Cheap scope feasibility

[Teri Anne]

I went top of the line cheap scopes,about $150 range, on a 7mag once,lifetime warranty can't go wrong.First scope,great glass,even killed a few animals using it.It lasted fifteen rounds and was done.Twenty dollars shipping fee.They sent me a brand new scope.Wow,that's great!Great warranty!Second scope,brand new,couldn't even sight my rifle in and it broke.Sent it back,plus another twenty dollars.Wow,gotta love that lifetime warranty.They sent me another brand new scope.New scope to the range,seven shots later,no good,sending it back,plus another twenty dollars.Top of the line model no longer available so they sent me the next best model,tougher scope,still great glass,gotta love the lifetime warranty.That scope lasted about fifty rounds and broke.Gotta love that lifetime warranty.Another one sent back,plus another twenty dollars.They sent me another brand new scope.Wow,I love that lifetime warranty..............About twenty five rounds later,dang it broke too????? Come on man,that 7mag doesn't kick that hard,but it sure killed the hell out of those cheap scopes.Another one sent back,plus another twenty dollars and once again,they sent me another brand new scope.I could have bought a $200 scope to start with and saved myself a lot of frustration,time,ammo and money to start with.Ended up selling the new scope and put that money towards a better,$250 scope and every scope purchased since then has been in that price range or more and have lived happily ever since then.Sure there are great scopes in the cheap scope range and even expensive scopes can break too,but it's like the old saying,"You get what you pay for".That's my story and it is a true story and I'm sticking to it.

For those of you who are not aware of it, VORTEX has a real lifetime warranty, no matter how it is broke, even if you backed up your truck over it they will replace it free of charge. Yes, that means no cost to you except for postage from you to them. It comes back to you postage pre-paid. If you would prefer simply drive out to their new facility in Barneveld, Wisconsin and hand the broken one to them. They will hand you a new one back (providing it is in stock at the time)or mail it to you when back in stock. Fantastic Optics and a warranty that no other optic company can compare to.

 

[ButterBean]

For those of you who are not aware of it, VORTEX has a real lifetime warranty, no matter how it is broke, even if you backed up your truck over it they will replace it free of charge. Yes, that means no cost to you except for postage from you to them. It comes back to you postage pre-paid. If you would prefer simply drive out to their new facility in Barneveld, Wisconsin and hand the broken one to them. They will hand you a new one back (providing it is in stock at the time)or mail it to you when back in stock. Fantastic Optics and a warranty that no other optic company can compare to.

That's really commendable but here is my thought on that, I have had all kinds of scopes over my lifetime, Hundreds of them and I have sent one back for an issue and it was a Leupold, That's all hear is how great the Vortex warranty is, Seems like it get used quite a bit

 

[Darryle]

I have my Cousin's Winchester 270 Ranger, pencil thin barrel open sights, bought a set of Redfield rings and bases. He bought this rig at Kmart when they were going out of business. He then drove to Walmart and purchased a Simmons Aetec with the fancy gold markings, 2 - 10 x 44mm IIRC. We mounted it up, used a plumb line to level the crosshairs and then bore sight using the neighbor's security light. Next morning we went to the river bottom and we put it on paper, zeroed it and he used it to kill 3-5 deer a year, coyotes, a couple bobcats, untold number of wild pigs, a few dozen javelina, feral dogs and a couple of cow elk. It was offered to me after he passed because we generally hunted together. I took it and looked thru the scope and it appeared to be as clear as the day we mounted everything up. I went to the range and shot a 1 1/2" 3 shot group. Took it home cleaned it, coated everything metal with a good dose of gun oil, slid it in gunsock and it's been in the safe for the past 4yrs. I don't remember, but if I recall correctly, he paid $280ish for the rifle and Redfields and another $150ish for the scope, I know he shot the rifle every chance he got and I know he never had an issue with the scope.

 

[orkan]

Vortex catches a lot of animosity due to their warranty, which does always get used. However, at least they are honest about it. Spend your money, and they keep you in that class of scope for your lifetime. That's pretty bold, and it certainly works out for them. They obviously have more scopes staying in the field than coming back... or they wouldn't have a functioning company.

Other manufacturers scopes in that same class of scope break all the time too... but they aren't as ready to replace it as hassle free. If you're going to buy a cheap scope, it better be from a company that is straight up about the fact that WHEN it has a problem, they've got your back.

I don't like cheap scopes... but I own some. I don't loan a rookie a rifle with a Tangent Theta on it.

 

[ButterBean]

I have my Cousin's Winchester 270 Ranger, pencil thin barrel open sights, bought a set of Redfield rings and bases. He bought this rig at Kmart when they were going out of business. He then drove to Walmart and purchased a Simmons Aetec with the fancy gold markings, 2 - 10 x 44mm IIRC. We mounted it up, used a plumb line to level the crosshairs and then bore sight using the neighbor's security light. Next morning we went to the river bottom and we put it on paper, zeroed it and he used it to kill 3-5 deer a year, coyotes, a couple bobcats, untold number of wild pigs, a few dozen javelina, feral dogs and a couple of cow elk. It was offered to me after he passed because we generally hunted together. I took it and looked thru the scope and it appeared to be as clear as the day we mounted everything up. I went to the range and shot a 1 1/2" 3 shot group. Took it home cleaned it, coated everything metal with a good dose of gun oil, slid it in gunsock and it's been in the safe for the past 4yrs. I don't remember, but if I recall correctly, he paid $280ish for the rifle and Redfields and another $150ish for the scope, I know he shot the rifle every chance he got and I know he never had an issue with the scope.

Those were really good scopes

 

[Ol' Red]

That's really commendable but here is my thought on that, I have had all kinds of scopes over my lifetime, Hundreds of them and I have sent one back for an issue and it was a Leupold, That's all hear is how great the Vortex warranty is, Seems like it get used quite a bit

I have only sent back one myself. It was a Simmons 44 MAG scope. They sent me back a AETEC model which I still have 16 years later. I have a Redfield that broke an knob when adjusting. It is sitting on top of the safe gathering dust. I have several Leupolds and a couple Vortex. Maybe I have just been lucky.