Scope Reliability

[CoElkHunter]

I second you don’t always have to pay big money for a good scope… In the 90s I bought a gimmicky Simmons ATV, which stood for all target variable rifle scope.

It has been dropped from halfway up a tree stand, falling over on hardwood floors, slipped going up creek banks, sat with it in the rain for hours… It has been abused.

After I don’t know how many rounds through my 280 and I guess close to 30 years now, it has never been adjusted one time. I want to say I paid less than $200 for it. And believe it or not it has pretty good glass.

Come to think of it I have several old Simmons scopes that have all been extremely reliable

I've had a 2.5x10x44 Simmons Aetec scope on my Browning A Bolt .338WM since '95. List price was $250 but I bought it new for $150. It's been through all manner of weather, bumped and scratched. I've loaned that rifle and scope out to my buddy on his two trips to Newfoundland and I took it to Africa once. Still is clear and has never lost its zero. I still have (now as a souvenir) a mid '70s 4x Bushnell that still held a zero on my Winchester M70 AFTER a horse stepped on it and sheared off the windage screw. I once fell from a standing position carrying a Rem 700 .300WM with an '09 3.5x10x50 Vortex Diamondback scope on it. The rifle landed six feet away on dirt and some small rocks and the elevation screw cap had a small divet in it. The scope still held a zero. Mid priced and mid quality scopes for their times, but I guess sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. LOL