Rifle Scopes Budget Scopes, How Good Are They?

[Vamike9]

Not long ago I read an article about how some riflescope manufacturers are coming up with ways to use cheaper components or oversized parts while still getting them to track correctly, at least for a while...
It would seem that most people will only test tracking when the optic is new, but what happens to internals after moderate to heavy use for a year or more? Do they slip or begin to track erratically?
We need to know that we can depend on our optics more than great warrantys.
I know that we ask for a lot out of budget friendly feature rich optics, yet how good are they?
Will they fail when we need them the most?
I understand that great glass will cost more money but what are we really paying for in a scopes turret mechanicals, and who does it best?
I know there are a lot of knowledgeable members who can honestly answer some of our questions in unbiased ways.
I hope this will only help everyone improve.

 

[Bender]

The most expensive scope is usually the least expensive......

 

[gr8fuldoug]

There's "budget" scopes and 'less expensive" scopes. Quality does not have to be overly expensive.

I asked a buddy (he is a ballistics analyst for a major city PD) to do a review of the Athlon Argos BTR and he initially turned his nose up at the idea as he shoots NF, S&B, etc. He posted this review and has since picked up a few Athlons from us.

 

[Vamike9]

I suppose the best questions are,

•What are the scope internals/mechanicals, and what are the best ones made out of?

•Who males the best budget precision scopes right now, as I'm sure the process is always evolving?

I've tested several optics in my day but I'd like to hear what others have to say.

 

[Vamike9]

Found this link below to be very informative.
It's about NF quality but explains components and the process that make a scope a great scope vs junk.

http://nightforceoptics.com/news/beyond-glass

 

[bfglowkey]

For budget friendly optics with quality and progress in mind, the answer for me at least is Athlon. In a short time they have made a serious splash and through agressive customer feedback have also made changes based on them. Reticle options, glass clarity and features+ improved mechanics all for very attractive pricing. Toss in really good customer service and this is why they Garner my vote in this arena.

 

[supercorndogs]

If a scope takes a crap and no-one notices, does it really take crap.

Lots of tiers of budget optics, a lot of them track pretty repeatably. I am amazed at what you get today in most of the budget scopes between 500 and 1000.

 

[NineHotel]

One of the big issues is on variable power scopes and using low quality, non-indexed lenses. Very simply put, if you do not align the optical centers of all lenses in the system and secure/move the lenses in such a fashion that lens axis is maintained, then you will get POI shifts anytime a lens moves, be it circular or linear movement. This is independent of the quality and repeatability of the erector and knob systems.

The good scopes address all 3 areas, plus use lenses with higher light transmission.

All scopes are somewhere along a continuum of quality in these 4 areas. A fixed focal length scope will perform better, all other things being equal, to a variable, when the maker has sacrificed lens optical center alignment and lens quality.

I buy scopes that are made in the US, and capable of being serviced in the US. There are some higher priced items with "good" warranties that were not designed to be serviced, rather when it fails, and they do fail, they throw away the old one and send you a new one. I shy away from these.

I'm not sure what is current on this as it's been almost a decade since I bought one, but the SS fixed 10X was the best low dollar scope I could come up with that was at the acceptable low end of what I would use.

 

[Birddog6424]

Budget means a lot of different things to different people.

My old $75 Bushnell Sportview survived 20 years of hard usage. I chased everything that runs, jumps, or swims throughout the northwest with that old 30-06 and that scope on top. I rolled my ATV on it. I rolled my horse on it (although that was a conscious decision on his part), which broke my rifle, but the scope survived. It still holds zero to this day, but has zero chance of winning any beauty contests.

I think we have seen amazing optics develop in the 1k to 1.5k price point over the last handful of years. More recently we are seeing solid optics at nearly any price.

 

[SCOPEBROKER]

We see customers getting good results with Primary Optics, Athlon (most) and Vortex (some) in your budget catagory. One thing I find is that regardless of category, you will never get a bad scope from Nightforce, Steiner and Leupold. These three seem to always have great offerings in the budget category, or near-budget. Burris and Bushnell are close.

 

[Vamike9]

Agreed my NF SHV F1 appears to track as good as my ATACR, which is approx $2000+ more.
Great quality control and parts.
However, I'm sure my atacr is more durable than the shv F1, but it goes to show that they really do make great products across the board.

 

[Steel+Killer]

We see customers getting good results with Primary Optics, Athlon (most) and Vortex (some) in your budget catagory. One thing I find is that regardless of category, you will never get a bad scope from Nightforce, Steiner and Leupold. These three seem to always have great offerings in the budget category, or near-budget. Burris and Bushnell are close.

Pretty bold statement I guess you weren't around for the Steiner T5Xi debacle when it was first released.

 

[Roo_man]

not very good

 

[Vamike9]

Yeah, maybe "never" was too strong of a word for anything made by humans. However I believe he meant that they are known for their quality, parts and new ideas.
In my experience NF is an almost a sure bet with their outstanding attention to detail and quality parts.