Simmons master series prosport

[JonnyReb]

  I tried to order this scope earlier but something went wrong and it never came. Now it's on it's way again and i'll do a full review once it's in my hands. I ordered this scope based on my hunt for  a decent quality name brand scope at a bargain price as i'm going to pretty much kill any future resale value with a home camo paint job once i try it out. It's a 4x12x50 AO that after the rebate, is $37.00+$12.00 shipping. At that price, i felt i couldn't go wrong.

  This scope is going to be typical Simmons mid grade glass, nothing like Genes "Whitetail classics" but it should be decent glass and i think i'm going to like the build quality as other simmons scopes i've owned have been flawless. I've never had a 50mm i don't think and i hope it proves to be a bright scope. It has a field of view as wide as 23 feet @100 yards, which seems typical of scopes in this lower price range. Of course it has the usual shockproof, waterproof, fogproof rating as well as easy turn rubber coated objective and zoom rings. The tru-plex reticule is going to be about perfect to, as it needles down to fine crosshairs well suited to accurate airgunning. Although this is a $50.00 scope, i think it will be perfect for a pcp gun, not of course being springer rated. I'll get back to the review in a few days when it arrives.
http://www.natchezss.com/images/products/SN510490C.jpg

[JonnyReb]

 Well so far so good, i came in today from a fishing trip at the beach and my box was on the table by the door. It came in the cheap clamshell packaging but the scope itself appears to be well made, good looking, short and fairly light(13.?oz.) for a 50mm. I have not mounted it on a gun yet but here are some initial observations.

  Starting with the AO, i notice that it is easy to turn but is a little bit rough. Seems as if the o rings could use a bit more lube but the glass itself is clear and bright and focuses clearly and quite accurately out to my farthest marked point, 50 yards. 47+/- yards on the AO is where i most clearly see my 50 yard target. The adjustment turrets are very similar to bushnells, with no tools required to adjust
elevation and windage. The click more positively than any scope ive ever used, including leupolds. Simmons makes a big deal of their turrets.. and i think they have every reason to, they are very precise, in feel at least. The 4-12x adjustment wheel is nicely coated in thick rubber but is so hard to turn that i'm afraid i'll break something. This i am not to impressed with and can only hope that it will loosen with use.  At the end, finally, is the adjustable eye piece which is quite nice, has a wide range of adjustment and allows precise fine tuning for perfectly clear veiwing. i'll say again that this scope is VERY clear, for a cheap scope, these are great optics. Better than any of my centerpoints or leapers without a doubt in terms of clarity. In brightness it is similar. Maybe 85% light transmission. Very clear though with only the slightest noticable "fisheye" around the edges.   One more thing i'll mention is that the scope seems to have extra long eye relief, as does another Simmons of mine. These is no "blackout" between 3.5" and well over 5".  All in all, very impressive considering the cost. It feels like a $100+ scope to me.  I'll test if further once it's on a gun and complete this review.  J

[pindog2000]

Simmons are usually good scopes natchess has the prosport series in 4x32 for 19 bucks i think thats awesome for a cool little co2 pistol.

[JonnyReb]

 They are a good deal it seems Pindog. I completed some shooting over the last few days with the prosport and here are my thoughts on it.

  Short term, it seems like a very well made scope, somewhere on the quality level of a leapers, which speaks well of both of them. It is very light and short and the adjustments work well and give positive feedback. The optics are clear and bright, so long as you keep your eye centered. The 12X is strong and you can really pick out some closeup detail. The price is very low given the pro's of this scope.
 
  The downsides to this scope are as follows. The eye relief, which in  some cases may be desired, is so far out that i had to mount my scope way forward of what i think of as normal. This means you look through the scope, rather than what i desire, which is to get "into" the sight picture. I guess this scope may be better suited for hunting rather than target shooting because of this, although the field of view seems rather narrow for hunting, at least on the upper end of power. Also, the crosshairs seem ever so slightly out of center, so close i can't be sure but it seems to be obvious at times.

 All in all, a good solid scope for the money, no leupold but still, for $50.00, a good bargain for a pcp or pneumatic gun. I guess it would earn a solid B rating to me anyways and i wouldn't hesitate to buy another or to recommend one to a friend. I'll continue to use the scope and post on it again should any relevant info present itself.  J

[pindog2000]

Yep thanks I would put it on a co2 or pcp also I don't know if you got the new natchess catalog?I got two lol gave on to my buddy who hunts bsa has some good deals also but the simmons pro sport I can do that $19 for a 4x32 scope?brother you can't beat that price at all put that on a 2240 or a little 2260 or a 1377 and you have a cool set up.I plan to put burris scopes on my .22 qb78 and my .25 qb78 and a simmons white tail classic on my hpa rws 850 .

[JonnyReb]

  Just wanted to add that in the woods, this scope has met or exceeded every expectation. The slight distortion at possibly incorrect AO adjustment setting, is not noticed in the woods a bit as it is on paper. Also the light weight and short length are very nice on the slightly piggy marauder, i have to say i wouldn't ever want a heavy scope(like my leapers) on the Mrod again, and the light scope still allows for good balance without any top heaviness. Where i'm so impressed, is the low light ability it has, tonight i truely felt that it added 15-20 minutes of shooting time to my hunt. It was allowing me to pick out good detail at 30 yards well after my naked eyes had quit seeing. It is better than the average scope in this reguard. All points of impact have not shifted a bit, even after some good bumping around. I'm increasing my score to a B+, if it still works this well in 5 years, it's an A.     J

[Progun]

Good report Jeff.

[pindog2000]

Can't go wrong with simmons

[Atchman2]

I have the Simmons 44 mag on my powder burner and just love it!

[JonnyReb]

  I have to say that over the years i've never heard anyone say they didn't like their Simmons scopes. I know plenty of guys who won't use one, because of their addiction to all things leupold, but noone says they have had one fail. I've an older model that was on my blackpowder gun for years and now on my 870, and it works flawlessly plus it really has decent optics. They all seem to be much lighter in weight than comparable overseas scopes too, they remind me of leupold when it comes to weight. They are well made and inexpensive and if one doesn't mind the word "china" written on it, they must be one of the best low cost scopes available for the money. I think that since they are owned by meade, who also owns weaver and i believe bushnell, they share technology with some of the best scopes made today.  Thanks for reading guys,  Jeff

[etamme]

Hi JonnyReb, and every one else.  I just bought my first PCP, a .22 Mrod and looking to get some glass.  I found this post through reading some other Mrod scope threads.  I think the simmons sounds good, and the price is right but I wanted to ask a couple of questions.

Is there a minimum focal range (im new to scopes) like there is on camera lenses?  I normally shoot in a small indoor space that is pretty much exactly 10meters, so any thing that cant focus at 9-10m is not gonna work for me.

What scope rings do you have for this scope on your Mrod?  Ive heard people say that some 40mm scopes need tall rings to get clearance, knowing what works for you would help me make a choice. 

If any one else has a inexpensive scope recommendation for the Mrod (sub $100) I'd be happy to hear about it.  I basically do "plinking" right now, but id like some thing that is a "general purpose now" that its legal to hunt with airguns in NY.

Thanks very much for any info

-Eric

[JonnyReb]

 Hi Eric and welcome to the GTA! Sorry i missed your post for a few days.

  I'll see if i can answer your questions starting with the distance concern. It's good you ask as yes, lots of scopes, including the Simmons won't adjust that close at high power. You'll get up to maybe 6X and thing will get wierd looking. Bushnell may be the least expensive AO scope that will go to a true 10 yard adjustment. Simmons and many others are set for 25 yards as their low point.

  I use BKL mounts on most of my pcp's. As you can see in the pic their is a cut out area for the loading of a magazine, it's a fine scope mount although any tall mount shoud clear a 50mm on an Mrod. Medium for a 40mm.

 Do check out the bushnells but i'll mention that this above simmons is now only $49.00 and this new side adjust AO is $79.00
http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php/topic,13992.0.html

  Just got mine today and i love it   J

[etamme]

Hey JonnyReb thanks for the reply.  First let me apologize in advance if my questions are extremely uninformed - im really new to scopes.

So - I dont mind shooting indoors at only 4x if thats as magnified as the scope will go without getting blurred or wacked out.  Will that be the case, that I can focus at low magnification but not higher ones at such short distances?

Ideally i'd like a scope that I can shoot indoors at low magnification, and then keep the same scope for outdoor use... whenever that time comes.

The 6-18x40 looks good, but what is the real difference? just that its got a little more magnification, and its a side wheel adjust for the AO instead of adjusting the objective .. "bell" (i dont know the terminology)

thanks again,
Eric

[JonnyReb]

   Any AO scope set at 4X should be almost parallax free, which would indeed let you get clear sight pictures from 8-10 yards and out, just tried it with the prosport and amazingly i can set it at 4X and 25 yard setting on the parallax and i get clear sight picture from 15 feet out to infinity! All with no AO(adjustable objective) adjustment at all. Speaks well for the Simmons. It would work fine at 4X at 10 yard ranges.

  I would stay away from the 6x18 if you want to shoot indoors, plus it's a larger, heavier and longer scope, it would definitely be an outside proposition.

  I went with the 4x12x40 and found it is all i would ever need, plus it has the cool side AO adjustment. I've been thinking about picking up the 6x18 though too, it's such a bargain and these are closeouts, once their gone that will be the end of them. More expensive stuff will take their place.    J
 

 

[etamme]

Thanks a lot! that answers all my questions.  My Marauder arrives tonight, so time to start putting together a scope+rings order.