SmallCaliberCentral

Being on a retired fixed income I usually shop for a middle of the road scope. Does anyone have any input on a BSA Contender, 3x12x40 with AO. I won't shoot out over 250 yds and in good daylight hours.

Hi RedRooster. I can't answer your question but I sure am interested in some "in the field experience" with the BSA's.

I cannot speak to the contenders, but my father-in-law put a BSA Platnium on his 22-250 a couple of years ago after his burris failed him while on a p-dog hunting trip. He has been so happy with it that he now also has a platinum on his 220 swift and his 25-06. Having shot all three guns I can say that the scopes are bright and clear and did not "white out" even when set at 24x. They are not as bright as some higher end scopes, but they are certainly not dark scopes. Just to give you an idea how much my father-in-law was impressed, he took an older Nikon off of his 220 swift and replaced it with the BSA. Of course, I was happy to buy the Nikon off of him and it will go on top of my 243 here in a couple of months.

Hey RedRooster,
I had a 4-12X on my Ruger M77 .220 swift for several years and it worked fine for me. I used it on praire dogs and took one out at 390 yards. I didn't think the 12x was enough so I took it off and put it on my .222.

I know it may not have the quality of the higher paid scopes, but they will work.

It's like a cadilac and a volkswagon, they'll both get you to town, it' just how nice a ride do you want!

The BSA line seems to have only come into Oz recently as so far I have only seen one dealer stocking them and no reviews in the various magazines I subscribe to.
A local with an eBay store is bring them in direct from US. I have checked their website and know the Deerhunter is the bottom of the range.

Since they are so cheap I have bid $125 au for a 2.5 - 10 by 44 Deerhunter for a budget rifle.

I have a Simmons Whitetail Classic 6.5 - 20 by 50 on my VT 204. So far so good.

Can anyone tell me what sort of reputation BSA Deerhunters have in US?

Paid $70 plus $6 shipping from an on line Fremont Nebr. site. So far the quality and clarity are excellent.

Thats good to hear. Did it respond well to adjustments? I'm thinking you put it on a 204 then.

Yes on Cal. 204. I would guess the big difference between inexpensive scopes and the more expensive scopes is the adjustment precision. I'am one to just sight a rifle in, ignoring the adjustment clips somewhat. If one is to frequently change their scope adjustments in the field while shooting, better purchase the more expensive scope lines.

Thanks for the feed back. I will be putting it on a Browning 223WSSM. Will do it with more confidence now.

it may be a bit too late now BUT.... I have the platinum and after comparing each side by side at cabelas.... they seem to be the same accept for the minor details... but the 1/8 click is helpfull.....i couldn't really make out any difference in quality between the two but i got the platinum because they had the rectical that i wanted and the power....

I never used one on a serious rifle where recoil might be a factor, however, having dropped my .17 a few times, not to mention the rough rides out of it's case it has been subjected to, I must say that I am impressed with the quality of the BSA.

I have had a 4-16x40 since early '02 and it has been ABUSED, but still maintains it's clarity and zero.

I went with a high end scope on the .204 cause the boss said I could, but I would not have a problem putting a BSA on any .2XX gun.

mine has been abused a little more than it should have (droped it a couple times) hauling to up and down a treestand... zero hasn't moved a bit and I am always moving the point of impact for different bullets and distances... amazing scope for a hundred bucks...

I have a BSA contender 3.5-12x40 on my .204 now. I have one major concern with it. I can zero it in at 100 yards to where it will shoot 5 shots within the diameter of a pop can. Not shoot it for a week. Take it out try to shoot and it will be off by at least 4-5 inches in either direction. It has a serious case of "wondering cross-hairs"...any thoughts?

I have a 6 by 24 mil dot illumnated reticle BSA that I bought for 99 bucks. It's on a Rem 700 Heavy bbl VLS and It's been a great scope for the money. I'm also on a fixed retirement income and know what you mean.

This scope is bright and clear and the adjustments work easily. The illumnated reticle works great at dusk and early mornings. You do have to take the battery out or it will run down even if turned off. I didn't feel so bad when I found out my friends leapold with an illumnated reticle did the same thing.

While looking at the BSA website I saw where there was 15 minutes of angle on their target models. How many minutes of angle did you have left after setting your zero?