James B

Swift scopes have worked well for me. Aetecs are top notch scopes. I have had good success with Bushnell Tropy and Banner scopes as well.

kraw

I have had 2 Swifts and both are excellent scopes. Both under 150

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James B

I am still in my penny pinching days. I can see no reason to pay 400 dollars for something a 100-150 dollar product will do just as well

handloader1

I killed a Mule Deer Sunday with a (borrowed) T/C Encore 50 x 209 Magnum muzzleloader, anda Simmons Aetec 2.8-10x44 at 6:45 PM, and I had no problem finding the deer through the scope. Good luck.

N.Franklin

I use a fixed 10x bushnell 3200 with mil dots, cheap enough for me. Its my scope to use on new guns until I can afford better scopes, currently saving for a IOR 10x42 or 10x56, gonna cost me about $700 when Im done.

Paul L Mohr

I'm a bushnell trophy fan as well if you are on a budget. However when you dip into the 150-200 dollar range there are a lot of great scopes. I have had pretty good luck with the BSA catseye scopes as well if you can get a deal on one. Thier cheaper scopes are not that hot though. They function ok for me, just the optics are not that great.

Simmons makes really nice scopes in that range as well, Like the 44mags and aetecs. Or a whitetail expedition if you can find one.

Also the cabela's brand scopes are pretty good for the money. I have a 400 dollar Alaskan guide model that is excellent for that price. Compares with some scopes I looked at for a few hundred more.

All of the swifts I have seen were not that impressive, but they were the cheaper ones. I think they have two different grades and price ranges. I was looking at varmint scopes as well, not your standard 3-9 hunting scope.

I personally have a bushnell trophy on my H&R slug gun that cost $99 at a local small gun shop. My buddies liked it well enough two of them went and got the same scope. Not the best in the world for sure, but pretty decent for the money. Especially in a lower power like the 1.75-4x32 that I got. When you get into the higher power adjustable objective scopes more money really seems to pay off and the difference can be seen.

Keep in mind we all make around 25-30 grand a year, if not less in some cases depending on how much we get laid off. So we have to be frugal with our money. I would love to have a leupold on every gun I have, but it's just not happening on my budget.

Paul

KYFRED

I am not sure how much"cheap" is. For$100 - $150. you can get an Aetec. I think these are some of the best scopes for teh money. Sometimes Natchez Shooters Supply has some refurbished scopes for a little under $100. I would also look at the Sightron SI. They may not hold up to larger magnum loads, but I haveone on my 17 and it is great. The Sightron SII can be had for about $200from a local gun shop and heships for $10. This is the best scope I have seen for under $300. I have it on a few guns, including a CZ .458. It has held up very well. TH Nikons seem to be good as well.

Much over $200 and I do not consider them cheap.

quiksilver

I have one swift scope - an 8-32 AO Varmint Scope on my 22-250 ($169). It is awesome - super clear.

My varmint rig was actually stolen and subsequently recoveredan hour later about a month ago. . . long story. Well, the long of the short was that something happened that knocked my scope off by about 18" at 100 yds. I'd guess that the thief dropped it, or it was bumped during the apprehension of this slimeball.

The gun has been fingerprinted, and is currently in my house, covered in graphite dust. Anyway, I haven't had time to send her to a gunsmith to have the scope remounted yet, b/c it's knocked so far off, that there isn't enough adjustment to bring it back to zero.

Before that, however, that scope performed perfectly. The most accurate gun I've ever fired. I just hope my scope isn't ruined.

deerfollower

If you want a great hunting scope at a great price, take a look at the Mueller scopes. Very nice optics in them for the price. These guys have them for the best price and they are offering free shipping on them.

http://theopticzone.com/detail.aspx?ID=2311