Cabela's Optics

[Boomer454]

I just received a new Cabela's Canada catalog. ( The old S.I.R.)

In the optics section I noticed all of the Cabela's brand scopes and binos.
Cabela's obviously doesn't have there own manufacturing facilities, so some one makes them for them and puts their name on them.

Some of them sound like a hell of a good deal. Not "cheap", but more like you are just not paying for a "big name" like Leupold or what not.

If anyone here has any experience with them, The Alaskan Guide" series in particular ( It would appear to be their high end line...) I would like to hear about them. Good bad or otherwise

Thanks.

 

[beefman]

I bought a set of their binos "Cabelas XT" 10X42. Excellent quality. As good as my friends Swarovski's. Lotta bang for the $$$.

 

[highspeedlowdrag]

I've been toying with the idea of picking up a .17hmr rifle and did some reading up on scopes. I saw their "tactical" scopes in the catalog (the ones that come with several different turrets) and was curious about them. After further searching around on the net, I did a bit more reading, and found that the general consensus was that the scopes (at least the ones I was looking at) are made by BSA...

hsld.

 

[TheTooner]

... the general consensus was that the scopes (at least the ones I was looking at) are made by BSA...

hsld.

Did you find out that BSA operates its own manufacturing facility, or is it that they look like they are made in by the same factories that make BSA optics?

I've seen a Nikon that looks like it is exactly the same size, shape and power as a Bushnell Trophy I have (1.5-6x44mm, 30mm tube, no.4 reticle), and similar coincidences between one of the other Bushnell model lines and Browning scopes. That leads me to suspect they are going to the same factories in China, Korea, etc, and picking from a menu and specifying different levels of quality of glass, coatings, and finish according to the performance they want to offer and the price point and profit level they are aiming at.

 

[Boomer454]

Actually, flipping between pages in the catalog, I thought the Nikon and Cabela's scopes looked an awful lot alike. Pretty hard to tell from picture of course...

Just thought I would ask if anyone here had any personal experience with them (good or bad), and if the quality is any good or not.

 

[zimbu]

I have two of the Cabelas Pine Ridge scopes and they're both great! I put the 3-12X40 rimfire BDC turret on my old Cooey60 with a Weaver side mount. The 40gr turret shoots a few inches low @ 200 yds with the scope properly zeroed @ 100.

The second is the Big Game 6-18X40 on my .270. I originally ordered the 3-12X40 but since it was backordered I opted for the longer one, and I'm glad I did. The image is not quite as sharp as the 3-12, but still clear enough to accurately count tines on a moose @ 400 yd.

The duplex reticles in both scopes are absolutely tack sharp. Winding the turrets up/dn L/R with the rifle in a vise produced no change in zero, nor did tapping the scope after making adjustments.

My only complaint is that the Owner's Manual does not explain the operation of the side parallax adjustment. It is not a focus knob as the ad suggests. Focus is accomplished by adjusting the occular lens. The knob simply makes the reticle appear to be at the same distance as the target, thereby reducing the error caused by not having ones eye in exactly the same place from one shot to the next.

Five stars in my books.
Just my humble opinion.
__________________