Budget Comparison of Budget Scopes

While at Walmart I made a pass through sporting goods andbought a couple budget scopes just because they were on sale. Whether good or bad, they will go on the shelf to mount on the next budget rifle that is brought home to tinker with.
Bushnell Banner IR 4-16x40 $49.99
Centerpoint IR 4-16x40 $35.99

Normally I would have just picked the Bushnell but given thesale prices I grabbed one of each.
To start with:
- No, I would notdepend on either one if life, score or a hunt was on the line.
- Yes, they are junk and will probably live a short life and then be thrown into a trash can. (Feel free to quote this line and add ”+1”)
- I am not trying to compare either to better optics. But, if you find yourself wanting a bottom of the line scope this might be useful information.
- As my eyes age,lower end glass is less appealing. The eyepiece needs to be cranked out quite aways to get the reticle in focus. I’ve found that this really messes with the parallax/focus on some scopes. With that in mind, others’ experiences may bequite different than mine.
- The scopes were not mounted. All comparisons were made with the scopes sitting on the deck rail at 50 and 200 yards.

Low Light Performance
It was getting pretty dark when I brought them home and certainly past any legal daylight hunting time.
Neither is great but the Centerpoint is slightly better.
Illuminated Reticle
Bushnell
Very nice! Only the center section of the reticle including the bullet drop markings is illuminated. No internal glare whatsoever. The lowest green setting and up to about 6x magnification would probably be the most useful.

Centerpoint
Very bad. The whole reticle and ring at the outer edge are illuminated. The glare is terrible even at the lowest settings. If you want an IR and actually plan to use it, look elsewhere.

Daylight Performance
Again, the Centerpoint has a very slight advantage. Eye position at higher magnification was also a bit more forgiving.

In summary between THESE TWO SCOPES:
If you want an IR scope and plan to actually use the feature,get the Bushnell.
If you don’t care about the IR or even if there are batteries in the controller, get the Centerpoint.

Good report. I've got an older Banner on my 17 HMR and it isn't a bad scope at all on a rim fire.

Keep the center point on a rimfire. I put one of those on a .22-250 to just get me by and it would never hold zero. I have since mounted it on my marlin 925 and it has worked great there with no movement.

The Centerpoint is now on my son's AR. No problems in the first 20 rounds. We'll see what happens after a few hundred.

I also have that Centerpoint but have not sighted it in. I got it for the same price. Dunhams was still selling for $99.00:crazy:

I have the bushnell on a 223, mine was $85, not on sale I guess. My 223 is set up for coyotes for up to 300 yards., I bought this per a recommendation from a friend and I knew I was painting the entire rig and did not want to paint a more expensive scope. Funny as I have never gotten around to replacing this scope and can shoot a 2 inch or and sometimes better( and sometimes a tad more open) group at 300 yards, on bags that is the best I can expect to do. I even plan in the next couple of months to try out the 600 yard but not sure I have enough elevation moa left in the knob..

Notes: The cross hairs are a little thick, and light transmission is ok-- very serviceable though. No, not nightforce clear, but heck you are still able to outline your target very well at 300 for an accurate shot. Elevation and windage knobs are tough, on mine you really have to put out to turn them and then you might skip a couple of clicks more that you want.. Ok, again not a 2k dollar scope, but this is manageable. I have had it out in the rain and some pretty cold mornings with no fogging issues yet. This rig gets bumped around a lot on rough hunts and back at the range, still on target -- that is what I want. I have to baby my deer rifles because I am afraid of a scratch, that is why I love this rig. I am not sure I would trust this on any caliber bigger, but my friend has his on his lightweight 270 and it holds point every time. Also, by painting, no one can tell it is a cheap scope from just looking.. Good luck.

I may have gotten lucky on mine as far as quality. What I have is a very functional scope which works for me. If you are looking to change elevation and windage every hunt, then this scope or at least mine is not for you.

I just received a Mueller APV for a little more money than the regular $99 price of the Bushnell. No IR but that really doesn't matter to me anyway. The glass in the Mueller is definitely several notches above the two scopes reviewed. I see more Muellers in my future.

I bought a Tasco 4x16x40mm made by Bushnell a while back for around $65 and have been pleasantly surprised. Not a great scope by any means, and the turrets are not convenient but it has held up well to both a 30-06 and a .270 without the windows falling out or losing track of where it is sighted to. Decent budget scope for daytime target shooting.