Rifle Scopes Cabela's Tactical Big-Game Riflescope review

[Kevin1]

Scope: Cabela’s Tactical Big Game 3-12 for $149 + tax
http://www.cabelas.com/tactical-optics-cabelas-pine-ridge-tactical-big-game-riflescope-5.shtml
Mount: 20 MOA Picatinny raid and Burris low rings
Rifle: Savage 308 10FP

I’m new to long range shooting and I don’t have any experience with high end scopes. I wanted to start my journey with a cheap scope. I know that I’m going to upgrade to a high end scope down the road, but not before investing in quality cleaning tools (done) and reloading materials (I’m still reading books as it’s more complicated than what I thought).
I went to Cabela’s and checked many of their tactical scopes priced below $350 (mainly Bushnell). The Cabela’s scope had one major advantage compared to Bushnell (that cost $100 more) and that was an eye relief of 4.3 “. Optically they were comparable.
The scope’s mechanic is pretty decent. I’m able to zero it at 100Y even though it’s mounted on 20 MOA rail. It holds zero pretty well. I sighted it at 100 Y, and then I adjusted the elevation to shoot at 500Y. When I dialed it back to 100 Y it was dead on. I went back to the range 2 weeks later, and again, it was dead on.
In the past 3 month, I did have one bad experience with it though. I was shooting at 300 Y, and suddenly, between 2 groups the POA shifted 2 MOA high and stayed there. It happened only once and now it continues holding zero perfectly.

Pro:
Great eye relief (4.3 “)
Decent optic for the price
Side focus
Decent mechanics (can zero to 100Y on a 20 MOA rail)

Cons:
Ballistic turrets. It comes with ballistics turrets for popular rounds and It doesn’t have a generic MOA turrets for elevation
Standard duplex reticule
Side focus is not very precise (but gets the job done)


I have been using this scope for a couple of month and I’m pretty happy with it. Some of you might think this post doesn’t have its place in a forum where the main focus is only on high end scopes. But I thought it would be a good idea to post my rather positive experience with this cheap scope. This could be an alternative to a more expensive scope. This could also help others that don’t agree with “buy once, cry once” for everything. So far, this cheap scope has been taking me through my journey, and when time comes for me to upgrade to a high end scope (and I will), not only I won’t cry to have initially spend $149, but I will appreciate much more my new high end scope.



EDIT 6/3/2013: This scope is crap

 

[KeithR41]

Re: Cabela's Tactical Big-Game Riflescope review

It holds zero, "Pretty well."

I guess for $149 that "pretty well" is all you can expect.

Glad you like it.

41

 

[Kevin1]

Yesterday, I mounted this scope on my AR with a Burris PEPR quick detached mount, and after twenty rounds of 5.56 XM193 the reticule turned by 25 degrees inside the tube.

What a piece of crap.
Keeping my original review to remind myself what an idiot I was when I started shooting seriously a couple of years ago.

 

[jakelly]

Bumpin a two year old thread to belittle yourself, lol.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

I'm personally surprised it gave you two years of use. I don't know if I have bad luck or I'm just hard on stuff, probably a little of both, but I can't seem to get a Chinese scope to last through a range session. Whether its a $20 one or a $500 they crap out in a hurry if they aren't already broken from the factory.

The only exception I've found to this is the old center point 4-16's from Walmart. They changed them now and they're as crappy as anything else but the old ones actually held up good to light use. The reticle was super heavy and the glass sucked so bad you couldn't use it above 12x even on the brightest day but they held zero and tracked better than a $70 scope should. I used several on 22's and beater rifles that I just didn't care about. Eventually they all broke but a 15 minute trip to Walmart with the original packaging always resulted in an exchange for a new one. As they got replaced with the newer ones and I discovered how quickly they broke I accumulated all new ones from exchanges and ebayed them. All things considered I lost $30 per scope so I can't complain. Nowadays I run Redfield revolutions, and Bushnell 3200 close out models for my cheap beater scopes. They both have a warranty worth using if needed, and are much better scopes. I've yet to have any of them break so far although the magnification rings on the redfields have gotten stiff over time.

 

[Kevin1]

I had it for 2 years, but used it very little. Maybe 5 trips to the range during the first couple of month.

 

[Kevin1]

I'm personally surprised it gave you two years of use. I don't know if I have bad luck or I'm just hard on stuff, probably a little of both, but I can't seem to get a Chinese scope to last through a range session. Whether its a $20 one or a $500 they crap out in a hurry if they aren't already broken from the factory.

The only exception I've found to this is the old center point 4-16's from Walmart. They changed them now and they're as crappy as anything else but the old ones actually held up good to light use. The reticle was super heavy and the glass sucked so bad you couldn't use it above 12x even on the brightest day but they held zero and tracked better than a $70 scope should. I used several on 22's and beater rifles that I just didn't care about. Eventually they all broke but a 15 minute trip to Walmart with the original packaging always resulted in an exchange for a new one. As they got replaced with the newer ones and I discovered how quickly they broke I accumulated all new ones from exchanges and ebayed them. All things considered I lost $30 per scope so I can't complain. Nowadays I run Redfield revolutions, and Bushnell 3200 close out models for my cheap beater scopes. They both have a warranty worth using if needed, and are much better scopes. I've yet to have any of them break so far although the magnification rings on the redfields have gotten stiff over time.

I put on my AR this cheap 4X32 Chinese scope commercialized under the brand Shooter Edge. I bought it 3 years ago for $39.
I have used this on my airgun, 308, 22lr and AR and it has been 100% reliable and has never lost zero. Honestly I don’t currently feel like upgrading this scope on my 6920. These are typically 1.5 MOA guns and I don’t plan shooting it past 200 yards.

I don't think it looks that bad neither.