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Yep.......it's junk

C

Curtis Foley

Copper BB
Having read all the reviews I could find and the posts here and other places that said the Barska I have is junk, I thought maybe I had a good one. Being as stubborn as I am I thought I would mount it to the ATR and do a few feeble tests today. Long story a bit shorter, my findings are as follows:

At 100 yards the tracking is within 2 tenths of a minute on average.
At 300 yards to infinity and at any zoom above 8 the AO will not bring the target into focus.
The image at anything higher than the lowest zoom setting is not crystal clear but usable.
I am able to focus the reticle to a very sharp state.
Parallax is in excess at all ranges and lens settings.


So in short, it is in fact shite.
 
I bought a Barfka "sniper" model 4-16x50 with IR. Think it was about $130 after rebate. Thing would not focus, the lenscap strap broke after a week and the battery compartment/lightswitch just about fell off. Sure, 1 year warranty but you have to pay shipping both ways. They sent a new one back to me and I was happy to "unload" it NIB for $100--about a $50 loss. :( First and last scope (or anything) I will ever buy from them...

4-16x50.jpg
 
I had a barska! I thought it was just my eyes not focusing....so I had my wife look through it. Nope...not my eyes.....

So...I took it off and set it up a lil ways away from me and got out my Mosin.
It still wont focus...but at least now I know why.
 
It's real hit or miss, usually the latter.

I've had real good luck with Bushnell as far as low price optics. As long as you jump up to the second tier or higher you are OK. Avoid the plastic wrapper retail models. You can get good glass for $100-150 which is still relatively inexpensive relatively speaking. For under $200 you can get older model Leupold VX1's that are still really good scopes.
 
I've returned numerous barska scopes for customers (and myself) over the years.

The last one, the metal was thin and after a few shots of 223, the bell end of the scope was clearly bent and out of alignment with the rest of the scope.

No more barska for me.

I can say the same for NC Star.
 
I've had good service from simmons and bushnell scopes if you're looking for a budget scope. I usually stick around the sub $100 optics like the simmons 8 point series 3-9x50 (which is usually less than $50 at amazon) and the Bushnell Banner series which are around $75 or so.
 
Isn't the factory scope on the 100 atr a barska? Seemed like I read that somewhere. It's shooting 6 inch groups at 100 yards
 
Yes the scope that comes with the ATR 100 is a Barska, and I agree is a piece of S**T! I'm not a professional shooter or anything but I know I am not going blind either. I have had to sight my scope 3 times. The way I normally sight it in is 1st bore sight in at 25 yds, then take 1 shot, and then by using my elevation and windage dials "TRY", again I say try to dial in to the bullseye. But no matter what I do or how I adjust I cant get it to shoot inside the bullseye. I am always high and right of my final zeroing in! I will be changing my optics for something better, which also had mildots! Any suggestions? Keep in mind I am not a professional so nothing too extravagant!
 
I was actually lookin at some optics on Amazon. It seems Mossberg is using Vortex scopes on a few of their new MVP lines of rifles but WAAAAAAAAY out of my price range. I did find a decently priced Bushnell 4×16 40 mm for a lottle over $100. Might have 2 look at a couple of the other ones u mentioned dieselmudder, thanks again. BTW, any1 know about LedSniper? They had sum cool scopes, but not sure if I wanna sacrifice good vision thru the glass over sumthin that looks cool. Any info would greatly b appteciated!
 
Ive actually had pretty good luck with a few different Simmons 3-9 scopes. Theres some parallax, but i never noticed it until i started using more expensive scope, then went back and put old scopes on cheap guns, then i really noticed a difference. Within a couple hundred yards it wouldnt be an issue. Ive found its not until you start going for accuracy at about 250+ yards that the quality of glass really shows.
 
Parallax? What's that......kind of a newb when it comes 2 scopes as this is my 1st scoped rifle. Also was watchin a video on YouTube and I heard the spotter talkin about minutes. Could sum1 explain in newb terms? Thanks!
 
Put simply, parallax is the distortion in the field of view created by the bending of light between the objective lens and the eyepiece lens.

Hold your index finger pointing up about six inches in front of your face. Then hold the index finger of your other hand at the same height about a foot out in front of the other and then line the two up with both eyes open. Then, without moving your hands close one eye only and then alternate which eye is closed. Your fingers will move out of alignment depending on which eye is open. This example is caused by eye dominance, but the concept is similar to what happens between the two lenses in a scope. Parallax distortion in a scope is what makes the target appear out of focus until the lenses are properly adjusted for the given distance.

Minutes refer to "minute of angle", commonly referred to as MOA. In mathematical terms, a circle is made up of 360 degrees of arc, each degree being further broken down into 60 minutes. For practical shooting purposes MOA is used to quantify accuracy by measuring the distance between shots on a target relative to the shooting distance. This can be calculated using the formula C=2ΠR were "C" is the circumference of the circle, "R" is the radius, and of course "Π" equals approximately 3.1416. The result is usually calculated in inches. At 100 yards (3600 inches), the equation breaks down to C=2(3.1416)3600 yielding a result of 22,619.5". Divide this by the number of minutes in a circle (21,600) and the result is an MOA value of 1.0472" at 100 yards. We shooters tend to simplify things a bit by a using a value of 1" for every 100 yards to target; 1 MOA = 1" at 100 yards, 2" at 200 yards, 3" at 300 yards, etc. If a string of shots are fired at the same point of aim on a target at 100 yards and the distance between the furthest separated shots in the group measures 2.5", then the group measures 2.5 MOA. A 2.5" group at 500 yards equates to .5 MOA (2.5 divided by 5). Typically, the desired accuracy for a good target rifle is 1 MOA or better...
 
WOW, L.E.S., math nevr was my strong suit in school, but I think I get the jist of what ur sayin. Is there anything online graphs, charts, or anything that would allow me 2 download or print off so that I can use it out in the field? Also, do any1 know what the term "dope" is? I've heard it a few times, 4 instance, "uur "dope" is right on!" Thanks again 4 all the help and info.....very valuable me being a novice shooter.
 
Dope is just a slang term for windage and elevation adjustment at a known distance. Say you know your bullet drops 26 inches at 400 yards, and theres a,12 mph cross wind. Your "dope" would be the adjustment made to the optic to compensate for bullet drop and wind drift.

My best advice, don't think to far ahead yet. Just work on consistency and accuracy at 100 yards. Proper technique, and trigger control are much more important than scope adjustment.
 
D.O.P.E. = Data On Previous Engagements

There are dope charts on-line, but the charted data is based on either theoretical values or on a specific rifle using a specific type of ammo under specific external conditions. The charts may or may not get you on paper at any given distance depending on the variables involved.

You will be much better off compiling your own data based on the performance of your rifle. There are dope charts available with blank spaces to fill in your data, but I have always just created my own in a small journal type notebook...
 
Wow, in just the few days I've been on this forum I've learned a lot about shooting. Thank u and if I have any problems finding where I can download a dope sheet, I'll send a request 4 help! Thanks again!
 
Here is a .pdf scanned from a American Rifleman magazine about a year ago. If you are a NRA member, you may have already seen it. If you are not a NRA member, you should be...
 

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