Simmons White tail Scope

Midway has them on sale for $109. That's a pretty good discount from what I've seen BUt......
(6.5 - 20X w/50mm A.O.)
I've had lousy luck with Simmons in the past. The best Simmons I had was an Aetec something or other & it cost me 3 or 4 hunnert bucks as I recall. It was one of their better scopes that was discontinued a few years back.

The WhiteTail that's on sale has pretty good reviews from previous buyers. Anybody here using one? I'm thinking my grandson would like to have one for the .243 we're putting together.

Anyone got anything on these?

Frank in Fla.

Simmons == GARBAGE. They were once a very good scope , about 20 years ago. They even had good customer service at one time, not anymore.
Do yourself a favor and pick up another pro-staff you will both be happy.

Or forget the simmons and the nikon and buy a good scope LEUPOLD lol. No really if money is the issue I would Look at the Redfield Reveloution line.

Sniper - You're the 2nd person to mention the Redfield Revolution to me TODAY....

I just may look into that. Thanks.

As far as Simmons? I guess y'all just confirmed my suspicions. Maybe it was wishful thinking that a once well known scope company is now rated lower than Tasco..... (ouch!..... tasco,)

Later
Frank in Fla

I will be another to tell you to look at the Redfield Revolutions. I have one mounted on an HR handi rifle in 500 S&W. It takes the beating and hasn't lost zero yet. The gun recoils hard and it's survived some treks through the south LA swamps also.

frank I have one, bought one last year on black friday, i will put it on my 9.3x62 and shot a box a box of ammo and get back to you.
I do agree it ain't luppy buy hey you ain't paying $400 for it also.

Here we go again, ... i have had five of these. Yes simmons is garbage, the 6.5-20x50 wtc isn't. The two i still have are on a 110 flatback .260 rem tactical that will shoot sub br groups at 100-200-300yds with that scope from a bipod and yes i have the targets.

The other is on a long range hunting model 16 .308 that has no problem making little propane bottles jump at 600yds. (when their painted orange so i can see them)

So if you want to try one, go ahead you can always get something else if you don't like it. Just don't get the mildot model. blue

blue thanks for saving me a box of ammo

I have never looked through the new Simmons scopes, BUT Redfield Revolution with Accurange reticle is my new favorite low budget scope!

I'm starting to see a trend here....

I believe I'll stick with my original strategy. I made a solemn vow to the gods of glass & recoil that I'd never buy another cheapo scope-o again-o...Oh oh...

My Vortex has survived the 30.06 recoil impact test for the 5th week in a row. I'm thinking I'd better go with what I know & just go ahead & spend the money. I guess a man's gotta open up the 'ol wallet once in a while and do whatta man's gotta do.

Fugggeddaabouttit..... I'm going to shop for another Vortex or Nikon. Since I picked up my Nikon 12x ProStaff, I've grown to enjoy that crisp, clean glass. I shot the box with it twice. Just because I could & I enjoyed the accuracy & it's ability to return back to the start point.
Wonderful scope for what I spent.

No Simmons.... Not now, not next week, not ever. No more Cheapo Scope - ooooo.
Frank in Fla

Have to say that I've finally came around to that line of thinking as well. I use to use whatever old scope I found at a "good deal", Simmons, BSA, Barska, Tasco, guide gear ect, I've used them all. A friend talked me into spending just a little more on a Nikon a few years ago and I've been spending a little more on better glass ever since. If I had all the money I wasted on cheap scopes I could have good scopes on all my rifles by now. Still haven't been able to talk my cheap self into one of those $1000+ scopes yet, but maybe someday.

OK, just thought I'd try and clear up a few things about the White Tail Classic. If you look on the Simmons website you'll notice that they don't advertise it http://www.simmonsoptics.com/riflescopes/index.cfm. That's because they don't make it. Confused yet? Years back Simmons made pretty good scopes in the Philippines. Now they are all made in China and are all crap. For some reason that I don't fully understand the White Tail Classic stayed in production in the Philippines. My best guess is that the production line has kept moving thanks to Midway(& Natchez) while being able to use the Simmons name. This scope is better than any other Simmons scope including their flagship "Predator Quest" that costs more. This is because the Philippines can make good scopes(Vortex). The glass on this scope is every bit as good as a Weaver Classic V. What you might have a problem with is the durability of the knobs if you crank them a bunch. I have one and it a great scope for the money. It's not on par with my IOR Valdada, but you won't be disappointed at $109.

I will add to that, that if you should have a problem with that scope simmons will offer to repace it with any of their other products but will in fact replace it with the same model (wtc) if you ask for it. I have had one of the five go bad and it was replaced with the same model upon request.

The others i don't have now went with the rifles when sold after the buyers looked through them. And to be honest, i would put one about the same as my grand slam but a little lighter and more moa. blue

I was reading through all of the reviews on midwayusa and thinking that the Simmons whitetail classic sounded too good to be true. The Simmons that originally came on my Savage 116 in 7mm rm had pretty clear glass and could hold zero, although the adjustments weren't exactly 1/4 moa and not really repeatable. Anyways, a Bushnell elite in 3-9x40 now sits on my Savage but I started thinking about buying the Simmons WTC to try shooting a higher magnification scope. I called the customer service number from Simmons' website and found myself speaking to Bushnell customer service ( Bushnell now owns Simmons, which I did not know) they said that the whitetail classic has been discontinued, but midwayusa must have purchased a large quantity of them. He said that when they were in production, they were made, as all Simmons scopes now are, in china. I thought maybe I'd buy one anyways since they are so cheap and the reviews as so good, but when I looked at the measurements provided by midwayusa, I realized that the main tube is unusually short even though the scopes overall length is pretty long. With the short main tube, the scope would not have even fit within my Talley rings. Long story short, I didn't buy the Simmons. Sorry for such a long post.

nateisw: That guy from Bushnell is either a liar or he just doesn't know what he is talking about. I just bought my WTC three months ago and it says "MADE IN THE PHILIPPINES". As soon as you look through it you can tell that it's not made in China like the other new Simmons scopes.

Just repeating what i heard ArmchairElite. It wouldn't surprise me if the guy from customer service didn't know what he was talking about...I think he was just pulling the info up from his computer and it wouldn't surprise me if he's never seen a rifle scope in his life. But..... according to the measurements provided on midwayusa's website, The scope won't fit on my gun so I'm still not gonna buy it.

I dont have a WC, but my old philipines Aetec has survived many years on my 270 without a hiccup and has pretty good glass. Even made it through 8 round trip plane rides in the hands of the baggage gorillas. My hard case looks like it fell out of my truck going down the freeway.

It is what is it is, a scope, a 100 $ scope.
Is it the ****s, hell no
Is it a leuppy vx3, hell no
Does it werk, ja, who cares where it was made or who made it.

Now I have to shoot that box of ammo through it and confirm it will hold zero.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nateisw

Just repeating what i heard ArmchairElite. It wouldn't surprise me if the guy from customer service didn't know what he was talking about...I think he was just pulling the info up from his computer and it wouldn't surprise me if he's never seen a rifle scope in his life. But..... according to the measurements provided on midwayusa's website, The scope won't fit on my gun so I'm still not gonna buy it.

---

If it don't fit it don't fit. I just don't think the dude should be lying to you. I don't have any problem with someone admitting that they don't know something, but he took a guess and acted like it was a fact. I hope you find a good deal on one that fits properly.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stockrex

It is what is it is, a scope, a 100 $ scope.
Is it the ****s, hell no
Is it a leuppy vx3, hell no
Does it werk, ja, who cares where it was made or who made it.

Now I have to shoot that box of ammo through it and confirm it will hold zero.

---

I had a Vortex Crossfire that was made in China and a Vortex Viper PST that was made in the Philippines, from now on I will always care where they are made. The lenses in the Crossfire looked like they were made out of old Coke bottles.

I had a Crossfire that had incredible glass. Crystal clear.... kinda like looking thru your front window on a sunny day. Unfortunatly,it didn't hold POA / POI.

It drove me crazy for about 2 weeks when it was on my 30.06. Long story shortened, Vortex swapped it out for a nice Viper which, I'm happy to say, has better glass than the Crossfire. AND, it survived my '06.

Anyway, I had one Simmons scope that I liked & it sucked, too. It was an AETEC whatchamacallt. Real nice glass. Broken reticle in 1 week.

I think I'll go with what I know. Too many valuable lessons learned from cheap scopes. After shooting $500 worth of ammo to learn the scope is bad is too costly.

Later y'all -
Frank in Fla ( practice prep for the hurricane)

LOL! I don't think I've ever heard someone refer to Chinese glass as "incredible" before. I wish that was how they looked to me. I could be the Shallow Hal of scope users. In any case I wouldn't expect anything that cheap to stand up to harsh conditions. Your Viper is a quality scope and should have a nice long life. I sent that Crossfire back to Vortex and put it towards a Viper PST that was very well made. I really like Vortex as a company and I wish they had better glass. After I got one of the least expensive scopes IOR Valdada makes (fixed 16X) it really highlighted the difference between Vortex Glass and IOR glass for me. I hope I wont be needing a variable power for a few years because I just can't afford this glass in a scope with all the bells and whistles.

I have used Simmons scopes before that were okay, at least better than open sights for my poor eyes. I would put them at the top of the bottom for scopes. I just can't afford to spend money on cheap scopes anymore, hoping to find a "good deal". By the time you spend your time, money, and ammo fighting with them you could have just bought a good mid-level scope and be out shooting instead of changing your scope, again.

Frank, since a few people have mentioned the Redfields i will chime in also. i have 3 of the Revolutions and really like them, good glass and functionality for the money. i don't think you can go wrong with one for an inexpensive scope.
you might check out their newest model, the Revenge, it ranges for you and seems quite simple to use. they even have it in a 6x18x44 for varmint hunting. i'm thinking about one of these for myself, just to try it out. it has 2 different reticles, the 4plex or the "accu-ranger". check out the link!
http://www.redfield.com/redfield-revenge/

I've had my 6.5-20 wtc for several years. It currently sits on my AR but I've had on everything from a 243 bolt to a 10/22. Mine also says Philippines on it.

For those that have experience with it, any idea on how much internal adjustment these have? The furthest Ive taken mine out is 300 yards but that's going to get pushed out to 500 in the near future.

kinda late to post this. i have had my Simmons WTC for a year now. its held zero fine. the longest i have shot is 400ish yards. the scope does its job great. I just dnt the 100 yard mark is set on the 11x power "i think" its colored red, also when you change the power your POI changes. i read to write down where it hits when doing that. It worked great at low light when deer hunting also.

Hi Frank. I have a couple of Vipers and luv 'em. Bought a NEW Nikon Monarch and sent it back the next day. Toy 'like' like the new Weaver Kaspa. (Should have been called the "Casper".....)
Here's another one to look at:
Redfield Revenge. Around $270. Made in the Philippines. I know have over 30 scopes, I'll stick with the Milletts, the RR and Vipers in this market segment!
About the same time, I bought a Weaver Kaspa. Absolute junk. Typical China made $150 scope. Actually it's more like a $50 scope with a $100 'value adder' due to Weaver's name. They should be ashamed......

ron

If you've ever liked through a konuspro m-30 you would say it had great glass

And its made in china. And as far as the WTC goes, its clearer than any of my crossfires and I've never had a problem with them

Long post, sorry...........

I have several Konus scopes and like them enough, that they are attached to some accurate varmint rifles. I DO NOT have a 'problem' with Chinese scopes. I have a lot. I DO have a problem with the lower end models. Let's face it. ANYTHING and EVERYTHING is made to a price point. I keep hoping to find that $1000 scope for $100, but it ain't gonna happen......You do (pretty much) get what you pay for.

I brought a bunch of my 'spare' scopes to the range at work one day. I keep the price of the different models unknown to some of my co-workers and a couple are experienced hunters, but most are not scope enthusiasts.
One such exercise, showed a brand new Nikon Monarch (4-16X42mm) to be 'ranked' inferior to a $70 Center Point. That Nikon went back the NEXT day for a refund. There was nothing radically 'wrong' with the Nikon, but for $450+, I expected it to knock my socks off. It didn't and (like the Kaspa), felt cheap. I've had bad luck with Barska, NcStar, FM, TacVector, etc. I really didn't expect much and was not terribly disappointed. It's just 'play' money.....and I enjoy the challenge.
I've had excellent luck with all my Milletts (3 LRS-1s and 2 TRS-1s)... Not only have I never had a problem with any of my Milletts, I called the factory one day, to inquire about purchasing different height 35mm rings.
I did not like the high rings and they were nice enough to send me the height I wanted, (several sets) FOR FREE! How could you beat that?

Yes, these Chinese scopes cost just less than $500, but the quality is excellent.
Last time I was at the LGS, the owner asked me if I wanted to look through the $1500 Zeiss scope I was eyeballing.
I had to reply, "Heck, NO!". My savings account would have suffered.

I have mentioned this before..... Back in the mid-70s, I bought a new Rem 700 Varmint Special in .243. Having a young family, my first house, etc, all I could afford was a Japanese Tasco 20X40mm. All my buddies made fun of it. Through the years it was removed and replaced with 'better' glass.
It wasn't until last year, when I took it out and put it into an optical jig I made, that I realized just how nice that old glass is, compared to the 'new stuff'.

I put together rifles for my buddy/boss. I bought him a Fujinon 3.5-10X50mm scope from the Sportsman's Guide. It absolutely is one of the nicest non-parallex adjustables, I have ever looked through.
Since Fuji (Japan) makes some great camera lenses, I should have known. When I tried to buy more, they were gone forever. Evidently, Fuji didn't stay in the scope business. Too bad, this was an excellent example. Warranty? He has a LOT of $ and will just buy new. He couldn't care less if I get a NF or Tasco. He's not a 'shooter' and his guns are just things for me and his traveling buddies to play with, on his private range. The rifle just sits in the safe until I shoot it. Ah, perfect job... ha ha

FWIW....

ron

As others have said the Redfield is good as are the Vortex Vipers, and the Nikons. I'll also throw Swift in there too. So often they get overlooked by many, I guess because they don't do a lot of advertising like a lot of the other brand names. But they are good scope nonetheless. At least in my experience. Very decent quality for the price and they are made in S. Korea, not red communist China.

I have one on my 300 win mag and its doing just fine...

I have 2 WTH, they both are ok. Have shot 200y, up to 400y, then down to 100y in club shoot several times with my 7-08. Track ok. Pretty good glass, cross hair a little heavy for me. Scope is fairly heavy and large bell. Only used 20x. The turrets are the biggest problem for me, I have trouble remembering, setting the come-ups-downs. Worth the price. Not sure about the warranty, I talked to Bushnell and they seemed to be willing to work on them if they had a problem. Ron.