The Gunshow Scope Myth

JoeWayneRhea

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Apr 5, 2015
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Ok so your at your local gun show when you stumble up on a table absolutely FILLED with killer looking scopes !!! OMG 30mm and 1inch , Mildots and other Badass reticles, Semi target turrets , Nice finish on the tubes , and they look Incredible and the price....OMG the Super low price .. And they even have a TACTICAL line !!!!.Wow you can't believe your luck !!!!!! JACKPOT !!! Ok so you've never Actually heard of this brand , but hell your probably outta touch. Wouldn't be the first time .
Don't you worry says the dealer , we are a new company bent on doing good and making scope buying a happy experience for you and your children. We are good folks who just felt it was time the good optics buying public got their money's worth . With all the corruption out there you can count on us . As a matter of fact our scopes are made at the same place as the big name brands .... We can't name them obviously because they are our competitors and we are the new Good Guys after all , and Good Guys don't go in for that kinda gossip and such ....Hell we are practically Saints !!!!!! ... But rest assured the new ( Fill in the blank )Brand is here to stay !!!! We deliver world class quality that even a peasant can afford . We are gonna set the optics industry on its ear .... We basically are the answer to your prayers .....
Wellllllllllllll let's step back a sec and think .. Is it possible ..No matter how remotely possible that these new friends to humanity , these Saint that walk among us , these beacons to guide mankind could be looking to make a few bucks ???.?? And the poor lighting and your glee over such a killer deal got the best of you ? ???
Well if any of this sounds familiar welcome aboard . There are literally hundreds of scope Brands out there and they all have a trap set just for you and your lunch money .... Hell if I had $10,000 to throw around I could start my own scope company with a few strokes of the keyboard and a credit card .. . You just order the specs you want with the tubes you want the crosshair you want and the boxes you want. And BAM your in the scope business.... You find the slickest trickiest fanciest name you can think of that just screams Rock Solid American Quality and Have the Chinese maker slap that on the side of your new scope. And then take it to a gun show and Mark it up 500%.
It's happened to me and more than likely it's happened to most of you. In Optics probably more than anything I've ever purchased in my life the old adage" you get what you pay for" is absolutely 100% true. There are some Bargains out there but there are no killer deals that you just can't wait to run home and tell your friends and that makes you set up at night twisting on your nipples over your incredible luck ...
But here's a tip from a guy whose uncle works gun shows. If you see this new Wonder scope and you absolutely have to buy it.... buy the display model. Believe me , I've watched him work the shows . He unboxes every single scope and look at them until he finds the one that has the best Optics to set out. That's the one that's sitting on top of all those other boxes. You don't realize till you get home that the one you happen to buy has the Crosshair that is slightly off center. And the one you looked at at the gun show didn't have that little distorted spot in the bottom of the scope did it??. And it's not until later that next week that you realized you forgot to get one of that guys cards so you have no idea how to contact him with the problem you've discovered.. Happens every gun show happens every weekend just a little heads up because it almost happened to me again at the last local gun show... . There's no such thing as a stripper stripping her way through college. There's no such thing as a 250 mile per gallon car. And there's no such thing as $1,000 scope for $125
 
That's why I used to walk around the county gun shows with one of my antique rifles all cleaned up. I'd stop to look at something, scopes included. And the guy would say there's no way I could afford that! Zing! I did get a good deal once though, years ago now. I walked up on a TC Hawken .50 cal with factory cherry stock that had a long gash in the butt stock. But finish was still there. Steamed & oiled it like new. Gun has amazing balance & accuracy for the price I gave. Other times, I agree it's best just to walk away...
 
"JoeWayneRhea"You probably have better luck finding a nice 20dollar gold piece in you change . I'm right on the verge of making a YouTube video about springer scopes . My only problem is I don't wanna come off like a jerk , but a lot of my personal opinions about scopes may not make some folks exactly chipper with delight :)
meh people are way to sensitive about their opinions, I rather deal with a honest jerk then a kiss ass.
 
It is absolutely true that you get what you pay for. Through careful shopping, research, and patience, did I mention patience? you can get a better deal, but mostly it's just being knowledgeable and patient when you make the buy.

Any time someone says, you gotta buy it NOW or it'll be gone!, walk away. Rarely are the great deals what they seem.

I did get the scope I wanted for my air rifle, but it took three months of research, searching, and finally pulled the trigger when I was really sure it was what I wanted.

Signed - Burned way too many times at trade shows (that's more than just gun shows).