• the Daily hi thread just say hi :)
  • All contentious threads including politics, religion, crime, immigration, laws, elections etc are banned & will be removed. There is still a Gun Related Politics section for relevant topics.

Expensive Rifle Scopes.

karl66

karl66

Super member
Joined
Jul 29, 2024
Messages
5,215
Reaction score
30,940
Location
Hayley Green. West Midlands
Recently I treated myself to Sightron S-tac 4-20x50 illuminated which by my standards is an expensive scope, absolutely another level up from the m.tc cobra F1 id been using & I suddenly realised that whilst cheaper glass does an adequate job I'd now set the bar after going up a couple of notches on quality .

So on one of my hunting rifles a pathfinder in .22 I'd been using an m.t.c copperhead SFP 4-16x44 & reasonably pleased with the clarity but looking for something more specific for hunting...
So today I've added a Delta Stryker 1-6x24 HD.... Without sounding to over the top, it's like getting out of a mini into a Porsche!... it's almost unbelievable when you compare the picture your looking at 🤗... It's 100% convinced me that if you can afford to upgrade to premium scope's it's an absolute game changer.
 
Once you've been spoiled by high end glass (including binos) there's no going back.
Many people will say that's it's a "waste of money" spending (insert number of pounds) on high end glass when using sub 12 air rifles, but if it enhances the shooting experience, and you have the disposable income, why not?
If people are prepared to spend north of 2K on a PCP rifle, why not compliment it with some posh glass and rings, which will only add to the pride of ownership, and end user enjoyment?
I only usually purchase cheapo scopes for all my air rifles, but try to furnish my S1 rifles with the best glass that i can afford, and the difference that it makes on the range, and in the field, is well worth the extra cost.
@Rich79 summed things up perfectly for me in another thread today.

Rich79 said:
Scopes, yeah i suppose I am, I'm a fully paid up Leupold fanboy, it really winds me up when people tell newbs their budget scope is "crystal clear", no it's not, you've just not looked through anything better, if you had you'd see the difference.
Click to expand...
 
My experience is this

I have both Leica trinovids and cheap China made binoculars

In bright daylight I can barely notice a difference
However as the light fades the Leica superior coatings come into their own and the difference is dramatic.
But in clear daylight there’s hardly anything in it.

However my eyesight is not brilliant so others may disagree
 
Tosh said:
My experience is this

I have both Leica trinovids and cheap China made binoculars

In bright daylight I can barely notice a difference
However as the light fades the Leica superior coatings come into their own and the difference is dramatic.
But in clear daylight there’s hardly anything in it.

However my eyesight is not brilliant so others may disagree
Click to expand...

Agreed on all counts.
I stalked for many years with a pair of Swarovski SLC 10 X 50 WB's, and they paid for themselves 5 times over, the only ever drawback was the considerable weight.
When i had no further use for them anymore, i sold them and purchased a pair of entry level Zeiss 8 X 32's for a fifth of the price new and half the weight.
The Chinese made Zeiss really are very good indeed, they are catching up in a big way, but still a fair bit behind the big 4 if they are used during the critical dawn & dusk time frames.
 
2506sendero said:
Once you've been spoiled by high end glass (including binos) there's no going back.
Many people will say that's it's a "waste of money" spending (insert number of pounds) on high end glass when using sub 12 air rifles, but if it enhances the shooting experience, and you have the disposable income, why not?
If people are prepared to spend north of 2K on a PCP rifle, why not compliment it with some posh glass and rings, which will only add to the pride of ownership, and end user enjoyment?
I only usually purchase cheapo scopes for all my air rifles, but try to furnish my S1 rifles with the best glass that i can afford, and the difference that it makes on the range, and in the field, is well worth the extra cost.
@Rich79 summed things up perfectly for me in another thread today.
Click to expand...

Yes I admit I was one of those people who used to think ' bloody hell ' why waste one or two grand on a scope... must be mad!.
To me it makes no difference at all if it's going on top of a sub 12ftlb rifle?... it's not how far it shoots but the pure quality of images your viewing!.

I've owned various hawke sidewinders & have been very satisfied with them but I wouldn't put any of them in the same league as sightron's comparable scope's.
I've had brief viewings through other people's Hawke 'frontier' scopes but again it wasn't as good as the Delta Stryker.
 
karl66 said:
Yes I admit I was one of those people who used to think ' bloody hell ' why waste one or two grand on a scope... must be mad!.
To me it makes no difference at all if it's going on top of a sub 12ftlb rifle?... it's not how far it shoots but the pure quality of images your viewing!.

I've owned various hawke sidewinders & have been very satisfied with them but I wouldn't put any of them in the same league as sightron's comparable scope's.
I've had brief viewings through other people's Hawke 'frontier' scopes but again it wasn't as good as the Delta Stryker.
Click to expand...
You need to have a look through a March
 
karl66 said:
Ha ha.... yes there up another level 🤣.
My enthusiasm needs to be curbed... Immediately 😘.
Click to expand...
I remember I was getting a March and I had a problem with the sale after waiting for weeks.
So I went out the following day and upgraded the car.
The Mrs said I thought you couldn’t afford to upgrade the car yet I said yes but I’m not buying that scope now.

Her face was a picture she was going how bloody much were you spending on a scope.
 
Iv got the same sightron scope and its bloody great quality miles ahead of your bog/sub standard hawkes etc, tried selling it over and over even cheaply to no avail! Iv got a new nv scope and its surplus but people who obviously haven't tried quality scopes really dont get it with the difference and seem to be happy buying expensive guns and putting cheap scopes on 🙄
 
I agree that glass and coatings make a huge difference

With binoculars however we delve into the realms of 3D Pop!!

My Leicas are roof prism and most high end birding bins are usually roof prisms too

And yes they are outstanding
But the two tubes are by default of their design close together whereas with the older Porro prism design the distance between the optical tubes is almost double….and its that difference that creates a more pronounced 3 dimensional viewing image that roof prisms simply cannot match

For years I wanted to try the legendary Nikon 8x32 SE
They are supposedly exquisite optically with amazing coatings and give surreal 3D viewing

Sadly by the design nature they are not waterproof or shockprrof

< I’m now wanting Nikon 8x32 SE> 🤣👍🏻
 
TimD81 said:
Iv got the same sightron scope and its bloody great quality miles ahead of your bog/sub standard hawkes etc, tried selling it over and over even cheaply to no avail! Iv got a new nv scope and its surplus but people who obviously haven't tried quality scopes really dont get it with the difference and seem to be happy buying expensive guns and putting cheap scopes on 🙄
Click to expand...
The same argument could be said for people taking snaps with their phones rather than investing in “real” camera and lenses.

As you rightly say… it’s because “it’s good enough”
 
Last edited:
The thing with good glass is it tends to stay with you over successive guns, sometimes for many, many years. Yes, diminishing returns kick in, and for a well lit indoor range, it's probably not as important as low light conditions in a field, but then you have to consider the technology for hunting and the massive impact that has had. 5? years ago we got Pard's, they were a game changer in compact NV, then LRF and BC became a thing, now they are sub £500 with all of the above in 1080 sensors, 4K only being £100ish more, now you can get thermal as well for under £1K with all the bells and whistles, and each generation gets better, smaller and cheaper, so for low light is spending a few grand on better glass a good buy vs digital NV or combined NV/thermal? Individual choice, but the game is changing quite quickly.
 
TimD81 said:
Iv got the same sightron scope and its bloody great quality miles ahead of your bog/sub standard hawkes etc, tried selling it over and over even cheaply to no avail! Iv got a new nv scope and its surplus but people who obviously haven't tried quality scopes really dont get it with the difference and seem to be happy buying expensive guns and putting cheap scopes on 🙄
Click to expand...

Your spot on, there was a none illuminated one in sales that has struggled to sell 🤔.. maybe the non illuminated puts some folk off?... but the scopes are really quality.
 
Avalon said:
The thing with good glass is it tends to stay with you over successive guns, sometimes for many, many years. Yes, diminishing returns kick in, and for a well lit indoor range, it's probably not as important as low light conditions in a field, but then you have to consider the technology for hunting and the massive impact that has had. 5? years ago we got Pard's, they were a game changer in compact NV, then LRF and BC became a thing, now they are sub £500 with all of the above in 1080 sensors, 4K only being £100ish more, now you can get thermal as well for under £1K with all the bells and whistles, and each generation gets better, smaller and cheaper, so for low light is spending a few grand on better glass a good buy vs digital NV or combined NV/thermal? Individual choice, but the game is changing quite quickly.
Click to expand...

Yes... The choices out there are vast.. personally I'm not into digital or thermal units but I totally respect people who are.

You'll never ever convince some people with a £200 scope that there's anything any better out there!, they simply have to try for themselves & even then some Will convince themselves it's not much better!... probably because they can't afford one.
 
Dont usually have a big budget left once ive got the next rifle 🤣

2nd hand hawke airmax models are about as fancy as ive gone on modern scopes. For my purposes these are more than good enough.

In the past i had some nikons.. Excellent glass! And a old pecar berlin champion that was an amazing 4x36.

For the most part i dont spend much these days, glossy 80s jap glass is often cheap and holds its own against same priced modern stuff 👍
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top