cheap not good - good not cheap

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cheap not good - good not cheap

Post by allthegearandnoidea » 27 Jun 2018, 8:39 pm

Gday guys

I have a Nikon P223 scope on my Howa 223 mini action. The mounts are a 2 piece Leupold steel (PRW?)

Problem is the zero seems to change every time I take it to the range. Worst of all when I took it out to hunt last time it was shooting 3" off.

The scope cost under $250. Did I buy a lemon or is this to be expected with cheap scopes. Ive torqued the rings and pic rail to spec and used loctite.

What's everyone's experience? Is this really too cheap for a decent scope? I'm looking at a Leupold VX3i instead

Cheers
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Re: cheap not good - good not cheap

Post by Wm.Traynor » 27 Jun 2018, 9:16 pm

Don't know the Nikon but I have owned three Leupolds over the years. The first, a target scope, only lasted a couple of months at 25 rounds every Saturday. The other two have both gone back for "fixing", one of them twice. Bought them all new. All scopes are a lottery but it is not always the scope that is at fault.
Is your bedding OK? If the stock is wood, is it warping? A bedding test would give you an answer :)
Good luck mate :thumbsup:
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Re: cheap not good - good not cheap

Post by allthegearandnoidea » 27 Jun 2018, 9:28 pm

Bugger - I was pinning my hopes on the Leupy! Ive put the Howa back into its original synthetic stock after being in a thumbhole Boyds - havent tried it yet
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Re: cheap not good - good not cheap

Post by YoungBuck » 27 Jun 2018, 9:30 pm

$250 isn't a 'cheap' scope... its upper-bottom end but not what I'd call cheap.
Do you have any other rifles and rings to test it on?
It'll shoot the fleas off a dog's back at five hundred yards, Tannen, and it's pointed straight at your head!
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Re: cheap not good - good not cheap

Post by albat » 27 Jun 2018, 9:37 pm

i recently bought the same set up for spotlighting in .223 ,varmint mini action nikon p223 but the mount is dnz gamereaper one piece medium height and this setup shoots like a laser beam with outback ammo 69gr and holds zero perfectly all ammo tried so far is well under an inch @100
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Re: cheap not good - good not cheap

Post by southwest shooter » 27 Jun 2018, 9:41 pm

Buy a vortex crossfire ii , for the money you can't go wrong.
I run one on my Howa mini action 223 for spotlighting .
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Re: cheap not good - good not cheap

Post by Member-Deleted » 27 Jun 2018, 10:14 pm

albat wrote:i recently bought the same set up for spotlighting in .223 ,varmint mini action nikon p223 but the mount is dnz gamereaper one piece medium height and this setup shoots like a laser beam with outback ammo 69gr and holds zero perfectly all ammo tried so far is well under an inch @100


What he said! I have the same Nikon scope with Leupold rings on a Howa 1500 in 223 with 24" varmint barrel.. 500 + rounds of Aussie Outback 69gr Match Kings with no dramas. Shoots like a frikkin laser errytime.
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Re: cheap not good - good not cheap

Post by SCJ429 » 27 Jun 2018, 10:18 pm

I am betting it is not the scope, Nikon is a well respected brand. Does it shoot three inches low for the first shot, then come back to your original zero after a few rounds? Is it shooting a good group or are you all over the place? Can you try the scope on another rifle that is a known shooter?
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Re: cheap not good - good not cheap

Post by allthegearandnoidea » 27 Jun 2018, 10:32 pm

Will try at the range in the synth stock and report back - actually super pleased with the quality otherwise - sharp image clarity for sure
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Re: cheap not good - good not cheap

Post by bladeracer » 28 Jun 2018, 12:24 pm

allthegearandnoidea wrote:Gday guys

I have a Nikon P223 scope on my Howa 223 mini action. The mounts are a 2 piece Leupold steel (PRW?)

Problem is the zero seems to change every time I take it to the range. Worst of all when I took it out to hunt last time it was shooting 3" off.

The scope cost under $250. Did I buy a lemon or is this to be expected with cheap scopes. Ive torqued the rings and pic rail to spec and used loctite.

What's everyone's experience? Is this really too cheap for a decent scope? I'm looking at a Leupold VX3i instead

Cheers


I would try another scope and rings to determine if the problem is in the rifle first. Can you borrow one off another rifle?
Nope, $250 is not too cheap for a scope, particularly on a .223 hunting rifle. I think sub-$100 is getting to the point where you can no longer expect a scope to do everything you ask of it, or anything to a high level.

Is this a new rifle? New scope? Does it group well despite the zero shift?
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Re: cheap not good - good not cheap

Post by marksman » 28 Jun 2018, 12:41 pm

its the scope
if it is new take it back, if not buy a leupold :drinks:
simples :thumbsup:
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