Has anyone else had good luck with Simmons scopes?

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I did a search, and saw lots of posts about how horrible they are. I have had two, a Whitetail Classic and a fixed 4x that I bought for $25 on Ebay over 25 years ago. My nephew is still using the whitetail classic, and the 4x still lives on top of my 300 win mag. It has been rock solid all these years. The whitetail classic is on his 99 savage, 243. I know the brand is gone now, having changed hands and then being cancelled. But I think it would not have lasted 30 years or so if it was as bad as some of the posts indicate.
 
You must have bought one of the 'better' ones back then. Simmons has been thru several owners and in that came different locations of manufacture and quality. Here's a post I found on 24hourcampfire site - http s://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/5863232/all/When_did_Simmons_quality_drop_
 
I've had a cheap Simmons on my loaner 10-22 since the mid 80's.

I think it was about $30 .
Bought it at Lebaron's, a store in Mississauga ON.

Its long gone now, it was always busy but had the shi.ttiest service ever.
 
I had a 3-9 22MAG silver scope on a 10/22 for several years. Didn’t have any problems held zero and worked great. I won it at a dinner 16 or so years ago. The only reason I took it off was it had a bit of a parallax issue under 30 yards but was nice and clear and definitely useable for a lower cost scope. It seems better to me than other scopes in that price range for sure. Mind you the rifle went from my cabinet to the range and back and the occasional squirrel shoot. so I wouldn’t say it saw hard use so cannot comment on that.
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I have a Simmons pistol scope which I decided to torture. About 300 full power loads on a Ruger Super Redhawk 454 Casull. Decided I didn’t really want a scope on it so decided to put it on my contender 30-30 pistol. Probably 200 full power loads and 400 or more cast bullet loads. It was given to me so no idea what it was on before I received it. Just keeps working. I had a 3-9 given to me that’s sitting on my 22 Hornet for about 5 years and 800 to a 1000 rounds fired. Only scope I had fail was a 26 year old Tasco, crosshairs turn when you move the magnifying dial. Simmons scopes are cheap but the two I have are over 20 years old and still going.
 
I still have a variable Simmons, 4-12x with adjustable objective, which I have had on the same .22 rimfire for something like 30 years. It was one of their "higher-grade" models when I bought it new, had an aspherical lens system, think it's the Whitetail Expedition...too lazy to unlock it and check. It's clear enough for my purposes (casual plinking/targeting) and has held up well, holds zero and tracks well, but it's never been subjected to much abuse other than shoehorning it into and out of the safe. But I am now selling off a lot of guns, and moving my better scopes to the guns I am keeping...and I have no plans to replace or "upgrade" this particular scope.

I also had a lower-grade Simmons fixed 2.5x compact lightweight scope which lived a hard life on a succession of rifles up to .458WinMag and a couple of rifled slug shotguns. It was purchased probably 40 years ago on a clearance table at LeBaron's :), and when it wasn't being shot on top of guns with some serious recoil, it was jammed into backpacks and pockets, mounted in QD rings, as a backup for my primary scope on numerous hunts. It finally gave up the ghost...the image itself was not and could not be focused...and Bushnell (who owned Simmons at that time) replaced it without hesitation with a superior scope model. Apparently, this type of service from Bushnell is now a thing of the past in Canada.
 
Had a 2-7 on a 22, after a year or so, the zoom ring got sticky, felt like something got inside. Still worked though, and held zero. Can’t complain for $100.
 
bought a Simmons Deerfield once.

once.

I know lots of people had bad experiences, I also had one Bushnell scope that went back twice because one crosshair left the chat.
 
Buck1950 said:
You must have bought one of the 'better' ones back then. Simmons has been thru several owners and in that came different locations of manufacture and quality. Here's a post I found on 24hourcampfire site - http s://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/5863232/all/When_did_Simmons_quality_drop_
Click to expand...
That conversation looks to me about the same as the results here, some have had very good results with them, others horrible.
 
Yes, It seems to depend on 'Who & When' the scope was made. USA vs Phillipines vs China And Who the actual mfr was.
 
legi0n said:
I have an old Simmons Blazer (came on a rifle)
It still works as expected but the lenses now have a darker tint at the edge.
Click to expand...
One showed up on a new savage 11 I bought 20 years ago. I have no Idea where that scope is now, I did not like it. I either threw it out or it is hiding in my junk pile.
 
Simmons 4-16 with a target reticle has been fine as a set-it&leave-it
Going onto a 22 silhouette rifle so will know pretty soon if it is up to being dialed
 
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