Barska Scopes ?

[Country Boy]

What can you tell me about them ? I found one on optics planet that seems to have the features I want on my.358 win. bear rifle. a 1.5x6 x44 with lighted crosshair. it's only 70.00 at optics planet. So I don"t expect much at that price. I've also saw a Millet  that was very similar but higher priced. I need something rugged and clear in low light conditions . Shot the wrong bear a few years back with my luppy 2x7 and # 4 crosshair. Don"t want that happening again. Ay other suggestion would be apprec iated.

[quickdtoo]

I bought one of their airgun rated scopes I was gonna put on an airgun, did the freeze it, then immerse in warm water test just to see how well they're built, it bubbled like a SCUBA diver from the ocular lens seal then promptly fogged up. I wouldn't call it rugged in any sense of the word.

Tim

[KRP]

The only Barska I ever have or will deal with died on top of a 10/22(wasn't mine).  Rugged, clear and $70 don't go together.  How did the Leupold cause you to shoot the wrong bear?

[Country Boy]

 Krp, there were 19 bears at the bait moving around and changing places, it was dark 30 they were many colors and the bear I wanted was a dark cholocate He was moving around a lot,lost track of him then what looked like  a big bear showed up and I thought it was him, I shot, wrong bear ! A 300 lb black. The one I wanted was a little bigger.

[yooper77]

Sounds like you had a great hunt with a excellent harvested bear, congrats.

The Leupold wasn't at fault for you shooting the wrong bear.

I have many Leupolds and they all have excellent light gathering abilities.

I also have some Weaver scopes that are very inexpensive, but very clear and hold zeros.

You get what you pay for in optics, and if any of my Weavers fail, I will replace them with Leupolds.

yooper77

[BBF]

Barska= Chinese Dung IMO
Bad enought that anything I need to buy in Wal-Mart etc comes from China,but nothing made there will be on my firearms if I can help it.

[torpedoman]

I bought one of their airgun rated scopes I was gonna put on an airgun, did the freeze it, then immerse in warm water test just to see how well they're built, it bubbled like a SCUBA diver from the ocular lens seal then promptly fogged up. I wouldn't call it rugged in any sense of the word.

Tim

try your test on a leupold or zeiss and let us know how it works out?

[kyelkhunter3006]

Barksa is the chinese word for JUNK.     Honestly, in that magnification range, you aren't going to find much for under $125-$150.

If you're looking for something in that magnification range, I'd look at the Bushnell Trophy 1.5-5x32 Gloss, it would look good on your BLR.  I might be discontinued now though, but look on ebay.  They also have a 1.75-4x32 with a Circle X reticle that's matte finished.  T/C has a private label scope that's 1.5-5x32 that's gotten good reviews on Midway USA.  Simmons used to offer a 1.5-6x32 in the Whitetail Expedition line, they are hard to find, but they are worth it if you can find one.  Pentax has a couple of scopes, the Gameseeker in 1.5-6x40 , and the Whitetails Unlimited 2-5x20.  There are tons of good scope in the 2-7x32 range worth looking at as well.

Torpedoman, if you feel like donating a Leupold or Ziess scope for the tests, I'll be happy to conduct them! 

I'll go on record and say that the only scope I ever had that lost the nitrogen charge in the tube was a Vari X II 2-7x33, and the only scope that I ever had that the x-hair broke was another one just like it.  Even though Leupold repaired them for free, I lost some confidence in them after that.

I'll also say that I've done tests on several Bushnell, Simmons, Nikon, Weaver, and Burris scopes, from cheapies to higher $$ ones, and none of them have ever failed it.  Even the ones made in China. 

I've never had any problems with any of these brands, other than a Bushnell Trophy that I juggled from gun to gun so many times that I wore out the click adjustments on the dials.  But it still held zero, until I dropped it out of a tree stand one time and broke the objective lense.     That scope was so worn out and beat up, I would have felt bad about sending it in for warranty work.  I thought, well, I got my $69 out of it.  I'll just buy another one.

[Brithunter]

I bought one of their airgun rated scopes I was gonna put on an airgun, did the freeze it, then immerse in warm water test just to see how well they're built, it bubbled like a SCUBA diver from the ocular lens seal then promptly fogged up. I wouldn't call it rugged in any sense of the word.

Tim

try your test on a leupold or zeiss and let us know how it works out?

Hmmm I wonder if you have ever owned or even used a Zeiss scope?

Yes they are expensive but to rate the Leupold with them is a mistake the Zeiss is much better IMHO and yes I do have both  the leupolds are a 2.5-8 Vari X 111 and an M8 4x compact. The Zeiss are a 4x32 rail mounted and a Zeiss Jena made for the Brno ZKK 601 both of these out perfome the Leupolds especially at dawn and dusk  perhaps heavier reticles would help as the fine duplex so liked by Americans is not really much use under dawn and dusk conditions, it's fine of the target range and possible after varmints ona prarie but chasing a Roe Buck at first or last light you need a reticle which stands otu as well as glass that transmit's true colour and all the light it can  Whilst i ahve never tried freezing my scopes I have brought them straight inside from below zero outside with only the outer surfaces fogging up. I quick wipe with a cloth clears that  As I am not rich all my scopes mentioned here were brought used. The oly problem encountered was with teh Zeiss Jena and the retilce which is of the moving type but removing the top of the windage adjustment is was easy to see that over the years the lube they use on the slide had dried up so a spot of Express oil softened it up and agin and it works fine  . The scope is probably 30+ years old.

[BBF]

I don't know if Weaver imports their scope now Sad if they do.
I got some old K steel tube types that have never fogged or lost zero. The light transmission isn't great however they are as reliable as could be.

[quickdtoo]

All of the modern Weavers I own were made in Japan.

Tim

[quickdtoo]

I bought one of their airgun rated scopes I was gonna put on an airgun, did the freeze it, then immerse in warm water test just to see how well they're built, it bubbled like a SCUBA diver from the ocular lens seal then promptly fogged up. I wouldn't call it rugged in any sense of the word.

Tim

try your test on a leupold or zeiss and let us know how it works out?

It's not my test, Leupold scopes are factory tested the same way, read page 85 of the 2008 Leupold catalog. I don't have any Ziess scopes, they cost more than I'm willing to pay for optics. I've performed it on most every scope I've ever owned, if it doesn't pass this simple test, it ain't going hunting with me. If you research the subject you'll find it's a common test that's simple to do. The test can also be done by heating it first, then placing it in the freezer.

Tim

Thermal Shock and
Thermal Exposure Testing (below)
» During our grueling Thermal Shock Test, we rapidly
heat and freeze the scopes to determine if they will
fog internally in real-world conditions. In the Thermal
Exposure Test, we bake the scopes, then check all
moving parts to ensure they move properly, and that
their lubricants have kept the proper viscosity. We
perform the same checks after freezing the scope.

https://www2.leupold.com/resources/downloads/08_catalog_English.pdf


http://www.muelleroptics.com/reviews/multi-shot-01.html

http://www.hunting-fishing-gear.com/article-display/1500.html

http://www.dto.com/shooting/article.jsp?articleid=736

http://www.gun-tests.com/performance/feb97scopes.html

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/tip/tip_read.asp?tid=143267&sid=73

http://www.shotgunworld.com/reviews_mueller.htm

[HCS]

I own two.  One on my 22-250 and the other on my 22 Hornet.  They gather light well and seem to hold zero pretty well also.  Still a little iffy on them for anything else in the safe.  I have the 4-16x50 and the 4-12x50.