Counter sniper scopes real deal or garbage??

silentstorm16 · January 14, 2009, 05:25 PM

I see a link for a cheap 4x16x42mm countersniper scope. I read at one forum that these scopes are just like dark ops knife. Over hyped over priced over kill, chinese junk. Does anybody have one of these scopes or test one out thanks. What do you think and how do they handle fog proof shock proof, garbage can proof lol. Also there base and ring mounts any experience.
Sam

kraigwy · January 14, 2009, 06:18 PM

People put "COUNTER SNIPE'R and such on a scope as a sales gimmic. You're buying a bit of extra advertising on the scope.

You like the scope then see if you can find the same scope without the advertizing cheaper.

When I was in the game, (LE Sniper) I used a fixed 6X Readfield scope. Worked great for me for over 15 years. The scope works just as good shooting PDs, Coyotes & such (we are both retired now).

Counter-sniper is a tem given to Civilian LE Snipers because the word Sniper isn't PC. Citizens dont want a bunch of snipers running around so they're called Counter Snipers.

I dont know anything about the scope you mentioned, but I dont see how writing COUNTER-SNIPER on the side is gonna make it a better scope.

But thats JMHO

kyle1974 · January 14, 2009, 07:51 PM

From what it looks like (nightforce knockoff), and the price is around $400.... you have to wonder...

pbrktrt · January 14, 2009, 08:42 PM

you're absolutely right Kyle, i use Leupold and i never wonder. the shot always goes where i'm aiming. any of the well known mfr's make quality scopes you can trust to be clear & reliable.

bedlamite · January 14, 2009, 08:43 PM

The scope you're looking at

Similar scope, half the price

Similar price, far superior scope

skeeter · January 15, 2009, 03:54 AM

Cheap scopes are cheap. You get what you pay for. Natchez had a sale on the Weaver Extreme line .example was a 2.5 x 10x 56 illuminated-list was about $987 and they were selling it way below cost, not refurbished, for about $297. These were the better 30mm tubes. the price was so good I thought about buying one though I didn't even need it. Weaver has a good name and I believe a lifetime warranty. I suggest you only buy a scope with a lifetime warranty-it shows the manufacturer has some confidence in there product and for a good reason usually.

blume357 · January 15, 2009, 07:19 AM

Some how it can pick out a sniper better than other scopes or possibly it has a little number display in or on the scope so every time it or you see a sniper it keeps a count?

Normalshooter · January 21, 2010, 12:39 PM

I borrowed that scope from my dad to see if it was worth the hype. It was mounted to a La Rue spr mount and then mounted to my FNH FNAR. The optics were ok to about 12 power then it got a little lack luster. I have taken it out 5 times now and have never left the range with that "wow" feeling. On the other hand I recently purchased a Leupold Mark Ar 3 by 9 with the 55g bdc dial for $299 and can't say enough good things about it. Mounted to my RRA ar 15 with a beenie cooley muzzle brake I was hitting gopher holes at 700 yrds and watching the hits. Cant say that about the counter sniper scope. When looking at the scope you will notice great build quality and it really does look the part. However I belive this is a perfect depiction of beauty being only skin deep. Seriously, have you been to their web site and read what they say about that scope. I think they hired a science fiction writer or a scientoligist to write it. Spend a couple hundred more and get a Leupold Mark 2 or go big and get a Mark 4 LRT. You'll keep it forever and won't have to second guess your purchase.

Olympus · January 21, 2010, 01:57 PM

My question is, unless you're in the military, how many snipers is anyone likely to see in their lifetime? Sounds a little like "mall ninja" to me.

shooter_john · January 21, 2010, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Counter-sniper is a tem given to Civilian LE Snipers because the word Sniper isn't PC. Citizens dont want a bunch of snipers running around so they're called Counter Snipers.

Now even Counter Sniper isn't PC. We are now MARKSMAN/ OBSERVERS!!!

And on the 'Counter Sniper' scopes... I've never read or heard anything really good about them. If you ever look at Osprey Optics, it looks like the exact same scopes.

Ridge_Runner_5 · January 21, 2010, 03:10 PM

Counter Sniper is your typical chinese scope company selling something that if you're lucky, the crosshairs wont start to rotate as you're shooting...you can buy a nice Leupold scope for a lot less than that...

mapsjanhere · January 21, 2010, 04:26 PM

Just to point out that the Counter-Sniper model is a first-focal-plane scope, NOT something you see a lot off, but some of the tactical shooter swear by.

Lawyer Daggit · January 21, 2010, 06:28 PM

I picked one of these up at a market stand in Australia just before Christmas. They also had a Chinese nock off of a Tasco 4x40- the box was also identical to the original- just did not say Tasco.

I looked closely at the sniper scope- yes, it was clearly a nightforce copy.

I did not buy it because I like to be able to 'trust' my equipment.

Also, as the Chinese Gov does not allow private gun ownership, and a major area of support for groups that fight to protect our rights are manufacturers, I figure our dollars are better spent supporting business that support us rather than financing a government owned business that does opposes our rights.

Hope this gives something to think about.

FALPhil · January 22, 2010, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Cheap scopes are cheap. You get what you pay for.

Most of the time that is true. The deals are had when it is not. For instance, the Mueller Tac II is an excellent scope in it's price range. I have yet to find another scope that compares in the sub $300 market, and very few $400 scopes that compare. I have seen several > $500 scopes that were not as good.

madcratebuilder · January 23, 2010, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FALPhil

Most of the time that is true. The deals are had when it is not. For instance, the Mueller Tac II is an excellent scope in it's price range. I have yet to find another scope that compares in the sub $300 market, and very few $400 scopes that compare. I have seen several > $500 scopes that were not as good.

+1
IMHO the Mueller TAC II is the most under priced scope on the market. Quality glass, great warranty. It may not have all the bells and whistles that some others do, but optical quality is unmatched in it's price range.

Jim Watson · January 23, 2010, 07:33 AM

Go to the SHOT Show and you will see several displays of scopes by companies you never heard of, with polite Oriental gentlemen who will take your order. Buy a bunch and they will label them however you like.
How about The Firing Line Firer?

Palmetto-Pride · January 23, 2010, 08:48 AM

They also had a Chinese nock off of a Tasco 4x40- the box was also identical to the original- just did not say Tasco.

Who the hell would want to copy a Tasco.....lol

StiveC2007 · January 23, 2010, 01:49 PM

We all know that its the equipment and not the shooter that makes a rifle a sniper rifle. Come on any person with the latest tacticool scopes and other misc. accessories can be a sniper

Bolosniper · January 23, 2010, 06:59 PM

I am a US Army trained sniper and broke my cherry in Vietnam. I now design and build sniper rifles besides our lines of civilian type hunting and varmint rifles.

I have installed a large number of different IOR scopes on most of the sniper rifles that were actually going to be used to hunt men. We have enough of them in service for them to be considered by the US Army Marksmanship Unit as "issue" for the purposes of military sniper competitions which only allow issue weapons systems.

A troop who is operational in a combat zone will beat the hell out of his equipment, and any of you on this thread who have "been there and done that" will bear me out on that. The scope must be MilSpec tough and have perfect and repeatable tracking, and if the optical glass is the very best that can be produced with todays technology the guy using it in the field will be very thankful.

Now I don't know anything about the mental headspace that says "it's good enough" so I might not be the one to listen to here, but I have done the job for a very long time and I thought I'd share what I have learned about the subject.

ranger dave · January 24, 2010, 01:12 PM

a scope is a scope they use names like sniper and counter sniper and tactical. to sell them to mall nijas so they can talk about them on the forums. lets just say there is a counter sniper scope made for killing snipers . do you have a use for one how meny snipers did you get last week . i had the bp4 after my m.o.s. for 22 years and never saw counter sniper printed on my scope

David S ddp · May 13, 2010, 07:08 AM

Hi to all,
I'd like to first say thanks to all of you, such as Mike McIntyre above who have served in our Armed Services. God Bless You and God Bless the U.S.A!

As far as the Counter-Sniper [CS] 10-40 x56 that Sportsman's Guide [SG] has I'd believe it to be a pretty good scope based on the fact that it sold with a 100% Satisfaction Garantee! They will take the Osprey 10-40 x50 back that I bought about a year ago and give me a full refund even after I tested it out without any hassel and only due to the fact I'm unhappy with the ranging function of the Osprey the rest of it seems fine. Well the turret cap screws were a bit loose, could have been my doing at a prior time too, but that's what we have Allen wrenches for, right?

I should mention, I'm not in anyway connected to SG or any of the scope companies, I'm just a satisfied customer, reloader & shooter who is 64 yrs old
and been around and knows that things aren't always what they seem although I'm not going to try and say the CS is on par with an IOR or Night Force but then again it's at least a $1000.00 less too and I doubt that but only a very few are in Mike's position either?

I will say that I really like what I've read about the functions of the reticle on the CS and very anxious to put it through a number of tests with my 6.5 Grendel. I can easily shoot up to 200yrds on my place so I should be able to get a pretty fair idea about the scope as well as honing my own abilities.

Although the test I did with the Osprey was limited it fell in line with what many others on the forum here said about it in that it held zero very well on my 6.5 Grendel which was also has a pretty good kick to it even with fairly light test loads with a 120 grn Hornady A-Max bullet over 24.9grns of Benchmark powder as test loads.

This gave me two, three shot groups of 1" c/to/c at 100yrds from a bench rest so I was quite pleased everything worked so well together after reading so many negative comments as about the scope. I also had two friends shooting with me at my place and one, a long time buddy of 40 yrs who uses a Night-Force scope never believed my inexpensive scope would shoot as well as it did. Indeed he's the one that said for me to shoot the second target and was really surprised.

I'm a Pro Photographer and have close-up shots of the two targets if I can figure out how to post them. I just figured it out, I think, I need to down load them to the other photo site and then copy the Url to past into the post.

So if the CS is the next step or two above the Osprey I'll be a very happy shooter indeed!

Take care,
David

Double Naught Spy · May 13, 2010, 07:59 AM

Quote:

My question is, unless you're in the military, how many snipers is anyone likely to see in their lifetime? Sounds a little like "mall ninja" to me.

Working in pawn shops in the 1970s anbd 1980s, I was actually pretty amazed by the numbers self proclaimed former snipers who were then employed in the construction industry mostly as carpenters and roofers.

I never understood what a counter sniper scope was. Heck, I don't even know what a sniper scope is and so haven't figured out what it is on the counter sniper scope that is for countering.

Art Eatman · May 13, 2010, 08:13 AM

Looking back over a bunch of decades of messing with scopes, my opinion is that I'm a lot better off browsing through gunshows looking for a good used brand-name scope of good reputation than buying a new anything that's pretty much unknown as to quality.

A track record of durability and few if any "bring it back" problems is far more important than the warranty: The warranty won't fix that scope when you're way back in the back-country. That's my opinion as a hunter of deer and coyotes.

"Sniper" and "Counter Sniper" implies hunting men. Bambi doesn't shoot back.

Rembrandt · May 13, 2010, 08:48 AM

I read reviews prior to getting this and noted how many negative comments from people that had never owned one. Began to sound like herd mentality. Found only one negative comment from an actual owner....and that was in regards to dropping the scope and damaging the knobs.

Picked this up at a gun show and installed it on an AR10. The scope functions very well, repeatability not an issue. Found two things that I wish were better....at high end magnification (25X) the image is a little hazy, not as clear as I'd like to see. Also wish there were caps on the external knobs. No intentions to use it for hard hunting scenarios, but it would be nice to have them protected better.

Would I do again?....yes, the features offered at this price is a good buy.

3-25X56....Warne quick release rings.

Come and take it. · May 13, 2010, 04:42 PM

I would rather have a straight 4 x leupold vari-x II than most any huge tactical scope of any make that has "made in China" on it.

January 14, 2009, 05:25 PM	#1
silentstorm16 Member Join Date: January 5, 2009 Posts: 59	Counter sniper scopes real deal or garbage?? I see a link for a cheap 4x16x42mm countersniper scope. I read at one forum that these scopes are just like dark ops knife. Over hyped over priced over kill, chinese junk. Does anybody have one of these scopes or test one out thanks. What do you think and how do they handle fog proof shock proof, garbage can proof lol. Also there base and ring mounts any experience. Sam

January 14, 2009, 06:18 PM	#2
kraigwy Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2008 Location: Wyoming Posts: 11,061	People put "COUNTER SNIPE'R and such on a scope as a sales gimmic. You're buying a bit of extra advertising on the scope. You like the scope then see if you can find the same scope without the advertizing cheaper. When I was in the game, (LE Sniper) I used a fixed 6X Readfield scope. Worked great for me for over 15 years. The scope works just as good shooting PDs, Coyotes & such (we are both retired now). Counter-sniper is a tem given to Civilian LE Snipers because the word Sniper isn't PC. Citizens dont want a bunch of snipers running around so they're called Counter Snipers. I dont know anything about the scope you mentioned, but I dont see how writing COUNTER-SNIPER on the side is gonna make it a better scope. But thats JMHO __________________ Kraig Stuart CPT USAR Ret USAMU Sniper School Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071

January 14, 2009, 08:43 PM	#5
bedlamite Senior Member Join Date: August 10, 2000 Location: WI Posts: 1,395	The scope you're looking at Similar scope, half the price Similar price, far superior scope __________________ A plan is just a list of things that doesn't happen.

January 15, 2009, 07:19 AM	#7
blume357 Senior Member Join Date: August 2, 2005 Location: Greenville, SC Posts: 3,943	What the heck is 'counter sniper' and how does a scope do this? Some how it can pick out a sniper better than other scopes or possibly it has a little number display in or on the scope so every time it or you see a sniper it keeps a count?

January 21, 2010, 12:39 PM	#8
Normalshooter Junior Member Join Date: January 21, 2010 Location: Yucaipa,Ca Posts: 1	"Quak" I borrowed that scope from my dad to see if it was worth the hype. It was mounted to a La Rue spr mount and then mounted to my FNH FNAR. The optics were ok to about 12 power then it got a little lack luster. I have taken it out 5 times now and have never left the range with that "wow" feeling. On the other hand I recently purchased a Leupold Mark Ar 3 by 9 with the 55g bdc dial for $299 and can't say enough good things about it. Mounted to my RRA ar 15 with a beenie cooley muzzle brake I was hitting gopher holes at 700 yrds and watching the hits. Cant say that about the counter sniper scope. When looking at the scope you will notice great build quality and it really does look the part. However I belive this is a perfect depiction of beauty being only skin deep. Seriously, have you been to their web site and read what they say about that scope. I think they hired a science fiction writer or a scientoligist to write it. Spend a couple hundred more and get a Leupold Mark 2 or go big and get a Mark 4 LRT. You'll keep it forever and won't have to second guess your purchase.

January 14, 2009, 07:51 PM	#3
kyle1974 Junior member Join Date: November 23, 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 254	From what it looks like (nightforce knockoff), and the price is around $400.... you have to wonder...

January 14, 2009, 08:42 PM	#4
pbrktrt Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2008 Posts: 313	you're absolutely right Kyle, i use Leupold and i never wonder. the shot always goes where i'm aiming. any of the well known mfr's make quality scopes you can trust to be clear & reliable.

January 15, 2009, 03:54 AM	#6
skeeter Senior Member Join Date: October 29, 1999 Posts: 883	Cheap scopes are cheap. You get what you pay for. Natchez had a sale on the Weaver Extreme line .example was a 2.5 x 10x 56 illuminated-list was about $987 and they were selling it way below cost, not refurbished, for about $297. These were the better 30mm tubes. the price was so good I thought about buying one though I didn't even need it. Weaver has a good name and I believe a lifetime warranty. I suggest you only buy a scope with a lifetime warranty-it shows the manufacturer has some confidence in there product and for a good reason usually.

January 21, 2010, 01:57 PM	#9
Olympus Senior Member Join Date: December 15, 2008 Posts: 770	My question is, unless you're in the military, how many snipers is anyone likely to see in their lifetime? Sounds a little like "mall ninja" to me. __________________ www.brownscustomgrips.com Exhibition quality 1911 grips!

January 21, 2010, 03:10 PM	#11
Ridge_Runner_5 Senior Member Join Date: February 8, 2008 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 1,925	Counter Sniper is your typical chinese scope company selling something that if you're lucky, the crosshairs wont start to rotate as you're shooting...you can buy a nice Leupold scope for a lot less than that...

January 21, 2010, 04:26 PM	#12
mapsjanhere Senior Member Join Date: August 6, 2009 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 2,832	Just to point out that the Counter-Sniper model is a first-focal-plane scope, NOT something you see a lot off, but some of the tactical shooter swear by. __________________ I used to love being able to hit hard at 1000 yards. As I get older I find hitting a mini ram at 200 yards with the 22 oddly more satisfying.

January 21, 2010, 06:28 PM	#13
Lawyer Daggit Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2004 Posts: 1,181	I picked one of these up at a market stand in Australia just before Christmas. They also had a Chinese nock off of a Tasco 4x40- the box was also identical to the original- just did not say Tasco. I looked closely at the sniper scope- yes, it was clearly a nightforce copy. I did not buy it because I like to be able to 'trust' my equipment. Also, as the Chinese Gov does not allow private gun ownership, and a major area of support for groups that fight to protect our rights are manufacturers, I figure our dollars are better spent supporting business that support us rather than financing a government owned business that does opposes our rights. Hope this gives something to think about.

January 23, 2010, 07:33 AM	#16
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,535	Go to the SHOT Show and you will see several displays of scopes by companies you never heard of, with polite Oriental gentlemen who will take your order. Buy a bunch and they will label them however you like. How about The Firing Line Firer?

January 23, 2010, 08:48 AM	#17
Palmetto-Pride Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2009 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 2,071	They also had a Chinese nock off of a Tasco 4x40- the box was also identical to the original- just did not say Tasco. Who the hell would want to copy a Tasco.....lol __________________ “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.” -Margaret Thatcher-

January 23, 2010, 01:49 PM	#18
StiveC2007 Senior Member Join Date: April 17, 2009 Posts: 237	We all know that its the equipment and not the shooter that makes a rifle a sniper rifle. Come on any person with the latest tacticool scopes and other misc. accessories can be a sniper

January 23, 2010, 06:59 PM	#19
Bolosniper Member Join Date: September 10, 2005 Location: Dillon, Montana Posts: 70	I am a US Army trained sniper and broke my cherry in Vietnam. I now design and build sniper rifles besides our lines of civilian type hunting and varmint rifles. I have installed a large number of different IOR scopes on most of the sniper rifles that were actually going to be used to hunt men. We have enough of them in service for them to be considered by the US Army Marksmanship Unit as "issue" for the purposes of military sniper competitions which only allow issue weapons systems. A troop who is operational in a combat zone will beat the hell out of his equipment, and any of you on this thread who have "been there and done that" will bear me out on that. The scope must be MilSpec tough and have perfect and repeatable tracking, and if the optical glass is the very best that can be produced with todays technology the guy using it in the field will be very thankful. Now I don't know anything about the mental headspace that says "it's good enough" so I might not be the one to listen to here, but I have done the job for a very long time and I thought I'd share what I have learned about the subject. __________________ Mike McIntyre VP Operations MPI Rifles, LLC [URL=http://www.mpirifles.com]

January 24, 2010, 01:12 PM	#20
ranger dave Senior Member Join Date: November 25, 2005 Posts: 485	here we go a scope is a scope they use names like sniper and counter sniper and tactical. to sell them to mall nijas so they can talk about them on the forums. lets just say there is a counter sniper scope made for killing snipers . do you have a use for one how meny snipers did you get last week . i had the bp4 after my m.o.s. for 22 years and never saw counter sniper printed on my scope

May 13, 2010, 07:08 AM	#21
David S ddp Junior Member Join Date: October 26, 2006 Posts: 9	Counter-Sniper Scopes Hi to all, I'd like to first say thanks to all of you, such as Mike McIntyre above who have served in our Armed Services. God Bless You and God Bless the U.S.A! As far as the Counter-Sniper [CS] 10-40 x56 that Sportsman's Guide [SG] has I'd believe it to be a pretty good scope based on the fact that it sold with a 100% Satisfaction Garantee! They will take the Osprey 10-40 x50 back that I bought about a year ago and give me a full refund even after I tested it out without any hassel and only due to the fact I'm unhappy with the ranging function of the Osprey the rest of it seems fine. Well the turret cap screws were a bit loose, could have been my doing at a prior time too, but that's what we have Allen wrenches for, right? I should mention, I'm not in anyway connected to SG or any of the scope companies, I'm just a satisfied customer, reloader & shooter who is 64 yrs old and been around and knows that things aren't always what they seem although I'm not going to try and say the CS is on par with an IOR or Night Force but then again it's at least a $1000.00 less too and I doubt that but only a very few are in Mike's position either? I will say that I really like what I've read about the functions of the reticle on the CS and very anxious to put it through a number of tests with my 6.5 Grendel. I can easily shoot up to 200yrds on my place so I should be able to get a pretty fair idea about the scope as well as honing my own abilities. Although the test I did with the Osprey was limited it fell in line with what many others on the forum here said about it in that it held zero very well on my 6.5 Grendel which was also has a pretty good kick to it even with fairly light test loads with a 120 grn Hornady A-Max bullet over 24.9grns of Benchmark powder as test loads. This gave me two, three shot groups of 1" c/to/c at 100yrds from a bench rest so I was quite pleased everything worked so well together after reading so many negative comments as about the scope. I also had two friends shooting with me at my place and one, a long time buddy of 40 yrs who uses a Night-Force scope never believed my inexpensive scope would shoot as well as it did. Indeed he's the one that said for me to shoot the second target and was really surprised. I'm a Pro Photographer and have close-up shots of the two targets if I can figure out how to post them. I just figured it out, I think, I need to down load them to the other photo site and then copy the Url to past into the post. So if the CS is the next step or two above the Osprey I'll be a very happy shooter indeed! Take care, David

May 13, 2010, 08:13 AM	#23
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Looking back over a bunch of decades of messing with scopes, my opinion is that I'm a lot better off browsing through gunshows looking for a good used brand-name scope of good reputation than buying a new anything that's pretty much unknown as to quality. A track record of durability and few if any "bring it back" problems is far more important than the warranty: The warranty won't fix that scope when you're way back in the back-country. That's my opinion as a hunter of deer and coyotes. "Sniper" and "Counter Sniper" implies hunting men. Bambi doesn't shoot back.

May 13, 2010, 08:48 AM	#24
Rembrandt Senior Member Join Date: August 10, 2002 Posts: 2,108	I read reviews prior to getting this and noted how many negative comments from people that had never owned one. Began to sound like herd mentality. Found only one negative comment from an actual owner....and that was in regards to dropping the scope and damaging the knobs. Picked this up at a gun show and installed it on an AR10. The scope functions very well, repeatability not an issue. Found two things that I wish were better....at high end magnification (25X) the image is a little hazy, not as clear as I'd like to see. Also wish there were caps on the external knobs. No intentions to use it for hard hunting scenarios, but it would be nice to have them protected better. Would I do again?....yes, the features offered at this price is a good buy. 3-25X56....Warne quick release rings. Last edited by Rembrandt; May 13, 2010 at 08:55 AM.

May 13, 2010, 04:42 PM	#25
Come and take it. Senior Member Join Date: May 16, 2009 Location: Kentucky Posts: 999	I would rather have a straight 4 x leupold vari-x II than most any huge tactical scope of any make that has "made in China" on it.