Best scope for $200 or less?

Cool 8)

What gun are you putting it on?

Well, I opted for the Leapers 6-24X56 AccuShot SWAT scope. It does the job OK. It’s quite large, as others here well know. I found it on Ebay for $139.00, and included sunshade, lens covers, and polishing cloth. I like the parallax adjustment on the side turret as opposed to turning the lens up front. It’s kinda hard to turn, but the ‘gear’ ratio is so high that you don’t have to turn much at all to focus at different distances. I thought the optics would be a tad more crisp, but still not bad. One gripe I have is the windage turret… it’s kinda mushy, doesn’t have clean distinct clicks like the elevation turret does, and sometimes I think the internal mechanism is slow to respond to ajustments. Had no problem zeroing in, and it seems to hold it OK.

I wish the mag ajustment was easier to turn as well, but since I’m shooting mostly in my backyard, I keep things pretty much set. I like the locking rings as opposed to unscrewing/screwing turret caps/covers.

It seems to me Leapers puts most of their energy in nice looking scopes with their selling point in many bells and whistles, at a decent price. To be honest, if I ever get another scope, I’ll be willing to give up some of these features for higher quality internals and glass. I have yet to use the illuminated recticles for instance, not sure I’ll ever really have a need for it, we’ll see.

Now I’ll compare this scope with my cheapo Beeman 3-9X32 AO scope I bought at Tims shop. It sits on my hot rod 2250. It costs $55.00 and does the job just as well as my Leapers, doesn’t have as many features of course, but gets the job done with optics just as clear, maybe even better more responsive windage/elevation ajustments and holds zero perfectly.

Someone here mentioned Simmons scopes. I may check them out in the future. My friend has a 2250 XT, and uses the stock scope, which isn’t that good imo, and showed me a old Simmons 3-9X32 scope collecting dust in his shed. I picked it up and looked thru it and was amazed how crystal clear the view was, WAY better than either of my scopes, and probably goes for around 100 bucks. I asked him why the heck aren’t you using this instead of the the stock Crosman one on the XT which on top of being shitty, is a fixed 4X. He didn’t have much of a answer… strange…

Anyways, Leapers does offer alot for the buck for people on a budget, it’s certainly not the ultimate scope for me, but it does get the pellet where I want it, and well… it sure LOOKS bad ass on my SS… lol.

All this said,

Excellent post Knife. I have no quantifying training in the use of scopes. I figured mine out by trial & error. Myself, I prefer the 50MM objective as I believe it provides faster target aquisition. Especially when sweeping thru the trees looking for a bird or such.

Harry

I notice that the Center Point is priced a bit higher than the Lepers. I keep hearing that it is make by lepers. Is it a higher grade. Also, I am looking at a Sight MarkPoint. Good looking scope. Crisp, and bright. Only draw back is that it starts at 8.5 mag. and is a 50 mm rather than 56 mm.

I have collected high grade optics for years. Now days, after closing our Archery business and depending on the Knife making business full time. I cannot spend the type of money for toys the way I use to. So no Zeiss Kahles, Schmit Bender, or other great scopes for me this year. Especially not during tax season!! Lol.

I keep seeing a few misconceptions here regarding scopes and how they are used, what they can, and cannot do.

I have gotten a lot of great advice here regarding getting my SS up and running the way I want. Now I will try to help a little to give back, regarding Scope usage.

1. I keep seeing that a given scope wont focus down to this or that yards. Not true!!! The AO, and the side focus as some call it. Isn’t the focus adjustment. Yes you can focus with it, but that isn’t what it’s for. It is for para lex. This is to put the reticle on the same focal plane as the image you are viewing. Now this get confusing especially in the lower quality scopes. Like the Banner I have on the SS at the moment. With low quality optics, the minute fish effect brought on by the less than perfect lenses cause the image to distort as you change the focal plane of the reticle. This causes the image to go out of focus as you change the paralex. The focus adjustment is at the rear of the scope. It is part of the ocular bell. This is where you focus your optics. In a very high quality scope of medium power, the focus of the scope will not change with the adjustment of the AO. or Side wheel. In average scope that we use, it does. You can focus your scope down much lower than what is listed on the adjustment on the side wheel, or front Adjustable objective.

2. Every one wants high power. It is the new status thing. But unless you are using your gun for bench rest competion, I’m lost as to why. And before anyone gets upset at me. I want it too!!! But as the magnification goes up, the ability of the optics to give good light gathering, and resolution goes down quickly. In other words in less that ideal conditions, a 10 or 12 power will give a much better, and sharper image than a 24-36 power. It defeats the point. Now in a very high quality glass, it does a much better job. But even then its light gathering is greatly diminished.
In Bench rest competition very high power is needed. In that game, a shot that is 2 to 3 thousandths off can make or break your score. I’ve never seen a rabbit or squirrel that could tell the difference!

Even the heaviest magnum calibers used in pro hands in the toughest terrain, nearly never do they use a high magnification scope on them. Even though they can take game at several hundred yards. I myself have taken deer at 600, and 700 yards with a 8 X 56 Austrian scope. But for quick shots under 50 yards, it was way to much power. We are shooting at beat 120 yard guns, is we are fair to the game animals we hunt. Add to all this the bad image quality, and the difficulty, if not almost impossibly of a steady sight picture at anything approaching higher magnifications, and it all becomes a bit nut’s.

3 Para lex. Para lex simply is having the cross hair not move around the target at the range your shooting at. A scope set parallax free at 100 yds. can move as much as 1/2″ at 25 yards. In a low quality scope this can be much more. It gets back to the fish eye effect. However, in a good quality glass with a properly factory set focal plane, it is barely noticeable. As most of you know, the human eye will automatically find the center of a circle. Men are especially god at this! It’s in our gene’s! Haa!!! If your scope is at a proper height, in proper line with your eye, paralex becomes a moot point for anything but extremely fine work. Such as shooting the left wing tip off a fly at 75 yards.

None of this has anything to do with ranging. In FT, it is very useful. I would like to point out that in the archery field, we have no range finding in three “D” matches. It isn’t allowed. Yet we must hit targets accurately from 3 yds to at times 100 yards. with a projectile that has a very much higher rainbow trajectory that we will sever see with our pcp’s. On a good day, I can hit a base ball at 100 yds. 2 or3 times out of 10. At 50 yards, I don’t miss. And a bow isn’t anywhere as accurate or as forgiving as as our guns. How do you learn to judge range? Practice, practice, practice.

An old saying in the shooting sports, It is better to put a good glass on a cheap gun than ever put a cheap glass on a good gun! They are exactly right!

MIke