Barska scopes

[dskinner103]

I am rifle rich and scope poor! I have purchased a bushnell elite 3200 and 4200. I want my next scopes to be in the first focal plane and they are expensive. Does anyone have any insight on Barska Scopes - good or bad. I put on my Gamo air rifle but need two for my 308 and 7mm Rem mag. I mainly shoot deer, hogs and paper.
Thank you.

 

[fdshuster]

The old saying "You get what you pay for", is most applicable as it applies to optic's, be they a spotting or rifle scope. I've never owned a Barska, and never intend to, but have seen a number of them being used, and the results were not pretty.

 

[Nomercy]

First off, if you're looking for a FFP, then be sure the Barska you buy is ACTUALLY FFP. Mine is SFP.

I bought a Barska 6-24x42mm scope on a whim about a year ago. I saw it in the store and figured I would put it on one of my Ruger 10/22's, for $90, what did I have to lose?

However, the next day, I picked up another Bushmaster Varminter Special for a steal, and thought I'd try out the Barska on it (my BIL was looking at the Barska for his DPMS because he didn't have the funds for a proper scope, but didn't want to waste the $ without knowing it would be at least decent).

I took the Barska on the Bushy to the range. It's actually surprisingly good tracking (for a $90 scope) and did well running the box, and has decent focus. I have had less focus and parallax issues with a $90 Barska than a $400 Nikon. The resolution isn't tops, but it does the job well enough. I can still pick out ring lines on a 3" target at 200yrds without straining.

The bad news is that there must be NO glare coating, because shooting 90degrees to an evening sun gives a TERRIBLE glare. An ARD or sunshade solves the problem nicely tho.

I have a few other accurized AR's, so that one is just kind of a "spare", so a year later I still haven't changed the scope. I've taken some buddies on coyote and P-dog trips, and loaned out my other rifles with better scopes (gotta loan out your best stuff, just being courteous right?), and I haven't had any problem taking P-dogs out to 500, or coyotes at night out to 200 with a red 6v spotlight.

It definitely ain't my first choice, and the Bushnell Banner 6-24x40 that I have is twice the scope for clarity and focus ($160), but the barska DOES have more internal adjustment.

For $80, try it out. You're not out very much. It is what it is, but then again, I've had meals that cost more than this scope.

 

[bsc4444]

HAVE A .17 CAL BDC SCOPES ON MY .17 HMR AND IT WORKS FINE. I HAVE SEEN 2
DIFFERENT 10-40X50 ON .308'S. BOTH OF THE RETICLE'S JUMP WHEN DRY FIRED, THIS CAN'T BE GOOD.....I WOULD THINK THEY WILL HAVE PROBLEMS HOLDING ZERO. IF YOU WANT A LESS $$$$ SCOPE CHECK OUT NITREX THEY ARE WEAVERS SCOPE IMPORTED FROM JAPAN NOT THE CHINE C@#P.

 

[tenring]

Don't know nuttin about Barska scopes. But couple years ago, I bought a Barska binocular. It was absolute junk; would not focus, returned it to the store (Dick's) for a refund.

In a gun store some time ago, I asked if they had any Simmons scopes. The manager responded: "Nope, too many returns, we don't handle them any more". Cheap optics are just that - cheap, usually very poor quality.

 

[huffmanite]

As BSC4444 said, take a look at the discontinued Nitrex by Weaver TR1 or TR2 scopes at www.natchezss.com Really nice price for a quality scope....have two of the Nitrex....glass in them easily equals quality of glass in your 3200 or 4200 Elites. Only problem with TR2 models...on heavy side...not a scope you'd want for a light carry rifle. Also, only one rebate per household on the Nitrex.

While at Natchez website, you may want to take a look at their February catalog with wolf on cover...on opening page of website, right hand side....first 20 or so pages devoted to scopes....some decent bargains there.

 

[snoog37]

Friends don't let friends buy anything Barska.

If money is tight, check out a Vortex Crossfire series. Or even a Mueller. But never Barska.

 

[fdshuster]

I watched a fellow clubmember attempt to sight-in a National Match M1A using a Barska scope. It was pitiful: A $2000 rifle of extreme accuracy and high quality with a $79.95 scope! As he left the club he threatened to throw it in the creek. He came back a week or so later with a cheap Leupold 4-12x "Rifleman" mounted and within 5 shots fired for sighting in was easily holding moa groups at 100 yds.

 

[bozo699]

Frank,
The Barska's must really be junk if he had better luck with the 4-12 rifleman, I don't know who makes the rifleman for Leupold but a $30 Tasco deer slayer is better than one of them IMO. I bought a rifleman once to put on a 22 rimfire it was to replace the aging K6 Weaver, I didn't finish getting it sighting it in and said enough of this junk and put the Weaver back on. Some time later I was putting on a ground hog shoot and a friend of mine brought a loud mouth friend of his down to the shoot, mid day we went to my loading room for something and he was taking inventory with his shifty little rat eyes and spotted the rifleman, he raved and raved about it.... so I gave it to him to shut him up. I don't think he has hit a ground hog since he put it on his rifle and everytime I see him out hogging I snicker to myself as I know he won't be hurting to g/h population any, but if you ask him what scope he has on his old 788 he will puff his chest out and proclaim its a LEUPOLD ;D THis doesn't have much bearing on the op's question but I couldn't help myself..Sorry
Wayne.

 

[fdshuster]

Wayne: I must be fortunate, compared to your experience with one 4-12x "Rifleman". I've had one since they first became available, and was so impressed with it, then bought a new 4-12x VX-1. Cost of each was around $250 give or take a few bucks, the main difference being the old style 1 moa hash marks on the elev. & wind adjustments with the "Rifleman", and the VX-1 with the 1/4 moa clicks. The "Rifleman" sits on a Remington 700 222, and while I can't speak for the abilities of the guy who can't hit a g'hog, I've sent many to that clover field in the sky with that little 222 & the Leupold. One of my favorite "go to" rifles when I want something compact & lightweight for carry. The VX-1 has been mounted on one of my AR-15 flatops for many years/ many rounds fired, and there has never been a problem. For me, both have been well worth their cost, and the "made in the USA", compared to the "made somewhere off-shore" on the others is enough for me. Just curious: why do you believe someone other than Leupold is making the lower-end Leupold scope's? If that's true, then are you saying that the new Redfield's that cost even less than the low-end Leupold's are also being made by someone other than Leupold? I must be lucky. Of all the new and used Leupold's I've bought over the years I've never had a bad one yet, regardless of their cost.

 

[bozo699]

Wayne: I must be fortunate, compared to your experience with one 4-12x "Rifleman". I've had one since they first became available, and was so impressed with it, then bought a new 4-12x VX-1. Cost of each was around $250 give or take a few bucks, the main difference being the old style 1 moa hash marks on the elev. & wind adjustments with the "Rifleman", and the VX-1 with the 1/4 moa clicks. The "Rifleman" sits on a Remington 700 222, and while I can't speak for the abilities of the guy who can't hit a g'hog, I've sent many to that clover field in the sky with that little 222 & the Leupold. One of my favorite "go to" rifles when I want something compact & lightweight for carry. The VX-1 has been mounted on one of my AR-15 flatops for many years/ many rounds fired, and there has never been a problem. For me, both have been well worth their cost, and the "made in the USA", compared to the "made somewhere off-shore" on the others is enough for me. Just curious: why do you believe someone other than Leupold is making the lower-end Leupold scope's? If that's true, then are you saying that the new Redfield's that cost even less than the low-end Leupold's are also being made by someone other than Leupold? I must be lucky. Of all the new and used Leupold's I've bought over the years I've never had a bad one yet, regardless of their cost.

Frank,
I must have just got a bad one, the parallax was so bad you needed to be @ least 100 yds away to partially focus, the resolution was terrible so I guess I just assumed Leupold just couldn't make anything this bad, you wouldn't say something if it wasn't true so I would tend to believe I must have just got a bad one and should maybe look @ another one. As far a Redfield scopes I didn't say anything good or bad about them, but here is my thoughts on them, from maybe 20 years ago on back to the beginning of there existence I thought they were a fine affordable piece of equipment. In the last twenty years or so and I am guessing the time frame as I don't have the exact dates I feel they were JUNK and would buy a tasco or bushnell banner way before a redfield. In the last couple of years since Leopold has taken over I haven't looked through one and don't know where the glass or components are coming from but judging from the cost I can only assume there not much. I guess I am different than most Frank I would rather own a cheap Mossberg rifle with a S&B scope on it than I would to own a Borden rifle with a tasco or some other equally poor quality scope on it. If I can't clearly see it I can't hit it. But back to the topic I must have been to quick to judge the rifleman as it sounds like you have had several of the lower end Leupold's w/no issues and I only one w/issues. I am to opinionated @ times Frank.
Respectfully Wayne.

 

[dogdude]

All I can say is anything BUT a BARSKA!!! dogdude

 

[bagdadjoe]

I put a (!gasp!) Centerpoint from the Mart of Wal on my 223 and then transfered it to my 22 Hornet. It's bright, clear and clean. Works good. It is heavy, but on a varmint rifle I could care less. I'm a photographer and have used and still use some of the best glass made, Nikon, Canon, Hasselblad, Mamiya, Bronica....get the picture? (couldn't resist that one! ) and while it's not a Leupold, it is only $69... Don't know that it would hold up to a 300 maggy-max-magnum, but for casual use on a little gun...works great.

 

[bozo699]

I am thinking maybe a coke bottle, you can buy one for the .05 deposit price and if you could super glue a cross hair on it, it would give you about the same quallity as a wal-mart scope for about $68.95 less money
Wayne.

 

[bsc4444]

OUCH..Wayne..OUCH

 

[bozo699]

I was just clowning around ;D whatever a man can afford so he can put bullets down the tube.
Wayne