by Chuck Papp, Contributing Writer
See it time and time again. The cheap scope syndrome. What I mean by that is people spend all their money on the rifle, but give no thought whatsoever on the scope. Then they wonder why their rifle isn’t holding a grouping or they are disappointed with the accuracy they are getting out of the rifle itself. Ninety-nine percent of the time it has nothing to do with the rifle, and all to do with the optic.
They also buy the cheapest mounts out there as well.
You should spend less on the rifle and more on the scope, or at least factor in the cost of a good scope to your final price. Go out and get a more budget-minded rifle instead of the top of the line one, and take that savings and apply it to your optic. Today’s modern hunting rifles are going too far exceed the accuracy requirements needed for hunting, but if you can’t see it you aren’t going to be able to hit it. Time off to many of us is sometimes hard to do, so why would you take the chance of your rifle not holding zero, or fogging up on you while you are out in the woods?
What you are paying for is quality. You get what you pay for. Better glass to see during low light conditions, internal mechanics that adjust and hold zero accordingly, tube construction to help with the recoil and keep your scope from fogging up due to cheap sealants. Forget the aluminum mounts always go steel.
The average price range you should be looking at will start around $500.00 and go up to about $1000.00. Now we are talking about hunting, not long-range target/tactical use. You can spend far more on those. A good 3×9, 4×12, 4×14 power scope is all you need. If I was to pick one scope it would be the Leupold 4.5×14-40mm matte finish scope. You can do everything you would ever need to do with that optic and at the average price, around $550.00 makes it one of the best.
Spend the money up front and you will save yourself a whole bunch of aggravation and more money down the road.
Chuck Papp
Delray Shooting Center
1 561 265 0700