[norseman]

A couple years ago I inherited a remington 7400 from my grandfather. The rifle came with a Tasco Golden Antler 3-9x40 scope. It also has the "widescreen" type of view where the top and bottom of the view are boxed off if that makes sense.

I also have a BSA Classic 3-12x50 lying around that was given to me a while back by a friend that decided to quit hunting for whatever reason. I am considering putting the BSA on my 7400 just because, well, bigger is better.

They are both older, so I can't find much info about them. I understand they are both lower end scopes, but if they are equal in quality, I might as well put the BSA on.

So, here are my questions: Is there any reason not to swap them out? Does anybody have any experience with either? How does the quality compare between companies? On my Remington 710 I have a Simmons Whitetail 3-9x40 scope that I am happy with, so how would these compare?

Thanks for any input!

 

[Jakeway]

I've had a cheap ($90) Tasco and a cheap BSA 4X32 that came with a muzzleloader, and I never trusted either. Well, I trusted them until I had a heck of a time sighting them in. I may have had bad ones, but now I shy away from those two brands. There are plenty of other brands out there to choose from.

 

[stinky]

W/a cheap scope, you need to cut corners, in order to make it cheap. I was once having a conversation w/a guide about calibers. She said that calibers don't bother her (referring to .243 on elk), what scares her is when a guy shows up w/a gun w/a "TASCO!!!" on it.

Now, BSA is not regarded as favorably as a Tasco, and the wider the variation in the variable (3-9 vs 3-12) the harder that it is to get right.

I think that the Golden Antler is a higher range scope and I'm not sure that Better Shoot Again makes such a thing.

Keep the Tasco...until you get something else, that you know is better.

 

[broom_jm]

Let's see...the Pinto or the Gremlin; which one should I choose? Heck, I don't really care if I get where I'm going so either one will work!

OK, that wasn't very nice, but given your situation, I have to ask: Do you have the original iron sights laying around, by any chance?

 

[Tnhunter]

I look at it this way.... you're sitting on the pot and it's time to wipe. Does it really matter if the TP fails at your thumb or pinky? When it does, it matters not where or when, or who made the TP. Good scopes are kinda like bullet-proof TP in my mind....

 

[broom_jm]

I look at it this way.... you're sitting on the pot and it's time to wipe. Does it really matter if the TP fails at your thumb or pinky? When it does, it matters not where or when, or who made the TP. Good scopes are kinda like bullet-proof TP in my mind....

That's a good analogy, but it seems like the better quality scope I put on a rifle or a pistol, the more likely my hands are to wind up messy! Thank goodness for latex gloves.

 

[kdub]

I've had a couple of BSA Platinums on some heavy hitters for a few years now and haven't experienced the first problem with them. Optics are comparable to some of the better scopes (Leupold, Burris, Nikon) that are on other firearms in the vaults. My friends (tpv for one) makes fun of me in the field when I pull them out of the case, but they sure perform well.

 

[Range Junkie]

Bigger is not always better. I personally would not want a 3-12x50 on a hunting rifle. Just leave the Tasco on there until you can save enough change to get you a better scope like a Leupold, Burris, Nikon, or Zeiss. I had a Tasco on a bolt action 270 for years. It never lost zero and was pretty clear. I always expected it would just turn loose on the inside one day but it never did and I shot that rifle quite a bit. I finally got tired of waiting on it and replaced it with a Nikon.

 

[bsn]

A 7400 isn't exactly a match rifle, a 3X9 is plenty good enough for the short to medium ranges the gun is intended for. If the Tasco holds a zero and low light conditions are acceptable I would stick with that. When you increase the magnification on a scope, heavy recoil or in low light conditions thats when the less expensive scopes really show their weakness. Once you have compared a really good scope side by side with an inexpensive scope at high magnification or low light you won't believe the difference.

 

[264shooter]

I have a couple BSA scopes and a pair of compact Bino's and all 3 have given me great service.Never had any luck with Simmons.I did the adjustment test with the first BSA 2.5X10x50 scope I got,It tracked perfectly.Way easier to adjust than a couple of my old Leupolds.My Dad had an old Tasco scope on a rifle for years.The center point of the crosshairs moved up and I believe to the right.It never lost zero though.It was on an old Swedish Mauser for many years untill it finally gave up.Personally I would leave the Tasco on the rifle.I think its better suited for the rifle.

 

[norseman]

Thanks for all the input guys. I have decided to just leave the Tasco on the rifle for now (or at least until I win the lottery and can afford a high $$ scope.) Then, if in the middle of a hunt the Tasco drops a deuce and I end up putting my finger through the proverbial toilet paper, I do have the iron sights still on the gun. ...and I can always put the BSA on the rifle if that happens.

 

[264shooter]

The old Tasco would move when you changed power settings but mever changed point of impact.

 

[norseman]

The old Tasco would move when you changed power settings but never changed point of impact.

Understood. And if mine is the same way, as long as it is minimal, I'm not concerned. Where I hunt I would rarely get a chance to shoot beyond 100 yards anyway.

 

[huffmanite]

Only Tasco I own is a 3-9x40 made circa late 1980s in Japan. Good optics in it and still have it on a rifle. Only have one BSA, and like my Tasco, it to is mounted on a low recoiling centerfire rifle. It's nowhere as old as the Tasco, but it has performed OK for my paper shooting at range. I've no gripe about either one. Presently awaiting delivery of a BSA Contender scope for one of my centerfire rifles.