Would you put a $36 optic on your hunting rifle?

[TassieTiger]

There’s been a lot of chatter re quality vs cost in optics...which makes this a very interesting video.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3neZx03asfk

[CrackThump]

Id have to say no.. just in case i fell for a clever sales pitch and bought some Demtel "but wait theres more" s**t...

Id rather spend known money on known quality with a known brand and know where my round is going? .. whether its at the range, or for a quick humane kill

[on_one_wheel]

Short answer is no.

The cheap scope might be just fine out of the box, but let's see how it's going in 30 years time after a few thousand shots and and a heap of time out in the elements.

I'd rather buy something with a decent warrany and a great reputation.

If I had a tight budget I'd look for a quality second hand scope.

Remember, poor man buys twice.

[duncan61]

I replaced the silver scope on my .222 Ruger that was on it from new as it kept going out of zero and fitted a $97 Nighteater and went on to shoot 5000 plus roos over the next 10 years.I was given a 4-22x50 bushnell and had that on the .222 but it is way to much and have switched it to the .243 which is now perfect.I zerod on Friday at the farm using a great northern beer box and put 3 in the little marlin on the side of the box at 125 metres pretty happy with that.For $36 I am going to get one and bring the .222 out of retirement.I will let you all know how it goes.I took my nephew and we might do a fox cull as there are loads on this block

[Stix]

Well that was like watching a movie where, just when you think the good guy pulled through, he dies right at the end...

[TassieTiger]

How many high end $$$$ scopes could have taken the abuse this guy gave this scope - and have it still shoot?
For those that haven’t watched the video - he used liquid N20 on it, taped it to a paint stir and went into a bucket of water on a power drill. He tossed across the yard and it landed on end and then he dropped it from 6ft on to the eye piece....
And for the record - I’d not use it either but it does make you think.

[trekin]

How many high end $$$$ scopes could have taken the abuse this guy gave this scope - and have it still shoot?
For those that haven’t watched the video - he used liquid N20 on it, taped it to a paint stir and went into a bucket of water on a power drill. He tossed across the yard and it landed on end and then he dropped it from 6ft on to the eye piece....
And for the record - I’d not use it either but it does make you think.

Yep, bit of an unfair comparison if he wasn't prepared to subject his $1000 Leuopold to the same test.
I have used a AU $30 Chinese Tasco ripoff on rifles ranging from .22 to 30-06 with no problems for serval years now. Bought it just to see how long, and what caliber, it would last.

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Win 70 308

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[JSS]

I was always told to spend as much on your scope as you do on the rifle it's going on. So the short answer for me is NO.

I'm not saying it's BS, but just because it's on youtube doesn't necessarily make it true.

Case in point
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wAjpMP5eyo

[JimTom]

Short answer is no.
I am not one for spending huge amounts on optics but $36 is a bit low if you subscribe to the you only get what you pay for theory.
That’s not to say that a cheap scope may do the job on a rim fire perhaps.

[straightshooter]

In answer to the question - if that was the only option I had then of course I would.
The reality is that most people have as much understanding of the psychology of marketing as they do of how to truly evaluate the quality of optics.
What most fail to grasp is that the $300 or more scope that they may be inclined to praise so lavishly probably cost barely more 'ex factory' than the $36 scope.
Have you ever contemplated what a 'lifetime replacement guarantee' actually means, provided the marketer doesn't go bust.
They are telling you your scope isn't worth the cost of even a simple repair and they are gambling on the likelihood that very few of these scopes will ever be subjected to robust usage let alone the abuse demonstrated in the video.

[Wm.Traynor]

I had a Leupold 6.5-20 EFR on a 308 fullbore rifle and its adjustments would last 2 months, of shooting every Saturday. Cost $1100 twenty years ago. So what is the moral of that story? I reckon you pays your money and you takes your chances. I wonder how long the adjustments of that cheapy would last, if that is all I could get out of a Leupold? I read on benchrestcentral.com where Jackie (sorry, surname escapes me) said that the adjustments were a scopes weakest link. Funny how that scope maker lauds all the aspects of its scopes but that one, in its ads.
Jackie (Schultz?) was a Benchrest Hall Of Famer.

[flutch]

mate would be a $36 gamble, and thats not too much tbh, worth a try if ya inquisitive, but if it holds zero and is clear enough sure why not.

[flutch]

I was always told to spend as much on your scope as you do on the rifle it's going on. So the short answer for me is NO.

I'm not saying it's BS, but just because it's on youtube doesn't necessarily make it true.

Case in point
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wAjpMP5eyo

Did your local gun dealer say to do that though?

I dont use anything remotely close to what my guns are worth, example my howa 223 cost around $900 bucks all up (stock n barrel/action) but the scope on it cost me $170, my 270 cost me around $700 and it has the same scope as the 223, my 22 cost me $500 and has a $60 scope on it, aaaaaand my 300win weatherby cost me $1600 and has a $240 scope on it. I have never bought the narrative that you need to spend $$$ on scopes, especially when it comes to hunting and spotlighting I usually shoot more than my mates who have spent thousands on their stuff.

[TassieTiger]

I’d love to know what the manufacturing costs are of some of the $2-5,000 scopes really are...

[JSS]

I was always told to spend as much on your scope as you do on the rifle it's going on. So the short answer for me is NO.

I'm not saying it's BS, but just because it's on youtube doesn't necessarily make it true.

Case in point
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wAjpMP5eyo

Did your local gun dealer say to do that though?

I dont use anything remotely close to what my guns are worth, example my howa 223 cost around $900 bucks all up (stock n barrel/action) but the scope on it cost me $170, my 270 cost me around $700 and it has the same scope as the 223, my 22 cost me $500 and has a $60 scope on it, aaaaaand my 300win weatherby cost me $1600 and has a $240 scope on it. I have never bought the narrative that you need to spend $$$ on scopes, especially when it comes to hunting and spotlighting I usually shoot more than my mates who have spent thousands on their stuff.

Yes they did.....they also told me the more i spend the better i will be, and that no other shop has good guns like they do so i should only ever shop there and i believed every word......... What are you mental? or do you just think that i am?
All of my centerfire rifles are tikkas (i like them and they make plenty of lefty models), and they all have scopes on them which are roughly the same price range as the guns, except my 300 it has an nxs on it just for s**ts and giggles.
There's no real right or wrong answer, It's all personal preference, plus i guess everyone has different budgets too, but seeing as the OP asked "would YOU put a $36 optic on", my answer is no.
Maybe you should get one of those scopes, i'm sure it would annoy your mates who spend thousands when you out shoot them with your scope that cost less than a case of beer

[bigfellascott]

The way I view it is if you are the type of person who sets and forgets (not into f***ing around with the knobs so to speak day in day out) these cheap ones will more than likely do but if you expect a cheap scope to handle being adjusted regularly you will be very disappointed indeed.

[JSS]

I’d love to know what the manufacturing costs are of some of the $2-5,000 scopes really are...

Yep it would be interesting, although i'd say a fair few $$ would get soaked up in design and R&D.
Like anything though, i'm sure that the brand name on it adds a certain markup. Which is understandable, I mean for arguments sake you wouldn't pay the same amount for a Tata 4WD as you would a Landcruiser

[bladeracer]

There’s been a lot of chatter re quality vs cost in optics...which makes this a very interesting video.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3neZx03asfk

It would depend on the quality of the optic, I don't agree that you have to pay more to get a better product. I have some cheaper Chinese scopes, as well as some ludicrously cheap ones cluttering the shelves. They're handy for testing and trying things. I'm not sure if I've tried the $60 6-24's on anything with heavy recoil, but I'm sure I've tried them on the .204 and 7mm-08 at least.

I just bought a very cheap scope off Ebay to try on the springer air-rifle, but have only put a few dozen pellets through it so can't comment on its longevity yet. It's a 3-9x40 that cost $30 delivered, from an Aussie seller ($27 direct from China). I haven't even looked to see what it's a knock-off of.

[bladeracer]

They are telling you your scope isn't worth the cost of even a simple repair and they are gambling on the likelihood that very few of these scopes will ever be subjected to robust usage let alone the abuse demonstrated in the video.

They're probably betting on an awful lot of buyers that rarely do any shooting too. For somebody that only shoots a hundred rounds per year it could well last their lifetime. There was a thread on FB last week from a guy that loaded forty rounds of .308 four years ago. He's getting low and needs to reload some of them. A $36 scope that spends its life locked in the safe would likely suit him just fine.

[tom604]

he was trying to focus with the parallax ,

[Sergeant Hartman]

Mate the difference in prices is in stuff that you cannot see... the coatings are what make the difference between a good and a great scope. Plus the turrets and internals... if there wasn't a difference between a 2k and a 36 buck scope why would a company like nightforce start.

For hunting a couple hundred rounds a year I am sure a 36 dollar scope might do some people just fine.

[bladeracer]

Mate the difference in prices is in stuff that you cannot see... the coatings are what make the difference between a good and a great scope. Plus the turrets and internals... if there wasn't a difference between a 2k and a 36 buck scope why would a company like nightforce start.

For hunting a couple hundred rounds a year I am sure a 36 dollar scope might do some people just fine.

Considering he was pretty impressed with the scope before he torture-tested it, there's no way of knowing if he might not have got a lifetime of use of of it if he'd looked after it like he does his Leopold. Without doing the same test to more expensive scopes there's really no conclusion that can be reached. I have seen similar videos of torture-testing Vortex scopes that they passed just fine though.

[JSS]

This is one of my favorite scope torture tests.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bZZTa8M5wI

[TassieTiger]

The nightforce tests are cool to watch but it’s obvious they are selling something and good on them - who the hell would bother trying to endorse a $36 dollar scope lol
I’d love to send off a scope for repair with nail head marks in the shell...
“It’s Mr Bend Over here calling about yourxwarranty claim?”
“Yes Mr Over, I broke my hammer, googled something, saw a nightforce being used to replicate a hammer - so, if ya don’t mind - I’m not liking the dents in the alloy and a lifetime warranty is a life time warranty - yeah?”

[flutch]

The way I view it is if you are the type of person who sets and forgets (not into f***ing around with the knobs so to speak day in day out) these cheap ones will more than likely do but if you expect a cheap scope to handle being adjusted regularly you will be very disappointed indeed.

yeah obvs a scope like this is not what any self respecting target shooter would use... but as for set and forget, I never take anyone shooting that plays with their turrets, varminting like I do nothing is more infuriating than someone who has spent too long on paper listening to club rhetoric, if you cant pick it up and know where to aim straight up then its not happening. hehe....


I doubt anyone who constantly changes loads and ranges they shoot at would be interested in a cheap scope, but in saying that I wouldnt think they need to spend upwards of 600 bucks either.

[Die Judicii]

How many high end $$$$ scopes could have taken the abuse this guy gave this scope - and have it still shoot?

Ever looked at some of the tests they put the Aimpoint Micro H1 through ?????????

Now they really add creedence to the term "destructive testing"

[Archie]

How many high end $$$$ scopes could have taken the abuse this guy gave this scope - and have it still shoot?

Ever looked at some of the tests they put the Aimpoint Micro H1 through ?????????

Now they really add creedence to the term "destructive testing"

I suppose for military scopes its a different issue, and we've probably all dropped a rifle on occasion. But some of these torture tests, I can't help thinking, if something that bad happens to my rifle, I'm calling it a day and going home.

[2freeq]

I feel the cheap scopes serve a purpose for the low budget shooter who is aware its a cheap scope and treats it accordingly. I use a cheap BSA scope on my .223 and i know its probably not as robust as a $2k scope so i treat it accordingly.

Cheap scope reviews go over the top sometimes lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRXo9BejM84

[JSS]

I can't believe it wasn't even tractor proof...........bloody cheap rubbish

[TassieTiger]

I can't believe it wasn't even tractor proof...........bloody cheap rubbish

He shot it with a fukn arrow ! It should have been already dead before he found the key to the tractor!