Cheap Pistol Scope

[Jeff H]

OK, scopes are something that I usually expect to spend a few bucks on but this one is temporary (for load development) until I figure out what sights I want on my Rossi. I have the base and have been shopping for a cheapo and the cheapest I can find is NC Star. I have used a Chinese Tasco for this purpose in the past, but even those cost more now than I want to spend for something I may not use again after I am done with it.

At $35, shipped, from Optics Planet, is a NC Star pistol scope going to hold up to fair-weather range use long enough to wring out some .357 loads? The price is telling me "no," but then the original (Japanese) Tascos turned me off until I used a few. I gave my old cheapo Tasco pistol scope away to a supposedly underprivileged shooter who went on to buy a Browing something-or-other each month for the next several years.

[fecmech]

Jeff- I think the NC Stars, BSA's, Tascos all come off the same assembly line at the Itchigumy Telescope and Teapot factory in China. I know all the 30 MM $30. red dots do as they all have BR30 in the body of the sight. Also there is not much recoil in the .357 rifle, I'd go for it.

[Shooter6br]

Have two Tasco Red Dots BR30-22 They are the airgun mount for my Daisy 747 and Crossman 760, About $32-35 bucks, Granted they have no recoil But I returned a Millet due to lack of dot brightness. The Tascos in bright sun need to go up to 10 or 11 setting ( 11 is tops) Read Midway reviews They are used on heavier recoiling guns .I like the built in rings.

[Shooter6br]

Here is my set up looks strange but works

[JesterGrin_1]

I have a couple of NC Star 2X7's and they have worked great. Heck I even have one on a Marlin 1895GS in 45-70 in a scout set up that has held together so far well.

[jerry_from_ct]

Jeff- I think the NC Stars, BSA's, Tascos all come off the same assembly line at the Itchigumy Telescope and Teapot factory in China.

:smile:

I have a BSA on a 375 T/C contender that I expect to be converted to a Kaleidoscope after a couple of shots. 8-)

[Jeff H]

WOW! Thanks for the replies.
I was braced for belittlement and possible banning for suggesting such a thing.:)

It amazes me what you can get a red dot for $30, and when I was shooting (at) pins, most of the guys were using $30 Tascos. We shot when it was almost dark, so weak dot or not, they had a dot. Kills me - $2k .45 with a $30 red dot. I shot iron sights because I was just practicing with my personal protection piece.

I have a 4X NC Star in the safe that my brother sent me - thinking it was a postol scope. He wouldn't take anything for it but I will give it back when he comes up this summer. I will just slip it in his bag before he leaves.:twisted: That way I won't owe him for something I can't use.:)

Thanks again. I am going to order one and give it a whirl.

[fecmech]

While I do make fun of the Chinese manufacturing some of it does seem to work pretty well. When I bought my Tasco $30 dot about 10 years ago I put it in a vise at work and did the routine running it up 20 clicks, right, down and left a few times and it always returned to the start point. It had no parallax and has performed just fine. I have it on my Buckmark Gold target pistol which I use for occasional Bullseye work.

[Jeff H]

While I do make fun of the Chinese manufacturing some of it does seem to work pretty well.........

Yes - the last place I worked put me in contact with the Chinese regularly and they have the capability to make really good stuff but will make as much "junk" as we are willing to buy and make it as junky as we will accept. Remember when "made in Japan" meant what we mean when we say "cheap Chines junk" today?

[calkar]

I have tried to save money on optics and still be able to afford to having fun in the silhouette games, and in my experience the chinese tasco's, bsa's, ect. will fail you every time sooner or later. The lowest priced optics that I have had luck with is Pentax, and Vortex. They track great and have lifetime no fault warrenties.

[bobthenailer]

PM sent on a 6x tasco pro class ! made in japan .

[Jeff H]

I have tried to save money on optics and still be able to afford to having fun in the silhouette games, and in my experience the chinese tasco's, bsa's, ect. fill fail you every time sooner or later. The lowest priced optics that I have had luck with is Pentax, and Vortex. They track great and have lifetime no fault warrenties.

I hope to get some gentle range use out of this one and then move it. If I get $20 for it later, I had my curiosity satisfied for $15. I have a Pentax K1000 that is thirty years old and still works flawlessly. I have wondered how well their scopes hold up.


PM sent on a 6x tasco pro class ! made in japan .

[smilie=b:[smilie=b:[smilie=b:[smilie=b:
I JUST got an e-mail that the NC Star shipped!
Thank you very much for the offered assistance, but I believe that I have just foiled the attempt.

[redneckdan]

I had a 2x BSA scope for a little while. Lived an okay life on my 14" .223 'tender. Was fairly accurate and liquefied a red squirrel or three. Next it spent some time on my .300 whisper ar-15 in scout mode. Did fine there, little short on clicks for longer range sub sonic shooting. After that it sat in a drawer for a while. I finally mounted it on my sawed off 357 mag 'tender barrel. I had the rcbs 200gr FN bullets doing darn close to 1600fps out of that little 6" barrel. Shots one and two landed withing a half inch of each other at 25yds. Shot number three went wild and the front lens of the scope came rocketing out of the tube. [smilie=1:

[calkar]

I just foolishly bought a Tasco 10x20? compact binoculars to use for cowboy silhouette. I took them out of the box and was impressed, the image was great. A few days later at a match they had a double image, and are worthless. So I guess the glue that they use to hold the lenses in just lasted a few weeks. I will buy no more of this chinese garbage.

[Jeff H]

OK, Bobthenailer made a very gracious offer to sell me a much better quailty scope for a great price, but when it got down to it, the reticle and power were not going to work for me. Hat's off to Bob for making the effort.

So, I am stuck with the NC Star on it, using the Rossi base and older Weaver LOW rings. The scope came with some rings but they were a bit clunky and not as low as the Weavers I had.

If it ever stops raining, I will get it out and see how it goes. They way it balances now,.... I am not 100% certain that I will toss the scope later. May have to buy a second Rossi so I can have a peep on one and a scope on the other though.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t284/mike-foxtrot/ROSSI001.jpg

[Fenring]

Got a Simmons Pro-Hunter 4x32 that I'm pretty happy with.

[Jeff H]

Got a Simmons Pro-Hunter 4x32 that I'm pretty happy with.

Simmons is a pretty big step up from what little I know about the NC Star I bought, but I like the way this one works on the Rossi and may be tempted to upgrade if I decide to leave a scope on it.

[calkar]

sorry, but it looks like a backpack on a ballerina to me.

[JesterGrin_1]

If it works then that is all that counts. And if you are happy with it. It does not matter what anyone else thinks. :).

[pdawg_shooter]

I put a BSA 3x9 on my light weight 30-06 to get by with when my Redfield (org. production) died. That was 6 years and maybe 1200 rounds ago. Still working fine. I have a Pentax waiting on the shelf for when it dies. Wonder when I will need it?

[1Shirt]

Just as a sidelight to this thread. Many years ago, my brother had a Herters revolver in (I think) 401 Herters or some such, with a Herters pistol scope on the thing. Anyhow, had it loaded fairly hot, and it was shooting pretty good when I tried it. On the third or 4th shot, when I looked down the scope, all I saw was daylight. All the glass and guts were gone. It was an experiance that we laughed about. Wish I had that revolver, but it was stolen from my brothers shop.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[Jeff H]

sorry, but it looks like a backpack on a ballerina to me.


I'm not sure if you mean that it is not particularly aesthetically pleasing, which means nothing to me, or if you mean that it looks awkward to handle.

While it is a little heavier (not much) and it balances differently, it is actually somehat better for offhand shots because there is a little more forward weight. Either way, it is not awkward to handle or carry but the optical advantage is not so significant as to warrant leaving it on. It's not the best scope in the world and you definitely have to be looking through it just right to get a good sight picture.

At night, any light behind me reflects in the glass and I see ME instead of my target - and that's with a 225 lumen weapon light on front. So, it will do for daytime load development but will be replaced with a reciever sight eventually.

I do appreciate the nostalgic lines of guns that have proven themselves, but it is certainly not a factor if I can't do with it what I need to.

[jh45gun]

I have a NC Star 4x Pistol scope with the lighted reticule and I had it on a K31 rifle with no issues When I sold that gun I put a 2 X on it and kept the 4 X for my 6.5 Swede. No issues there either.

[Artful]

I have a M38 Mosin-Nagant with NcStar as scout scope over 700 rounds and no issue with the scope. I have a BSA Cats eye 1x5 mounted on a FAL with over 600 rounds down range and no issues - Seems to me the optics on cheap scopes was what we was paying high dollars for about 20 years ago and the high dollar optic's today couldn't have been touched then.