High End Scopes Quality

[look no hands]

Quality has taken a nose dive in recent years with nearly everything. With Chinese rubbish made to a lower price and to a low level of quality the top end manufacturers, brands have to compete some how and so cut corners it is Nearly everything we buy nowadays feels and is made to a price. Just look at German cars, no better now than Korean or the good ole Ford. Or even Weihrauch, it pains me to say they are not a patch on what they used to be and that's from a Die Hard dedicated follower

I've been saying this about German products for years, Top Gear reckoned the new Ford Mondeos are just as good as their BMW equivalent, regarding air rifles look at some of the Chinese offerings that have been relabelled by Diana and the mass improvements over the years with rifles like the Remington Express.

Pete

[Mach 1.5]

I'll stick to buying second hand from a few years ago then. Weihrauch's ain't what they used to be but was really shocked at the S & B scopes and for that price also!! The Zeiss weren't much better and not a patch on my 3-9 X 36 from the mid 80's.
Mach 1.5

[PhatMan]

Hello to All,

What many chappies don't seem to realise or appreciate, is that the Chinese make exactly what the customer asks and is willing to pay for.

Customer asks for shite, built down to el-cheapo price, then that is what the Chinese will make them.

Ask the Chinese (and pay them) for top-notch quality, and that is what the customer will get.

There was a very enlightening documentary some time ago on the BBC about a large electronics Expo in China.

The stands were divided essentially into three (3) sections :

a) cheap and shite quality
b) average price and average quality
c) Expensive and excellent quality

Each section had similar products, but as the price went up, so did the quality.

It is the customers fault that most of the Chinese stuff here is shite.

Have fun & a good Sunday

Best regards

Russ

[JerryD]

Best scopes I have (subjective view) are my Bushy 4200 8-32x40s (old Bausch & Lomb design), followed by Leupold VX3 boosted 20-50x50. They are all in excess of 10 years, some older still (Leup is from the late 90s AFAIK), but the brightest and clearest glass I have come across.

I've had Nightforce, Bushy 6500, seen Kahles, Sightron and even S&B but wouldn't put them as clear as the Bushy 8-32s. I know they are higher mag (except for the 6500) but still rate the Bushy more highly for clarity and ease of use.

So yes, for me older is better. Shame that neither Premier Reticles Leups nor the Bushy 4200 series are available any more


.

[Zambi666]

Im still using a Seben BA 4-12x 56 which has been on my hw90k for best part of 10 years. Its been flawless in operation.

[Zomboid]

A chap who I go clay shooting with did a manufacturing project with a Chinese firm. He sent over the specs and they sent back their work.

It was 100% spot on. Very high quality with the required finish. So he put in a bulk order.

What he got back was about 50% of the quality. It seems unless you absolutetly tell the Chinese exactly what you want and on repeat and keep checking they will cut corners somewhere in order to make their profits.

A lot of my scopes are second hand. Mainly because there's no way I could afford them as new and they are often discontinued. Seems to be the way to do it if you know what to look for.

[Muskett]

With CNC machining the way it is then similar products can see very similar.
Aircraft Grade Aluminium! What is that? Well there are several grades, and manufactures are just not going to tell you.
Top European scopes are the best, but wow expensive. The coatings and quality of materials are so much higher. Design so much better.

I agree it is harder to justify if those premium prices are worth it to you. You can only know if its worth it from field use and ten years down the line. I have some of each.

Scopes now are made to fit the target market. Thats with a profit margin, with only about 20% invested in the actual product manufacture. The rest in operating costs like labour, machinery and manufacturing facility, marketing costs, tax, distribution and margins. Thats consumer products for you, not a lot left for the actual product.

The scope market is pretty flooded, and plenty of competition. China has improved what it can do no end. Often having bought German, Japanese or Italian CNC machines.
I look out for who has just invested in the newest technologies and machinery. Old machinery is often passed along from say USA/Japan to somewhere else in Asia. Or a new factory with new kit. Not easy to know if its all new or just a rehash of something older.

Glass manufacture has completely changed in the last 25 years. Its lighter and easier to cut to any lens shape. Here design really matters. And then there is coatings, and their application to the glass.

I find the mid range stuff the most confused and the most a gamble. Best brands still seem to produce the best, but the gaps narrowing. Some models of scopes just seems to shine through the masses.
I tend to go for these, that seem to work well.