Cheap scopes vs expensive

[angrybear]

First off is to define what you class as cheap/expensive,
Take the Hawke Vantage range £69 - £429, I'm not going to say that £429 is cheap, but that scope is still part of Hawke's lowest H2 class of glass,
Sidewinders that used to be their best are now their middle H5 class £469 -£649, their highest class of H7 glass starts at £699 & tops at £1119.

If you mean the difference between, say a £50 mountmaster & a £190 airmax of the same spec, it's probably got a better external finish, a thinner crisper ret,
maybe a more user friendly adjustment system with less free play/slack, possibly assembled with low friction bushes rather than metal/metal which will wear over time.

If you go up to something £300+ you get smoother/finer adjustment side focus systems, more choice of ret's, & much more detail to them, turrets that are capless lockable single hand adjustment with better more positive feel,
maybe better glass coatings for less glare & threaded for a sunshade, maybe even go FFP.

12-15 years ago I was more than happy with my "Hawke sport 30/30 or basic mil dot ret" scope, because they were so much better than open sights,
but now they appear so basic with fixed PX, thick clumsy rets that obscure so much of the target on aim it's a wonder I hit anything.

It's like triggers, You only really notice the shortfalls when you go back having used something better.

[Barryg]

If you mean the difference between, say a £50 mountmaster & a £190 airmax of the same spec, it's probably got a better external finish, a thinner crisper ret,
maybe a more user friendly adjustment system with less free play/slack, possibly assembled with low friction bushes rather than metal/metal which will wear over time.

As I have said I know nothing about scopes so I am probably missing something because the two cheapy's seem very nicely made accurate, clear, smooth and solid, the mountmaster is old perhaps one of the first and I paid more back then than they are now but it might just be pot luck if you get one that is OK and the old Simmons also seems fine and it is much lighter.

It seems that I would have to pay about £300 plus to really notice a big difference


I know it's hard to see in a picture the external finish but where do I look to see the lack of quality?

[Travis299]

This excellent scope weighs 21.9 oz.

[fife]

I honestly think that you get what you pay for, I think a good gun such as s daystate wolverine etc, deserves a canny scope , seen lots of good guns rapids agt gun with cheap scoped on and they wonder why it doesn't shoot that accurate, atv bob

[Muskett]

There is cheap, which can mean so cheap they are a heap of trouble.
There is inexpensive, which may well give all anyone really needs, especially for air rifle ranges.
There is mid range where superior glass, coatings, and build, come into play.
Then there are the very expensive top end scopes, which may well be over kill for air rifle use.

Cheap is just that.
The inexpensive and mid range is where there is a heap of competition.
High end has the extreme cost that may or may not be justified for the application.

The best high end scopes can deal with very tricky light conditions that aren't really apparent at air rifle ranges. Repeatability and build quality are very high, and they generally deliver for decades. For certain applications they have their place.

In recent years there has been some excellent improvements in both the inexpensive and mid range categories. Many manufacturers are following trends and fashions more closely, as seen by the proliferation of FFP scopes over SFP scopes and more reticle designs thanks to improvements in glass etching.
Scopes make good money as manufacturing them has never been less expensive, but in a crowded market more is spent on the marketing to get them sold. Prices reflect what price the market can handle, and if anything scopes are expensive for what they are even though they can be really good. Sure a lot of the costs now are marketing, after sales service/warranties, import charges, agent mark up, VAT, and retail mark ups. Which adds a lot of costs beyond just the manufacture. However, the consumer is getting what they are asking for, with plenty of choice.

Basically decide what you want for the rifle you have, for what you envisage the combo is going to be used for. Do try and match the weight, features, and scale, to the rifle at least.

[angrybear]

As I have said I know nothing about scopes so I am probably missing something because the two cheapy's seem very nicely made accurate, clear, smooth and solid, the mountmaster is old perhaps one of the first and I paid more back then than they are now but it might just be pot luck if you get one that is OK and the old Simmons also seems fine and it is much lighter.

It seems that I would have to pay about £300 plus to really notice a big difference

I know it's hard to see in a picture the external finish but where do I look to see the lack of quality?

I reckon You'd probably see the difference with the Airmax range £180 -£220 ish, rather than need to pay £300+, but as I said before, it's often only when you go back to a cheaper scope, having got used to a better model,
that you notice where it's not as good, & a fair bit of the quality is just in the feel.