Value for Money Scope

mac80

I have been reading through the many threads here on what scope people are using with what rifle and since I am in the market for a new scope there seems to be an endless choice.

I have a CZ Silhouette HMR rifle and a "Crosspoint" 6*24*50 Scope which i got from Ebay for €60 http://centerpoint.crosman.com/riflescopes/adventure/CP624AORG

To be honest i never has any confidence in the scope, its grainy at high Mag and I seem to be losing zero every few months. It sells a great rifle short.

I have been looking at the MTC Viper, Night eater and Hawke scopes and my budget is about €150 - €200 which is not a lot I know compared to some of the scopes used by members of this forum but I have to cut my cloth to suit
Long term I'd like to move up to .223 and possibly bring the scope with me.

Ideas for a budget HMR scope please?

Mac

Cass

For the money you mention there is the Bushnell Banner, and a good selection of AGS, Tasco, and other scopes. The problem with these is you are looking at scopes more designed or even specifically designed for Air rifles. The would be able to deal with subtle recoil, but if you were to change it to a higher caliber such as a .223 it may not be able to deal with the recoil.

I had a bad experience with AGS a few years ago and i've always been of the opinion that Hawke are really an air rifle scope only. However afte a recent trip to my dealer i came across the Hawke 6-24x50 Eclipse30. It is to go on a new .22 i have coming and i so fairly impressed with the reticle, scope design, its feel, and the range of abilities it has. My dealer told me that the scope has been proofed on all calibers, and if anything goes wrong from a scope point of view (as in the scope malfunctions, and not that i break it) it will be replaced immediately and in the shop.

I have since ordered 2 of them. One for my .22 and the other for the Fathers .22lr. They are €300 so i know its a bit more than you wanted to spend, but with it being rated for all calibers it will suit a .223 if you change later, it has the 30mm tube, a 50mm objective lense, tac turrets, illuminated reticle, etc. The only thing i would say in a negative light is the glass is not up to par with the higher end scopes. At max mag at long distances (excess of 600 yards) the clarity is not the same as my NighForce, but at 80% less than the NF you cannot really complain.


There is always the option of second hand. Why not do a search of the For Sale/Wanted forum and see what pops up for your price range.

mac80

Thanks for the response, I have found it here http://www.deben.com/rifle-scopes/hawke-eclipse-30.html

The 4 -16 * 50 = €214
6 - 24 * 50 = €238 Edit: Found one for 160Stg on Ebay UK
I'll shop around further, prob wont make a purchase until end of month anyway.

Question 2:

Mounts - I always considered them to all the same and just a simple bracket, but the difference in price between them would suggest otherwise, even for similar types.
My local dealer just gave me whatever mounts he had on the shelf ( Probably cheap ) so is it worth getting mounts from the same manufacturer as the scope or are the brand names worth the money?

Thanks again

Mac

Cass

mac80 wrote: »

............. 6 - 24 * 50 = €238 Edit: Found one for 160Stg on Ebay UK

Thats a good price. One thing to be careful of. Check with the company about their shipping policies before ordering. Don't want to find out they don't ship outside the UK.

............... , but the difference in price between them would suggest otherwise, even for similar types ..................... so is it worth getting mounts from the same manufacturer as the scope or are the brand names worth the money?

The difference between brands is really down to composition of the rings and the detail that goes into making them. Whatever a manufacturer uses to make the rings/mounts is up to them, but the real issue i check for is the quality of the work.

You can pick up picatinny rails (for exampl) for between €25 up to €200. They are both for the same rifle, same general make up (material wise), and both have 20MOA cpablility. So why pay €200?

Its how they work on the rifle. I bought a warne one piece rail, €70, for my rifle. Found that i was always struggling to get centralised zero. The rail was a fraction "off" and so was pulling the scope to the left. I had to use all my windage to get a zero. I swapped it out for a Nightforce rail and only used 3 MOA from the scopes central windage position to get my zero. Meaning the rail was machined more accurately than the Warne.

Same applies to the rings. If the base of the rings are not machined 100% true they may sit slightly off true centre and pull the scope one side or the other. The more expensive the rings the better they generally are as you are paying for the extra detail and time that goes into their manufacturing. This does not always hold true, unfortunately, but the incidents of top name brands being "faulty" are far less than those of a cheaper brand/make.

As with scopes you should always buy as best you can from the offset.

Glensman

All but 2 of the scopes I have bought were second hand.
I have never had an issue with any of my second hand scopes and would recommend this for anyone, on any budget.
You'll just get a lot more scope for your money. Also I've noticed in most cases, quality riflescopes appreciating in value.

Worth going on ebay.co.uk>categories>sporting goods>sights & scopes and then click 'used' and also 'uk only' on the left. You'll find a pretty good selection each week.

If you don't filter this way you end up seeing a load of chinese crap

mac80

Thanks all for the comprehensive replies. I'll have a look and report back when I have made a purchase.
I can get the scope posted to an address in the north, its usually cheaper

Mac

mac80

Made a decision to not upgrade the scope on the HMR at the minute and instead work towards getting a .223.
I feel that once I get a taste of the 223 I probably wont use the HMR as much so no point in spending extra money on it at the minute. I might even trade in or sell the HMR.

I'm thinking ( after reading comments here and elsewhere ) of buying a CZ 527 .223 in a couple of months.
Its Cheap, quality, straight shooting rifle...
Will probably buy new unless a really clean one came up for sale secondhand.
The problem with secondhand rifles is that I'd never know how many rounds went through it ?

Mac

clivej

mac80 wrote: »

Made a decision to not upgrade the scope on the HMR at the minute and instead work towards getting a .223.
I feel that once I get a taste of the 223 I probably wont use the HMR as much so no point in spending extra money on it at the minute. I might even trade in or sell the HMR.

I'm thinking ( after reading comments here and elsewhere ) of buying a CZ 527 .223 in a couple of months.
Its Cheap, quality, straight shooting rifle...
Will probably buy new unless a really clean one came up for sale secondhand.
The problem with secondhand rifles is that I'd never know how many rounds went through it ?

Mac

Andyone has a top notch CZ 223 varmint in the sales section now. You won't do better than that one at the money Andy's looking for it. Its as good as new.

mac80

A lovely gun alright, but it will be a couple of months before i can purchase and I have my heart set on a Black synthetic stock

Tackleberrywho

mac80 wrote: »

A lovely gun alright, but it will be a couple of months before i can purchase and I have my heart set on a Black synthetic stock

Laminate is almost Synthetic more glue than wood

It's a good price "IF" it is in pristine condition.

I know a guy who paid €900 only recently to get a CZ Varmint Synthetic

"Shop had a big window though"

culchie mick

mac80 wrote: »

Thanks all for the comprehensive replies. I'll have a look and report back when I have made a purchase.
I can get the scope posted to an address in the north, its usually cheaper

Mac

i bought a b.s.a platrum 6-24x44 on ebay and have it on my 223 its clear its made in japan for 90euros no probs yet had it on hornet first i have a silincer on the 223 might be holding the recoil a bit great job