Riflescopes- Does a Higher Price Really Mean Better Value?
Posted: Sunday, May 04, 2008
by Kevin Stapley
KJ Sales
With most products, it is automatically assumed that the more something costs, the better it must be. The same hold true in reverse. The lower the price of an item, the lower the quality must be. Assuming that you are comparing two similar products. There is of course some truth to this. If you decide to pay 2 or 3 times the price for a product, it had better be of a higher quality than the cheaper one. However, the one major factor that is missing from this whole idea is "value." Dollar for dollar is the more expensive product 2 or 3 times better than the cheaper one? Do you really need the best? Would the lower priced item suit your needs just fine? I would like to take these questions, and put them to you as they relate specifically to riflescopes.
One very important consideration when determining "value" is you. Think about what you need the riflescope for. Are you a competitive shooter, or just enjoy target practicing? Is hunting a major part of how you earn a living, or is it an enjoyable activity that you do when you're not out earning a living? It is considerations like these that will ultimately dictate just what features you need, and how much you should spend on your riflescope.
You Can Not Determine "Value" by Price Alone To put it simply, "value" means getting the most for your money. I would like to offer you a product comparison, to help demonstrate the idea of "value." This comparison is between two different brands, Bushnell and NcStar. Both of these companies have been building high quality riflescopes for many years. Their main difference is that NcStar has built their business around the concept of offering products of comparable quality and features to brands like Bushnell, but at significantly lower prices. In any comparison, it is vital to compare "apples to apples", so I will be comparing the following two scopes: 1. Bushnell Elite 4200 Series 6-24x50mm Tactical Rifle Scope (426245T) 2. NcSTAR New Mark III Series Scope- 6-24x50 G-Ill. Mil-Dot / AO (SM3MAO62450G)
Let us begin our comparison by outlining the ways in which both riflescopes are the same, or at least very similar.
- Both of these riflescopes have a black matte finish.
- Both are 6-24 Power, with a 50mm Objective Lens.
- They are each constructed from a One-Piece 30mm, dry-nitrogen filled aluminum Tube.
- Both also feature a Mil-Dot Reticle.
- The Field of View is greater on the NcStar at 19.6ft at 6x, compared to 16.5ft on the Bushnell. They are both an equal 4.2ft at 24x.
- Eye Relief is also comparable at 3 inches each, with an equal Exit Pupil of 8.3mm at 6x and 2.1mm at 24x.
- Both scopes have Open Target Turrets, which allow for on the spot adjustments for windage and elevation. One click equals a 1/4" MOA (minute of angle) adjustment.
- Both scopes feature a Side Focus Parallax Adjuster to allow for easily fine-tuning the scope's focus.
- Both scopes have multi-coated lenses, and are Water Proof, Fog Proof and Shock Proof.
- Both scopes include a sunshade. The Bushnell is included as an add on, while the NcStar has a Tactical Sunshade built right into the scope.
- Both scopes are also designed, and guaranteed, to withstand a heavy recoil, while maintaining accuracy.
- Finally, both of these riflescopes feature a Lifetime Warranty on their construction, under normal use.
As you can see, so far, they seem to be fairly equal, technically speaking. So, in what ways are they different from each other?
- They look quite different from one another. Everyone has their own sense of style when it comes to their scopes. This could certainly be a deciding factor for some people.
- Bushnell claims that this scope is the world's brightest, which makes it ideal for low light conditions. The NcStar Mark III is very good at gathering light as well, but does not claim to be the best in the world.
- The NcStar Mark III scope features an Illuminated Reticle, with 7 levels of intensity, which will definitely help in low light. The Bushnell scope does not feature an illuminated reticle.
When you line these two scopes up side by side, they certainly do appear to have a lot in common. There is still one major difference between them though, and that difference is price. The Bushnell Elite 4200 6-24x50 ( 42-6245T) has an MSRP of $799.95 USD. The NcStar Mark III Series 6-24x50 A.O. (SM3MAO62450G) has an MSRP of $223.00 USD. So, the Bushnell scope will cost you about 3.5 times more money than the NcStar. Is the Bushnell a better scope? Overall, yes it probably is. But, is it 3.5 times better? Not as far as I am concerned. Do you need to spend $800 on a scope, when you could get a really good one for $223? Personally, I could find other ways to spend that extra $577 that the Bushnell would have cost me. Maybe I might buy a brand new gun to mount my new Mark III scope on to.
There are other brands on the market that offer similar scopes to these that cost even more than $800. It all comes back to the concept of "value." For the money, how much better is the more expensive scope than the less expensive scope. Is that extra cost worth it to you? Will that extra quality actually have a positive impact on your performance? If after reading this comparison, you feel that it will, then you should definitely buy the Bushnell scope. If you are like I am, and are looking for great value for my money, you should probably choose the NcStar scope. Neither will make you a better shot, but both will ensure that you are consistently hitting whatever it is that the crosshairs are centered on. And ultimately, is that not all that really matters? That is for you to decide.
Kevin Stapley is the Webmaster for RifleScope-Shop.com and Binocular-Optics.com. At RifleScope-Shop.com, you will find a great selection of NcStar Scopes and Optics, ATN Night Vision and Laser Rangefinders and Outdoor Edge Hunting Knives.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Riflescopes- Does a Higher Price Really Mean Better Value?Well . . . you discussed features and you did mention the price.But not one single item that would evidence the quality or accuracy of the purchase. What value is a $223 widget if it can't do what it was intended to do? Will it last ? Will it hold a zero ?I love selling to people who only count the features and compare the price. They are P.T. Barnum-type of clientel.R.F.TexasThank you for your comment R.F.
I did in fact make referrence to the quality and accuracy of both scopes in the article. Here is some text copied directly from the article:
Perhaps I should have stated more plainly that both scopes actually do what they are designed to do. I will be sure to consider this in any future articles. Thank you for your comments.
- Both scopes are also designed, and guaranteed, to withstand a heavy recoil, while maintaining accuracy.
- Finally, both of these riflescopes feature a Lifetime Warranty on their construction, under normal use.
Kevin the major determining factor between scopes that look good on paper and scopes that are truly of "good value" is the reliability of the product after sustained travel impact (slamming into gear while being carried/trees while hiking etc) as well as firing impact -the kinetic shock of the round as it vibrates (yes vibrates believe it or not) throughout the weapon, into the mounts and finally into the scope. Primary determining factors to these reliability results are the mounting systems used to hold the optics, the windage/adjustment system used to move and hold the reticle you see through the ocular and the tension / stability of the reticule itself (if it is wire) if the reticle is etched glass then the question moved to the mounting system for the glass element and it's stability. SO
There is ONLY ONE WAY TO TEST A SCOPE - Fire 300-500 rounds through a rifle it's mounted on while testing whether it holds zero. Check reliability of click stop windage and elevation adjustments then swap scopes and test again. If you haven't taken both scopes to the range believe me you've done a great first 10% review. Now you need to do the actual testing to determine the value...good luck.
I bought a NCStar 6-24X50 scope and mounted it on a Mossberg 4X4 in 300 Win. Mag. I've put about 200 rounds thru the rifle, and it holds its zero perfectly. It is very clear, and I am 100% satisfied with it. While I was at the range the other day, I was talking to a chap who had a beautiful CZ with a Swarovski scope, also in 300. Cost of outfit, $3600. Cost of my outfit, with an extra scope (the 3X9 Mossberg that came on the gun), $600. I was consistently shooting 1 1/8" groups with mine, while he was having difficulty making 1 1/2". Granted, we were both experimenting with handloads. There is no way that my Mossberg/NCStar combo has anywhere near the fit and finish of his outfit, and you can immediately tell by picking up the rifle and looking thru the scope that you have SERIOUS quality in your hands, but my Mossy did not make me feel ahsamed of its performance.
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