Bushnell Trophy 4-12 x 40 AO

[PeakChick]

Natchez has had the Bushnell Trophy 4-12 x 40 AO scope on sale for a week or two for $99.95. This is a superb deal for this very nice quality Bushnell scope. The Trophy scope normally sells in the $170.00- $200.00 range most places. The best deal I regularly see on this scope is at Optics Planet and they sell there for $150.00.

As many who have seen my posts will know, I am a big fan of Bushnell scopes for air rifle use. Bushnell has a very good range of scopes that are recommended for use on air rifles incorporating the strength and features needed for use on a spring powered rifle. I own and use 7 Bushnell scopes on some of my air rifles, including the 3-9 x 32 fixed Sportsman, 3-9 x 32 AO SportView, 4-12 x 40 AO Sportsman, and three 4-12 x 40 AO Banners. I have been a very big fan of the Banner in particular due to its moderate size and weight, and its very good optics for the price, the Banner is normally a $90.00 - $100.00 scope and I consider it a good value at this price.

I have wanted to try a 4-12 x 40 AO Trophy for quite a while, but was always put it off due to the higher cost over the Banner. I still think the Trophy is a fair value at $150.00 - $175.00.

I received my Trophy on Fri., as usual good shipping service from Natchez. The Trophy I received is the high gloss finish, although the sale price scope is listed as the matte finish. I was very pleased to see that this is one of the Japanese manufacture Trophy scopes. Most of the newer manufacture Busnell scopes are Chinese manufacture, and are quite good. Two of my Banners and my SportView scopes are Korean manufacture and are just a bit better than the Chinese scopes, not much, but there is a slight edge in build and optic quality. The Japanese Trophy is very high build quality and the optics are wonderful, very clear and bright. The AO markings are very clear and well defined. The magnification and AO focus function is very smooth, and relatively low effort.

I was pleased to find that the size of the Trophy is virtually the same as the Banner, acutally is the same in length, 12.5". The Trophy is listed as being an ounce heavier than the banner at 16 oz., and it does feel just a bit heavier, still a good weight for a 4-12 x 40 scope.

I mounted my Trophy on my HW50 in the BKL 260 D7 I have on it. I had the scope sighted in very quickly and was very pleased with the optics and function of this scope. The scope has finger tip adjustments for elevation and windage and they are low effort, smooth and positive.

One caveat I can offer is that the Trophy does seem to have a smaller range of elevation adjustment than some scopes, so if you have a rifle that has a bit of barrel droop you may find that a conventional, non-droop compensated mount may not work.

I would highly recommend the Trophy at its normal selling price, and would recommend to not to pass up this sale price if you wanted a higher quality scope at a very good price.

[Big_Bill]

Great review of your Bushnell Trophy Stephanie,

I have followed your and Gene's advice and picked up a couple of these beauties ! And I couldn't agree with you more, they are fine optics and durable scopes.

Thanks for giving us your feelings on this scope.

Bill

[WVscott]

I have two of the older made in Japan 4-12x40 trophys and they're about my favorite scope.  If they had a mildot or a reticle similar to my 4-12x40 hawke airmax, they would be awesome.  BTW, the hawke is a very nice scope with optics very comparable to the trophy.  My two trophys are on a proelite and an older marksman model 72 (R9).  At one time or another all of my guns have had one or the other of these scopes on them.  The optics are great, rings turn smoothly, AO is very accurate and they're small and light.  Great scopes!
                      Regards, Scott

[johncedarhill]

Well i was too late--price jumped back up.

[cliffspot]

Wow! I just made it by 1 day! Ordered it on 3/10/08! If you see a deal, JUMP on IT! Deal with the wife/mom later! learned that lesson Back in the '80's when I missed a LOT of killer deals! Thanks for the heads up...good folks on GTA!

[Progun]

Nice pics on your HW50 w/scope Peak Chick but what kind of mounts are holding the scope ? It looks like it has a lot of clamping screws.

[PeakChick]

That's a BKL 260 D7 mount. Six screw clamping. My personal favorite.

[daved]

Great review, Stephanie, but I still have one or two questions.  First, what are the differences between the Banner and the Trophy?  You already said it's slightly heavier, but is there anything else that stands out, specifically anything optical?  And second, are those differences enough to warrant the higher regular cost of the Trophy vs. the Banner?  When I gave up on Leapers scopes, I went hunting for a good alternative at a similar price, and was really seriously considering the Trophy, but could never get an answer about relative worth vs. cost.  I don't suppose you have ever used a Simmons 44 Mag, have you?  I currently have two, and really love them, but I think it's going to be bigger than I want on the CO2 Talon I have on the way.  Guess that ended up as 3 questions :-).  Thanks!

Dave

[PeakChick]

Dave, it's kind of a few subtle differences in build and function between a Trophy and a Banner. They are virtually indenticle in size. The Trophy wins out with rubber covered power ring and AO focus ring. The Trophy has nicer, smoother operation in all the user interfaces, AO focus, power ring, windage and elevation knobs. Optics wise the Trophy is noticeably brighter and clearer, more precise. All this being said, the Banner is still one of my favorite air rifle scopes for its combination of moderate size, decent optics and really good value for the money. I guess my choice between a Banner and a Trophy would boil down to the rifle I was putting it on and my budget. If I could easily afford the extra money to get the Trophy over the Banner, I would buy the Trophy. I think either way you get a lot of scope for the money.

I haven't used a Simons 44 Mag. I wish Simmons still made them. I have used Simmons scopes on some of my powder burners and was always satisfied with the perfomance for the price.

[Progun]

Thank-you ma'am.

[Froghunter]

Stephanie,

I'm planning on purchasing this scope. Do youhave any updates or further remarks toadd after a year of use?

Thanks!

Froghunter

[Gene_SC]

All three of mine are still working fantastic on my springers..... You may not want to put them on a RWS 54 though....

[ronbeaux]

What about the Sportsman?? Are they any good for airguns?

[PeakChick]

Froghunter, I have a Trophy on my HW 50, my BSA Sprotsman HV and a Savage .17 HRM powderburner. This is a really good mid-priced scope, about my favorite. The Trophy is a springer rated scope, and I would have no problem putting one on a mid powered springer or a good, tuned light magnum. The Trophy has a great, wide field of view, very crisp otics and smooth operation on all the controls. I'm with Gene, I would stay away from putting one on a real slugger like and RWS 54, or one of the Hatsan/Walther magnums.

Ron, the Bushy sportsman 4-12 x 40 AO will work on a springer and hold up. I had one on my .177  B26. It is a decent scope for the money, especially the cheap deal Natchez has on them. It is a fairly large scope and not a feather weight.

[ronbeaux]

Thanks! I took a chance and bought one NIB for $65.00 from AA classified. It came as advertised and I mounted it on my 512M. Sweet! Not as clear as my others, but clear enough. I just didn't want it to go 'walking' after a few hundred shots.