Maybe it should not bother me, but....

Rustydust

Rustydust

Active member
Does it irk anyone else when you see someone with a really fine rifle that is sporting a really cheap scope on top of it?

I dunno. It seems like every time I go to the range there is some nimrod shooting a $1000 rifle with a $79 Wallyworld special on it. OK, it is their rifle- but c'mon! Why would anyone spend a grand or so for a nice rig- no matter what caliber it is- and then stick the cheapest scope that they can find on it?

There IS a place for an $80 scope and that is on a $80 gun. Granted, I have some .22 rimfires that are wearing a less than a $400 piece of glass on it, but I did not pay several C-notes for them either.

I just wanted to rant a bit I guess. Just seems disprespectful to your rifle to put a cheap scope on it. Anyone else have any thoughts on this?
 
It doesnt irk me but I find it humorous. It would make more sense to put a good optic on a cheap rifle. When I see the scenerio you desribe (all to often), I assume the owner is a novice.
 
spent all the money on the gun and they just want to get out and use it instead of it sitting in the safe waiting for when they have money for a $500 scope.

No matter how cheap the scope, I bet its better than using iron sites at 200 yards when the yote comes trotting in.
 
Nope, doesn't bother me at all. Their money, their intended use, their gun. I had, and have, a number of guns with "cheap" scopes, but I do spend more, or usually buy good lifetime warranty scopes used when I'm seriously using a gun. Can't see that a Swaro or Leica would be worth it to me, unless I:, (a) had a much better income, (b) only had a few guns. That said, i dont' trust Banners,Leapers, BSA's etc. for anything in the long term 'cept maybe rimfires. JMHO.

FWIW - my trucks have rust and dents on them, and rarely get washed too.
 
YES it does annoy me! And i agree with TJkiller. IMO great optics makes shooting so much more enjoyable. it isn't necessary to have the expensive scopes but it is nice. better fog resistant, staying zeroed, clarity for dawn and dusk shots.
 
Could be worse, True story a guy and girl came in the gun store. He was about 5'4 she was about 5'9. She bought a little pistol and he bought a .300 win mag no sights no scope. He wanted ammo and jokingly the owner offered him Black Hills red box 190 gr. He took 3 boxes. Off they went.
One hour later they return with the spent .300 WM boxes and want more. Bet those were good groups. Had to be a sore shoulder.
 
My buddy built a $1200 AR and put a $75 wally-world on it. [beeep]. OH well. I like the mid level scopes like the Nikon Buckmasters.
 
Last time I was at the range there were 2 guys with about a $1500 rig shooting at 300yrds.
They were shooting with the barrel resting on a shooting bag not the stock. I got a little laugh out of it and offered a couple tips.
 
let me play devil's advocate for a while? Is there a magic relationship as to gun:scope price? Am I okay with a $150 gun using a $75 scope? Is 2:1 okay? What price makes a scope worthy of not being laughed at?
 
Well, looking at it another way, kinda like the way Mike B says, a Guy may have spent all of his Mad Money just to get the rifle he has always wanted. The first thing he "or myself" would be is to want to shoot it. Now Im not reccomending Bottom of the Cracker Jack box type scopes, but we cant always afford what we want, when we want. I know others feel differently.
 
This doesn't bother me at all. What do I care if someone can't hit the broad side of a barn. Now if I see a hot woman with a fat slob, that is another matter.................No I could care less about that too. To each his own.
 
They have said you should spend the same on a scope as the rifle cost. Well prices have changed so that would be hard to hold to.
 
Originally Posted By: P SideThis doesn't bother me at all. What do I care if someone can't hit the broad side of a barn. Now if I see a hot woman with a fat slob, that is another matter.................No I could care less about that too. To each his own.

The hot woman probably has a really nice rifle and she is just trying to get a high dollar scope for her rifle by doing some quick odd jobs for the fat slob.
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Originally Posted By: pieeyedThey have said you should spend the same on a scope as the rifle cost. Well prices have changed so that would be hard to hold to.


I guess I some what follow this theory....
 
A friend of mine uses Night Force optics on most of the rifles he owns and he has a bunch. It pizz's me of that I can't even afford one and he has seven or eight. Another guy at the club bought a new Savage 6.5/284 and put a Barfska on it and couldn't figure out why it didn't shoot on about the third outing. Smoked the scope with recoil. Just yesterday, a dealer tried to convience me a NcStar was as good as a Loopy or Ziess and only cost $150.00 and had a lifetime warranty. GO FIGURE!!
 
It doesn't really bother me, I think it would be foolish however. I won't buy a wally world special. With that said. I have a couple rifles that are around that 1k mark. I have $200 to $300 scopes on them. I would like to have nicer optics on them, but I also have 2 little girls to feed and cloth. I just have to use what I can afford for now. Someday maybe things will be different.
 
Dust- i would say there is no magic ratio for that. And i really wouldn't care if i was laughed at by the equipment i have. IMO all the major manufacturers produce excellent shooting guns. I would think a Stevens could shoot comparably with a custom cooper. However, you're only as good of a shot as your optics allows. I ended up spending even more on my scope than i did the gun and i know the gun shoots better than my capabilities allow.
 
I don't care how much a guys scope, rifle, shotgun or ammo costs. If he paid for it and didn't steal it, that's fine with me. Some folks don't have the money to play with that others of us do. Some people have to save money for years just to buy a rifle that they want, I'm sure they want to shoot it as soon as they get it. I could afford to go out tomorrow and buy a $5000 scope with cash, but I won't, I'm too tight. I have Leupolds, 2 Nikon's, and several POS scopes on cheaper rifles. I have shot with a Swavorski, a Zeiss and a Kahles, and yes they are nice, but they do the same exact thing my $250-$400 scopes do, they hold zero, and magnify the target. I could easily take a deer, yote or whatever waaaaaaaaaaaay past legal shooting light with any of my Leup or Nikon scopes, what more does a hunter need?

My Sis in Law thinks that people who can't afford an inground pool shouldn't have a pool. She fusses every time she sees an above ground pool. She says folks with above ground pools are redneck trash. Some of my best friends would be included in that statement. I say they are swimming within their a budget and she's a shallow biotch, That's sorta the same way I feel about people looking down their nose at other folks firearms, scopes, houses, cars, etc.
 
I wish I could afford to buy a scope that cost as much as every rifle I own. But I would rather own more rifles in different calibers then own just a few with really nice scopes. My 243's and my AR all sport 3-9x40 Nikon Buckmasters. My Savage 12fv .204 wears a 6-18x40 Nikon buckmaster. But my Stevens 200 in 7mm rem mag wears a 2.8-10x44 Simmons Aetec and it is every bit as clear and holds zero just as well as all my other rifle combos... But I see where your coming from. Hate to hear my buddy complain about the accuracy of his Remington 700 in 22-250 with the BSA "Platinum" 6-24x50 scope he bought for it that gets really fuzzy over about 16 power...
 
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