Barska Scope Review
87Barska Rifle Scopes - The Bottom Line
So it all comes down to the facts. The Barska line of rifle scopes will most likely get the job done. No, they are not the best scopes out on the market, but not everyone is interested or can afford the best rifle scope out there. From the sportsman's guide I have found numerous, positive reviews about the barska scopes. If you look for reviews on forums you are always going to find people telling you to get a better scope, but these people are everywhere and dot understand that not everyone can afford an expensive scope like a Zeiss.
However, you have to consider this next interesting point. Say you go out and buy a cheap rifle scope and it breaks or something and you are very unsatisfied. After this frustration, you end up buying a nicer, more expensive optic to decrease your troubles. If you look at the whole situation from this angle then it would seem more efficient to just go ahead and buy a good scope because you would be saving money in the end.
Thank you for reading this barska scope review.
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Is Barska a decent quality scope?
So, the whole point of your visit to this page is to learn whether Barska optics are worth your money. Well, if this is the case then you have come to the right place. As I have learned a decent amount of information related to this type of rifle scope.
Most people have seen many review of barska products on the internet, most likely the sportsman's guide. The leading factor to their popularity is no doubt the price. So the question is most definitely about whether or not the barska is a good, high quality scope for the money?
These optics are made in china I believe and come in all kinds of models. You can find these scopes up to some high magnifications - even 24x. So why would a rifle scope that looks so good be priced so far below other hunting scopes? The truth is that I have no idea. The most stereotypical answer to the previous question is that it is cheap, but this may not be a fact. If you didn't know, a lot, if not all of Bushnell's scopes are made in china. That may be a shock to many people out there. The reason a bunch of the cheaper scopes - or the scopes that are cheap - are made in china is that in china worker are paid much lower wages than in the United States. It would cost so much more to make the scope in the US and less people would be able to afford it. Does this mean that quality is sacrificed simply by being made in china? No way! This is merely a stereotype because most of the cheaper scopes out on the market today are made in china.
So you are probably wondering why scopes like Nikon, Leupold, Zeiss, and Burris are so much more expensive? The answer may be that - unlike barska scopes, these scopes were most likely not made in china, so labor costs may have been higher. The lenses and overall structure may be better as well. If you do not know a lot about scopes then I will fill you in on some of the more respected hunting scopes or tactical optics manufacturers. Zeiss is top of the line hands down, but with that title comes a hefty price tag. Nikon and Leupold are great scopes as well, but they too are expensive, just not as high as zeiss. Tasco and Bushnell are next in line. Now dont get me wrong, Bushnell has its higher end scopes, but the optics at walmart are do not fall into this category. Speaking of scopes from walmart, I purchased a center-point scope and placed it on a 7mm magnum and it has held up fine.
Varmint AO Riflescope Review
This scope caught my particularly because of the high magnification and the target dot reticle. I really liked the target dot because it works great for when I go coyote hunting. So far, it has performed magnificently on my .223. I really like the thin reticle too; really helps me focus in on my target and be more accurate.
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fired ten rounds of 30 06 and the focus was knocked out................can't focus any more. No matter what I paid.........that sucks.
I ordered a BARSKA AC10008 AO 3-12X40 air gun rifle scope for my Marlin Model 60 22 LR. I am not familiar with the brand but I suspect it is on par with other low end inexpensive scopes. I paid $56 including s&h for mine. I bought an air gun scope because they are made to withstand forward and backward recoil; should stand up OK on a 22 LR, which has almost no recoil. If I get exceptionally poor or exceptionally good experience with this BARSKA I'll drop by and leave another note.
Daniel, that does suck, but crap like that even happens with the best of stuff. Check Barska's customer service department to see if you can get another one for free.
THE BAD
The Mil Dot reticle is NOT graduated in Mil Dots; it is graduated in 5-MOA increments. I took my rifle and Barska scope to the range today. I re-zeroed it at 200 yards with Federal 168 grain .30-’06 Match ammo. Then, I tried shooting it at 300 yards, and I got crazy results. Then, I shot 4 rounds in rapid succession at the 400 yard target. The rifle and scope grouped well (0.63 MOA), but my hold over with my new Mil Dot scope didn’t make sense.
When I got home, I posted a target with MOA markings on it at 25 yards, and I put the rifle on a bench rest. Viewing the MOA target at all magnifications from 3x to 12x, I discovered the problem. My Chinese (Barska) Mil Dot scope wasn’t really a Mil Dot scope; it was an MOA scope with dots spaced 5 MOA apart. Now, all my shot groups made sense.
Despite the parallax adjustment, this scope had the worst parallax performance of any scope I have used.
THE GOOD
Mounted on a Weatherby Vanguard .30-'06, the rifle and scope combo held a 0.63 MOA group at 400 yards. The turrets are graduated in MOA, so having an MOA reticle in a scope with MOA turrets isn't so bad.
Also, the lenses are MUCH improved over previous Barska scopes.
I put a lot of rounds down range, and the recoil did not affect the scope.
Here's where the cliche saying, "You get what you pay for" really rings true to home.
The pros of buying barska = affordable and cheap
The cons of buying barska = practically useless scopes
I tried a few of these barska brands and installed their famous $100 sale price "sniper scope" just for fun and to satisfy my curiosity on my .30-06. Was I surprised that the recoil knocked the scope out of adjustment? Not at all. What I did find impressive was when shooting it on my .300 win-mag the darned thing was broken completely on the first shot.
Next we have their $30 cheapo job red dot prismatics. I put it on my son's .22 LR and it was not even close to zero. After some adjusting on the mount I was able to get it close... but not to satisfactory. Next I tried it on my savage .17 HMR and low and behold... 1 shot it's out of whack.
For the money spent. You could just rent some movies, buy half a dozen pizza's and beer, and have yourself a fun family movie night and invite your friends over. At least you would enjoy spending the $100 bucks instead of junk that belongs in the trash can right out of the shipping box.
My two cents after testing 2 barska scopes. Money wasted... scopes thrown in garbage. =)
I've had a couple of Barska products such as spotting scopes and binoculars and they have worked just fine. I've never used a rifle scope by them so can't say. But as long as you don't drop your binoculars and knock them out of collimation, Barska will work just fine. You really don't need to spend $500 more for one product for another just so it has heavier and more sturdy construction. A "cheaper" pair of binoculars does not produce much, if at all, of a better image than a more expensive pair as long as it's aligned correctly. If you really are so concerned about the heavier duty construction of a more expensive optics product and how it can take more use and abuse, perhaps you should be more concerned about your own sense of coordination and work on your butter fingers instead.
Oops, I meant to say that there is, in my opinion, virtually no difference in image quality between an expensive pair of binoculars and a cheaper pair, as long as they are in alignment, or collimated, to use the industry terminology. You do get heavier casing and more durable construction in the more expensive brands. But why not just try a novel idea and not drop the cheaper pair and they'll work for you just fine.
i dont care if its only one hundred dollars im spending on a scope for that much money it better be atleast a pretty good scope.
The instructions for adjustments on the sniper riflescope 4-16x50 were worthless.My attempt on email requesting for help was never responded to. The screws were impossible to take off because of the wax hiding them. The screws in the adjusting drums are very difficult to take off. This piece of Chinese crap has only taught me to buy American made.This has been the most frustrating experience with a scope. You do get what you pay for!
A wise old man once said,"If it sounds to good to be true, its probably to good to be true" Sorry Dad,I should've listened. I recently purchased Barska's limited time offer $99.95 sniper scope.Now I own several other rifle scopes, all of which have Windage & Elevation caps that just simply unscrew to access the adjustments. Well that was just too damn simple for Barska,thier caps are secured by two screws with hex heads and then covered in some sort of soft rubber so you can't see them. After calling Barska's customer sevice dept several times before actually speaking with someone, I was told that,I have to remove the rubber filling first, then I have to use a small hex head screwdriver to remove the caps, however if you don't have a small hex head, I could use a small flat head screw driver, but be care not to strip the screw head. MY first question to the Rep was, Why wouldn't you include a speacialty tool with the scope? Of course the Rep chuckled and replyed, "Well I guess I'll have to mention that to someone." By the way, the instructions that came with scope didn't mention anything at all about the two set screws that hold the caps in place, oh yeah, and that thier covered with rubber so you can't see them. So after 20 minutes of digging this soft rubber compound out of the holes to access the set screws, I use a small screw driver to loosen the caps, and sho-nuff, I strip the head of the screw. At that very moment I said SCREW IT!!! I called Barska customer service and made arrangments to send that piece of SHIT SCORE back for a refund. SO remember what my Dad said, and probably your Dad too, "If it sounds to good to be true," it's probably what? TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.
Bought one for my 7 mag, shot three times to get it zeroed in at 100 yards, took it to the woods this year and killed three deer. very satisfied
well a month ago i got a barska tactical scope to fit my mosin nagant (sniper) i wanted a more modern optic with a bit more eye relief. all i can say is that it is an outstanding scope ive shot at least 150 rounds of 7.62x54r and it has absolutly held its zero over the last 4 trips to the range. no issues whatsoever quite pleased and saisfied.i also have a barska red dot scope on a 9mm carbine and it has held up well over the last year.
Robert,
Glad to hear that you are satisfied with your barska scopes. Sure is nice to get a scope that gets the job done for a fraction of the price that some other rifle scopes cost.
I just purchased a barska 4-16x50 scope and cant figure out how to take the elevation and windage caps off to zero it.
jordan,
does it have a "hex" style screw head on it? if so, read grandbobby's comment.
Purchased a Barska 8 x 32 digital camera binocular.
The binoculars were severely not collimated. Necessary to use one eye at a time. Also the SD card was not included in the package. The camera cannot function without it. Focusing wheels were very low grade. Viewing screen was little more than a toy. I returned them immediately. Frankly, comparing the quality of the product to the marketing material I read, I would say it's a scam.
Robert, i have never used a pair of barska binos, all i can vouch for is the varmint AO varmint scope and the electro sight. The two scopes I mentioned are not scams - they have gotten the job done for me.
I put the 6x24 varmint scope on my new 17hmr savage, havnt had a chance to sight it in yet, I've put one shot through it and it seemed to be close after the bore sighting, seems fairly easy to use and adjust too. For the price I cant see too much of a problem with it. I think they should start having torque specs for mounting scopes like they do with autos, I'll post back after I put some more rounds through it
Good to hear. I have a .17 myself - a new england break barrel. The .17 should work fine with it because there is basically no recoil. Look forward to hearing your experience with barska.
I purchassed two of the 6.5-20x target varint scopes and found they are well made for the price. The optics are super bright and they have tons of eye relief. I have fired them on my 338 Lapua and so far have not had any problems. The zero held true and I got some really good groups. I have had several higher priced scopes and find they did'nt have as much eye relief as the Barskas. I think they will get the job done even though I have not hunted with them. I bought a high end Busnell once and with the first shot the lens popped out so goes to show that you can get lemons in any brand!
Heard enough here. I saw the same add for a tactical 4-16 for $99. I'll be looking somewhere else for a scope. I've had my fill of crappy Chinese made products. Rather give my money to our own workers even if it does cost me more. At least I'll know that money won't come back to bite me in the ass sometime in the future.
I've had a Barska 4-16x50 AO IR scope on my .30-06 for about 3 years, and I haven't had to zero it but once ever since I mounted the thing. Maybe I just got lucky, but I will say it has a damned crystal clear image.
Have a 3/12/50ir on a sks for five years great groups 700 rnds down range always zero would recommend
I just ordered a Barska red dot reflex for my MK2
Ruger. I'll let you folks know how I like it.
I've gotten a few knives from China lately. Very nice build
good edge. I'll look at this with some optimism....
cheers
Sorry to say guys but the fact that something is chinese made really doesn't make it an awful product by default. In fact, I would almost rather buy one of these $100 scopes that an american made $2,000 one simply because there is no more pride or work ethic for americans. I'm not going to get into politics, but its sad to say that I trust another country with something more than I do my own... And remember, every single company everywhere has defunct products, so just because something doesn't work so well, you can abuse their lifetime warranty until you get one that works.
This is just me on rifle scopes I have owned many and hunted for over 30 years. The idea of buying a cheap scope makes a good point if it is what you can afford that counts to you. I did this also and even bought open site rifles at first and when I was younger and had great vision that was fine but as you age you really need to address the changes in scopes. What I did and found that works is use most all my hunting products to their advantage and try and be cost effective.
It cost me a lot to take a hunting trip and I spend over seven thousand a year just on the sport I am not going to miss a deer or moose because of a cheap scope. I now also use a spotting scope that is paying off as well. The difference is you will see batter and be able to tell more and count tines better with better optics you spend less time stalking animals that are not legal to shoot because you can see them better and further away.I use Leupold and do not regret one minute the cost.I have used Bushnell,Simmons.Baush and laum use what ti takes to get started then learn to spend right in order to save cash and enjoy the heck out of your hunting.
Butch Mackay http://www.precisionreloading.ca
I just purchased the Barska Point Black 6-24x40 Scope for my AR15 and I'm crossing my fingers that I come back with a good review. I've done a lot of research and read a ton of review and so far, my purchase looks promising. I've decided to do more bench shooting with my AR-15 because I live in the Bay Area, Cali where there's not much we can do with these guns but go to the range. I bought the Nikon M223 mount for this scope so it should look very cool once installed. Debated on spending $300 plus for a Nikon scope but I wasn't happy with the features. For half the cost, I would be happy just to get on paper at 200 yards. I'll be sure to write my review after I test my new optics...
Mounted my Barska Point Black 6-24x40 on an AR15, and used a Nikon M223 scope mount (highly recommended for the price). My first impression was that this is a pretty long scope (14.25inches). Bottom line is, AR15 is only fun when your target is 50 yards plus so I got this scope to zoom in at 100 yards. The focus and clarity is perfect. Bore sighted the scope the night before and got on paper on my first shoot. A few clicks of adjustment and I was zeroed in after my 5th shot. I did 100 rounds and scope stayed zeroed in. This scope has excellent performance. Plenty of eye relief and the adjustments have crispy clicks. The lit up cross hair is useless in the day. You can only see the colors at night. Finish is average but the overall quality is excellent. This is a durable, solid, and reliable scope. Highly recommended. With the right mount, this scope looks mean. Glad I bought it.
I will tell you this, I ordered one of there $99, tacticals agianst better judgment just to see what happens. So far its been two weeks, because they forgot to ship the thing, and no one wanted to fix the problem at customer service. This scope is getting one chance, then its going back for a refund, I could have purchased a centerfire and it would be here by now, and I wouldnt be sitting here wondering if Barskas scope sucks as bad as their customer service so far.
Purchased 2 3x9 32mm Barskas for the 22 mags my son and use to sneak around for coyotes, 'ey. Even do a little backwoods skiing with the Henry on my back, take some spills, and the scope is doing fine so far. Bottom line is "adequate". Not comparable to the Ziess I have on my Sako, but holding up for two winters now, while bouncing around in my pickup when not in use.
I'm not sure which model but I just purchased a 3x9 Barska scope for my son's muzzleloader and it's working out quite well so far. Too soon to know how long it will last but the price was right. It was my first Barska purchase.
Lens making is no secret the Japanese have excelled at it since WW2 most of the world stands in line for their lenses Leupold Swarovski some of Zeiss & now the Chicoms are buying up lens making. Machinery that's where Nikon switched to along with many others cheaper labor means lower prices Burris was the last scope maker in US to grind their own lens most scopes are competitive but you have to pay at least 100. To get a reliable serviceable scope. Most scope failures can be traced back to improper mounting or adjusting I build my own scopes and have the tooling to evaluate them. I buy mostly Japanese lenses but the Chicoms are very competitive out of all the scopes I have evaluated on two have been perfect one Swarovski and one Tasco. Go figure
Hi again. This is my 3rd post on the Barska point black 6-24x40. I confess that I am a rookie and spoke way too soon. On my first experience, I was very impressed with the performance and immediately wrote a positive review. Little did I know that the quality on of this scope would eventually match all the bad reviews I've read. As quick as I wrote a positive review; I immediately had to change my review after my last use. It's really true with getting what you pay for. After my 3rd used, this scope completely lost the zero and I could not adjust back to zero. Thanks to Amazon, I was able to return this scope for a full refund (just returned today). Also lucky with the timing being that it broke a week before the return deadline. I'm new to the rifle scope industry and there's no better way to learn but through experience. This scope may work well on a low caliber rifle like a .22lr. Certainly not recommended on a .223 and higher. My guess is that the extra recoil on a 5.56 nato was too much for scope. Take it from me readers; don't learned the hard way. The extra $50 - $100 is well worth the name brand scopes. You may not be as lucky in getting a refund. Sorry Barska, I gave you a chance and you let me down.
All products have some problems, and some are due to the operators. The scope can simply be loosed if the mount is not tight enough. I got the lost-zero problem but it went away after it was tightened. I am happy with my purchase and serve the purpose to shoot small games like bird or rabbit at 100-200 yards with my new .17 HMR.
Again, I spoke too soon. I take back my last comment about losing zero on the point black 6-24x40. My fault, I have the scope mount screwed on incorrectly. I realize this when I bought a new Nikon 4-12x40 prostaff scope and mounted it. So now, I have this Nikon that only half the magnification and for about $50 more. The Nikon performed well, but I was quickly missing the reticle and extra magnification on the Barska. With that in mind and that losing the zero was entirely my fault, I quickly return the Nikon and purchased another Barska. I have to thank Amazon again for letting me learn the hard way. And believe me, after endless research to find a good scope with high magnification, Barska beats them all for the price. I mean really, a Leupold with the same magnification is well in the $1.6K range. If you're a weekend beginner like me, and and have limited funds, Barska is the way to go. I tell you, this scope performs well. I even challenged my friends at 100 yards with $500+ scopes. With 9, 2 inch targets at 100 yards, I got all 9 of them. My final comment is that Barska is very much a 5 star scope.
So I read about 3/4 of all the postings. Let me settle this thing- I bought a used Barska 6.5-20 and I also later bought a new Barska 6.5-20. Here is the review-
The used scope- I put it on a 30-06 shot about 20 rounds through it to sight it in. It could never hold zero. Not a big surprise when you buy someone elses junk. (just hang in there, Don't stop reading yet)
The new scope- I bought it right before deer hunting last year. Put 20 rounds on it with my 30-06. Couldn't hold zero so I switched guns. Now with it on a .270 I tried about 15 rounds and realized it was never gonna hold zero on that gun either. Once I realized this, I put my cheap simmons scope back on the .270 and I was out of ammo in a hurry. So the cheapo junk Barska left me with a drive to the store for more ammo just so I could at least have my crappy but reliable simmons for deer season.
BTW- I'm not endorsing Simmons by any means, I'm just glad I had a backup before deer season.
Final thoughts- OK LOOK, obviously there are a few people who have gotten lucky by buying a Barska scope that has done exactly what you would hope it would do- hold a decent enough pattern so you can take your gun hunting. For me however, I along with a ton of other people have bought this junk hoping that a guy could at least get a half-way decent scope for $100. Now I like to give everything the benefit of the doubt first. TAKE IT FROM ALL OF US THAT HAVE NOTHING GOOD TO SAY ABOUT BARSKA- You're wasting your money! Seriously! I don't have money to blow on expensive scopes either but wasting it on this brand is not the answer. I don't have any magic secrets for ya either- Just Buy A Better Scope. Spend more than you want to on your optics. I was once told that your glass should cost as much as your gun. (A little extreme but you get the point.)
"You Get What You Pay for" Is True.
Oh, and I'm trying Swift Optics now. They aren't super expensive and claim to be as good as a high end scope. I'll update after I get my replacement. (first one was defective) Off to a stellar start! LOL!
Barska 4x16x50 varmint series 22mag.was impressive at first. Now want hold zero and barska cost 25$ to send back time ammo etc.cost too much. Not worth aggravation.
I own a barska ridgeline 6x24x44 scope I put it on my remington 700 sps tactical. The scope is awesome! Held zero after hundreds of rounds and the clarity is off the charts. About 3 weeks ago me and a few friends shot all day at 300, 500, and 850 yards and all of the clicks were dead on with my math for bullet drop. Mabey I got lucky but I will be putting a barska on my ar15 when it gets here.
Randy Godwin Level 6 Commenter 2 years ago
Unfortunately, the old adage "you get what you pay for" is not as factual as it once was. Today's laser cut lenses are better than ever and costs less. True, the high end scopes are built well, but for the ordinary hunter there are plenty of more affordable scopes around. Good hub.