Greetings! I just purchased a .17HMR rifle and I want to get a good quality, reasonably priced scope in the 6-20 or 8-32 power range for varmint hunting here in Eastern Oregon.

I have read conflicting reports on the BSA scopes and was wondering if anyone had experience with the Contender or Platinum series. I am particularly interested in their place of manufacture because that seems to have a pretty big impact on their quality.

Anybody have experience with 'em?

Shamus -

As stated in other threads on this manufacturer, my Ruger 77/22 in .17HMR has a BSA Platinum (the specialty model with the parallax adjustment knob on the turret instead of the objective lens) in 8x34 and it works just fine. Sharp, clear view and positive, repeatable 1/8th inch click adjustments.

Have to use some high Burris "z" rings to accomodate the large objective lense bell, though.

Heres a good like to get you started on your scope choice.

http://www.realguns.com/Commentary/comar78.htm

Shamus -

As stated in other threads on this manufacturer, my Ruger 77/22 in .17HMR has a BSA Platinum (the specialty model with the parallax adjustment knob on the turret instead of the objective lens) in 8x34 and it works just fine. Sharp, clear view and positive, repeatable 1/8th inch click adjustments.

Have to use some high Burris "z" rings to accomodate the large objective lense bell, though.

Thanks for the info... I attempted to do a search of the forum for BSA info, but of course "BSA" is under the minimum character length for searches - Argh!

Thanks for the link William!

Interesting link.....
You might want to note that the writer talks a lot about features, which is nice. But, he didn't talk much about durability, repeatable, accurate adjustments, and optical quality - the most important features in a scope.
I am very tempted to give the wise A** (but true) answer: "you want a good quality, but reasonable price scope?" Well, pick which one: good quality, or reasonable price.

Would you go out and buy a new 4X4 pickup and then try to save a few bucks by putting a set of 2ply recapped tires on it? After all they are black, round, and look a lot like the 10ply steel belted radials, just a lot "cheaper". Scopes are a lot the same way. You really get what you pay for in a set of glass for your rifle. Spend the extra bucks for a good scope and leave the cheap ( they have to leave a LOT of things out to make them that cheap ) scopes on the shelf with the 2ply recap tires.

More money doesn't automatically equate to a better scope in the price range I'm talking about. What, I'm supposed to pony up the green for Swarovski glass or I must have cheap'd out!? And no, I wouldn't put crap tires on a new truck. But neither would I throw money away on tires because of their name, or put tires on it that cost MORE than the truck! :D

Of course cheap junk will always be cheap junk but not all Leupolds or Nikons are worth the money they bring either. In the middleground there are some "good for the money" optics out there and that's what I'm looking for. The scope will be used for plinking and sage-rat tormenting on a rimfire. I'm not talking about an Elk rifle here or a late dusk deer rig.

The problem I'm finding is that a given scope line from a certain manufacturer that's made in Japan or the Philippines ain't like that same scope when it's made in China or Korea. I keep running into "yeah the early ______ scopes were good but now they are junk". It makes it a real pain the rear to try to lock down which scopes are worth the money versus which ones USED to be worth the money.

Does anyone know if the newest BSA Platinums are all China built?

Every now and again I see a Yugo (remember that car from the Eighties?), coming down the road and remember what a hunk of hunk they were supposed to be, well it would be hard to convince that fella that after 20 years his $2995.00 was wasted . I think you see where I'm going with this.

Guess I should have known better than to think I'd get a straight answer on these scopes.

Here's a question for Jack, roadking, and fitch... Have you ever owned a high-power BSA Platinum and what has your experience been?

I started this thread to find out whether these were worth looking at so your input on these scopes is appreciated. If they are junk I want to know that.

If you'd like to debate the merits of ALL inexpensive scopes, please feel free to post your own thread titled something like "why sub $300 scopes should be illegal" or "the cheap scopes that cheap people buy cheaply"

Nope, never owned a BSA Platinum. I have looked thru one, and that's why I never owned one....
I think maybe we should define 'reasonable', as far as this thread is concerned.
Personally, I don't think you need to go to the Swarovski level to get a good scope.
I have been pleased with Leupolds, Burris, Nikon, Pentax, Bushnell 3200 and 4200 series, Weaver, etc. And the Zeiss Conquest. (REAL pleased with the Conquest)
Haven't tried a Sightron; maybe I'll try one of those next..
You might look at the Weaver V series scopes. Weavers Grand Slams are very nice, IMO, but the V series is good, too, and a bit more 'reasonable'.
I have had lots of trouble with scopes over the 40 years I've used them- a lot of the trouble was with older scopes - scopes today are vastly improved, for the most part.
In the last 10 years or so, any trouble I've had (and I have) with scopes has been scopes that sell for under $100.
One thing I have learned is that people put 29$ scopes on 500$ rifles, and find out the rifle 'won't shoot', so they sell the rifle. I've bought a number of those rifles. The first thing that happens is, I clean the heck out of the barrel. The second thing that happens is the 29$ scope gets thrown into a canal.
Put a 'reasonable' piece of glass on there, and 99% of the time, the rifle suddenly shoots...

Thanks for the info Jack, I can't even find these darn BSA's locally to look through which is why I wanted some feedback. I've decided against BSA after reading yours and some others comments on rimfirecentral.

For my new .17hmr I'm leaning heavily towards a Simmons target 8-32x44 (Japan model 800116) which may be a bit of overkill for the rimfire!

For my newest deer rifle it's between Aetec, Sightron and S&W (motley assortment eh?)

I looked through a Sightron S1 today at my local Sportsman's Warehouse and it is very good. I compared it to the Smith and Wesson next to it and they were both very bright and clear. These are both really good sleepers in my opinion. Both are made in Japan and the S & W is made by Hakko which has a very good rep. The Sightron was $129 and for a quality Japanese scope with a full replacement warranty, I may not be able to pass it up.

Well I am going to get into this because I own and use a BSA platinum 6-24 scope and for the $$$ it is HARD TO BEAT- for use on smallbores..

I would not put one on a .300 magnum ,nor would I put one on a gun that had an out of state big game hunt riding on it.I also would ONLY buy the Platinum as the Contenders are not the same qualilty of scope from what I hear back from Contender owners...

My scope is about Six months old and I have had it on many different rimfire rifles and it has performed very well.Yes, it is a Chinese made scope.The BSA Platinum's adjustments track out very well and POI shift throughout it's power range is about 1/2MOA, no worse than many scopes that cost twice the price.I have even put other much more expensives scopes on rifles after using the BSA to see if groups got better.They did not.The BSA does just fine thank you..

I compared this scope directly against a brand new Simmons #800116 scope I owned and liked the BSA better as it was sharper and clearer.The Simmons was sold to someone who thought Japnaese mades scopes HAD to be better made than ANYTHING made in China-not so!

And it's not that I don't like Simmons scopes.Their ATV,44mag and newer Whitetail Expedition scopes are GREAT and I much prefer them to the #800116 which I feel is simply inferior optically and the rason why that model was dropped from the line.BTW,the Simmons scopes mentioned (and most of the new Nikons) are made in the PHILIPINES!!!!!!!

So much for country of origin being an indicator of quality in the new mellenium...........

Remember guys,there was a time in the 1960's and 70's when narrow minded folk thought all Japanese made scopes were ASIAN junk.By 1984 the Japanese scopes had run Weaver in El Paso out of business!!!China is the SAME right now.Their products are getting better all the time.

I think comparing a $100 BSA platinum to a $300 Weaver grand slam is a little unfair,like comparing a Chevy car to a Lexus.I also think that ANY high power variable(over 20x) that costs less than 4300 will NOT be very clear and bright past about 16x.Given the laws of optics, unless a scope has a HUGE objective lense(like say a 56mm) it must have absulutely TOP QUALITY lenses to gather light well and produce a sharp image.

I will say this,though.I also own a Japanese made Weaver T-10.With the BSA set at 10X and comparing it to the Weaver ,I will take the BSA.Especially since I can by THREE BSA 6-24 Platinums for what ONE Weaver T-10 costs!!Also, the BSA is still pretty bright and clear at 20- 24x as well and it sure has not hurt the groups I shoot with it!!

One last thing.If a BSA scope fails,they will replace it.Same as with just about any other decent brand of scope.Can't beat a deal like that....

Had a look at one found it pretty ordinary, i suspose for a cheap scope they would do at a pinch, but thats all. My mate has a cats eye model, it is not real bright, but he opted for the cheap optics. myself would save a bit more and get a leupold, you won't look back. my thoughts any-way :cool:
cheers closs ;)

No Shamus,in all honesty, I have never owned a BSA platinum scope. I just don't like the way they look and focus on objects at different distances. That may just be the way my eyes focus now. I'm at that stage between needing reading glasses for reading and close up work, but not yet ready for full time eyeglasses. I just know that the better quality scopes give better customer service and value in the long run. Shop around, and you can find a few good buys on Leupolds. Go with a VX-1 and I bet that is in the ballpark of what your .17HMR rifle cost.Someday should you decide to sell that rifle and replace it with a larger caliber, keep the scope and just put it on the next rifle. It could even be placed on a backup rifle to take on a western states hunting trip sometime. I would not have a lot of faith in some of the lower priced scopes to do that with them. Scopes are a lot like holsters. Spend the extra money the first time and get a good one. That way you won't end up with a drawer full of cheap ones that you don't like or won't use and added all up will cost you as much or more as a better one would have to begin with. I don't have all the answers by any means. You asked for advice and that is all I'm giving is just my personal advice. You have to pick out for yourself what you feel will work the best for you. Good luck with whatever you decide on.

I don't have experience with the bigger BSA scopes, but I got a cheap one... After I bought my Winchester 190 (.22 LR), I went to Walmart to find a scope. I figured after spending $60 + a free sleeve for a rifle, I wouldn't buy a top of the line scope. So, Walmart had one for $6.82 made for a .22. The first time I tried it, I was hitting a piece of plastic on the 50 yd. line. After fixing the rifle, I was hitting clay target fragments on the 50 yd line. I need to sight it in (it was hitting to the right).

The BSA red dot on my 9mm carbine works pretty well. The red dot was just visible after 3 days continuous use when I forgot to turn it off...

i recently bought (2) bsa scopes specificly to see if they were worth owning.

i removed my beloved leupold 6.5-20 off my pet .223 varmint rifle and installed the bsa 8-32 mil dot


after zeroing it (it moved 1/8minute as advertised)
i checked repeatability. it was dead on

regardless of what power i set the scope, point of impact was the same

optics were bright and clear.

i recently shot 60 rnds off the bipod in a steady rain. no fogging or any other problem in real world conditions.

i really like the scope and now have 500+ rnds shot while using it

the 2nd scope is a bsa 4-16 mil-dot

installed it on an identical .223 varmint. (it moved more like 1/2 minute)

repeatability is not 100%
regardless of what power i set the scope, point of impact was the same


optics are clear and bright.

i am sending it back to midway

but will keep the 8-32 as long as it keeps performing as it does now.

don

Just curious if anyone has had any experience with the BSA sweet 17.

We put a BSA Sweet 17 4 X 32mm trajectory compensating scope on our Marlin 917V. This has proven to be a fine walking around scope. I dont think BSA makes this one any more. Everyone wants high power these days.

I have a Sightron 3x9x42 on my Weatherby Vanguard 30.06.I like everything about the scope(and the rifle).

Greetings! I just purchased a .17HMR rifle and I want to get a good quality, reasonably priced scope in the 6-20 or 8-32 power range for varmint hunting here in Eastern Oregon.

I have read conflicting reports on the BSA scopes and was wondering if anyone had experience with the Contender or Platinum series. I am particularly interested in their place of manufacture because that seems to have a pretty big impact on their quality.

Anybody have experience with 'em?

yep, they make a great paper weight. sorry, but you asked.
Find a used Leupold. Send it back for $10 for a check up. It's warranted for life. If you want a new scope, Sighttron & Weaver seem to be popular, but then again your looking at used Leupold price. One other advantage, if you decide to upgrade your scope, you can sell a used Leupold. Very hard to give away used low dollar scopes.

Good luck

Although my experience with BSA optics is limited, I would say that you may have to spend some $ to get a decent scope. I bought a 3-9x40mm Deerhunter scope a couple years ago and I am done with it. It didn't hold a zero well (on a .22), didn't focus well, and fogged easily. The glass was clear and the reticle is fine but I don't think this model would hold up on any decent-sized centerfire rifles very long.

yep, they make a great paper weight. sorry, but you asked.
Find a used Leupold. Send it back for $10 for a check up. It's warranted for life. If you want a new scope, Sighttron & Weaver seem to be popular, but then again your looking at used Leupold price. One other advantage, if you decide to upgrade your scope, you can sell a used Leupold. Very hard to give away used low dollar scopes.

Good luck
if you have a problem with a sightron you just take it to any dealer in the area and exchange it for a new one. that's a pretty good warantee in my book. if i was looking to buy an inexpensive scope these days i would take my chances with a Mueller over the bsa, pineridge tactical(cabelas) or nc star and such. it seems they are all 50/50 at best on getting a good one. simmons however may have fianaly fixed their quality control issue with their new line (master series) as fewer and fewer bad reports come out on them anymore.hopefully soon (a couple years i'm sure) china will get their act together and make both affordable and functional scopes. but as long as we the consumer will buy garbage, they will continue to make it.

I see lots of negitive posts on BSA scopes, but I have never had an issue w/ one. I put a Contender on my .308 HB years ago and just changed it out for a Sightron S2 this past year. The BSA never wandered, glass was pretty good and was very accurate on that rifle. I'm holding on to it for my oldest son. I also have a 3x9 32mm .22 Special mounted on a Model 60. Great little scope. I bore sighted it and never had to adjust it further. Jim