WTH is with these scope prices??

[Greyfox]

Now that we are on too politics and taxes this should probably be moved to the general discussion thread.

In regards to the scope price topic I have checked prices in Europe, electronics in China, and Japan and you wold be surprised for high quality products the prices are not enough of an advantage to beat a supper sale here in the U.S. If you will accept cheap products or hit the grey market then the prices change drastically. I have checked Swaro, Sony, Apple, Samsung, market leader type products and the deals were not especially great. Now things such as textiles and low tech items can be had for a steal.

The one thing I will point out is the rich & tax debate ends up being a pretty foolish one. There just are not enough of the so called rich to take care of everyone's proposed problems, it makes more sense for an individual to take care of their own challenges since blaming others is always counter productive to completing a goal even if you are right. Taxes = Government, as gov has grown we have higher taxes
allowing for more "tax incentives" for the so called rich (actually specific/special interest) which is the case with pretty much any form of gov regardless of the party etc. If you want truly lower taxes you have to have less gov and less gov organizations, all are included. Our favorite gov groups increase the needs for taxes period no matter how much we like what they do. So until/if/ever people decide they can expect less from their gov the cost and taxes are not changing anytime soon, last I checked the IRS, Whitehouse, DOE, DOL, EPA, DOJ, Homeland Security and on and on have all grown. Ohhh wait the DOD and their expense has been reduced so there is one, not that the DOD would be one that would give you the warm and fuzzies to see go.

Finally, a post that makes sense! A lot of the rich/poor, and corporate subterfuge discussion is fantasy. If the huge debt that this country is building goes unchecked, inflation will accelerate, and scopes, as well as everything else we buy will cost us more because our money will be worth less. Our only possible shot at resolving this is in the voting box. As for expensive scopes, if someone is willing to but them, someone will sell them.

 

[Dano5001]

I wouldn't pay $400.00 for any bushnell scope more less $1398.99 might as well say$1400.00 junk to me.

I thought the same till last summer when I was chosen to participate in a focus group, at the beginning they would not tell us who the company was in order to get unbiased answers and opinions. At the end they tell us the company is Bushnell.

They are entering the higher end optics game and trying to overcome the stereotype associating the bushnell name with low quality cheap optics.

As a result of those focus groups they have extended their bulletproof 100% money back guarantee to most all of their hunting related optics, scopes, binos, spotters, and laser range finders. If you purchase one of these in 2012 you can use the product for 1 year after purchase, if for any reason you are not satisfied with the product you can return it to Bushnell for a full refund, no questions asked, this is an effort to prove their products.

I want a Nightforce or S&B but cant afford one right now, I may give a Bushnell a shot, I can always return it for a full refund.

 

[gonewest]

S&B would charge you 100 bucks just for opening the returned box!!!!!

 

[Sully2]

I most certainly dont want a NightForce...no way. And S&B Id take in a minute...except....$$$$$ like WOW. I had to strike a happy medium and go with Zeiss..glad I did too

 

[drt4lfe]

I have one of the new Weaver 4 x 20 front focal tactical mil-dot scopes on my AR30 338 and it costs way less and has everything majority of shooters will ever need...plenty of adjustment....side focus...good clear optics...as good or better than any leupold I have ever owned....prefer nikon to leupold any day...my 2 cents...

 

[sp6x6]

I have one of the new Weaver 4 x 20 front focal tactical mil-dot scopes on my AR30 338 and it costs way less and has everything majority of shooters will ever need...plenty of adjustment....side focus...good clear optics...as good or better than any leupold I have ever owned....prefer nikon to leupold any day...my 2 cents...

Do you own mark 4 in 6-20?

 

[Buano]

I have one of the new Weaver 4 x 20 front focal tactical mil-dot scopes on my AR30 338 and it costs way less and has everything majority of shooters will ever need...plenty of adjustment....side focus...good clear optics...as good or better than any leupold I have ever owned....prefer nikon to leupold any day...my 2 cents...

A 4x20 any-brand scope is not suited for low-llight or long range shooting. As people want to shoot accurately long distances or in poor lighting, scope quality must go up. That said, if someone only shoots close ranges & in good light, there is little justification for an expensive scope and the person should get something like your Weaver.

You must be comparing to one of the older Leupolds, probably one more than 30 years old. Leupolds are not world-class yet, but they have improved a lot in recent years.

Nikon scopes are OK but definitely not better than a Leupold VX-3, and not close to the Leupold Mark-4 scopes. Nikon has never produced anything to even compare to a Leupold VX-7L.

 

[drt4lfe]

The Weaver scope works very well in low light and at least out to a 1000...farthest I have shot with it....I have owned 6.5 x 20 Leupold and Nikon at same time on 2 diff. rifles and everyone who looked through both always picked the Nikon or said they could see no difference...

 

[LtBlue425]

The old adage "you get what you pay for" has been around for a long time and was generally accurate, especially for optics. For many years I bought "value priced" scopes and binocs. Most of them served my purposes adequately. Then I started getting introduced to higher end stuff. My El Paso Weaver scopes were fine for p-dogging then a friend let me use his Leupold scope. The difference in clarity was enough to convert me to be a Leupold fan (still am). KMart binocs were okay until I got a Steiner 8x30 Military-Marine. The crispness of the view was astonishing to me, I could see .22 holes at 100 yards. A Barska and Yukon spotting scope were sort of okay until I got a Nikon. Now I'd like to get a spotter with even better clarity.

Working in a large busy gunshop gives one the opportunity to compare a wide spectrum of optics (mostly riflescopes) and price range. We had bought a huge pile of NightForce a few years ago when they were the rage. Apparently they are not the rage anymore because the shop still has a big pile of NF. That's a lot of money tied up in inventory that's gathering dust. So the NF is an outstanding scope so why aren't people buying it? Easy answer...high priced, bulky, bells & whistles most don't use and heavy. There is still some (very little) interest in NF but its mostly for static position shooters, long range & benchrest.

The best seller last fall was the Leupold VX-1 for 199.99. They gave the buyer a brand name, good clarity, good quality for an affordable price. Nikon was also a good seller in their lower priced scopes.

Buyers and the economy leave me wondering at times. I was always astonished at the numbers of guys who'd rush into the shop to plunk down $1200 - $1500 for the latest neato Benelli or Beretta auto shotgun!! IMHO they're grossly overpriced and grossly overhyped and I'm being nice. On the fip side high priced rifles did not move but low priced ones did. The gunmakers seem to have a good finger on this phenomenum as evidenced by value priced rifles from Savage, Marlin, Mossberg and now Ruger American (selling like hotcakes, IF you can get one in).

So from watching buyers I know there's disposable income still in the economy and it appears to me some aren't afraid to spend it IF its something they really want. Demographics probably are at play too. Most rifle sales locally are to folks that are going to use them and scar them up. Why scuff up a high priced fancy walnut rifle when a $340 Ruger American will give you the same results...dead deer.

There are very good values in optics and a higher price doesn't automatically make a value. If a buyer does their homework you can get a good scope that will give a lifetime of satisfactory use. Oh and yes, optics are usually marked up to jaw dropping percentages.

 

[Hunter2678]

The Weaver scope works very well in low light and at least out to a 1000...farthest I have shot with it....I have owned 6.5 x 20 Leupold and Nikon at same time on 2 diff. rifles and everyone who looked through both always picked the Nikon or said they could see no difference...

Weaver, Nikon, Leupy, Burris are very good for the $$. I bought my Nikon buckmaster after looking through it next to a Vortex Viper that was $200 more and went with the Nikon bc it appered brighter & clearer than the Vortex did. Go figure. My point is some names have been around forever and have always given you superb quality for your $. Once you get a bright clear scope and are able to see 22 cal holes in paper at 200 yds with a low powered scope, you wont tolerate anything less from that point on. Besides the older you get the "better optics" you'll need. At least thats how I justify nicer optics in general bc to a large degree its true.