cheap scope vs expensive

[daddypaddy]

on my notos, i prefer this 3moa 1-4x center point i got for 78$ over the 3-12x UTG bug buster. great field of view, bright and crisp image at 4x magnification, easy eye box, illuminated circle dot etched reticle and it holds zero. it’s perfect for sub100yrd shooting.

i believe it’s per application and circumstance. some older shooters might really rely on the clarity. some people use ballistics apps and learn to use the reticle properly. couple things that do stand out with expensive scopes image clarity and turret tracking.
other than that, i think it’s mostly a character trait for some people to have expensive items. i think they’re referred to as hype beasts..
quality items can be found with enough research

 

[WNYBill]

In glass you get what you pay for. German is best, Japanese next, Chinese has improved. Learn how to adjust your ocular lens and how AO works. IMHO 34mm tubes just add weight and bulk, I stay with 30mm unless you need the vertical adjustment. You get the best optics when your reticle is centered in the tube and Burris Signature rings with inserts help adjust for that. Watch the classified, I saw a 3-12x Doctor for around $600. Your eyes will see things differently from my eyes, so look through as many scopes as possible. Reticles are personal preference, do you want a christmas tree, a lighted dot, just a dot a German #4, etc.etc. Guarantee is important. scopes are delicate and do break. As your eyes age, your need for better glass increases. DO YOUR HOMEWORK

 

[Headshots]

A few things I've noticed when comparing my $130 and less scopes to my more expensive scopes are the turrets , image quality and tracking. Some of my lower cost scopes have an acceptable image but I don't trust the tracking . The cheaper scopes I have take a few shots to settle in and can drift some when setting for a while . My more expensive scopes track better so I can dial in for elevation and hold zero after setting for months. My cheaper scopes I just hold over for longer shots. Turrets and positive clicks are also better on the my expensive scopes. But I can still shoot nice groups at 50y with my lower cost scopes and they have worked well for pesting .

 

[bigHUN]

Long time ago, probably some ten or so years - I sold my TenPoint target xbow, but kept the scope from it.
That scope was sitting in my drawers all these years until last summer out of boredom I mounted it on my L2.

If you shooting just for fun or backyard plinking, everything can and will work just fine

 

[Bngen3]

All I’ve ever had is cheap scopes, I have nothing over $250. Grew up using craptastic tasco fixed scopes so everything I’ve ever bought blows those out the water. Was also taught to tap the turrets after every adjustment and that’s worked well for me. Ignorance is bliss….

 

[SpreadLead]

The value is always in the middle of the price range.

 

[LaRue]

A scope and rings that are performing well to consider, together around $200
Scope:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CR9QJHC5?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
Rings:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMC8J2NN?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

 

[rangur1]

I used to be hesitant with parting sizable cash for optics. I find I have better clarity and more importantly, less eye strain after shooting for couple hours. So much so that my “workhorse scope “ runs 500 bucks up to high magnification scopes topping 1200. Usually used tier 1 stuff. Over 1600 to me is greatly diminishing returns on investment. But my shooting is limited, there are plenty of good options in the 3-450 range, but they still give me burning eyes after a session, which means my eyes are working too hard. Depends on shooter, a 20 year old with great eyes can have at it easily with 1-300 dollar items. My 60 year old self needing readers requires more.

 

[PumaCarl]

Look at your avatar, what is the advantage of that car? That's your answer.

 

[steve123]

Having just gotten the newest generation Athlon Ares BTR "G3" 2.5-15x50 I can confidently say that this scope is getting up there so close to tier1 scopes in quality that it almost doesn't make sense to buy the most expensive, or neither the least expensive, of scopes anymore. Yeah it's 3-4 times the cost of the cheap scopes, and 7 times less than the most expensive, but you are getting an incredible value.
So it absolutely apexes the cheap scopes and isn't near as far behind the best scopes as one would think.

The relative feeling I get when using a cheap scope(sub $200) is intolerance because nothing is standing out as exemplary.
The relative feeling with tier1's is most everything is exemplary.
The feeling I get with this G3 is everything is exemplary too. With IQ almost like my tier1 scopes. Man I can't hardly tell the difference between this G3 and my $3850 S&B with both on 15x which is pretty crazy if you think about it!

Ha, it's a little frustrating for me right now because part of me wants to sell a bunch of my scopes so I can by the newest gen Athlon scopes. Nah my Helos G2, Midas TAC, and ETR are fine, but it is tempting knowing what I do now about this G3.

If you have a cheap airgun, sure put a cheap scope on it. A decent airgun spend the $$$ to be appropriate. Expensive airgun sure if really want too $$$$....
But I'd put this G3 on any of my rifles and not feel let down by it. It's as good of a fit on my FX Royale as it is on my long range AR PB and both of these guns were about the same price when I bought them which is $2000-ish. Best way I can think of is it's a goldilocks scope.
Why spend more on a scope with HUGE deminishing returns and why suffer the downsides of cheap scopes.

All that being said there are somewhat inexpensive scopes that I'd like to try if I do get a inexpensive airgun, like that Discovery 2-12, and it mostly comes down to size and weight in particular here.