SCOPES ''

my way of looking at it is cheap scopes are fine for a pesting or hunting gun .. where you need an expensive scope thats easier on your eyes is with a nice target gun your gonna spend time on ... but for a single shot on squirrly .. yup, all he needs is a 4X gamo or utg on his hairy little butt and its curtains ...

Buy less expensive scopes. Swapping the same scope between multiple would be a pain. I have a 4x Optima with an AO. Paid $35.41 new to my door. Great cheap scope.

I'm right there with dizzums

If you are happy with the glass you are getting in the $600 range I would recommend you don't go sip the Tier 1 glass koolaid. I did and it's been costing a good chunk of money. I'm keeping myself limited to 4 rifles so that's how many expensive scopes I have. Two are long range with 24x and 32x and two are LVPO with 1-8x and 1-10x. 

To the direct question of switching one scope between rifles I have two concerns:

1 - How frequently do you switch between rifles? If once a week then re-zeroing might not be too bad, but heck if I would switch one scope between multiple guns in one day.

2 - It's going to be hard to find that one set of rings that have the right height for all guns. So swapping that one scope setup between multiple guns may cause you to compromise good form for convenience.

I like a scope that fits both intended use and matches a platform. Too much time wasted moving hardware - I’d rather be plinking!

As a rule, my smaller lightweight guns get lightweight scopes best suited to my range. My price point is based on how often I use a gun. The gun I go to the most often also deserves my favorite scope...... sometimes I wonder if the scope and the way it helps me interface, isn’t part of what and why I like a particular gun over others.

I could not even imagine a world where scopes could be swapped back and forth. (though it sure would be nice!!)

The time and effort and dizzying array of parts needed to put a scope on some rifles to get optical placement just makes it seem implausible. Cost is a huge concern, and I am also drawn by the appeal of the very high end glass. That said, I've been able to get some very good deals in "upper middle class glass" here on the forums used, and been very satisfied.

Cost aside, I think my favorite scope right now is a used Meopta I picked up here. If I'd had to buy new, even with the good reviews, I don't think I'd ever know how good it is. Sometimes you can get stuff as much as half price. I'd say balancing used, good, but not "best" glass, and as mentioned above, not over buying or "over-scoping" in the end will save a lot of headache vs trying to swap scopes all day.

I guess I'd ask, what's cheap, inexpensive? What are you looking to do? I tend to buy lower end scopes, still name brands like Athlon and Vortex, and get very clear, high quality glass. Last two were about $350 each. Both were first focal plane, incredibly clear glass, track well, and I don't know what else I'd really ask for.

It's like spotting scopes. I just got back from Yellowstone and people with $2000 Zeiss and $3000 Swarovski's. Could I tell the difference, well yes, but not enough to jump from my scope to spending another $1000 for the Zeiss.

Glass technology and costs have improved vastly in the past 10 years. It's incredible the quality you get in the lower end now. Very happy to see that happen.

Even when I have to admit I need glasses at my 46 ..between the atholton midas btr line n the arken ep4 - n sh4 I found really hard to justify spending 1,100+ for a scope.. as n example with both I could focus a soda can clearly at 400y n you know for the majority of us you could only shoot this far only a few days a year..and many never will shoot that far.. so for me expending $3,000 on a scope is completely useless..if the case was that $600 scopes were crap then I could find n excuse to go up in price..I have found at least for me that if my rifle is High power , the less magnification I need..because the less hold over I have to make..

SO just wanted to hear what others are doing when they have multiple airguns,,i been spending a average of about $600 ,,on each scope for my 6 pcps ,,and a lot less for my springers and break barrels ,,,obviously you can only shoot one pcp at a time,,so would i be better off buying one great scope to move around to each gun when i shoot them or stay the course with mid tier scopes on each thanks HYNZIE4s

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Hynzye, good glass can be had at your price point as mentioned above by very qualified people.

Your quote of "one great scope" is relevant if you shoot all of your PCP airguns in the same range and for the same reason. My guess is you don't. 

Reticles, zoom range, field of view, weight, eye relief and many more "needs" play a part in deciding whether there is a "one and done" scope for you.

Seeing your intended target as you expect to is just a part of the overall "scope package" you are purchasing.Be diligent in comparisons and you will be rewarded.Your $600 range is a great price point for quality scopes with many features you are already familiar with. 

If you were to narrow down what you have now to "one or two" to switch from one to another, what features are you looking at to decide? This exercise could save you major $$$.

As always, have fun and shoot straight. 

Patrick. 

I find that once a person has found a good cheap scope(top of class) with the feature set they want, the price has to be doubled to find an increase in glass and nuance with ever increasing diminishing returns. 

Is my Cronus G2 superior to my previous Midas TAC's, yes, but the difference isn't huge, appreciated yes. Are my S&B and March scopes superior to my Cronus G2, yes, but not by much and still appreciated.

Even though I have done, and still do at times, I prefer not to switch scopes around.

If you could get into a Cronus G2 you would have a great challenge finding a scope that is better for the same price and the difference between it and scopes costing twice as much isn't but small nuances.

Of the less expensive scopes I like the Helos G2, that's a darn good scope for the money! Glass isn't as good as the Midas TAC but everything else seems to be. At some point I hope to have my lessor rifles equipped with them.