Would you pay to test a scope before purchase?

[Tikka595ii]

I have a question I have been wondering about are there any companies that rent out precision rifle scopes? I have found rentals for spotters, binos, and thermal/ night vision and even a few firearms for “hunting”, but nothing in the precision rifle scope realm.

So am I alone in my interest of wanting to test out a scope or scopes before putting the money down for something like a March, Nightforce, ZCO, S&B, etc. or are there others like me?

 

[DngBat7]

I would love to find the same service, But unlike spotting scopes, They would need to be mounted in rings, get marred up and some knucklehead would crank down on the scope rings and hurt the internals. I’m sure that’s why if I had to make a guess.

 

[ben-o]

Maven has a demo program for their binoculars and spotting scopes, but I don’t see any rifle scopes on their list. Probably a reason for that. I think once you mount a scope, you’ve probably bought it.

If you are paying Nightforce, etc. prices, and you get a scope that is defective, you should send it back for a replacement. If the scope works, but you just don’t like it, sell it at a small discount. That loss is probably the price you’d pay for renting a scope.

 

[762plinker]

i buy based on public knowledge and personal info from actual users.
i bought a nf atacr 7x35 based on tons of great reviews and was sadly disappointed with what i got. i returned it to nf for inspection/repair, but the scope had two clear different zeros for long and short range ad would not group at either distance. replaced with a valdada 4.8-40x shot groups END OF STORY.
IT IS THE ONLY SCOPE I PAID GOOD MONEY FOR AND WAS DISAPPOINTED WITH.
and i have a bunch of top end scopes,,, march nf valdada

 

[SecondsCount]

I usually wait for someone else to be the guinea pig. Let them buy the new scope, then buy it at a substantial discount when they put it on the market. That saved me $700 on the last scope that I bought. I ended up keeping it but I had plenty of room to sell in case I didn't want it.

 

[Walt Krafft]

I probably would have bought one of the new March scopes if I could have looked at it at the SHOT show. 4 grand is too much money to spend sight unseen.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

I probably would have bought one of the new March scopes if I could have looked at it at the SHOT show. 4 grand is too much money to spend sight unseen.

Not to beat a dead horse overly much, but at the time of SHOT 2023, there would have only been a prototype 8-80X56 HM at the show. Production on this riflescope and other new March models has just started. They were able to send some to Germany in time for the IWA event in Nuremburg. You can see some pictures of the actual riflescope at https://www.facebook.com/MarchScopes/ .

The person in the video is Gary Costello, an awesome F-Class shooter out of the UK. He is talking about the Majesta and you can see it in its production format, with the titanium finish. The video through the scope is horrible, as they always are and doesn't do the Majesta any favors.

Let me further flog the deceased equine by saying that you can't really get the full measure of a riflescope looking through it at such a venue. Furthermore, comparing high end riflescopes or even just good to excellent riflescopes on beautiful day, doesn't give you the full picture. (Pardon the pun.) When the conditions are great, all riflescopes do well; it's when the conditions are bad that you get to see the difference. You want the mirage to come out and play when you're comparing riflescopes.

Beyond the shimmer resistance of the Majesta, the wide-angle view is something else, and that you would immediately notice when looking through it; it is that noticable.

 

[JFrank]

We Americans normally pay first then test followed by selling to move up to the next model.

Much the same as boating..

 

[Dgd6mm]

No I wouldn't pay. You should be able to look for free, providing your standing in a dealers store.