Cheap scopes vs expensive

[Barryg]

I really like guns with open sights but not always, I only have cheap scopes like 3x9x40 AO mountmaster and a vintage simmons 3x9x40.

Not knowing anything about scopes, they seem fine to me, what would I gain by upgrading?

[Murphy]

Usually sharpness and build quality.

I have some £200 binoculers and some that cost 10x that.

They are way better but not 10x better.

[rapidresponse1]

ive had some decent cheap scopes over the years

[maximus]

Its diminishing returns Barry. For my purposes its not worth having anything better than a 25mm tube hawk airmax with a/o or vortex diamondback 2-7×35, they are good enough for me. I think a/o is definitely worth having to focus at the higher mags. A 4-12×40 25mm tube scope is as big of a spec that I want though, its a personal preference i guess.

[Barryg]

Are more expensive scopes lighter? I find that the mountmaster seems heavy is that because it's cheap.

[maximus]

I'd say yes generally spec for spec. I tend to go for light scopes on the heavier rifles though I have got an airmax 4-12×40 ao on my prosport which is a bit heavier than I'd like tbh.

[MrGreengrass]

Build and optical quality.
Had a £3k Kahles, built like a nuclear sub but weighed a ton.
in the real world, not any better than the Bushnell 8-32 or Big Nikko on an airgun ,so off it went.
Most of my other scopes are Bushnell Legends ,
some old Falcons and a couple of Hawkes

[matt w]

I've just brought a compact 10 x Vector Optics fixed mag to try FT. I was going to buy something more than 4 times the cost. Can I see the target any better with the more expensive scope...... nothing worth mentioning. Now I can buy another three scopes and still have change.

[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.

[madcarlos]

I bought the bushnell elites 41650 a few years back, It's a lovely scope and the image was far better than the sidewinder I had , Bonus for me was not mil dots , However its back in the box, it’s a very big scope. If I ever did try bench shooting then I may use it in time to come, Got a few other big scopes but I've reverted back to smaller ones.

[Bellycrawler]

I think a good scope will improve a poor gun but good gun will never improve a poor scope.poor as in quality. My ratting scope is a Hawke Sports HD. Excelent clear Optics at 10yds onwards. Worth £25 & a £1000 scope will not better it for its use. My long distance scope is worth £600 & a clear sharp image at 100yds + yet it does not do any better than my hawke HD at 10yds. Simple answer is get the best for the job in hand, get vfm, don't overkill, don't buy absolute rubbish. If a cheap low quality scope works money is wasted trying to improve it BUT if you can't hit a barn door spend the pennies for better quality.

[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

[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.