Rifle Scopes Should I worry about...

TKellogg

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Minuteman
Feb 25, 2011
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South West Michigan
I'm looking at low cost mil/mil scopes. I've been looking at the Weaver 3.5-10 and the Falcon Menace 4.5-14. Now I'd like the extra power of the Falcon but the 5yr warrenty is just about the only thing holding me back. The scope will be going on a .223 AR so recoil shouldn't be an issue. Should I worry?
 
Re: Should I worry about...

How long do you plan on keeping the scope on the rifle? If you are like some people who constantly change your gear and you may only own the scope for 4 or 5 years then I wouldn't worry about it much.

However, If you know for a fact you will never replace the scope then the warranty should play relatively significant roll in your decision.

Due to the fact that you have come out and said that you are only looking for a "low cost" option I'm guessing that you are unlikely to keep this permanently. Rather, this is simply to bridge the gap until you can afford the optic you really want and sell this one to help fund it.

Just something to think about when evaluating the true value of a warranty.
 
Re: Should I worry about...

I'm not sure how long I'll keep it. It all depends on how well I like Mil/Mil. I've been reading up on it and it sounds like it'll make this so much easier.

I will replace this low cost scope with a PST if I like using Mil/Mil. So I guess warranty really doesn't factor in too much but at the same time why fix something that isn't broke if I like whichever I choose. See my problem
 
Re: Should I worry about...

I bought 2 Falcon 4-14s used off this forum, I think they are nice little scopes for the money. It is great to see if you like the Mil/Mil and FFP setup, and it doesnt kill your wallet.

Also, they are quite reliable. The only complaint I have with them is the Eye Box & Eye Relief are tight. But, I do not plan on keeping them forever, as njlohmann said, I use them as a bridge till I can afford the long term scopes I want to buy.

But until I can afford them, hey, they are nice toys.
 
Re: Should I worry about...

Reach for the Weaver or Viper PST if you can. They are both better quality than the Falcon. If you "like using mil/mil" and are going to upgrade you won't get your money out of the Falcon unless you get a great deal used to begin with. So you will be spending more in the long run.

Mil/mil, moa/moa, different lanquages that essentially do the same thing, they offer matching subtensions and increments in the reticle and knobs that allow you to range a target and adjust for bullet impact with a specific unit of measure. In FFP the reticle is synchronized with the target at all powers in the scope, but you can use SFP to do the same thing, it just takes more calculations to get the job done and is more cumbersome, so it is a slower option.

The fact of the current market is you can get feature packed scopes that have everything you need for a very fair price, well under $1000, which wasn't the case just 2 years ago.

Cheap, however, is still cheap.

Good luck in your purchase

Scott
 
Re: Should I worry about...

Seems to me these days there are too many scopes out there with good warranties to putz around with 5 year ones. Too many out there with decent eye relief in the lower power varieties to tolerate that in a limited warranty product.

No need for your first scope to be a Smuck and Boinker-

But there is no need for it to be a Falcon either.

Just a thought
 
Re: Should I worry about...

I'm a SFP guy(don't do much ranging) so I'll probably end up with the weaver and move to a pst when the funds come about.

I want the matching reticle and turret for the chance that I need to range. What power do the SFP PST's line up at?
 
Re: Should I worry about...

Talk to Jay at Sport Optics. He takes very good care of Hide members. I think you will find that there will not be a huge difference in price between the PST's and the Weaver.