Several Scopes Compared

[Joe D]

Here's a look at several of the lower priced scopes. I have the following - 3-9X32 Golden Antler, 3-9X32 Leapers, 3-9X32 Sportview and 2.5-10x42 Tasco Target. I rank them by brightness, clarity and ease of use. My favorite is the Leapers followed by the Sportview. The Tasco Target is bright and clear, but a little too large for my tastes. The GA is just a cut below the rest. It is not a bad scope, just not as good as the rest. The turret caps are not well designed. I have somewhat fixed the problem by spotting holes for the set screws to lock into. It does have fairly decent optics.
The Sportview is the most expensive of the lot. The rest are in the $40 - $50 range. One good feature of the Sportview is it's light weight. I really don't like some of the overly large scopes I have seen on a lot of AGs. I don't care for the top heavy feel they impart. I see little need for anything over 10X on an AG. If one thinks about it we rarely shoot beyond 50 yds. I guess if all you do is paper punch then a higher magnification is OK.

[Gene_SC]

Those are some good scopes Joe. I own most of the ones you mentioned. Personally I prefer the 40 objective scopes and at least 10 power or more. Due to the fact that my eyes are not as healthy as some I prefere the 40 objective or even higher. But on the other hand I do not like a big heavy scope and that is one reason I stay away from the Leapers's scopes. Most all of my shooting is under 50  yards but I do need the extra power and clearity of the $100.00 to $150.00 Bushnell's, Simmons, and now the Burris scopes. I have many BSA scopes that I have bought due to the fact that they do hold up to magnum springers very well, but now I find that the Bushnell scopes which are on the average lighter than the BSA scopes hold up just as well with less weight. Scopes I have always said is a personal choice and a shooter's eye health always play's a big part in what scope and power you can view targets best with.

[daved]

Couple of other points worth considering.  As Gene pointed out, vision is one, and at almost 50, I find I either need more magnification, more light, or both.  I used to shoot handguns at 50 yards with open sights, now I can't get anything to focus, so no more pistolas :-(.  I mostly agree about 10X being the max needed for most AG shooting, that is the middle of the range on both the scopes on my PCP's.  Which is important in it's own right, pretty much all scopes are at their best in the middle of their range.  I prefer 40-44 mm front lenses, I think it's a good compromise between "light gathering" and weight, especially if shooting at longer range.  Also, the larger lenses will stretch your shooting time, my first rifle had a BSA 2-7x32, decent little scope, but switching to a 44 mm added at least an hour to my shooting day.  I've tried quite a few scopes over the last few years, and currently have 3.  Smallest is a BSA 4x AO, perfect fit for the Gamo 440 it's on, I've basically got that one set up as a 10M indoor shooter.  The other two are both on PCP's, the S400 is wearing a Simmons 44 Mag 6.5-20x44 and the Cyclone has a Bushy Legend 5-15x40.  Both are mil dots, I just prefer that reticule, both are/were under $200.  I think the Simmons is a little sharper, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Legend, I think it's a great bang for the buck.  Although both are large scopes at around 15" long, they fit their rifles well.  That said, I'm trading the S400 off on an S200, so will be looking for a compact scope, that' why I'm looking forward to Gene's review of the Timberline.  Later.

Dave