Too much of a good thing or a bad thing?

[boscoebrea]

So many different scopes and brands on the market nowadays....I say too many,yea price point this....I know this, I will never buy the lower price point models of the same brand.....

Many years ago I had a couple of the lower price point Bushnell scopes=Not good,yet some people would say how good they were...What?

I think they never looked at the higher up Bushnell models ,those models were good....

We know many of the different scopes are the same with different coverings...been that way for decades,just do some research,like Pentax,Burris.

Japanese glass had to be good,then had good luck with Philippine models..maybe a few Korean.....

China scopes are all over the place,but one thing they have gotten better and better.....

I know some people that set up some Chinese connections,the bottom line is quality control,you have to stay on them....did I tell you about the Brazilian connection,no not my ex....forgetabout it.

So maybe there is some fact in the madness of buying oiewie scopes of the same kind to pick out the good ones...excuse me what a screwed up way of doing something.because you have to,you shouldn't have to and there are scopes made with high quality controls=$$$$

Yea ask yourself how many times you tried to save money only to spend more....

Yes it is possible to get a Old scope that is a lot better than a new scope and spend the same or even less money...ok you buy used,but what scope,which model.....thing is there is certain guide lines that have to be met to pass,,,and get the golden stamp.

Wise to use all the resources available to educate yourself before buying...sure is plenty out there.

Does$$$$$= quality,it should.....some of the better Chinese scopes are too heavy....I always look at the weight and length of scopes.

I am older,I shot with iron sights,then I got a Marlin 66 and it came with a 4x scope,I got hooked.

Excuse the rambling thoughts of a wannabe ....as in most things a standard should be a standard and not some compulsive system of shooting dice.LOL was just thinking about the saying of getting a second and third opinion before getting "that operation".

 

[Yo]

SCAM RACKET CHINESE CRAP EXPOSED!

Not only scopes! Everything Chinese made!

They are all meant to be throw away. Disposable.

Heres The racket scam I decide to start a scope company as with most established AEON scope type sellers here.

I contact several CHINA FACTORIES and get price quotes and samples with no labels.

Said factory says oh we make for Discovery and Vector and xXxX and xXxX and many other well known scopes here in USA.

They say you buy 10000 minimum pieces we sell you for $10-$50 each and we pay to ship all on our dime. I say I choose the clearest of your sample because I want happy customers and don't want the $10 $20 or $25 or $30 or $40 or $45 cheaper glass versions you offered That you sent samples of which I compared varying clarity I only want the clearest one for $50. Ok! I choose sample turret A and side focus design C and 2 different reticles referenced as xxa and xxb. Feel real good they sent videos of QC testing bashing them real hard on table and freezing them etc...putting in optics checking machine...after the beatings etc.

I sell them to retailers each for $100 ($50 profit to me each) plus shipping and say to retail them for $398 just like my website says and feel free to sell for any price equal to or under $398. Some sell them at $165 $177 $189 $199 $229 $249 $277 $288 $299 $329. Of course the cheapest sellers gonna always be sold out.

Price point low enough for such fantastic Chinese glass (I already know it's the best they offer so I chose the $50 most expensive version they offered) should have happy customers no complaints.

Warranty lifetime yes. 1000 sold 200 come back broken for warranty which I just toss into the trash dumpster and send out brand new replacements. Still have 80% profit in my company. Repeat cycle maintain happy customer offer cheap China scope with best glass and be 1/4 to 1/2 the price of others more popular mainstream accepted brands.

Meanwhile the other 100 USA companies buy the less than $50 scope from the same factory or a worse many from a cheaper factory selling them at $5 to $20 instead. May look quality but the glass is CRAP poop du-du.

FEW others sell under different label a step cheaper glass than mine and sell at higher retail very good glass their top of the line a hair less clear than mine but twice the market selling price.

Most others with big name brand sell to distributors 4x-5x the price for the same scope or from crappy cheaper Chinese factory make huge profit. Of course lots warranty scopes tossed into the trash dumpster and new ones sent. Thats how it works they are so cheap and junk they don't repair them and just send you a new one swapped out and toss yours into the trash dumpster.

This is how huge the price difference is. It's all about greed. This is Capitalism at its finest.

I refuse to get ripped off as a consumer knowing this fact.

A $900 retail BUSHNELL Forge That sells for $500 wasn't as clear as my $398 retail Alpha6 That I paid $200 for.

Just imagine you send in your $1200 Chinese scope for warranty you get a new one back your old one in their trash dumpster how CHEAP Is it to just throw away? No refurbs selling right? so you know it's trash in a landfill. I'd be disgruntled if my Chinese scope cost $400 knowing this especially if mine cost double and not as clear as the cheaper one nobody knows about.

Screw China buy the cheapest Chinese goods you can research.



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[Yo]

True story I had been business long time ago and a competitor was selling items for 20x profit while I was only doing 5x to 10x selling Chinese made goods branded with USA company labels. Real CRAP not fakes from various US based companies.

ACTUAL DOLLAR AMOUNTS NOT GIVEN THESE ARE ONLY FOR EXAMPLES SAKE.

I paid $1 item and sold for $5 sometimes $10 for hand picked demand items. Competitor sold for $20 often more when I was sold out. Yup jacked the price knowing he was the only one in stock.

I paid $5 item and sold for $50. Competitor forced to match my price until I sold out then he sells for $150.

I upped to 10x due to CUSTOMERS SAYING IM TOO CHEAP THE OTHER GUY SELLING FOR DOUBLE MY PRICE.

THATS HOW CHEAP CHINESE STUFF IS AND MARKUP.

 

[steve123]

Bosco,

I guess the only lessen here is to do your research and spend as wisely as possible???

And to understand exactly what you need. Like for example, I could be fine with a $200 scope for hunting tree squirrels or rabbits within 50Y. 

For BR I would pick a more expensive high mag scope.

For long range I'd want a bunch of elevation travel and a tree reticle.

I have a $169 SFP Athlon Talos 4-16x40 on my CF coyote rifle which I use for steel and other varmints. I'm good with it for now and I've had it on the rifle for years without a problem. It's only 1.5 mil to hit a 420Y target and that isn't much, lol, especially when I consider it's 4 mils with my air rifle at 100Y. 

On the other hand I just ordered a March HM 5-42x56. This one will be moved around to 3-4 different rifles because I want to see how much I like it on different platforms to test it's versatility before I put it on my #1 go-to centerfire tactical rifle. BUT who knows I might like it so much I'll want another???

 

[Saltlake58]

As for Chinese scopes -

Did some research on scopes a couple years ago, found a scope I wanted, but couldn't afford it. Looked at the body which was kind of unique and looked for other vendors selling same magnification and body style. Found a BSA from Midway USA that was the same magnification and body.

Bought the scope. Great reticle, fantastically clear, good tracking, the whole bit. I may have just gotten lucky (don't tell that to Mr. Cyclops, not a fan of BSA due to warranty issues, and he's right on that one), but I paid half the other vendor's asking price and got a really nice scope.

Shop, research reviews and don't be afraid to take a chance once in a while. You might get burned, then again you might get a really nice scope. 

By the way, most glass produced in the world comes from China these days. Most high end scopes use Chinese glass due to labor, and pollution laws that don't exist over there. There's probably some government subsidies to boot. Do some research and find the best deal possible. Give them as little of your hard earned cash as possible. After all YOU EARNED IT, not the other way around.

Good luck!

 

[boscoebrea]

You guys are getting it,I am going to push an example ;you brought up BSA you got a good one I have 5 because I got them cheap and used 2 are ok,3 are broken...Yo is right..Like the looks of BSA motorcycles,they always broke,my Triumph Bonneville never broke...looks ain't enough,never another BSA nor a Nikko Stirling,Center Point....Sure some are good,I love my Lexus for a reason.

Yes indeed ;very wise to pick a scope for the purpose you want it for....sure the flick don't need to spend a lot of money on a scope you will never shoot beyond 20yds....Yet,it is wise to spend more for better.

Good examples you guys are posting...I go online to check out different reviews about optics,Sniper and other long range shooter forums have a wealth of information....like they say dot your i s and cross your tees....and with better scopes you can see then at 100 yards....

So when someone says how good or how bad a certain scope is you need to think quality control...and when you need to think about that it is time to pass...We want the scopes we buy to all be set at a quality standard and not just being lucky..

 

[theotherpursuit]

I don’t have as much skin in this game as others, specifically those who commented above. I believe that too much emphasis is paid to the airgun and the scope is a secondary factor. My motto is to pay roughly the same for the scope as was paid for the airgun it will be mated too. But, this can be an expensive endeavor, and I don’t necessarily practice what I preach here.

I have five scopes currently, and have purchased and sold about that many in the past. My scopes are made in China, Korea, and Japan.

The best glass goes to the SWFA (Japanese), then I would say my older CenterPoint 8-32x56 (Chinese), then my MTC Mamba (Chinese) is a close tie with my Swift Tactical (Korean). Last would be my Nikko Sterling 10-40x50 (Chinese). It’s not to say the NS is bad, it’s just that the others are slightly better. I find that the higher the magnification the worse the Chinese scopes tend to be in clarity and abrerration.

Ironically, I just ordered another Nikko in 6-24 power. It’s a FFP scope and I want to compare it to my SWFA. I may keep it, but I discovered a Vortex scope a day after pressing the buy button which is very similar in specs, but is advertised with ED glass. I am getting older.. so are my eyes. 

I don’t have as much experience as Yo. I find Yao’s advice becoming more useful as of late (still opinionated, but with more anecdotal substance) which I appreciate. His response above has value. 

In general, I say buy Chinese unless you can afford better (Korean, Japanese, German, USA). When buying Chinese, buy from a Name Brand that has been around for a bit, look for a good warranty and/or return policy. In general, I would not buy new from eBay, Amazon, or Alibaba or the like. With cheep scopes, it’s all about warranty.

One common theme I read over the 15 years or so on the Yellow and other forums like this one is that Chinese scopes can be a crap shoot. Two exact scope models can have very different optics. I have first-hand experience with this myself. My first CenterPoint 8-32x56 failed when the seal leaked, the replacement had much better glass and has been great for about ten years now.

I have the Swift Tactical 4-12x40 on my Brocock Contour. I really like this little scope and it pairs well with a sub 20 ft lbs airgun, but it’s not springer rated. And the kicker here... .. . it can be found on sale for less than $200!!


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[theotherpursuit]

You guys are getting it,I am going to push an example ;you brought up BSA you got a good one I have 5 because I got them cheap and used 2 are ok,3 are broken...Yo is right..Like the looks of BSA motorcycles,they always broke,my Triumph Bonneville never broke...looks ain't enough,never another BSA nor a Nikko Stirling,Center Point....Sure some are good,I love my Lexus for a reason.

Yes indeed ;very wise to pick a scope for the purpose you want it for....sure the flick don't need to spend a lot of money on a scope you will never shoot beyond 20yds....Yet,it is wise to spend more for better.

Good examples you guys are posting...I go online to check out different reviews about optics,Sniper and other long range shooter forums have a wealth of information....like they say dot your i s and cross your tees....and with better scopes you can see then at 100 yards....

So when someone says how good or how bad a certain scope is you need to think quality control...and when you need to think about that it is time to pass...We want the scopes we buy to all be set at a quality standard and not just being lucky..

Funny you think that of BSA motorbikes. Us Guzzi riders think the same for Triumphs

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[Yo]

Hope Bosco bought the BSA 4-14x44s from Aliexpress for $100 SHIPPED. They are the $299 Midway scopes and Primary Arms just lowered theirs to $229.

Chinese disposables! Just don't pay too much for them. Find the cheapest generic version of that same scope and save 1/2-3/4 the price. Often times the cheapie generics are clearer and have better turrets too.