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  1. #1
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    Default 30.06 budget scope suggestions

    Ok, I recently acquired a Winchester model 670 chambered in 30.06

    It has 1" scope rings, but no scope.

    So I would like some suggestions for an inexpensive scope. I dont have any specific plans for this rifle. As of right now it has no sights, so I just want it to be functional. Id like to stay under $100

    This is one of the options I am looking at. http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/c....aspx?a=642965

    This looks pretty good to.
    http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/c....aspx?a=609198

    I have a membership, so I get the member price. I also have a $10 off coupon for SG, so if there is something else listed on their site that is a good choice, Im all ears.

    thanks.
    Last edited by Paintwerk; June 21st, 2010 at 10:42 AM.

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    Default Re: 30.06 budget scope suggestions

    i bought that Centerpoint 4-16x42 scope at WalMart for my cheap hunting gun. it has stood up to the kick of my 8mm Mauser after close to 1000 rounds. i paid $69 at the time for it.
    Guns don't kill people, it's mostly the bullets.

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    Default Re: 30.06 budget scope suggestions

    $100 isn't going to buy much of a new scope, but you already know that. I have a Tasco World Class scope on my 30.06 Remmy. I bought it new with this scope factory mounted. It's been fine so far.
    You can never have enough horsepower or ammunition.

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    Default Re: 30.06 budget scope suggestions

    Quote Originally Posted by Paintwerk View Post
    Ok, I recently acquired a Winchester model 670 chambered in 30.06

    It has 1" scope rings, but no scope.

    So I would like some suggestions for an inexpensive scope. I dont have any specific plans for this rifle. As of right now it has no sights, so I just want it to be functional. Id like to stay under $100

    This is one of the options I am looking at. http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/c....aspx?a=642965

    This looks pretty good to.
    http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/c....aspx?a=609198

    I have a membership, so I get the member price. I also have a $10 off coupon for SG, so if there is something else listed on their site that is a good choice, Im all ears.

    thanks.
    I understand your desire to save some on optics, but going with one of the cheapest you can find is a BIG mistake. I wouldn't touch a Barska scope with a 10 ft. pole. The only way I'd even bother putting one on a rifle would be if it was given to me, and I wanted to see how fast I could tear it up. I assure you it wouldn't be very long, especially on a .30-06 or larger rifle, many lesser calibers (even .223) have killed Barska scopes, or they come that way from the factory.

    Personally, I think $100 is a little bit too little for a scope, but that's just my opinion. My buddy had a Centerpoint scope from Wal-mart, and while it's nothing fancy and not the clearest or brightest glass I've looked through, it did alright. It wasn't like looking through coke bottles, and when we checked zero, it held and dialed the corrections it was supposed to. They come with 1" tubes, so I guess that you wouldn't have to buy new rings. So I guess that's one to consider.

    I think another to consider that's on their website is from Pentax. Most people aren't familiar with their scopes, and I'll admit that my experience is limited with them. Either way, I sighted one in for a buddy on a hunting trip, and it tracked perfectly and held zero on a .270. The glass was actually fairly clear, although I'm not sure if he had the model that I'm going to link to you, or a more expensive one. It was in that power range, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same scope. It has a 1" tube also, so you wouldn't have to buy rings. I made a hit on a raccoon, cold bore at a touch over 260 yards with that .270 and the Pentax. I don't know over time how it would hold up, but it was decent glass for the money, and seemed to hold zero while we played around with it. I might have to give him a call and see if the scope is still holding up. http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/c....aspx?a=502864

    The other option that I think you should consider is to spend a bit more money, and get a different scope. The new Redfields seem to be pretty good scopes. Leupold bought them out, and has been trying to put out a reliable, budget scope that has some nice features, but isn't anything fancy. This means that there are few options, but from what I've heard, they're fairly clear, dial how they should, and will stand up to some punishment. http://www.opticsplanet.net/redfield...e-reticle.html

    I can tell you that what will happen when you buy a cheap scope is this. Either it'll die much sooner than it should, and then you'll have to spend the money to replace it with something better. This means you're out of the initial cheap scope you put on it, plus what the new better scope costs. You could just keep using the lifetime warranty on the crappy scopes, but you'll have downtimes where you want to shoot your rifle, but don't have your scope back. If you use the scope for any type of hunting, how unreliable the scope is will really upset you, and probably wound or miss game (hopefully just all together miss). Eventually, even though they'll give you another scope, you'll decide that you don't want to deal with the BS and having to sight your scope in and have it break fairly soon after. Even if you sell the replacement one you got back, it won't take back the shots that you missed on game, or all the ammo that you wasted sighting in the new one. The saying is, "it's better to buy once and cry once", and that's what I think you should do. The funny thing is we're not even talking about spending that much more money to get into MUCH better quality scopes that will actually last and hold zero. They won't be anything fancy or super clear, but they dang sure won't take a $H!T on you when you need it. I recommend that you hold of and save an extra $50-100, and buy a scope in the $150-200 price range. That way your downtime is minimized and you'll end up with something that isn't garbage.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: 30.06 budget scope suggestions

    Never skimp on optics. It makes that much of a difference.

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    Default Re: 30.06 budget scope suggestions

    Quote Originally Posted by Tomcat088 View Post
    I understand your desire to save some on optics, but going with one of the cheapest you can find is a BIG mistake. I wouldn't touch a Barska scope with a 10 ft. pole. The only way I'd even bother putting one on a rifle would be if it was given to me, and I wanted to see how fast I could tear it up. I assure you it wouldn't be very long, especially on a .30-06 or larger rifle, many lesser calibers (even .223) have killed Barska scopes, or they come that way from the factory.

    Personally, I think $100 is a little bit too little for a scope, but that's just my opinion. My buddy had a Centerpoint scope from Wal-mart, and while it's nothing fancy and not the clearest or brightest glass I've looked through, it did alright. It wasn't like looking through coke bottles, and when we checked zero, it held and dialed the corrections it was supposed to. They come with 1" tubes, so I guess that you wouldn't have to buy new rings. So I guess that's one to consider.

    I think another to consider that's on their website is from Pentax. Most people aren't familiar with their scopes, and I'll admit that my experience is limited with them. Either way, I sighted one in for a buddy on a hunting trip, and it tracked perfectly and held zero on a .270. The glass was actually fairly clear, although I'm not sure if he had the model that I'm going to link to you, or a more expensive one. It was in that power range, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same scope. It has a 1" tube also, so you wouldn't have to buy rings. I made a hit on a raccoon, cold bore at a touch over 260 yards with that .270 and the Pentax. I don't know over time how it would hold up, but it was decent glass for the money, and seemed to hold zero while we played around with it. I might have to give him a call and see if the scope is still holding up. http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/c....aspx?a=502864

    The other option that I think you should consider is to spend a bit more money, and get a different scope. The new Redfields seem to be pretty good scopes. Leupold bought them out, and has been trying to put out a reliable, budget scope that has some nice features, but isn't anything fancy. This means that there are few options, but from what I've heard, they're fairly clear, dial how they should, and will stand up to some punishment. http://www.opticsplanet.net/redfield...e-reticle.html

    I can tell you that what will happen when you buy a cheap scope is this. Either it'll die much sooner than it should, and then you'll have to spend the money to replace it with something better. This means you're out of the initial cheap scope you put on it, plus what the new better scope costs. You could just keep using the lifetime warranty on the crappy scopes, but you'll have downtimes where you want to shoot your rifle, but don't have your scope back. If you use the scope for any type of hunting, how unreliable the scope is will really upset you, and probably wound or miss game (hopefully just all together miss). Eventually, even though they'll give you another scope, you'll decide that you don't want to deal with the BS and having to sight your scope in and have it break fairly soon after. Even if you sell the replacement one you got back, it won't take back the shots that you missed on game, or all the ammo that you wasted sighting in the new one. The saying is, "it's better to buy once and cry once", and that's what I think you should do. The funny thing is we're not even talking about spending that much more money to get into MUCH better quality scopes that will actually last and hold zero. They won't be anything fancy or super clear, but they dang sure won't take a $H!T on you when you need it. I recommend that you hold of and save an extra $50-100, and buy a scope in the $150-200 price range. That way your downtime is minimized and you'll end up with something that isn't garbage.
    This is pretty much what I was expecting to hear. I may just hold off and pick something better. If you could make some recommendations for the $150-$200 range I would appreciate it.

    That Pentax has a lot of good reviews, I might just get one of those and see how it does.

    Thanks for the info.

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    Default Re: 30.06 budget scope suggestions

    Leupold Riflemen, they used to be VX-1's sometimes you can pick up for $169 I did from Cabelas.

    Nanchez, Cabelas, scopes are reasonable.

    Great scope, and American made.

    Nikon are not bad either.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: 30.06 budget scope suggestions

    Quote Originally Posted by Paintwerk View Post
    This is pretty much what I was expecting to hear. I may just hold off and pick something better. If you could make some recommendations for the $150-$200 range I would appreciate it.

    That Pentax has a lot of good reviews, I might just get one of those and see how it does.

    Thanks for the info.
    I'm really not trying to pull your chain, but I honestly think you'll be much more satisfied in the long run by spending $150-200. You just end up with scopes that are quite reliable scopes, good quality, and have legitimate lifetime warranties. This means you end up with a quality scope that you're not embarrased or making excuses for, and you'll have it for the rest of your life. For the most part, the trusty names that you'll hear in the "mid range" scopes are Bushnell, Nikon, Burris, Redfield, Leupold VX-1. There's a few other options that aren't as quite well known, but usually you're a bit better off sticking to one of those lines. Keep in mind some of these manufacturers offer different lines, and while those lines may be OK, they may not be as good of glass quality as other lines. So just because they are a similar price, a word or two differentiating the lines, can have some impact on them. Some of these are just a touch over your $200 (like $220); but you may be able to find them IN your price range at another store. You don't have to buy the scope from opticsplanet, I just was on their website and they had all of these particular scopes, so I linked them. Some people do NOT like opticsplanet customer service, and others have had great buys from them, so this is just to showcase some of the scopes.

    I'm not sure if you have a particular magnification range that you favor, but I tried to stay close to the 3-9x, or just a bit above it like the 4-12x. Most of the scopes that will fall into your price range will be the 3-9x. I also wasn't sure if you want a 40mm or 50mm objective lense. If you're not familiar with some of the differences between what changes with this, we'll be happy to answer those questions too. Did you have a particular reticle in mind? I'm sure that some of these scopes will have 30mm tubes, I didn't know if that was the only qualification, or if you might be willing to change rings to accomodate a different scope. If it is a limiting factor, some of these do have 1" tubes, and it'll help limit your options for you. These are in no particular order, and just kind of how I came across them.

    Bushnell Elite 3200's are good scope. Of their line, there are basically only 2 scopes that fit in your price range, or very near it. These are good quality scopes, with very bright and clear glass, rainguard, and will track reliably. http://www.opticsplanet.net/bu3el32hascw.html is the 3-9x 40mm objective. There is also the 3-10x short action, which is a more compact design than the normal 3-10x, it's as long as the 3-9x posted above, but it goes to 10x. http://www.opticsplanet.net/bushnell...iflescope.html

    Nikon also makes some great scopes for the money. Their glass looks a little different, in terms of contrast, colors it favors, and brightness; but it's every bit as good as the Bushnell Elite glass, just different. Of the Nikon glass, the "pro staff" line is what is mostly in your price range, but it's my opinion that it's not quite as good of glass as the Nikon Buckmaster line. The first couple of links are Nikon Prostaff scopes, the first two are basically identical, except one has a 40mm objective, and the other a 50mm, there is a slight difference in price with the 50mm being a bit more expensive. http://www.opticsplanet.net/nikon-ri...ff-3-9x40.html and the second is http://www.opticsplanet.net/nikon-3-...flescopes.html . This is a link for the Nikon Prostaff with a 40mm objective lense, but it has a bump up in the magnification range up to 4-12x http://www.opticsplanet.net/nikon-4-...6324-6325.html . If you're ok with the 3-9x magnification range, I'd really look hard as this Nikon Buckmaster 3-9x 40mm. http://www.opticsplanet.net/nikon-ri...rs-3-9x40.html . It's still under your $200 pricerange, and you can even go with a BDC reticle if you like them.

    There are quite a few people that like Burris scopes, the Fullfield is a classic name that many old timers know. I don't have much experience with the newer Burris scopes, but I still hear good things about them. I have more experience with the older Burris scopes, and they were reliable, tough, and good glass. These are 3-9x with 40mm objective lenses, and you can get a traditional plex reticle, or a ballistic plex. I'm not sure that there's any difference in these scopes, or if they're just listed differently; there IS a difference in their price, so look them over carefully. http://www.opticsplanet.net/burris-3...fle-scope.html the other one that is identical as far as I can see at a quick glance http://www.opticsplanet.net/burris-3...-packages.html .

    Then some others have mentioned the Leupold Rifleman line of scopes, or the VX-1. I like Leupold scopes a lot, and they have GREAT customer service and warranties; although some of these other manufacturers have dang near as good customer service. Leupold is a trusted name, that has been around a long time, and will continue to go on for a long time. Please realize this is my OPINION, and what I believe about their company. I think that in the last 10 years, we've seen a slight slip in Leupold quality control, and in the overall quality of products they're putting out. They have a name, and you will pay a little more for that name, for a product that may not really give you much more performance. I don't think that their lower down glass looks any better than the other scopes listed here, and in fact sometimes worse. Either way, the scope WILL hold zero, will dial reliably, and will work for you pretty much every time; even if their glass isn't all that much better. So to be fair, I'm gonna post up the Leupold riflescopes that are close to your price range. These scopes are over $200, and more in the $220-230 range. This is from the rifleman line http://www.opticsplanet.net/leupold-...fle-scope.html . This one is from the VX-1 line, and probably just a little bit better glass, http://www.opticsplanet.net/leupold-...x-reticle.html .

    If the Leupold name catches your attention, I would take a very hard look at the Redfield riflescopes. Leupold recently bought out the Redfield line, and they've been doing GREAT things with the line. Redfield was an American staple for so long, and then it started getting bought up by companies that were putting out junk and banked on the people that remembered the Redfield name from the past. I'm glad to see that Leupold is returning the Redfield name back to a reputable and reasonable price scope. Pretty much these scopes won't have many frills, and not a ton of options or different features to choose from. What they will have is repeatable adjustments, a clean simple finish, and rugged design. I don't know this for a fact, but they probably have exactly the same glass as the VX-1 scopes. From what I've read and the way I understand it, Leupold is trying to use Redfield to carry on their "lower priced" scopes, that are still quality, and go back to "Leupold" being their more expensive and high quality scopes. This is not to say that Leupold won't make decent scopes in their lower price range, but that you might get a better scope for the same price from Redfield, because you're not having to pay for the Leupold name. They also have a lifetime warranty just like Leupold, and since Leupold owns them; you can expect that lifetime warranty to last and be backed. Here's the 3-9x http://www.opticsplanet.net/redfield...e-reticle.html , and here is the 4-12x in case you like a bit more magnification http://www.opticsplanet.net/redfield...e-reticle.html . They also have the "accu-range" reticle available in case you like that better than the traditional "plex" reticle.

    I hope that you consider some of these scopes, and that at least one of them will be what you're looking for and at a reasonable enough price. They SHOULD be able to hold up to the recoil, dial reliably, have decent (or good) glass, and last for as long as you have them on your rifle, or be replaced if they break. Either way, consider what I'm about to say. Let's say that you buy a $60 riflescope, it WILL break at some point in time, or look like garbage past 100 yards or in lowlight. So then let's say that you decide to replace it and spend $100 or even $120 on a new scope. If this is the route that you go, you'll have spent $180, and end up with a $120 riflescope. Not to mention the money that you'll end up spending sighting the new scope in, .30-06 ammo isn't all that cheap, and neither is range fees, your gas, or the time you have to waste. I honestly think yo'ud be better off spending the $150-200 right out the gate, and you'll end up with something that will last and have better quality. Hope this helps and best of luck to you.

  9. #9
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    Default Re: 30.06 budget scope suggestions

    I know a lot of people think that you must spend a small fortune on a scope. If you have the money great go for it. I know my 30/30 had a bushnell scope from when i started using it 16 years ago that still hold zero.

    Would i buy a 30 dollar scope. No.. The saying "usually" hold, you get what you pay for.

    However, I currently own two nikon prostaffs.... GREAT scopes for the money. at basspro they are 150ish with out bdc, i think 160ish with bdc...

    you can also get them at sportsman's liquadation in the harrisburg/york/chambersburg/hanover area for 110ish.




    That scope rocks for the money.... i can not tell the difference IN THE STORE from leupold at the same level.




    Now if you want to stay at 100 bucks, i've heard a lot of great things from bushnell banner/dusk/dawn scopes. plus if yo uget it at basspro/cabelas and something happens they'll replace it no questions. No dealing with the dealer.


    My 2cents

  10. #10
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    Default Re: 30.06 budget scope suggestions

    Firstly, thank you for all the information and suggestions. After doing more research I see that I can get a lot more for my money if I hold out and spend a little more. My first instinct was to put a cheap scope on this rifle since I didn’t pay much for it. However after some thought, It makes a lot more sense to pay a little more for a better scope that will last and perform reliably. I have followed the “you get what you pay for” philosophy for most of my tools. In my experience you do spend more in the end by going cheap.
    I don’t have a particular magnification range in mind. I figured 3-9x was a reasonable range from what I have seen included with Manufacturer scoped 30/06 rifles.

    As to the 40 or 50mm objective lenses, Im not sure. If you could tell me what the pros and cons are between the two I would appreciate it.
    For the reticle, well Im not sure there either. I like the BDC reticles. I really like the idea of the Nikon “Spot On” software for matching the reticle to whatever cartridge I intend to use. The Nikon Buckmaster looks like a good value for the price.

    As for the rings and mounts currently on the rifle, well Im not completely against changing them out, I just figured Id keep them as a way to keep the cost down. From the markings they appear to be made by Redfield.

    So it looks there are a lot of great options out there. Now I just need to narrow it down and figure out exactly what I want.
    Last edited by Paintwerk; June 25th, 2010 at 12:40 PM.

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