BSA and NRA

[jon lynn]

FIRST off Brithunter, Gamo does own BSA. On my last visit to the Nürnberg Industry Gun Show, the Gamo's and BSA were on the same table. With a big ling looking at the airguns, but the scopes were pretty much ignored.

BILLY D, I cant afford to buy what I want either. Especally now where I work again for US forces at $8.00 an hour, and the Euro is strong (I feel like a Peso spender).

My first Leupold was a gift, and my second was a swap (very lucky). I sepent so much money on pieces of crud than I care to admit, with all that waste of money I could have got top optics first.

I started real deer hunting here in Bavaria, in Oklahoma and Arkansas, where I grew up, I used a .22LR open sight on squrrel and rabbit. And a puny .410 for fowl. Here in Germany a scope is almost mandatory. I know several land right holders who wont let anyone hunt roe deer without a scope.

So having a very basic M98 sporterized, I needed a scope. At the time I had nothing to do with US forces and couldn't use the Rod and Gun clubs, and had to get a scope through the mail, the advert was for a Tasco 'Euro Class' At the time that was a simple World Class with a 30mm tube, and the usual 30-30 reticle. boy did that scope suck!

So a few meager pay days later I got some Euro cheapie; I dont even remember the name any more (it was back in 1992, and it is no longer avilable), but it cost me the equivelent of $150 (like 300 Deutschmark). For the cost of the Tasco and the Euro cheapie, I could have waited a bit and gotten a Baucsh & Lomb 3000 for the same price.

BUT THE POINT OF MY POST............was/is.............famous dealers of hunting optics push the cheap (as in non-quality) stuff. Their are lower priced scopes that are good scopes. A few of US dealers purchasing has a say in quality controll in Tiwan and China. But they don steer you to the real bargans, and that is what bothers me.

For example, with the exception of reticle styles suitable for German hunting, the Bushnell Banner/Trophy would work until you could save for an Elite 3200.

They still advertise Tasco World Class as a good value. The Chinese Tasco's are crap, you may get a good one where the worker actually set his tolerances, but you may have better luck winning the lottery (and buy all good scopes ). But I did have a Tasco I liked very much, that was made in Japan. But I was never informed by any sellers that Tasco moved to China.

I think the Millett Buck Gold is a very good scope for the price they charge. I used one here for a season on Roe Deer. Was it great? NO! But it was better than the BSA I purchased before it, for the same price. But the BSA had a 'More cool' advert in the sellers webpage than Millett.