You can spend a large sum of money on a high end scope, but will it actually put more meat in the freezer? Of course a top end scope may give you a few more minutes’ shooting at dawn and dusk, but Dan Pool of Braces of Bristol thinks there’s a law of diminishing returns at work. “There are lots of pros and cons and science stuff behind the more expensive optics,” he says, “but for me, once you get above a certain level, my eyes don’t see the difference.”
Where he does see a difference, however, is in the back-up service behind the product. “I like to sell something with the confidence of knowing that if there’s a problem in two months, two years or even eight years, I can speak to Carl at Swarovski and it will be sorted. Our customer will be happy and we’re going to be happy.”
There’s another reason to go for one of the big name brands when you’re choosing a scope – resale value. In a few years’ time things might have changed, you’ve decided to switch calibres or you’ve taken up a different type of shooting. Maybe you were shooting foxes in a lamp, and now you’re interested in stalking Highland red deer. That scope is no longer the ideal tool for the job.
“With a big name scope we can always take it back in, so you can trade it in against the new scope you’re after,” Dan says.
So while a cheaper scope might get you up and running for a smaller outlay initially, and you might be hard pressed to see the difference just looking through different makes and models in the shop, sometimes it’s worth making the investment of buying a premium scope. It could well pay off in the long run.
Find out more at the Braces of Bristol website.
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