Every time I log onto the S&W forum I see a pop-up ad for the Barska 4-16X50 IR green Mil-Dot sniper scope, since I'm in the market to replace my present Bushnell Red-Dot, I was wondering if this would be a good replacement scope for the M&P 15-22. Hell for a $100 it seems like a good buy. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated P.S. post a reply here or PM me.

they dont refer to them as BARFSKA for nothing...i have heard nothing but bad stuff about them personally...

there are 2 or 3 threads about optics i suggest checking them out--some very good info

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Overkill is Underrated

That will be $100 wasted if you desire any fraction of quality. You get what you pay for... especially in optics!

How about this optic, I hear good things about it and it's only $40 more

AMP 4x ACOG TA01 Clone

Just a suggestion.

RRAGES sells some cool stuff, I have their Troy Clone flip up BUIS and they function as well as the real thing, the only real difference I can see is that they are cast in steel rather than machined from aluminum.

That 4X ACOG style scope is pretty good looking and I like the reticle color options. I wish I had one to compare to my real ACOG.

If you want a quality scope check out the CenterPoint Adventure 4-16x40 available at walmart. I have three of them, and they are tough and reliable and $60. I even have one on a known scope-eating magnum air rifle that is working fine 3000 rounds later (or so). I have another one on a .308 AR-10.

I also have high end glass that beats it at dawn or dusk, but not 20 times better relative to price.

In the $150 range, there are the new RedField scopes with much better glass, and assembled by Leupold in the USA. This is what I am running on my 15-22 at the moment.

Primary Arms also has a 4-16x that is $140. I have heard nothing but great things about them. I ordered a scope recently so I will let you know how it is when it gets here.

Primary Arms Scope

I will never buy another. Mine fell apart after a few months. Barska wanted me to send it back at my expense, enclose a $20 dollar non refundable money order. If they determined it was their fault, I could pay to have it shipped back!

I do not think my case is unusual....

Thanks to everyone for your input on the Barska scope, I will keep researching until I find one that fits my needs.

i am on a similar quest for an upcoming 556 build...if i come across anything that looks promising i will definately share

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You get what you pay for when it comes to optics and all these cheapo *** optics popping up on the internet are helping to ruin the whole industry.

As for the guy asking about the ACOG clone, clone is just a fancy word for fake, counterfiet, ***. If you buy a "clone" you are doing nothing but incouraging people to continue to knock off these legitamite optics products.

+10...i am very tired of the "clone' talk

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Overkill is Underrated

I have to laugh @ this comment, who in their right mind is going to spend the kind of money that an Aimpoint, Eotech or Trijicon cost to mount on a $450 .22? I sure won't! I'll save the high dollar scopes for when I purchase a real AR-15! I'm sorry to say, but these ACOG clones aren't going away any time soon, so I suggest "get used to it"!

Who will put them on a $450 .22? People who appreciate quality and don't appreciate other people's ideas and patents being knocked off.

Odds are if you're buying some cheapo counterfiet scope now you will also buy them when you purchase a real AR-15 because the people buying "clones" and counterfiets are more interested in looking cool at the range and on the internet than they are in actual quality.

I have the centerpoint 4-9x32 from wal-mart on my 15-22 and it works great...comes with standard .22 rings but still a great deal if you get some good inexpensive rings from ebay or amazon, and I have not had a single problem with it. The red/green crosshair is pretty useless but, why wouldn't you use a cheap scope if it works?

this is the same reason I report any listings i see on Ebay or Amazon for illegal clones...

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Overkill is Underrated

Hope your not a betting man. because the odds of me buying a high $$ AR-15 & putting a "cheapo" or "clone" scope on it are slim to none! And my question to you is what brands of scopes do you consider to be "clones" or "cheapos" ?

Gentlemen, knock off the bickering.

Personally I think people buy these clones because much like myself they can't afford a real acog. The reviews I have read on theses clones are better than the reviews of the NCstar 4-9x32. So the quality of these clones seem not to be that bad. also when I do get my AR I still go the extra mile and get a real acog. But for my 15-22 the clone or something a little more affordable will work fine.

Rick, perhaps if you could share your "desirements" in a scope then others might be better able to assist. Just MHO. It goes without saying, (but hey, it's my first post on the forum), you get what you pay for. What's your budget?

For me, I'm looking at a Vortex SPARC.

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Sorry Phill, just trying to get my point across and try to find a inexpensive scope ( fixed income here ). If you have any suggestions I would really like to hear them. If you would like, you can PM me. riderrick65

Welcome to the forum Mickey . I can go about $160 for a scope, my main shooting range right now is indoors & the max distance is 25 yds. We are also in the process of moving to Lexington, KY so I don't know what I'll run into down there. Hopefully they will have some outdoor ranges with a little more yardage, but again, will have to wait till I get down there. I was looking at the Nc-Star Mark III 1.5-6 X 40 or the 2.5-10 X 40 or the Bushnell Tactical Elite, something along those lines.

NC Star at a gun show -- you can touch it, feel it, and look through it. I gave a dealer my driver's license, took an NC star 6 - 24 x 50 mm scope outdoors and looked through it. Clarity, brightness, resolution, and focus was good. For $89 you aren't buying a Swavorski but it's a lot better than BSA or Barska! I came back in and bought the scope.

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S&WHF 366

So it sounds like you want (don't need) illumination. Beware that illuminated optics are usually significantly heavier than non illuminated, and the glass coatings make them dim compared to non illuminated dime store optics. For distances of 25 yards you sure don't need a lot of magnification.

For dime store optics... I am a fan of Primary Arms.

They have a 1-4x that has proven to hold up to 5.56 "Real AR". Great people to do business with.

Primary Arms 1-4X 24 Illuminated Scope
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They are about to introduce a new 3x compact scope. Maybe even as soon as next week. It's supposed to look like this.



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I have one of their older compact scopes and it has performed perfectly.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Cool , that's what I'v been leaning towards, but something along the lines of 1.5-6x 40 or 2.5-10x 40. What reticle did you go with? The Mil-Dot, Sniper, or range finder?

Cool . Thanks Phill, will have to check them out. Ok, so what magnification would be good for 25-75 yds.? Also what about reticles? Mil-Dot, Sniper, or Range Finder?

I use a Simmons ProDiamond Master Series 1.5 x 5 x 32 on my 3 gun rifle. It's a shotgun scope. It uses an open, heavy reticle that I find is perfect out to the 200 yards we shoot at my local range. I have used it for 3 years now. I can't tell you how many times I've dropped it and it has never moved off of zero.

I think it was about $80. I liked it so much, I put one on my 15-22. It's perfect for the .22.

Don't get me wrong, if I was on my way to fight, I may choose something else. But, for a game gun or a plinker, you might look at it.

Paul

25-75 you don't need anything but simple crosshairs. Shooting off hand 4x is plenty. If you are shooting from a bench then more magnification will be useable. Some guys use 20x scopes to use as a spotting scope to see where they hit the target, but the higher magnification doesn't necessarily translate to better accuracy for the type shooting done with this rifle.

That is what I was thinking also, even though I wouldn't be shooting past 75yds., it would still be nice to dial up the magnification to see the bullet strikes because right know I have to bring the target all the way back to see the bullet strikes, then run it all the way back, wait for the target to quit "dancing", alot of range time wasted

If you want to see where your bullets hit at 25 yards.... get some Shoot-n-See 2in sticky targets. They are $5 for a 100. I shoot pistols with 1x red dot at 25 yards and that's what I use.

Thanks Phill, will give it a try.

I'm also looking for a good, inexpensive scope (leaning towards NCStar also). I'm mostly indoors at 25 yds, but I will eventually use it at outdoor ranges and want to go varmint hunting with it. Some people tell me 3-9x is fine while others tell me I will need something more along the line of 4-16x. Any advice?

Here's a Redfield to look at that just might work for ya. YMMV.
Redfield 2-7x33 Revolution Rifle Scope

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I too am new to optics for rifles, but not optics in general. I know I will not be shooting past 200 yds, mostly at 50, a bit longer a few times. So a x-7 or x-10 is most that I need.

I don't need illuminated.

I don't understand diff in reticles (figured they came in scope), holo (what is that).

I am looking for best bang for the buck scope for non competitive target and plinking. Just don't want it to fall apart. Light wt is big positive. And holding its zero. Thanks.

also, sorry not in previous post, can someone explain red dot, green dot sights, do you use them with a scope, is this a laser projecting on the target, or just placing dot in my line of sight. why is this better or worse than a reticle? Also, I wear glasses, so do i need to compensate, or if I take glasses off, can I change diopter on the scope? do i need any special mounting hw for the 15-22?

How about checking the "Sample List" at SWFA.com. I have bought a lot ofg dots and scopes from them and they are first rate. For that money, you could get a Nice Weaver with an A/O, thats what I did with mine. They make a Weaver Rimfire 3-9x32 AO. Compact, great optics and dead on for 60 yards........

Red and green dot is just the color of the reticule or sight dot in the scope. Most have a knob that you can change the color of the dot or reticule if the scope has this option. It is not a laser projection on the target. You may buy a scope like the NcStar Mark lll Tactical series that has the scope mount attached to the scope that will work with the picatinny rail on your rifle. Or if you buy a scope that doesn't have the mounts with the scope you will need to buy scope mounting rings that will work with the picatinny rail system. Most scopes have a focus ring on the scope to focus a clear sight picture. Hope this helps

thanks for this. still a bit confused though;

it seems like the red dot i see is in conjunction with the scope.

you don't need a red dot , you can just get a scope, correct?
also, you can use a red dot with a scope instead of a reticle?
can you use a red dot instead of a scope? if so, do they make these w any mag.

and any advantages of using red dot instead of reticle?

i am currently looking for something different as well--as i have posted in another thread I am leaning towards a 1x32 Bushnell Trophy Red Dot with a Sight Mark 3x magnifier on a swing away mount--as with anything i am making a compromise between ease of use, weight, and magnification...

The Bushnell would be for close range ( which is where i do a fair amount of shooting) and the 3x would allow me to get a better sight picture at a medium distance...i rarely shoot past 75 yards but a Red Dot just doesnt do it for me that far out without magnification--and i will only be in about $219 or so...still half of an EOTech and about 1/3 of a Trijicon


This also means my current Sight Mark Reflex sight will get relocated to my Ruger Mark III

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Overkill is Underrated