must have been a one-off promotional freebie given to them since the price was so low. I scooped it up for a 338 and it was a great trouble free scope. It was on that rifle for 600 rounds and 6 years before a buddy borrowed it elk hunting, fell in love with it and made an offer I couldn’t refuse - he probably still has it. For someone on a budget who doesn’t need to dial, those are a fantastic used deal. The vintage fixed power scopes are as reliable now as they were then.

 

[WCB]

I can't imagine wanting a fixed 6 power scope for whitetail hunting in new england or anywhere your avg shot is 15-75 yards 100 max. 1.5-3X on the low end will serve you much better.

? I hunt here in MN in Tamarack swamps and my scope never gets below 5x. Not sure why guys find it hard to find animals in the scope. Look at animal...pull up rifle...see animal in scope.

 

[SirChooCH]

There was recently a Crimson Trace drop test that did well. They have a 3-9 muzzleloader BDC reticle on amazon for like $120...

 

[06 SB]

The Sightron on my .54cal ML has held up well. It has been on many hunts and been in a scabbard for hundreds of miles . I has never failed, lost its zero or otherwise made me think about replacing it.

I'd go with the recommendation from CameralandNY! The 1.5-5x32 would about the perfect scope for a ML.

 

[ElDiablito]

I can't imagine wanting a fixed 6 power scope for whitetail hunting in new england or anywhere your avg shot is 15-75 yards 100 max. 1.5-3X on the low end will serve you much better.

^ This

1-2x would be my low end choice.

Another vote for a Huron or SWFA. Muzzies can be hard in scopes. I wouldn’t put a cheap scope on one.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

? I hunt here in MN in Tamarack swamps and my scope never gets below 5x. Not sure why guys find it hard to find animals in the scope. Look at animal...pull up rifle...see animal in scope.

This is my experience as well. I finally shot out the barrel on my usual hunting rifle (a .25-06 with a 2.5-8x40 that I always keep on 8x). My closest shot with that rifle was a buck that unexpectedly jumped up behind me. I had no issues finding him in the 8x scope, leading him, and sending him tumbling. But at that point in my life, that rifle was like an extension of my body. I carried it and shot it literally every day I could. So it’s no wonder the barrel eventually had to be replaced.

So, I carried a different rifle with a fixed 4x scope most of last season. On the 200-yard shots in clear terrain, the 4x was fine. But in the brush, I really missed the larger magnification. Being able to see gaps in the brush and avoid branches is important to me.

I don’t advocate magnifications above about 12x for anything, but I’ve hit running groundhogs with a .22-250 and a SWFA fixed 12x scope.

If I could find an affordable 8x40 to 8x44 scope that tracked and was durable (like an SWFA 8x), I would use that for literally every rifle.

I think a lot of the trouble people have with finding the target in a 5-10x scope is just lack of familiarity and practice with knowing the weapon’s natural point of aim and lack of muscle memory.


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