Varmint Scopes

StealthArcher

New member
Are the BSA high powered scopes good for varmint hunting?? I dont want to spend alot of money on a scope. The Brand range is either BSA,Tasco, or Simmons.. The BSA will hold up to the recoil of a 223 or 22-250 wont it? Thanks alot!
 
And the answer is, none of the above! Bushnell or the new Weaver. I've had FOUR bad Simmons, and my brothers Tasco has been back twice, also BSA's get badmouthed on this board all the time. You get what you pay for! In the long run spend a little more and avoid the worries. I vote for a gold ring on front, and made in USA.
 
wow you guys in the US must get all the crap Tasco and Simmons gear. It seems nearly every scope you guys use that isnt Leupold or B & L is faulty. I only have tasco scopes on my .22-250 and .22 Hornet and .222 and all have performed without fault and i have a simmons on my 6.5 x 55 and it also performs without fault. Perhaps im one of the lucky ones i dont know but as far as i can see there is nothing wrong with them. Im not saying leupold isnt better but is it really 4X better as the price sugests??
 
Take a look at Swift Optics scopes. Great scopes for the money. OTC warranty iffin ya should need it. Got a Swift 6x18x44 FCH reticle on my varmint rig and LOVE it. Just another option.
 
It does seem that if you don't have a Leupold that it isn't any good. Some of us aren't rich. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I have a BSA 4X12 50MM on my Remington 7MM rifle and it sighted in and shoots well. Even with the big recoil I haven't had any problems. It is nice and clear (50mm lense). I plan to use it for deer and bear hunting this fall and have no worries about it beeing ok. $80.00

I also have a simmons AETEC 3.8X12 44MM scope on my Ruger VT .223 rifle. It is bright and sighted in just fine. I shot 1" groups at 200 yds with no further adjustments needed. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif $145.00

Don't get me wrong, Leupolds are probably the best scopes on the market, but don't sell the others short..

HAVING A GOOD HUNT DOESN'T MEAN SPENDING YOUR LIFE SAVINGS! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Moose
 
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All my big-glass scopes are now Tasco. I had a Unertl UltraVarmint, but it was no clearer, and I sold it for enough to buy 4 new Tasco TS variables......

I now use:
2 Tasco 24X TS
1 Tasco 6-24X TS
1 old Tasco 6-18X Rangefinder model

I have no cheap Tascos, other than the old Rangefinder model. The TS models were top-of-the-line Tasco scopes. I don't think they make them anymore. Pity.

In the lower powers, I have Weavers, Bushnells, Redfields, Leupolds, and others I can't remember right off.

The only scope that ever went south on me was a Leupold Vari-X III. Service was excellent; they sent a new scope.

I think some of the others are better than Leupold, but none has better customer service.
 
Eddiev - Oh contrair my friend. Most of my rifles are topped with one Tasco or Simmons scope or the other. These scopes are on my most used & abused rifles

Simmons 3x9 Pro-hunter (Like it)
Simmons 3x10 44 mag. (Like it a lot)
Simmons 4x, cheap (Junk, jumpy X-hairs)
Tasco 6x24 T/S (Don't like it, Love it)
Tasco 3X9 TV, cheap (Stupid idea, Mask off a round scope to look like a TV screen)
Tasco Target Model (This is a very old scope [1970] that is very similar to a Unertal, exterior adjustments, spring and all, I like it very much)

I have heard some bad things from people that I know about the BSA line of scopes lately and have become nervous about them lately.

Lots of fairly inexpensive scopes are well worth the money spent. Leupold has a great name, lots of VERY loyal followers, I don't happen to be one of them.

Michael
 
I carry a rifle, sometimes three, almost every day, many times all day. Mostly in a Chevy 4x4 or on a four-wheeler on some pretty rough country. I have nine Leupolds and none of them have ever failed. On top of that, I have many friends that I hunt-shoot with. To my knowledge none of their Leupolds have failed either. In a given year I come into contact with about 50 deer hunters and to my knowledge none of their Leupolds have failed either. I can't say that about ANY other brand! Most are VX-II's as farmers and ranchers have had tough times the last few years, but I have been around several VX-III's. As I said before FOUR bad Simmons, one the back lense fell out of it, two I had X's instead of crosses, and one got so dark you could barely see through it on a sunny day at twelve noon. Two were the 22 mag. and the others were about $125 scopes at Walmart.(In 1986-89) I have a couple of old steel tube Weaver's,(K-4) some old Redfields, and an old Bushnell(3-9)that are still good for being as old as they are. I just have come to depend on Leupold, one less worry. Lets see... Tony Boyer, David Tubb, humm I think thats enough!
 
I second the recommendation of a Swift scope. It is what I use and have been very happy with it. They have a great warranty if needed. I have two of them and plan swapping out a Tasco for another Swift. They may run a few more bucks than a Tasco, but are far less than a Leupold. The quality is much better than Tasco.

chuck400
 
FWIW, I have a Tasco 4-16x on my .223 and it has never given me a problem. I would be twichy about mounting one on some big 300 mag, but this varmint set up has never moved from zero. I use it mostly at 4-6 power to yote and dial up to play at the range. It shoots well enough my buddy had to go buy a new barrel for his rifle to compete.

Can't speak to the BSA as I've never had one, but my final thought is -- If you can't afford a big name scope and you need one to get out shooting, any scope you CAN afford is good enough for now. I have had times in my life that if I waited to afford the best in the field, I would never have done anything. Now, I can afford better equipment and still cherish the experiences of my youth.
 
Tasco Simmons are both good scopes.

BSA upper end such as the Platinum are just ok and below this one they are pretty bad.

Hope your looking at variables, 6-24x40s are the most versitile.

Ive owned prob about 30 Tascos in 27 years and have had probs with 2.

One would not zero, elevation was bottomed out.

2nd one would not hold zero,
(after my ar-15 quick disconnect, quickly disconnected and hit the ground scope first.)

Tasco replaced this 4-16x40 with a 6-24x40 at NO cost to me.

Are you hunting yotes and bigger or g-hogs and smaller?

Lets see: John Pride, Micky Fowler, and the guy that won the 2000 Sniper Challenge competition (forget his name) use Tascos.

Enough said. gj.
 
Well for Right now its gonna go on my .270. But the main thing i will be hunting with it is Coyotes. Shoot target outs the pretty far. Heres the scope that im leaning to:
Blazer : 4-16x40mm - Varmint / Tactical Rifle Scope- Matte FinishFeatures raised style target windage and elevation adjustments and the NEW Variable Reticle. The scope has an adjustment on the side which is used to create a post that can be super-imposed on the standard duplex style reticle to give more precise aim in low light conditions. The post can also be used as a one shot bore sighter. Also features Black Matte finish and adjustable objective.

Its only 59. So it should work i hope!

Thanks!
 
Not to be or I suppose to actually be a downer here. That is alot of scope and alot of features for $59.00. Scary. If I had only $59.00 to spend I'd go for the MOST basic scope that I could find. Then you'd know that the $59.00 you spent went into the basic scope and not into alot of usless gadgets.

Michael
 
http://www.natchezss.com/ That site has scopes pretty cheap.

Oh, yea i forgot to put in that last post that the scope was a simmons.Check out all the scopes. Simmons has another scope that i like. Its Simmons Pro-50 6-18x50 111.35. Not a bad investment. That will probably be the most i spend on a scope right now since im buying a mathews this summer. So gotta start saving the money in the piggy bank. Thanks
 
swift scopes i think are poor in clearness, i have looked trough a few and thought they were cheap made,leupold's are way out of there over priced range, if you got the money then get a nightforce these are truly awsome, and even the springfield armorys are better than the leupold, and for tasco's i have used them and i like them, there are some high dollar tasco's for sale for around $600.00 if you like to try one, besides the goverment has bought several thousand tasco scopes last year for the miliatary and in the contract it said they have to get like 80,000 more by the end of the contract. burris has nice scopes also but i like the nightforce scopes if you can afford one they start at about $800.00 to $4000.00...
 
oh yeah, thought i would say as of right now there is a bushnell 6-18-50mm ao, on my 22-250 and it holds zero and clear, works good in the low light when the sun has gone down, i paid about $175.00 for this one i like and its worth the money i wouldnt trade it for a new leupold........
 
Stealth Archer, I have to agree with Michael McCasland on the $59.00 do everything scope. If hunting coyotes is going to be your main objective I would lean towards a straight power scope of 4x or 6x. Or maybe try to find a simple low cost 2x7 or 3x9 scope. All the bells and whistles offered on that scope your talking about won't really help you much when your shooting called in coyotes. In fact it may actually hurt you in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the scope or brand here. I just think you would be better suited with a more simple scope for coyotes. I have a 4x12 adjustable AO scope on my coyote rifle but the power is usually stays set on 6x and I never mess with the AO.
 
Most guys here know I'm a leupold guy all the way.
But I have had some Tasco's in the past that have been fairly decent. I don't know much about BSA scopes so I can't comment on them. But I have had huge problems with Simmons. I think I have tried about 5 of their pistol and rifle scopes. My Thompson Contender 223 took out the pistol scope with about 7 shots. I sent 2 Simmons back because of rectilce problems.

I think I still have one that I use to turn in rings on dovetail bases. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Weaver, and Burris make some petty good glass. the upper Bushnells (elite) are not bad.

I like those nightforce scopes, but the LX-III's are about my limit these days. MP
 
Do you think the scope manufacturer's are listening? Sounds like a Chevy verses Ford argument, or Toyota, or Dodge. Will anybody agree with me to move on to something else! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
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