I recently read a thread by Jack M. that stated that Simmons AETEC scopes had superior eye relief to most scopes with a few notable exceptions. Upon further research of the scope specifications on Simmon's website, it appears that their scopes of that model have very generous eye relief. I am no fan of Simmons optics, being that I've owned a few in the PAST. My question relates to what Simmons have been up to lately. Do any of you have any personal experience with the new Simmons AETEC scopes? I'm not so much concerned what level of brightness that they have in comparison to the actual quality level of the scope being able to hold up to the recoil of a magnum and above level rifle. I've been convinced that it's a waste to carry a big variable on a hunting rifle lately, call it my gullible following of gun writers who's writing makes actual sense. My interest is in using these "cheap" scopes to do load development before switching them out for some "real" glass. Do the adjustments work reliably? Are they durable? I ask because I really don't believe the adveritising hype, especially from Simmons, otherwide I'd have a VX-3 4.5-14x50 as a minimum on anything I hunt with. I've had a few Simmons products in the past that where pure shyte, so I ask how far they have come? I'm not interested in arguments that relate to as if they should be used as the primary hunting scope, as I have no interest in using them for such.

Brother bought one of the rifled Browning A-bolt 12ga. slug guns. First scope we tried was a nice little 4X Leupold. Recoil from the bench (brother runs about 145 pounds) would have the gun lift enough that the scope touched his fore head on occasion (no blood) and would flip his hat off at each shot. Wrapping the sling arround his left arm cured that, but he wanted a scope with more eye relief.

A 2.5-10X isn't exactly a typical 12ga. scope, but the AETEC has the eye relief to keep the scope from his face(or hat). He doesn't shoot the gun all that much, but that scope has been on top for quite a few years and hasn't given any trouble.

----------
Am a bit bigger than my brother, and shoot more often, but that first little 4X would still come back and take the hat off my head unlless I pulled down hard with my left hand...something you can do at the bench, but not in a hurried shot standing.

Ribbonstone,
thanks for the info. I can't imagine too many things that recoil more severly than a shotgun with slugs, although I have one rifle that would give it a run.

Ive had good luck with simmons;
while I prefer Nikons or Leupold, I think that simmons will fit the bill for what you are looking for. But dont get the real cheap ones; stick to aetecs or those 44 mags. The 6.5x20x44 was a perfect match for my 22-250. I have a simmons pro-50 on my 223, and an older 2.5x10x44 on my 10/22.
MidwayUSA has the 6.5-20x44 on sale often.
my .02.
olyeller

Steven -

I've got several of the Atec's - one was recently returned to Simmons in Ga. for repair. The erector lens and spring broke in it, according to their repair slip. Replaced it with a new one and I'm using it now. The scope failed while on a customized 1917 Eddystone 30-06. A heavy rifle that should have soaked up a little more of the moderate recoil of a 30-06 than most.

Another Atec is mounted on a customized Swede mauser in 6.5x.257Robt's AI chambering, replacing a Nikon Monarch that recently failed to hold vertical settings and is being shipped back to Nikon. This scope has been on several other rifles and has done yoman duty - just got replaced with some nice Leupold VXII's, is all.

One more is mounted on a Romanian .22 LR training rifle - don't expect it to have a failure there! This one also was replaced on a centerfire rifle (Ruger M77 in 7mm Dakota) due to acquisition of another Leupold VXII.

With the exception of the one failure the others have performed very satisfactorily. Guess you could have these same averages with other quality scopes - the Nikon Monarch being an example. I'd say to go for it - Simmons will always repair/replace for the $10 S&H charge, if anything goes wrong with it.

Thanks for the input on this, I think I'll try one and see how it works out. I like the idea of using it for serious load development work on hard recoiling hunting rifles before the low powered hunting scope goes on top. The generous eye relief on the 2.5x10, claimed at 5", is the big factor here. Nothing will cause a flinch faster than an eyepiece to the eye brow. A few years ago I mangled a set of $120 sunglasses using this method, luckily they had the "bulletproof" lenses and a liberal warranty replacement program.

Kdub,
it sounds like you have a lot of custom or wildcat rifles, which one do you take deer hunting?

Awww, kciH -

Ya got me there! I'm heading out in a week for mule deer over in NM and have 4 rifles right now that I'm playing "Eenie, Meenie, Minny, Moe" with!
Actually, there's only 3 wildcats in the safe - the 6.5x.257AI on a Swede '41 Husquavara action, a 6.5-06 on a Brazilian 1908 action and a 7mm Dakota on a Ruger 77 action. Used to have a .257 Robt's AI, a 7x57mm AI, 25-225 AI, 6.5mm Bullberry AI and a 7x30 Waters (before being commercialized).

For this year's hunt, I'll pick a couple to make the trip this Thursday's session at the range. It will be between the 6.5x55 Swede, 6.5x.257AI, '17 Eddystone 30-06 or the standard Ruger M77 in 7mm Rem Mag. I can usually make snap decisions on anything - except which rifle to take hunting!! :D

I have a simmons 4x32 ProDiamond shotgun scope in my Marlin 444P. It works like a dream. I wanted the 2.5 power, but I couldn't find one at as good a price as Midway USA had on the 4 power, so I bought it. I'm happy. It's compact, has the optics coating and 5 1/2" of eye relief. Plus it has a lifetime warranty and a guarrantee to handle 3 1/2" magun blasts from a shotgun!

Zac

A friend of mine, not wanting to spend a lot of money on his 7mm Rem mag bought a Tasco World Class. I mounted it and said nothing much at the time except that it was the top of the line Tasco (at that time, it was). A year later and several problems later he still did not want to spend a lot of money and got a Simmons AETEC. Again, I pretty much said the same thing. I hate bashing someone's product after they have already bought it. Two years later, he finally decided for his big game rifle, he wanted something that was not always shifting zero. The then bought a Leupold. That was about 3 or 4 years ago and he has not had any more trouble. To be honest, I thought maybe his troubles were him rather than the scope as I have two simmons on .22s and love them. I guess I was wrong about it being him though, or he is not telling me about any more problems.
My opinion is if you are scoping a rifle that you want to be as close to 100% sure nothing is going to go south at the worst possible time, then go with a Leupold. I have dozens of them on everything from .22-250 to .458 Win and even the .50 BMG and on handguns from .22 to .50 AK and have never had a problem with any of them. What you save by buying a cheaper scope may cost you big time in the long run. JMO

A friend of mine, not wanting to spend a lot of money on his 7mm Rem mag bought a Tasco World Class. I mounted it and said nothing much at the time except that it was the top of the line Tasco (at that time, it was). A year later and several problems later he still did not want to spend a lot of money and got a Simmons AETEC. Again, I pretty much said the same thing. I hate bashing someone's product after they have already bought it. Two years later, he finally decided for his big game rifle, he wanted something that was not always shifting zero. The then bought a Leupold. That was about 3 or 4 years ago and he has not had any more trouble. To be honest, I thought maybe his troubles were him rather than the scope as I have two simmons on .22s and love them. I guess I was wrong about it being him though, or he is not telling me about any more problems.
My opinion is if you are scoping a rifle that you want to be as close to 100% sure nothing is going to go south at the worst possible time, then go with a Leupold. I have dozens of them on everything from .22-250 to .458 Win and even the .50 BMG and on handguns from .22 to .50 AK and have never had a problem with any of them. What you save by buying a cheaper scope may cost you big time in the long run. JMO

After many years of expierience and going down the road of the simmons, tasco etc. this is such a good deal maybe it will work out this time I can honestly say it doesn't. When it comes to optics you get what you pay for!!! I have several simmons, tascos, bushnells sitting in a box in the garage somewhere. Most all of my rifles now sport leupolds, I have recently purchased a couple of sightrons so far they seem to be working out well.

I don't doubt that Simmons are not Leupolds. I'm just looking for an opinion as to the suitabilty of using a 2.5-10 Simmons AETEC for load development on rifles that will later wear lower powered, light weight, hunting scopes that will be top shelf items. I've got lots of Leupold scopes on hunting rifles and pistols, I just don't see the wisdom in laying out $4-500 for a scope that will be used in dry conditions, at the range, and in perfectly good daylight, and never see the hunting field.

P.S. Leupold scopes, even the vaunted VX-3, are not infallable, I've got one that's been to the factory TWICE for the same problem twice, as opposed to it being returned without proper repair.

The Simmons, not AETEC, that I own have never given me bit a trouble, so from personal experience I'd say go for it. But, I have never had them on a bigger than .22 LR. I take that back, I forgot I have a Whitetail Classic 2-7 on an 7.62x39 VEPR II. I've not had a minutes trouble out of it either. My friend's rifle drifted zero on his 7mm Rem. Mag and he is the only person I know first hand who has the AETEC. Now, he claims that it shifted zero every time he would take it out. So for range load work up, a shifting zero over several weeks is not a big deal IF IT HAPPENED TO YOU AT ALL. You have to admit, 5" plus of eye relief is a very good thing. I know that before I would buy a new scope just for range work, working up loads, I would swipe one off of one of my other rifles. I did just that last week working up a load on the .458 SOCOM. That's the cheapest route yet. If you are wanting a scope that will be available all the time for load work up and range work, as I understand you to want, then from personal experience with Simmons I'd say go for it. Even with my friends problem of shifting zero it would not be problem for you since you are not leaving the scope on the rifle.

I've got an ATEC on my old Remington 700 in 8 MM magnum. I just love it. lots of eye relief, great field of view, has about 400 rounds of 220 grain bullets at 3030 fps on my chrono from a 24 inch bbl. Seems to be holding up real well. Leapold just priced themselvs out of my ability to buy them.

I mounted an AETEC on our old Remington pump gun in .243 caliber. This rifle has been toppling 'lopes and mulies for my family since the late 1960's.

This is the best scope for long range shots I've ever owned. Brightness is one of its top features. In contrast, a favorite 2X-7X Leupold is less bright and has no advantage in clarity.

Simmons made some big changes after being bought by Meade Instruments of astronomy optic fame. I like this AETEC scope a lot and so will you.
TR

Your request for personal feedback and experience is what makes this forum a great place to be...Everyone shoots straight no matter what.
I have about 30 years experience with Simmons Optics. Since Meade took over and introduced some serious quality control measures in the manufacturing process I can honestly say go for it.
I bought two Simmons Whitetail Expeditions with the AE technology in 4.5x12x42 with Adjustable Objective. I compared both scopes to a Leupold Rifleman 3x9x40. Weapons ranged from .223 to 30-30 to .270 to 30-06. When it was all said and done I had to return the bottom of the line Leupold because it was defective...I know, hard to believe but true. The tube was actually warped, the power ring was a pain to move in either direction, the diopter focus was also requiring 19" biceps to move. The optical clarity on the Leupold was inferior to the Simmons Expedition with AE.
The top of the line Simmons really impressed my son and I in every category. Superior optical clarity, ease of focus on the AO, ease of diopter adjustment, very easy to go from low power to high power with NO parallax, and VERY wide angle of view with no edge distortion. Low light clarity was superb.
Retail was $179.99 on both the Leupold and the Simmons and I paid $114.95 at MidwayUSA (no longer on sale).
This scope was made in the Phillipines and overall I give it a 9.9. I would advise against the bottom of the product line.
Good Luck in your decision.
JP

I love those "cheap" World Class Tascos but then mostly shoot .224's and .243 cal. Had a 1.75x5 variable on a .444 Marlin with at least two hundred rounds through it without a problem. The rifle's long gone-- the 20 yr old Tasco, although pretty beat up externally, is this going strong.
The only scope I've actually had a problem with just happened to be a Simmons--a Mag 44 4x on a 10/22. A mod amount of the bottom half of the reticle broke away, maybe pealed is a better word, decreasing it's diameter.
I guess my experience with Tasco and even the Simmons isn't pertinent to this thread, but heck, you know what they say about one man's junk------.

I have put one on my newly purchased Savage 22-250. It is an Aetec 2.8-10x44 and I have had no problem with it at all. It has only been about a month so it is not a big test by size of caliber or time but all in all I am happy with it so far. It is clear, good eye relief, good light pickup, nice wide angle of view. I have used Leopold on all my other guns, but in order to get a Leopold in the same power I would have had to put out big $$.And I wasn't doing that to kill coyotes, so I tried the Aetec!!!

I just sold a Winchester M70 Classic (unfired) SS 7mm Mag. rifle to a friend and he bought a new classic Simmons scope that I helped mount. It looks like a quality scope. It's a 3x9. Anyways, Simmons has come a long way in quality lately, or so I hear. I will let you know what Billy thinks once he shots er in.
For me, I like Leupold and Bausch & Lamb.
I also like the older Redfield Golden 5 stars for my .223 type rifles. I have one that is a tack driver. With a lightweight barrel.
Remember, you get what you pay for. Tasco is utter junk. They used to make a decent scope back in the eighties but went downhill.
Burris and Nikon are fairly decent from what I have gathered but I do not own any. I always wanted to try the Scout scope.

i've not broken a simmons, but i've never used one that will accually zero like it's supposed to. if i try to move the POI 2" to the left, it usually winds up 4" high and to the right, or somewhere else. never where it's supposed to go. the only way i could ever zero one is to shoot a group, make the adjustment, then leave the gun/scope in the gunrack in my truck for a week. then shoot another group. i think the shaking in the truck may settle the crosshairs, i'm not sure.

monty

I was given a savage package gun in 308 with a simmons 8pt as a wedding present. That scope would smack me in the eye if i didnt completely concentrate oin holding it tight. I switched that with a simmons aetec and it works great. I leave it on 2.8 for hunting and crank it up to 10x for benchwork. I was curious about the WTE, but decided on the aetec due to the eye relief. Now the gun has a boyds ross thumbhole stock and that tames the recoil like nobody's business. From my use, id say the aetec is a quality scope.

Hve one that's been on a Browning A-Bolt rifled 12ga. for the last 10years without giving any trouble. Good scope, nice flat field of fiew to the edges...the 2.5-8X, but it may as well be locked on 2.5X.

Same reasoning...needed the eye relief...scope wouldn't hit my head, but got tired of it hitting the bill of my hat and tossing it off my head.

I recently read a thread by Jack M. that stated that Simmons AETEC scopes had superior eye relief to most scopes with a few notable exceptions. Upon further research of the scope specifications on Simmon's website, it appears that their scopes of that model have very generous eye relief. I am no fan of Simmons optics, being that I've owned a few in the PAST. My question relates to what Simmons have been up to lately. Do any of you have any personal experience with the new Simmons AETEC scopes? I'm not so much concerned what level of brightness that they have in comparison to the actual quality level of the scope being able to hold up to the recoil of a magnum and above level rifle. I've been convinced that it's a waste to carry a big variable on a hunting rifle lately, call it my gullible following of gun writers who's writing makes actual sense. My interest is in using these "cheap" scopes to do load development before switching them out for some "real" glass. Do the adjustments work reliably? Are they durable? I ask because I really don't believe the adveritising hype, especially from Simmons, otherwide I'd have a VX-3 4.5-14x50 as a minimum on anything I hunt with. I've had a few Simmons products in the past that where pure shyte, so I ask how far they have come? I'm not interested in arguments that relate to as if they should be used as the primary hunting scope, as I have no interest in using them for such.

kciH,

I have an AETEC 2.8-10x44 mounted on an Interarms Mark X 7mm Rem. Mag. that I use as a "beanfield" rifle. It has performed flawlessly and has lived up to Simmons' claims of brightness, clarity and eye relief. I agree with you in that it is a lot of glass for a hunting rifle.

Smith & Wesson are marketing a new line of scopes. Yesterday I ordered the 1.5-6x38 Shotgun Scope from CDNN. As usual, they had the best price. $129.99 + $9.99 S&H. S&W's price is $299.99 and other suppliers are getting $230-235. I don't know anything about the scope and if you are interested I'll post a report after I have time to mount it on a Mossberg 695 12 ga. 3" mag. with a fully rifled barrel.

The advertised eye relief is 5.5". For more information go to smith-wesson.com or cdnninvestments.com

Nitro

As I look back on my 7 Feb 04 reply I simply just wish....
My son and I, for those who have not read the story in SE Hunting, had an unfortunate experience with our brand new Simmons Whitetail Expedition AETECH scopes on Feb 28/29.

The outfitter in Pachuta, MS, that we hunted at did not have any gun racks in his trucks. We had to lay our weapons down with the butts under the drivers seat and the barrels on the left rear seat cushion. Pretty rough roads and lots of driving found us in a stand looking at a 250lb boar on the last evening.

My son and I put about 6 pieces of lead into that animal and ended up dropping him 4 times. The boar crawled off into the swamp and we never saw him again. The guides tracked him and lost the blood trail and would not use dogs. No hog meat for the hootch.

On the way home I stopped by the range and checked zero on both weapons. Both rifles were hitting high and right. My Weatherby was 9" high and 2" right. Michael's NEF was 7" high and 2" right. Our zeroes had gotten knocked out during transport.

I had asked the outfitter to allow us to double check our zeroes before the Saturday afternoon hunt and he said No. He had just put another father/son bow hunting team out on the other side of the sight in range.

I am going to attempt to return both scopes for either repair or replacement. I am leaning towards replacement right now since I can never allow this to happen again. I'll have to talk to MidwayUSA about it.

Several of the guys I know have told me that the Simmons scopes simply do not hold up well to getting bumped around.

That my friends is simply unacceptable. I had lousy luck with my first Leupold so I will probably lean toward the Zeiss Conquest.

Good Luck,

JP

One Shot, One Kill...unless your Simmons AETECH got knocked out of zero...

One thing to look for in any scope is where they are made. Most scope manufacturers outsource their production to China or Taiwan and the quality is pretty poor. The scopes made in the Phillipines are pretty good from what I've read and from experience. The ones produced in Japan are even better.

The 44Mag and Aetec lines are both made in the Phillipines I believe. They are superior to their Simmons cousins made elsewhere.

The best deal on a really good scope for the money right now is the Simmons ATV 4.5-14x40 at Natchez. This scope was sold for $180 at the various 'marts and is made in the Phillipines. Natchez is selling them for $79 each. I can tell you from experience that they are brighter and clearer than their $200-$300 Leupold Nikon competition and mine has help up well on my 7 Mag in the field.

SJPI - man that really stinks! There's a reason that guys site-in again after transit (even with high end scopes) and your guides should have known that. Alot of of things can shift on a rifle that's getting knocked around and move the POI on ya and they should have known that. Argh!

I posted the #15 reply in this thread recommending the Simmons lineup. This reply will tell you why I can ONLY recommed the scopes for pleasure shooting.

Last month I posted a product review on the MidwayUSA website applauding the two Simmons Whitetail Expedition 4x12x42 AO rifle scopes I had bought. I had mounted both scopes on my Weatherby 30-06 and my son's H&R .223. The scopes performed, in ALL categories normally evaluated, flawlessly. I had not yet hunted the scopes.

The FINAL and TRUE evaluation of any riflescope, in my humble opinion, is in the field and a real world hunting environment. If a hunter cannot depend on his scope to maintain its integrity and boresight then he has nothing more than aluminum and glass decor atop his weapon. The exception to this philosophy is for those of you who ONLY shoot for pleasure at the range or out in the back 40.

For those of you who have read the story on my Pachuta, MS, Hog Hunt (SE Hunting this forum), you know the problems Michael and I had. We hit that hog about 6 times, missed him twice, and knocked him down 4 times. The hog was never found after an evening and morning of tracking without dogs (the outfitters choice...not ours).

Both of our rifles had been knocked high and right by 9" and 2" respectively on our boresights by the rough roads while traveling from the lodge to the stands. EVERY man on this forum and on my email buddy list confirmed that our scopes SHOULD have maintained boresight integrity. Now for the salt on the wounds...

I called the Simmons Warranty Department and spoke to a senior RifleScope Technician, Chuck. After hearing the hunting story Chuck told me that ALL of the Simmons RifleScopes incorporate weak springs to maintain reticle position. Chuck further stated that ALL Simmons scopes are not good travelers in the hunting environment. Chuck further recommended that I BUY the Weaver Grand Slam riflescope IF I intended to hunt with my scopes versus drive back and forth to the range for my shooting neeeds.

Since Meade Optical owns both the Simmons and the Weaver lineup there is a possibility that I will be able to use both scopes in a trade in credit scenario with Simmons. The reason I state that is simple.

I found out yesterday from the good people at MidwayUSA in Missouri that I was NOT allowed to send the scopes back to them and get my money back. MidwayUSA specifically states on the back of its invoice that once a rifle scope is MOUNTED they will no longer accept it back for ANY reason.

WE the consumers are now put in the position of having to deal with the problem in an awkward manner. Since the problem I have is not really a defective product, insomuch as a design weakness to save money on the production line, I am left with a few choices.

1. I hereby resolve to never again buy any optics from MidwayUSA again. I presented the scenario to Wal-Mart and they stated that they would either refund 100% of my money or give me credit towards another model. Go figure... The third scope I bought for my daughter's first deer rifle was unopened, pending a certain birthday, and sent back to MidwayUSA minus the $20 for shipping both ways. MidwayUSA felt bad about my experience and offered to forego the restocking fee for the unopened scope, minus the $20 shipping both ways.

2. I can send both scopes back to Simmons and TRY to swap them for a pair of Weaver Grand Slams, made in Japan with stronger springs vs. the Expeditions made in the Phillipines with weaker springs.

3. Keep the scopes mounted and boresighted like they are right now. I will then carry my boresight collimator to wherever I hunt. Having noted the exact position of both weapons right after sighting in at the range I will check the boresight of both weapons AFTER transport and AFTER getting comfortable in the stand. Michael can hold the flashlight.

4. Put both scopes on the driveway during the annual neighborhood garage sale next month and see if I can sell them.

Hopefully this knowledge will allow some of you to make a better choice when it comes to what brand of optics you buy and WHERE you buy them from. It stinks knowing that my son and I lost our first boar because Simmons uses weak springs to 'Save money on the production line.' It further stinks knowing that the store you bought the product from won't touch it AFTER you have mounted the scope.

I have had real good service from MidwayUSA on my reloading and shooting supplies otherwise.

One Shot, One Kill, Unless you're shooting a Simmons Whitetail Expedition that's been transported in a 4x4 on rough Pachuta, Mississippi roads.

JP

Not trying to ignite a controversy, but I have to say if I were in MidwayUSA's shoes I'd seriously consider the same policy. So much can adversely affect a scope during and after mounting that has no bearing on the product as-sold. They don't know if you took the scopes out once to the range or tried to torture test them to failure.

From the way it was described, the outfitter should be blamed at least as much as MidwayUSA. A lack of secure rifle racks in his vehicles equals a lack of professionalism in my book. I'm certain you paid very good money for this hunt and not having such basic equipment is inexcusable.

Not trying to ignite a controversy, but I have to say if I were in MidwayUSA's shoes I'd seriously consider the same policy. So much can adversely affect a scope during and after mounting that has no bearing on the product as-sold. They don't know if you took the scopes out once to the range or tried to torture test them to failure.

From the way it was described, the outfitter should be blamed at least as much as MidwayUSA. A lack of secure rifle racks in his vehicles equals a lack of professionalism in my book. I'm certain you paid very good money for this hunt and not having such basic equipment is inexcusable.

Thanks Bill,

All's well that ends well. Simmons confirmed that both scopes had weak reticles that could not handle recoil or bouncing around in ATVs or Trucks. They traded both $114.50 each scopes for two Weaver Grand Slam 4.5x14x40 AO scopes (retail $379.00 each) I have both Weavers mounted on mine and my son's 30-06s and so far so good.

Unbelievable customer service and yet believable considering what Michael and I went through on our hog hunt. We're sighted in and ready for the 2004-05 season.

Thanks for the reply and Good Luck this Season,

One Shot One Kill,

JP

Glad to hear they made good for you.

As an aside, a dealer of long acquaintance and repute has told me that while he's not terribly fond of Simmons scopes overall, he's had no returns on their Pro Diamond shotgun optics. Apparently he sells quite a few and hasn't had a single complaint.

I have two of the Weaver Grand Slams, and I'd gladly buy a few AETEC scopes if an even trade where possible. :) It's interesting to hear about different experiences people have with differenct products. I did buy a AETEC, but it's relegated to range work on a .35 Whelen AI. When I head for the woods...the Leupold QR mounts make it an easy swap for the scope I liike to use to hunt with...lower power and a brand I've had great luck with.

In '99 I bought a atec 2.8-10x44, mounted it on my then new 300wby mag. No complaints there, very bright scope. My favorite hunting spot looking into the setting sun in the evening, and I dont get any glare there. The adjustments are correct, 1\4 minute click move impact 1\4" @100' As for strength, no complaints there. Now its on my 243win. that I use for deer, woodchucks, and with a mag light atop, night hunting coyotes. All in all a great scope, I'd buy it again in a heart beat.

I have a Simmons Whitetail Classic 3.5-10x40 that has been on my -06 since 2001. Made in the Phillipines, it has bounced around in the boat going to and from Whittier AK out to the islands and I have always been pleased with its performance.

It never fogged, shifted zero, always repeated, was as clear and bright as my Leupolds, Burris and Nikons,and it travelled in a GunBoot3 in some pretty tough weather at times just to go and be out in the rain and salt spray. I guess you could say I am happy with it. In this respect, I say, go ahead and buy Simmons.

But, do not buy their cheaper stuff. I also had an 8 Point 3-9x40. That was on my 243. It has been replaced by a Burris. The 8 Point was nice and clear and bright, but focusing it was a pain in the butt and the edges were fuzzy. It is on indeterminate loan to a friend now. I gave him a spare Vari X 2 2-7x33 to replace it with last year. Maybe I'll get the 8 Point back from him and it will go into a garage sale.

I have an Aetec and have had no problems with it on a .30-06. But for $177, you just cannot beat the Burris Fullfield II 3x9 at Midway. These scopes are made in the US, hold up as well as Leapold's, and have good eye relief and optic qualities. Buy the Burris and don't look back.