Pentax Gameseeker 4-12X40

[coyotejoe]

This spring I treated myself to a new CZ-452 rifle in .17HMR and got a Simmons .22mag scope in 3-9X32 size. The rifle has turned out to be a tack driver and I thought it deserved a better scope. I've never spent much money on scopes, the most expensive I own is a Nikon ProStaff 2-7X32 on my .358 Winchester, my 6.5X55 gets along with a Bushnell Sportview 3-9X40. So I like cheap scopes and have always gotten along fine with them, can't say a cheap scope has ever cost me a hunt or a shot at game.
So when I saw Sportsman's Guide had the Pentax 4-12X40 scope on sale for $69.95 I thought that would be a good step up from the Simmons .22mag scope I had bought for $39.95. Not so!
The first thing I noticed in trying to mount it for proper eye relief was that it was extremely critical in that regard. There just seemed to be no margin for error, no latitude at all, if the eye was not placed exactly right I got less than full field of view. I think that is what some people call the "eye box" that area in which one can move the head and still get a full field of view, this scope had a very small eye box, really to the point of being annoying.
 But the deal breaker came when sighting in, the click adjustments were not at all distinct by sound nor by feel, but that didn't so much matter because they seemed to have no definite repeatable value anyway.
 The photo shows five groups fired in normal sequence from left to right and top to bottom. The first group, at upper left,  was about 2" low and left so I came up 8 clicks and right 8 clicks.
 The next group, upper right, was high and right, over corrected, so I thought OK, so the 1/4 minute clicks are really 1/2 minute so I went back down 4 clicks and left 4 clicks.
 Next group, left center, was about on for elevation but it seemed like the windage hadn't changed at all, still to the right, so I gave it 2 more clicks left and tried again.
 That moved the group somewhat left, maybe 1/2" or about what two clicks should do so I gave it two more clicks left and fired the final five on the bottom left bull. As you see, those last two clicks caused the point of impact to jump low and left, nearly back to where I had started.
 That's all she wrote, the Pentax is back to Sportsman's Guide and the cheap Simmons which worked fine is back on the rifle and still working fine. It's click adjustments are also hard to feel or hear, you pretty much just have to look at the arrow and the tick marks around the dial but it does adjust properly as close as I can read it and doesn't take a box of ammo to sight in.

[Brithunter]

Never have seen one or handled one but I'll wager it's made in China and sad but true that's about how they are. No matter how good or bad it's gets shoved in the box and shipped ............................................. or that's the way it seems to me. I had two Simmons Master Series Aetecs both had similar problems and both were new and of Chinese production. The optics were fine the quality of the manufacturing was crap.


I am afraid now cheap scopes are very much a gamble, much more than they ever had been, as a result of this I look for decent used scopes from quality manufacturers. Of course they cost more but then almost everything costs more here in the UK than anywhere else in the world.

[coyotejoe]

Yes, of course, made in China, but so is the Simmons .22Mag scope which cost half as much and works twice as well. But you're probably right, it is a crap shoot and has nothing to do with brand names, I just happened to get a good Simmons and a poor Pentax, luck of the draw.

[Brithunter]

   You will likely find they were made in the same factory.


I have just had enough of the shoddy stuff so am trying to stick with better quality scopes from now on.

[ratdog]

i like cheap scopes have seven simmons no problem one busnell 3 barska's  only had trouble with one barska fixed it 22 dollar 3-9 i looked at a leopold of friends at the range last week to much paralax. my 22 dollar made his look sick the other i had wasn't that cheap a busnell that failed after 40 shots took it back to Cabelas they exchanged still don't trust that scope. i had to laugh if you seen it back the factory it will cost more than you paid for it. i have had good luck with low end scopes.  took one apart to see how it was made i don't  see how thy can make those cross hairs with a circle in it amazing the way those things are made.