Gloss finish scopes gone for good ?
- Thread starter Francois_
- Start date
Not what I said at all. And I don't merely think my opinion is outdated; I know it is.
To clarify...I didn't state that people don't want the tacticool features. What I meant...and said...was that most of them don't know how to use them or even what their benefits are. They absolutely do want them...because of marketing, not because they can actually capitalize on those benefits.
Demand does indeed drive the market; and marketing shapes demand.
I also think that plenty of younger shooters are very concerned with the cosmetics of their firearms and scopes, but the "look" they crave is the tacticool one...and that means matte finishes. But which came first: the desire for matte, or the influx of matte finishes combined with marketing that created the perception that they are "better"?
I also happen to think that glossy scopes are tacky...if they are mounted on matte rifles. Just like matte scopes are tacky on gloss rifles.
I completely agree that newer scopes put old ones to shame optically, but you don't need to travel back in time all the way to the 1980's to find gloss finishes. And you don't always...or even often...need the cutting edge optical qualities. If I were going on the hunt of a lifetime tomorrow, especially somewhere like Alaska where bad weather is practically guaranteed, my scope would be a matte-finished modern optical piece, mounted on a matte-finished synthetic-stocked modern rifle. I would want every bit of optical quality just in case I needed it, as unlikely as that might be. And I would want to concentrate on the hunt itself, without needing to worry about a fine polished finish and a magnificent but fragile piece of fine walnut.
But...on a more casual hunt near home, likely for something like whitetails that I have hunted and shot for decades...I'd take the blued/walnut gun with the gloss scope. Treating every single hunt like a military mission with a grim-faced succeed-at-all-costs mentality would be...IMHO...tacky.
And don't even get me started on those eternal warrior types who go deer hunting in mixed woods/farmland, where a long shot might be 100 yards...and they are carrying 12-pound heavy-barreled rifles wearing 5-25X FFP scopes with AO, christmas-tree reticles and built-in laser rangefinders.
Yes, I think it comes down to this. Some (the minority) of the folks buying guns these days do prefer a highly-polished finish on them. These buyers do not have outdated views; they just have a different aesthetic preference than others for whom a matte finish is appealing. And for such guns, a more-polished scope finish makes for a more pleasing and consistent overall appearance. There are lots of rifles being sold today with a polished metal finish, many higher-priced like the Sako 85s and 90s and many European imports, but some at more affordable prices from Browning, Remington, and CZ. I think the fact that many buyers are prepared to pay a high price for such a rifle suggests that they are not outdated.
Howas are kinda nice polished blue...maybe semi-polished would be more accurate, not expensive.
CZ line was all high polished blue, until the 600 disaster.
Zastavas were nicely finished high polished blue.
Just a few that come to mind.
luckythirteen
CGN Regular
- Location
- Yukon Territory
Put a straight tube glossy loopy on a ruger 44 carbine. That's a fine combo. Yes I like the challenge and win of finding a classic glossy scope for a classic rifle.
Would be nice to see a couple modern options, modern glass, modern reticle, modern turrets.. or is that too much.. just the glass?
Would be nice to see a couple modern options, modern glass, modern reticle, modern turrets.. or is that too much.. just the glass?
