Looking at a couple Barska Rifle Scopes on Ebay. Want a new scope for my 7mm Rem Mag. Want something with a lighted reticle for the early morning low light shots.
Some great prices on Ebay. My pocket says, Yes, but my mind says, I don't know.
Anybody had any experience with Barska Scopes, good or bad?

Never owned one, but scopes are one area that $$ spent is rewarded with quality.

Low cost scopes are... not so good.

My least expensive scope is a Nikon Buckmaster and I bought it for bench use only.

The quality of a scope is determined by its light gathering ability - all else being equal. So if you have two scopes sitting side by side and they both appear equal in good lighting conditions, come back at dusk and look through them again. The quality scope will have an excellent sight picture and the low cost scope will be dim.

If all you're going to do is punch paper, then get whatever you can afford since it will be better than iron sights. Should your hunt depend on a single shot in gloomy or dark conditions and at range - save your dough and get something good.

Don't ask me about batteries in a piece of field equipment. You could live to be 1000 and you'd never find me depending on batteries in the woods since humidity and temperature kill batteries and the woods has that in abundance.

Look at Leupold. They have some excellent scopes at very competitive prices. According to their website the Rifleman scopes are optically the same as the Vari-XII scopes that they sold until a few years ago. The VX-1 is the next step up with several improvements such as multicoated lenses. The 3-9x40 Rifleman sells for $200 while the 3x9x40 VX-1 sells for $230. I have a Vari-XII and a VX-1, both in 3x9x40 and both are excellent. Their lifetime warranty is nice also. The Zeiss Conquest are the best that I have seen that are close to being affordable at $500 for a 3x9x40. They are better than the Leupolds I mentioned above but not by much.

I have a Barska Spotting scope. It's just OK. I will not buy another or a scope. Too many other brands and price ranges to chose from. I also do not care for electronic anything in scopes but that's just personal preference..

I f you do not want to spend a lot of money (as I don't) on a scope there are better known brands with good quality and customer service. Check out Optics Planet, I bought my Sightron (American company but Japanese optics)from them.

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Still Running Against the Wind

Well, on the positive side, they are probably a step up from NC Star or BSA.

YMMV

bob

My experience has demonstrated that optics is the LAST place I can expect to find economy replaces good image quality.

If my vision is such I need optical help....(yes, it is) then I am better served in satisfying my needs. Research like crazy to find the absolute best I can possibly afford....and then squeeze my budget a bit more.

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Dum vivimus Vivamas

FYI Barska scopes are made in China. I have one on an air gun; seems to be OK. For firearms, I prefer to stay with the name brand stuff. When I can afford it, I get Leupold. Well worth the money and you can't beat the lifetime warranty.

They are ****, when you buy a scope Leupold should be your bottom line scope.You get what you pay for in a scope. If your scope cost twice what your gun cost it's still worth it.

Cheap scopes are never a bargain! IMHO it is better to have a cheap rifle with a good scope than an expensive rifle with an junk scope.

Personally, I would not touch one... For good scopes that you can actually afford, Leupolds are very good, as is the Zeiss mentioned in another post. I have also found Nikons to be a great value for the money; good optics, and I've never had a problem with one.

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NRA Life Member

Have one on a 17hmr. Seems ok but the eye releaf is a pain to find full view quickly. Is nice and clear to 250 yards. Yup they are cheap!

Just in case it hasn't been mentioned already, I have one word for you-Leupold! Not only for their lifetime warranty, get it for their reputation for outstanding customer service.

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9tenz

Howdy,
Less expensive than most everything mentioned here is the Burris Timberline.
Lifetime warranty, good optics, quality and repeatability.
Downside is it is made in the Phillipines.
I have one and have used it for a year or so and just started hunting coyotes late in the day and I'm impressed with it in low light.
Good luck
Mike

In scopes, my opinion is; "you get what you pay for". The rule of thumb for buying scopes I was always told was, cost of new scope should be equal to half the price of the rifle it[s going on. So, if you have an $800 (retail) rifle, your bottom line whould be $400 for a scope. I use Nikon, and Leupold.

A used Leupold is far better than a Barska.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244