backwoodsboy
Member
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2010
- Messages
- 6
I was thinking about getting a 120.00 BSA scope to slap on a cheap rifle.... the scope i was looking at is 6-24x50 has anyone tryed one of theese out or heard anytihng
BSA scopes... Deal or trash?
- Thread starter backwoodsboy
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J E Custom
Well-Known Member
I hate to trash any product but this is one .
I bought my first one for a 17 HMR called a sweet seventeen and it looked like
the perfect one for the little rifle.
After I mounted it I was happy until I shot it. At first I though I had a problem
with the rifle because it would not shoot worth a darn.
And just to verify that was the problem I switched scopes and to my surprise it
hammered out a .326 10 shot group @ 100 yards with the other scope.
So when I realized it was the BSA I looked to see if I could see anything wrong
and just by accident I held the ocular lens and while looking through the scope
saw the cross hairs move.
So I immediately returned it to the store for another one . At the counter I showed
the clerk what the problem was and he said no problem we'll exchange it.
I thought "GREAT" untill I removed the new one from the box and it did the same
thing. (The threads are so lose fitted that if you move the eye piece left to right or
up and down the Point of aim changes even with the scope locked down.
Next I called my brother and had him check his and he had the same problem.
Now the BSA's are less than half the price they were when they first came out
(You think the manufacture knows something ? ).
I have found that any scope less than $250.00 are probably in the junk category.
J E CUSTOM
To the question "deal or trash?" I think the answer is somewhere right in the middle. I have a 9x24x40 on a .204 and my assessment of the setup is that it's... acceptable, barely. I don't have changing poi problems like the previous poster, the scope/rifle combo will shoot <1" groups @ 100 yds. The problem mine has is that the optics are so poor that trying to shoot at anything out past 350yds is almost impossible due to "white out".
backwoodsboy
Member
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2010
- Messages
- 6
Thanks for the help guys.. another question is what would be a good long range scope to put on a .223. like i said i dont have a whole lot of extra money to spend so i guess whats the best deal i can get.gun)
cs1973
Active Member
Check out the Vortex Crossfire line. pretty good optics for the price. I believe they offer a 6-24x50 with a fine crosshair.
J E Custom
Well-Known Member
The Nikon Bushmaster 6x18x40 with side focus is a great little scope for arround
$300.00.
J E CUSTOM
D.ID
Well-Known Member
I second the nikon buckmaster, If you have to stay in 120 price range and can live with the 3x9 nikon makes a prostaff with bdc reticle that works well on my 223 out to a little over 500 yards. I have had one BSA and have regretted it ever since I got it. Seams to hold a zero so far but first time I took it out I made the mistake of looking threw my cheap little nikon next to it and thinking I should have just bought another nikon. The bsa glass just sucks in comparison.
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Good scopes are not cheap. PERIOD. On the other hand junk sells. We all try to get the most bang for our buck but sometimes we get banged ourselves just by the fact that we want something now and don't want to wait till we have the money for something better. Now that said 
There are some really good low end scopes for low dollars out there. Decent glass that is. The thing to stay away from is gimmicks. If you see a really low dollar scope with all the bells and whistles beckoning to you RUN, don't look back, don't reach for your wallet, take their name down in case they attack again so you can recognize them.
In the last 40 years of buying scopes I have owned just about all of them at one time or another so believe me on this advise.
If your going to spend anything under $200 right now figure that your going to get a scope that you take the gun out and sight it in and you do not touch it again unless it either screws up and you have to re sight it or you change your load. If it has decent glass it will last a long time that way. I had a 6X18X44 Simmons I used for 15 years and it never failed me once. I gave it to my step son and he put it on a .22-250 last year and loves it. Why?? because once set it stayed there and never needed re sighting as long as you didn't change loads. Shot coyotes out to 500 yds a number of times with it and it always did the trick as long as my estimates for hold over were on. Its the cheap easy way of doing things. Put your drops on the stock and hope their right and use hold over. IF it breaks throw it away.
From $200 to $400 your going to still get about the same thing except that your now going to have really good glass and a bit better internals. Buy something with Mil Dots in both of these scope classes so your not adjusting them much. You can estimate hold over better and you won't be messing with the adjustments.
$400 to $1000 your going to get really a lot better glass and coatings and internals which is what separates the good from the low end. You will want fully coated lenses and different coatings give different contrast. You internals will return to zero most of the time if your a cranker and your glass is very clear and things SHOULD work as their supposed to work. Remember your not at the top yet and the word is SHOULD and most company's in this bracket stand behind their products and fix them if they don't work right.
$1000 on up and the sky is the limit for what you want and are willing to pay for. You will find that the company's making these scopes are willing to work with you as these are top end scopes and although NOT their bread and butter its what their reputations are made on and what sells a lot of the lower range scopes. Reputation.
In this bracket you can get the absolute best glass, best internals, strongest tubes, best warranty, and best cooperation from the manufacturers on bells and whistles and repairs and basically the sky is the limit in this bracket. Its all in "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR"
There are some really good low end scopes for low dollars out there. Decent glass that is. The thing to stay away from is gimmicks. If you see a really low dollar scope with all the bells and whistles beckoning to you RUN, don't look back, don't reach for your wallet, take their name down in case they attack again so you can recognize them.In the last 40 years of buying scopes I have owned just about all of them at one time or another so believe me on this advise.
If your going to spend anything under $200 right now figure that your going to get a scope that you take the gun out and sight it in and you do not touch it again unless it either screws up and you have to re sight it or you change your load. If it has decent glass it will last a long time that way. I had a 6X18X44 Simmons I used for 15 years and it never failed me once. I gave it to my step son and he put it on a .22-250 last year and loves it. Why?? because once set it stayed there and never needed re sighting as long as you didn't change loads. Shot coyotes out to 500 yds a number of times with it and it always did the trick as long as my estimates for hold over were on. Its the cheap easy way of doing things. Put your drops on the stock and hope their right and use hold over. IF it breaks throw it away.
From $200 to $400 your going to still get about the same thing except that your now going to have really good glass and a bit better internals. Buy something with Mil Dots in both of these scope classes so your not adjusting them much. You can estimate hold over better and you won't be messing with the adjustments.
$400 to $1000 your going to get really a lot better glass and coatings and internals which is what separates the good from the low end. You will want fully coated lenses and different coatings give different contrast. You internals will return to zero most of the time if your a cranker
and your glass is very clear and things SHOULD work as their supposed to work. Remember your not at the top yet and the word is SHOULD and most company's in this bracket stand behind their products and fix them if they don't work right. $1000 on up and the sky is the limit for what you want and are willing to pay for. You will find that the company's making these scopes are willing to work with you as these are top end scopes and although NOT their bread and butter its what their reputations are made on and what sells a lot of the lower range scopes. Reputation.
In this bracket you can get the absolute best glass, best internals, strongest tubes, best warranty, and best cooperation from the manufacturers on bells and whistles and repairs and basically the sky is the limit in this bracket. Its all in "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR"
Ft. Churchill
Member
My 6x24 x40 illuminated mil dot scope by BSA I do not care for at all on my .223 savage. The field of view is to small to pick up moving coyotes quickly even at 6 power. The outer edge of the view is distorted as well. Above 18 power it is completely distorted so as to make it nearly impossible to use. At only one year old, I have already lost some of the intensity settings on the illuminated cross hairs, they do not work or flicker.(most of them do work fine though). This scope is accurate however and the crosshairs move exactly as the turrets indicate. I can move the point of impact and return to the original yardage setting without error and this has been a problem for me even with more expensive scopes. For what it is worth, my Dad is using a BSA platinum riflescope on his 7mm ultra mag with none of the problems that I have had. His is the 6x24-40 with the fine crosshairs and the target dot. It has none of the distortion that I have. The parralax has to be set just right though. Other wise the reticule can be jumpy and appear to shift from side to side. It's a nice scope for the money.
Remember what Winston Churchill said "I am quite easily satisfied with the very best." Next time for my money I'll spring for leopold, nikon or burris or above these in quality.
Remember what Winston Churchill said "I am quite easily satisfied with the very best." Next time for my money I'll spring for leopold, nikon or burris or above these in quality.
To stay in line with your question, since you are putting it on a "cheap" rifle, thus cheap scope for a cheap rifle - then I say deal.
Good luck!
Senderofan
Well-Known Member
I hate to sway your decision...But a sponsor here...CameraLand still has Vortex Viper 6.5-20X by 50mm target dot scopes for $279...on sale. I purchased one of these scopes a while back for one of my AR's. These are amazing scopes for the $$$. I think this would spank the BSA in all categories!
Wayne
Bob the nailer
Well-Known Member
I have had good results with BSA Platinum series 24x and 36x scopes. I have a friend that shoots the 8-32x44 Platinum and has had no problems with tracking, zero, repeatability ect... For the money they are good optics and you need to check out www.natchezss.com for the best deals. I put the 36x on a 22-250 and continued to shoot in the .1's and .2's as with my Leupold.
LRSickle
Well-Known Member
We have a joke about BSA scopes at work. If you buy a gun for $600 and put a $100 BSA scope in it, the whole thing is now worth $500.
