Scope or red dot site when going cheap?

ARSG12 · July 25, 2019, 04:38 PM

I've tried to get a scope for my .22 rifle, but it's been the one thing I haven't had any real success at.

First, I bought a $10 Tasco scope that worked for the most part, but kept having to be adjusted. After a couple years, I couldn't even adjust it anymore and I got rid of it.

Then I got a Simmons scope for $50 after carefully reading online reviews of scopes in that price range. This particular scope was the best-scoring, so I bought it. I was initially able to make adjustments, but as soon as I zeroed it in, it would lose zero and I'd have to readjust it, and the scope would lose zero again after just a few shots. I returned it to the store for an exchange, which gave me the exact same results. I returned it again and asked for my money back but was denied a refund because I had opened the package. They offered me another exchange, so I figured the 3rd try might be the charm. Instead, I got the same result again. Then the return period expired and the store (Gander Mountain) went bankrupt. I threw the scope in the garbage.

Now I'm wondering if maybe a red dot site might help me. It doesn't use a reticle (which seems to be the weak point of scopes). But I have no experience with them. Do red dot sights have magnification? The ones I've seen mounted on guns in stores don't seem to, but I don't know if that's the norm or not. Perhaps a scope with a red dot in place of a reticle? Any of those that are good for around $50?

Capt Rick Hiott · July 25, 2019, 04:51 PM

If you want a good scope buy a Leupold. You want quality,,,spend some real money....

Doyle · July 25, 2019, 05:01 PM

Red dot's aren't normally magnified (there are some that are, but not in your price range). For $50, you can't expect much in the way of quality. In fact, you are not going to get anything I would consider usable until you get above $100. The lowest tier scope I would ever consider paying hard-earned money for would be up in the $120 to $140 range (Bushnell or Vortex).

surveyor · July 25, 2019, 05:17 PM

I have a bsa sweet 22, but I have a 50% fail rate with the 2 I had. Yes it was replaced,, the 2nd one was fine.
I have a Centerpoint on another 22 but haven't shot it to see how it holds zero.
Those are the budget scopes I have.

The budget red dots i had were hard to adjust I got frustrated with them.

Pahoo · July 25, 2019, 07:55 PM

This one is rather hard to find the perfect answer but have you considered a scope with illuminated reticles. What ranges are you going to shoot and will it be a "Hunter"? For early Squirrel season, I use a RedDot and for late, I use and lower power, illuminated reticle. Both can be reasonable and provide the performance you require. ……

Quote:

I have a Centerpoint on another 22 but haven't shot it to see how it holds zero.

For the price and on a .22, they give me good service …..

Be Safe !!!

ARSG12 · July 26, 2019, 02:39 PM

I guess I'm going to have to stick with iron sites. The reason I thought a $50 scope (or red dot) would be fine is because the $10 scope I originally had (actually ended up unexpectedly paying $5 at the register because it was on clearance, but not tagged as even being on sale) did everything I wanted. It was a 4x scope that let me shoot far more accurately than with iron sites. I could shoot tight little groups at 75 yards, which would be totally impossible for me with iron sites. I'd still have that scope if the reticle adjustment didn't stop working. While it was working, I wondered why people spend hundreds of dollars on a scope when mine worked perfectly fine. I guess it costs hundreds of extra dollars just to make a reticle adjustment that stays put.

jmr40 · July 26, 2019, 04:06 PM

Decent scopes start at about $200 MSRP. You can very often by them discounted or used for a lot less though.

But a 22 doesn't have the recoil, and ranges are close enough that a cheap scope is more likely to be OK. If you have to go $50 for now do so, but save your pennies to buy something better when you can.

Something like this for now. When buying cheap scopes it is often a crap shot. Some last and work better than expected, other times you lose.

https://www.amazon.com/TASCO-World-3...%2C158&sr=8-66

And this when you can afford it

https://www.amazon.com/Leupold-17418...%2C158&sr=8-17

pete2 · July 26, 2019, 10:17 PM

One scope no one mentioned is an air gun scope. I have a 3-9 Bushnell on an air rifle that would be great as a cheap scope for a .22, cost 59.99 as I recall. I think you can also get a Bushnell TRS 25 Red dot for about 59.99. I have a couple of them, used one on an AR15 for a while, the other has been on a 10/22 for several years. Both work well.
The red dot is a blast, compared to the open sights it's like cheating.

Capt Rick Hiott · July 27, 2019, 06:17 AM

Here are some GREAT deals on scopes.

https://www.scoutdoornews.com/forum/...some-To-Ignore

Don Fischer · July 27, 2019, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capt Rick Hiott

Here are some GREAT deals on scopes.

https://www.scoutdoornews.com/forum/...some-To-Ignore

Those would all break my bank! Guy's ws looking for a $50 scope. These aren't it! My 22 is an old Mod 62A Win, not set up for a scope and I am not modifying it! They make scope inexpensively just for 22's but in my experience they wouldn't be worth having if you were paid to take one. Only inexpensive scope I even had that was worth while was a straight 4x Tasco and a Tasco world class. If I were to get a 22 today the scope it would get is an old Weaver K4 I have on my 22 mag and I'd look at the 2-7x Redfield for it. I have two of those 2-7x Redfields and not a complaint one with them, price was right too. Think it was around $150 on Amazon. Unless you find something like those Redfield's on sale, I can't imagine getting a decent scope for much under $150. Perhaps a Bushnell is around but I've never been a big Bushnell fan. That said, my 25-06 has a 3-9x Bushnell banner on it that has worked well a lot of years! Good place you used to find inexpensive scope's for 22's was a gun show. Still might be but most the guy's at them are nothing more than dealer's without a store, good deals are not the order of the day anymore. But there are a number of thing's at them that can be hard to find. Usually over priced!

std7mag · July 28, 2019, 07:10 AM

Your probably gonna scratch your head and laugh, but i'll tell ya anyways.
$40 Cricket scope.
Yup, the one on the kids single shot Keystone 22lr.
4X32 Mildot with surprisingly decent glass.
Sight in at 50 yards, use mildots out to 300.

stinkeypete · July 28, 2019, 09:21 AM

I got a cheap fixed power 4x scope for my cheap project 10/22. Being fixed power, it’s got the advantage of simplicity and that means rugged. Few moving parts.

One of the problems with a $30 scope is remembering that the mounting is just as important as the scope when it comes to holding zero. It’s hard to spend the money for solid mounts when in that cheap mindset.

Not that you need to spend Burris or Leupold money, but the Burris Signature Rimfire rings are spectacular. That’s on my nice .22.

On the 10/22... all the mating parts of the stock rail and cheap rings have been sanded and lapped to fit and then painted in loctite. It takes time and patience to get a sold scope mount, or the money to buy excellent rings. The Burris rings with plastic inserts are stunningly better.

Some .22s are not used as legacy quality heirlooms, some are “minute of bunny” accurate for carrying around in the rain, snow and mud. Fixed power, carefully mounted and slathered in loctite can be fine for the job at hand.

AgedWarrior · July 28, 2019, 02:25 PM

Cheap scopes and/or cheap rings/mounts will generally always add up to a poor scope and trouble holding zero. You don’t have to have a Leupold to get good useful Optics, but even most .22 rifles deserve better than a five dollar special (although sometimes they do work okay). My eyes struggle with irons anymore, so I am unfortunately going to Optics on all my rifles. I have two .22 rifles. One is an old 10/22 that I have been shooting for at least 25 years. I put a rail on top the receiver and used a 3-9x40 from an Axis II XP package deal (Weaver) and it works great. It is a bit more than needed, but it was economical and I pretty much leave it at 3X mostly.
My other is a CZ 455 that has a .22 barrel and a .17 HMR also. For this one I used a Sightron 3-9x40 with Talley rings. Obviously a little more money all the way around, but consistently accurate. Fun to shoot at a bit more distance too!
You gotta think what you really want to do with the gun like stinkeypete pointed out, but make sure you get enough scope to be worth the effort of mounting, and mount it well

July 25, 2019, 04:38 PM	#1
ARSG12 Member Join Date: May 15, 2016 Posts: 54	Scope or red dot site when going cheap? I've tried to get a scope for my .22 rifle, but it's been the one thing I haven't had any real success at. First, I bought a $10 Tasco scope that worked for the most part, but kept having to be adjusted. After a couple years, I couldn't even adjust it anymore and I got rid of it. Then I got a Simmons scope for $50 after carefully reading online reviews of scopes in that price range. This particular scope was the best-scoring, so I bought it. I was initially able to make adjustments, but as soon as I zeroed it in, it would lose zero and I'd have to readjust it, and the scope would lose zero again after just a few shots. I returned it to the store for an exchange, which gave me the exact same results. I returned it again and asked for my money back but was denied a refund because I had opened the package. They offered me another exchange, so I figured the 3rd try might be the charm. Instead, I got the same result again. Then the return period expired and the store (Gander Mountain) went bankrupt. I threw the scope in the garbage. Now I'm wondering if maybe a red dot site might help me. It doesn't use a reticle (which seems to be the weak point of scopes). But I have no experience with them. Do red dot sights have magnification? The ones I've seen mounted on guns in stores don't seem to, but I don't know if that's the norm or not. Perhaps a scope with a red dot in place of a reticle? Any of those that are good for around $50?

July 25, 2019, 04:51 PM	#2
Capt Rick Hiott Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2010 Posts: 376	If you want a good scope buy a Leupold. You want quality,,,spend some real money.... __________________ Capt Rick Hiott Charleston,SC

July 25, 2019, 05:17 PM	#4
surveyor Senior Member Join Date: April 13, 2007 Posts: 770	I have a bsa sweet 22, but I have a 50% fail rate with the 2 I had. Yes it was replaced,, the 2nd one was fine. I have a Centerpoint on another 22 but haven't shot it to see how it holds zero. Those are the budget scopes I have. The budget red dots i had were hard to adjust I got frustrated with them. Last edited by surveyor; July 25, 2019 at 06:14 PM.

July 26, 2019, 04:06 PM	#7
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,805	Decent scopes start at about $200 MSRP. You can very often by them discounted or used for a lot less though. But a 22 doesn't have the recoil, and ranges are close enough that a cheap scope is more likely to be OK. If you have to go $50 for now do so, but save your pennies to buy something better when you can. Something like this for now. When buying cheap scopes it is often a crap shot. Some last and work better than expected, other times you lose. https://www.amazon.com/TASCO-World-3...%2C158&sr=8-66 And this when you can afford it https://www.amazon.com/Leupold-17418...%2C158&sr=8-17 __________________ "If you're still doing things the same way you were doing them 10 years ago, you're doing it wrong" Winston Churchill

July 27, 2019, 06:17 AM	#9
Capt Rick Hiott Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2010 Posts: 376	Here are some GREAT deals on scopes. https://www.scoutdoornews.com/forum/...some-To-Ignore __________________ Capt Rick Hiott Charleston,SC

July 25, 2019, 05:01 PM	#3
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	Red dot's aren't normally magnified (there are some that are, but not in your price range). For $50, you can't expect much in the way of quality. In fact, you are not going to get anything I would consider usable until you get above $100. The lowest tier scope I would ever consider paying hard-earned money for would be up in the $120 to $140 range (Bushnell or Vortex).

July 26, 2019, 02:39 PM	#6
ARSG12 Member Join Date: May 15, 2016 Posts: 54	I guess I'm going to have to stick with iron sites. The reason I thought a $50 scope (or red dot) would be fine is because the $10 scope I originally had (actually ended up unexpectedly paying $5 at the register because it was on clearance, but not tagged as even being on sale) did everything I wanted. It was a 4x scope that let me shoot far more accurately than with iron sites. I could shoot tight little groups at 75 yards, which would be totally impossible for me with iron sites. I'd still have that scope if the reticle adjustment didn't stop working. While it was working, I wondered why people spend hundreds of dollars on a scope when mine worked perfectly fine. I guess it costs hundreds of extra dollars just to make a reticle adjustment that stays put.

July 26, 2019, 10:17 PM	#8
pete2 Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 2,566	One scope no one mentioned is an air gun scope. I have a 3-9 Bushnell on an air rifle that would be great as a cheap scope for a .22, cost 59.99 as I recall. I think you can also get a Bushnell TRS 25 Red dot for about 59.99. I have a couple of them, used one on an AR15 for a while, the other has been on a 10/22 for several years. Both work well. The red dot is a blast, compared to the open sights it's like cheating.

July 28, 2019, 07:10 AM	#11
std7mag Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2013 Location: Central Taxylvania.. Posts: 3,609	Your probably gonna scratch your head and laugh, but i'll tell ya anyways. $40 Cricket scope. Yup, the one on the kids single shot Keystone 22lr. 4X32 Mildot with surprisingly decent glass. Sight in at 50 yards, use mildots out to 300. __________________ When our own government declares itself as "tyrannical", where does that leave us??!! "Januarary 6th insurrection". Funny, I didn't see a single piece of rope...

July 28, 2019, 09:21 AM	#12
stinkeypete Senior Member Join Date: July 22, 2010 Location: Madison, Wisconsin Posts: 1,292	I got a cheap fixed power 4x scope for my cheap project 10/22. Being fixed power, it’s got the advantage of simplicity and that means rugged. Few moving parts. One of the problems with a $30 scope is remembering that the mounting is just as important as the scope when it comes to holding zero. It’s hard to spend the money for solid mounts when in that cheap mindset. Not that you need to spend Burris or Leupold money, but the Burris Signature Rimfire rings are spectacular. That’s on my nice .22. On the 10/22... all the mating parts of the stock rail and cheap rings have been sanded and lapped to fit and then painted in loctite. It takes time and patience to get a sold scope mount, or the money to buy excellent rings. The Burris rings with plastic inserts are stunningly better. Some .22s are not used as legacy quality heirlooms, some are “minute of bunny” accurate for carrying around in the rain, snow and mud. Fixed power, carefully mounted and slathered in loctite can be fine for the job at hand.

July 28, 2019, 02:25 PM	#13
AgedWarrior Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2019 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 210	Cheap scopes and/or cheap rings/mounts will generally always add up to a poor scope and trouble holding zero. You don’t have to have a Leupold to get good useful Optics, but even most .22 rifles deserve better than a five dollar special (although sometimes they do work okay). My eyes struggle with irons anymore, so I am unfortunately going to Optics on all my rifles. I have two .22 rifles. One is an old 10/22 that I have been shooting for at least 25 years. I put a rail on top the receiver and used a 3-9x40 from an Axis II XP package deal (Weaver) and it works great. It is a bit more than needed, but it was economical and I pretty much leave it at 3X mostly. My other is a CZ 455 that has a .22 barrel and a .17 HMR also. For this one I used a Sightron 3-9x40 with Talley rings. Obviously a little more money all the way around, but consistently accurate. Fun to shoot at a bit more distance too! You gotta think what you really want to do with the gun like stinkeypete pointed out, but make sure you get enough scope to be worth the effort of mounting, and mount it well