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Posted: 3/20/2012 6:45:57 PM EDT
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looking for a budget (sub $50) plinking scope for 223 and 22lr ammo. i've looked through a few pages at Midway, and found 2 Leapers UTG 4x and 2 Barska Huntmaster 3-9X with high ratings(4.5 out of 5 stars). i'll be mainly shooting from the 25 and 50 yd line. even at the 25yd i could not see the holes w/o the sighting scopes that the range provided (Hot Wells). i did try 3 shots at the 100yd line with irons, managed to get 1 shot into the target and 2 others on the paper lol. this is my first rifle, i've never used scopes, as i've only ever shot pistols and shotgun(skeet).
would these be suitable for 223 recoil? i'll be using mainly bear/wolf ammo. also, for 25 and 50 yds, and maybe once in a while 100yd line. should i pick the fixed 4x or go with a variable 3-9x magnification? ty |
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Any scope that retails for $50 isn't going to be worth shit, seriously. Ya know that old saying "You get what you pay for"? Well, when it comes to optics, truer words were never spoken. The absolute LOWEST I'd go regarding a scope would be something like a Nikon Prostaff 2-7x32mm, and it's over twice your stated budget. The best thing I can tell you is to save up some money, do a LOT of research, and buy a GOOD scope from the get-go. That doesn't mean you have to spend $1500 to get a decent scope, though. Just don't settle for crap just because it's cheap. You owe it to yourself, man. You paid good freakin' money on a rifle which I will assume you enjoy shooting. Don't fuck it up by putting a shit scope on top of it.
Don't mean to come of as either harsh or condescending...apologies if I do. But while at the range sometime, ask to look through other peoples' scopes & talk to their owners, and you will see what I mean. |
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I agree with the above. Any optic that cheap is destined to end up in "the box" with all the other substandard optics and tacticool crap you bought before you knew better. Everyone who has a box, wishes they the money back that it took to fill the box with the chit thats in it.
That said, I did have good luck with the Center Point I bought from Walmart. It tracks well and is repeatable. Plus if it takes a crap, I can just take it back. |
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Primary Arms 1x4 power is an awesome scope for the money. It i $120.00 though.
If you buy a $50.00 scope, chances are you will never know how good your rifle really shoots. You will also spend more than the amount of the Primary Arms by the time your replace it again. |
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These guys are telling the truth here ^ ^ ^.
I've bought cheapo gun show optics before and they are all in the trash. They self destructed, wouldn't hold zero and/or wouldn't return to zero. They ARE cheap for a very good reason. There's likely a really huge markup on them too I imagine otherwise sooooo many people wouldn't bother selling them 
These cheapo optics I'm talking about were mounted to a Ruger 10/22 rifle and if they can't take that then they won't last at all on an AR. Once you get a decent quality optic you will know and appreciate quality. It will ruin you for life 
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PA's 3x9 is only $80. I would go that route. They are always well reviewed and they stand behind their products. You still need to get a mount but on a budget you can get a pair of burris (i think that is what they sell) rings for less than 10 bucks at wally world.
Just my experience, any scope at $50 and below has a good chance of lasting a very short time. I had a leapers scope, because it was cheap, it lasted about 2 months before the reticle rotated and it would no longer adjust back to poa=poi. Spend the extra $30 for the PA and save up for something better for your next AR
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Quoted:
looking for a budget (sub $50) plinking scope for 223 and 22lr ammo. i've looked through a few pages at Midway, and found 2 Leapers UTG 4x and 2 Barska Huntmaster 3-9X with high ratings(4.5 out of 5 stars). i'll be mainly shooting from the 25 and 50 yd line. even at the 25yd i could not see the holes w/o the sighting scopes that the range provided (Hot Wells). i did try 3 shots at the 100yd line with irons, managed to get 1 shot into the target and 2 others on the paper lol. this is my first rifle, i've never used scopes, as i've only ever shot pistols and shotgun(skeet). would these be suitable for 223 recoil? i'll be using mainly bear/wolf ammo. also, for 25 and 50 yds, and maybe once in a while 100yd line. should i pick the fixed 4x or go with a variable 3-9x magnification? ty if your going to be shooting at short yardage mostly then you might want an Adjustable objective type scope to reduce parallax issues. if you still need a beater scope ya can have this one for shippin costs hawke 2-7x32 mil dot off a 10-22 it should fit your needs. 
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Leapers/UTG has a bad name here, mainly because they make cheap airsoft stuff and anything airsoft is seen as wannabe by the all the special operator AR owners. But you want a cheap plinking scope, and I seriously doubt any $50 scope, whether it says Weaver, Vortex or anything else on the side, will be made anywhere other than China. I have a Viper on my AR, but I have a Leapers on a nice pellet rifle, and it's a pretty nice scope, especially for the money. Spring piston pellet rifles are generally harder on scopes than an AR, so if it holds up to that it should hold up to an AR fine. I have 500 or so rounds through mine. The turret adjustments aren't as smooth, and I doubt they're as repeatable, but the glass is good and it holds zero.
FWIW, I used to say the exact same thing; anything under $50 is crap. There is a difference, and some of the $50 stuff probably is crap. Mine's pretty nice. Leapers |
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update, well i thought about everything everyone said, i plan to shoot for atleast 30-40 more years, so i decided to go for a better quality scope that'll last.
was able to grab a brand new in the package Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40 BDC 6730 for $150 shipped off of ebay. it arrived in the mail today, it is a really nice scope, very clear glass, solid construction, and lifetime warranty. really glad i bought it. |
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I have a $25 barska 3-9 on my 10/22 it's been on there for 4 years, it shoots great out to 100 yards, no problems. I've dropped it from 4 feet onto concrete, changed the zero, but after the zero was readjusted it was fine.
If you're not jumping out of helicopters or trying to win long range precision competitions, cheap scopes can be fine for plinking if the gun has low recoil. |
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