Why do people buy match grade rifles and then put crap optics on them?

[melensdad]

OK just curious but more frequently than I can count I see expensive rifles, with match grade barrels, and NcStar or other cheap optics on them.

WHY? If you're dropping big money for the rifle, why but the cheapest junk scope on top of that gun?

Now don't get me wrong, I have 2 NcStar scopes, one on my daughters gun and one on a pistol caliber carbine I own. So I do see the use for these cheap scopes but I don't put them on precision rifles. But if you've got something like an Olympic SUM barrel, a Satern, etc on your expensive gun why put a $39 commie Chinese scope on it instead of popping for a Leupold or even a Bushnell? The quality optic will improve the gun almost as much as a quality trigger and at long ranges is worth its weight in gold.

Just curious. I clearly don't understand.

 

[haldir]

Same reason I buy a double quarter pounder with cheese and get a diet coke ;-)

 

[turnandshoot4]

I have an older leupold on my savage. The gun is plenty accurate but I can't afford to put the scope it deserves on it right now. I'd rather have the gun now and buy the optics later than the reverse. With the cheaper leupold I can still enjoy the rifle however.

 

[clt46910]

While NcStar does sell some cheap scopes, I been impressed with a couple of them. I really like the Mark III series. Have a few of them. Have another that had really preformed in a grand style. But they are the higher priced ones.

 

[shooter521]

Same reason guys buy $700 pistols and carry them in $15.00 nylon holsters on $12.95 Wal-Mart belts. I don't understand that, either.

A guy traded in an AR-15 at the shop one time that had an NcStar scope... in an ARMS mount.

 

[4sarge]

Same reason I buy a double quarter pounder with cheese and get a diet coke ;-)

 

[melensdad]

Same reason guys buy $700 pistols and carry them in $15.00 nylon holsters on $12.95 Wal-Mart belts. I don't understand that, either.

A guy traded in an AR-15 at the shop one time that had an NcStar scope... in an ARMS mount.

That ARMS mount probably was worth more than the cost of a full CASE of NcStar scopes.

I don't get the cheap holster thing either. Heck I'd rather have a damn good holster and a cheaper gun than visa versa. The holster/belt is the thing that makes it possible to comfortably carry a heavy, large gun all day.

 

[turnandshoot4]

How about the fact that the scopes will never get banned, so buy the guns first? And, consequently, you have to put a cheap scope on it to enjoy it?

 

[techres]

How about the fact that the scopes will never get banned, so buy the guns first? And, consequently, you have to put a cheap scope on it to enjoy it?

+1

Add to that, short of SHTF, most any self defense scenario we are likely to be in will be under 30 yards. Any of us pick off some guy "in self defense" with a really good shot at 700 yards and there are likely to be problems with the DA.

One the one hand I understand needing a good all around tool, and I also know that I really should not need optics on anything under 500 yards out, but still optics are nice and I am of limited resources.

My bushnell reticle sights will eventually need to be replaced with something that has an auto shutoff though. Bummer to have a dead batter because your shooting parter left the sights running when he put the rifles up.

And for the record, I would rather have a second AR than an official trigion sight, even though the second is what I would prefer if it was war day. Today is stocking day.

 

[melensdad]

Add to that, short of SHTF, most any self defense scenario we are likely to be in will be under 30 yards.

Respectfully, I think you have completely and utterly missed the point.

Under 30 yards? This thread is about target grade barreled rifles. I specifically referred to high grade/custom grade barrels and precision rifles. Why the heck would you put a target grade barrel on a SHTF short range gun?

 

[ATM]

I'd rather have the gun now and buy the optics later than the reverse.

+1
A. Buy a Super Sniper and run it on my 10/22 until I get the match rifle I want to go under it?

or

B. Buy the match rifle I want and use the cheaper scope which will go back on the 10/22 after I save up for the Super Sniper?

B makes me happier and I suspect gets less laughs than A. from anyone at the range

 

[melensdad]

Obviously I was unclear with my first post.

No implication that we were talking about guns that may be banned, or SHTF or anything like that.

 

[techres]

Obviously I was unclear with my first post.

No implication that we were talking about guns that may be banned, or SHTF or anything like that.

Got it!

I put a $100 crisp no-name scope on a $900 Bull AR rifle mainly because I ran out of cash building all the SHTF rifles.

If I could find a 500+ yard range for the bull, I would likely invest in a real scope. Short of that I have a hard time justifying it. Frankly, the bull is hard to justify itself. It's more bling then use. I will likely just replace it with a dissipator A2 and be done with it.

 

[Steven]

Why do people buy match grade rifles and then put crap optics on them?

Lets add to the mix, refusal to use anything better than 10 cent a round civil war ammo from a third world country,,,,,,,,,
and of course wonder why it won't group or the zero drifts.

 

[rcuhljr]

My scope/rings were about 25% of the cost of my AR.

 

[melensdad]

My scope/rings were about 25% of the cost of my AR.

One of my scopes cost as much as one of my custom ARs.

 

[Mike Elzinga]

Like everything else, we should all buy the best tools we can afford at the time. I'd much rather get a high end gun and use a cheap optic til I can afford a better one. There are also a number of deals to be found in the low end optic market. A $100 Bushnell will never be as good as a $1500 Nightforce, but will a Nightforce be as good as a Bushnell and $1400 worth of practice ammo??

By the same token why do people buy super accurate guns and feed them **** ammo? Why doesnt everyone reload. Very very few factory loaded rounds are as accurate as what can be easily handloaded.

We all spend our hard earned shooting dollars different ways, as long as you are happy with how you spent yours, that should be enough. I've shot $2000 scopes and $20 scopes. Some of my guns have good glass, some have ****.

 

[melensdad]

By the same token why do people buy super accurate guns and feed them **** ammo?

Another very good question!!!

 

[rcuhljr]

One of my scopes cost as much as one of my custom ARs.

I'll take a second AR instead of a 1000~ dollar scope that with my range and skill isn't going to be noticeably different then a 250 dollar optic.

 

[melensdad]

I'll take a second AR instead of a 1000~ dollar scope that with my range and skill isn't going to be noticeably different then a 250 dollar optic.

Again, going to the actual subject of the thread, this is about precision rifles. The implication being that people who buy those rifles are interesting in shooting tiny little groupings at very long ranges. That said, I think you'd easily notice the difference in the optics when you sight in a pie plate sized target that is a half mile + away.