NOE incoming, have a "first" scope question

The Rossi Model R92, a lightweight carbine for Cowboy Action, hunting, or plinking! Includes Rossi manufactured Interarms, Navy Arms, and Puma trade names.
stevep1954
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NOE incoming, have a "first" scope question

Post by stevep1954 »

i have never owned a scope or shot with one. 65 yrs old.......... anyway i have a noe mount coming for one of my 92's and was wondering what a low cost way of trying a scope out would be? is there an inexpensive scout/ pistol scope out there that would give me a good idea of what shooting with a scope is all about without dishing out a lot of money to start with? i don't mind buying an expensive one later but hesitate to do that now having never used one before. thanks
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Re: NOE incoming, have a "first" scope question

Post by Nashville Stage »

One way to try out different scopes & get a feel for what you like is to look through every single one you can get your hands on. Ask friends & family, nice folks at the range, etc.

The next best way is at the local gun store. Look through some of the different models at various price points. You'll have a harder time looking at distant objects while in the store, but it's better than nothing.

Once you've narrowed down your choice to a few models, I like to order the top 3 on my list from a store that has a great return policy, such as Optics Planet. Then I can actually look through them with my own eyes, see what quirks they might have, and compare them side-by-side. As long as you handle them with kid gloves & don't mount them or scratch them, you can keep the one you want & return the others for a full refund (minus return shipping).

As you mentioned, you'll need a scout-style (long eye-relief) model, so thankfully that narrows down the field of choices considerably. Most manufacturers only make one or two of that style, versus the dozens & dozens of their other scopes.

Another way of purchasing a scope on the cheap is to look for a used one. Scopes tend to drop in value quite a bit once they're used, so you might be able to pick one up for less money that way.
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Re: NOE incoming, have a "first" scope question

Post by HarryAlonzo »

https://www.rossi-rifleman.com/viewtopi ... ilit=scope

I thought this thread had a pretty thorough list of what's available.
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Re: NOE incoming, have a "first" scope question

Post by ver2cal »

I recommend the popular Weaver K4 Scout and Weaver Quadlock Rings setup. Economical yet very effective combo.
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Re: NOE incoming, have a "first" scope question

Post by severnsider »

I wanted to try a scope, hoping that it might improve my scores by helping to see the holes in the target. Duly obtained the NOE rail and put a Vortex Scout on it. It was still hard to see the holes and I just didn't get on with it as my shooting is all done standing up off hand. I put on a little Bushnell red dot which works fine out to 100 yards and more once you're happy that it's zeroed and my scores have improved. The scope did have uses for me when shooting off the bench for hand load development though. Perhaps it was a poor choice of scope (we cannot get the Weaver K4 in the UK) or perhaps I just wasn't used to using a LER scope, but I am now much happier with the red dot!
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Re: NOE incoming, have a "first" scope question

Post by Ranch Dog »

ver2cal wrote:I recommend the popular Weaver K4 Scout and Weaver Quadlock Rings setup. Economical yet very effective combo.
I'm running this setup on a lot of leverguns, Marlins and Rossi's, plus bolt guns.
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Re: NOE incoming, have a "first" scope question

Post by HarryAlonzo »

I believe the OP's request was for a bargain basement rig so he could dip his toe in the water. Looks like the NC Star wins that contest.
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Re: NOE incoming, have a "first" scope question

Post by Ohio3Wheels »

Can't speak for NC Star scopes but my experience with their red dot and my 45-70 Wizard was totally negative. First one died on the 8th round, my dime to send it back, returned was obviously a refurb and had a bad battery in it, got it working, mounted and bore sighted. First 2 round at 50 yard were about 1/2" round 3 the scope departed company from the "integral" base and smacked me between the eyes. Looked at it and it appeared that maybe they had assembled it with about 2 threads on one screw the others had sheared off. I didn't even bother to call them and it went to the landfill shortly there after with lesson learned.

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Re: NOE incoming, have a "first" scope question

Post by mr surveyor »

About 10 years ago one of my ffl buddies sold a lot of (cheap) NC Star and Leapers scopes. He talked me into buying several of them .... never again. I still have one NC Star on a Marlin Mod 60, and it does ok (I guess, since I haven't shot it in 3 or so years), but the rest of the low end, cheap stuff is long gone.

The Weaver K4 on the Rossi (per Ranch Dog's recommendation) is 100% on my R92 .44 mag. And for other stuff you can find a lot better than NC Star and Leapers for under a couple hundred bucks. Good glass to bring out the best in any long gun may cost as much as the gun itself (or more) - if you can afford it.

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Re: NOE incoming, have a "first" scope question

Post by HarryAlonzo »

But, but, but . . . What if ya just want to test out the concept to see if you like it at all? Having something, anything, will teach you a lot about what you really want and need.
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