new 3-12x32 side focus Bug Buster

rws53

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I've used 3-9x32 AO Bug Busters with great results on airguns (and .22LR powderburners)...the 3-12x32 side focus should work great too

Leapers announces new 3-12x32 Side Focus Bug Buster LINK

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That would look sweet on my 10/22 SBR.

yes...the Bug Busters are a nice compact scope. I like their ability to adjust parallax from infinity down to 3 yards...works great on air pistols and rifles that I shoot in comps in my basement at 5m and 10m.

I also use them on my 10/22's and swap them to other .22's quickly with the Quick Detach scope rings.

The new 3-12x32 is similarly compact. I ordered 2 of them ($99.77 USD each) and should have them by Oct 6 and will get them mounted up. BTW D&L Airgun Inc is listed as a Canadian source on the Leapers site....Shop UTG > Find a Dealer.

Couple of pictures of the 3-9x32 AO Bug busters mounted on Rugers.



 
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I'd use a Bugbuster except for two things; weight - they're heavier than I want sitting up top, and reticle lag when adjusting zero. I've read lots of reports from people saying the Leapers scopes are amazingly reliable for a lower priced scope, and I'm not in a position to say those reports are wrong. Perhaps I've just been unlucky with the two Leapers scopes I've tried. My son's 2240 regulated PCP carbine (HiPAC, modified CO2/HPA regulator from Robert Lane, tubular stock, 14" barrel, in .22") is really accurate for him out to at least 40 metres using a Bugbuster 6x scope. But getting the thing zeroed is a chore, as the reticle suffers from a buffering lag which means any adjustments to the reticle take anywhere from a few seconds to almost an hour to 'take.' Meaning I can be fussing with the scope trying to get the pellets on the mark and it's easy to over-adjust out of frustration as I am not sure the adjustment made is far enough... only to have the reticle jump at some random time and suddenly be well past where I intended to go.

I had use of a 3-9x Bugbuster for a couple of months two years ago, a scope a friend had bought but never used and was considering selling to me. I became so frustrated with trying to get it zeroed on two different PCP rifles that I gave up and sent it back to him. Again, once set it stayed set, worked beautifully. But getting it there was an exercise in frustration.

By comparison, adjustments to my Burris Rimfire 2-7x or Leupold lightweight 2-7x (both of which weigh far less than a Bugbuster while delivering vastly superior clarity and reticle quality) result in instantaneous changes in the crosshair location. A single click or 20 clicks doesn't make any difference, there simply isn't any lag time in adjustment. I can make an adjustment with these scopes, which are priced in the $300 to $400 range at a local shop, and my pellets will be in that new location relative to the crosshair on the next shot. I wish the budget-priced Bugbusters delivered at least something close to that level of responsiveness. I can forgive a lot in optical quality (and Leapers glass isn't bad, at all, it's just not nearly so nice as looking through Leupold or especially Burris glass), but when a scope gets in my way by taking unpredictable amounts of time to adjust I get very frustrated.

Another point of comparison for me is two ancient Weaver 4x scopes, one a B4 from the 1950's, the other a D4 from the 1960's. Both suffer from a very slight reticle lag, either due to age or just the expected level of performance. But both will show the newly adjusted zero within a minute or so of clicking the turrets. I've had other scopes with reticle lag - a very compact RWS 4x takes between a minute and 5 minutes to show a change, though banging on it with my hand speeds it along. A generic Chinese 3x 4x-32 AIM scope is similar, needing a bit of a bump to get it to change immediately but otherwise shifting on its own within a few minutes. The Bugbusters just seem especially stubborn, at least in the two examples I've tested.
 
I'd use a Bugbuster except for two things; weight - they're heavier than I want sitting up top, and reticle lag when adjusting zero. I've read lots of reports from people saying the Leapers scopes are amazingly reliable for a lower priced scope, and I'm not in a position to say those reports are wrong. Perhaps I've just been unlucky with the two Leapers scopes I've tried. My son's 2240 regulated PCP carbine (HiPAC, modified CO2/HPA regulator from Robert Lane, tubular stock, 14" barrel, in .22") is really accurate for him out to at least 40 metres using a Bugbuster 6x scope. But getting the thing zeroed is a chore, as the reticle suffers from a buffering lag which means any adjustments to the reticle take anywhere from a few seconds to almost an hour to 'take.' Meaning I can be fussing with the scope trying to get the pellets on the mark and it's easy to over-adjust out of frustration as I am not sure the adjustment made is far enough... only to have the reticle jump at some random time and suddenly be well past where I intended to go.

I had use of a 3-9x Bugbuster for a couple of months two years ago, a scope a friend had bought but never used and was considering selling to me. I became so frustrated with trying to get it zeroed on two different PCP rifles that I gave up and sent it back to him. Again, once set it stayed set, worked beautifully. But getting it there was an exercise in frustration.

By comparison, adjustments to my Burris Rimfire 2-7x or Leupold lightweight 2-7x (both of which weigh far less than a Bugbuster while delivering vastly superior clarity and reticle quality) result in instantaneous changes in the crosshair location. A single click or 20 clicks doesn't make any difference, there simply isn't any lag time in adjustment. I can make an adjustment with these scopes, which are priced in the $300 to $400 range at a local shop, and my pellets will be in that new location relative to the crosshair on the next shot. I wish the budget-priced Bugbusters delivered at least something close to that level of responsiveness. I can forgive a lot in optical quality (and Leapers glass isn't bad, at all, it's just not nearly so nice as looking through Leupold or especially Burris glass), but when a scope gets in my way by taking unpredictable amounts of time to adjust I get very frustrated.

Another point of comparison for me is two ancient Weaver 4x scopes, one a B4 from the 1950's, the other a D4 from the 1960's. Both suffer from a very slight reticle lag, either due to age or just the expected level of performance. But both will show the newly adjusted zero within a minute or so of clicking the turrets. I've had other scopes with reticle lag - a very compact RWS 4x takes between a minute and 5 minutes to show a change, though banging on it with my hand speeds it along. A generic Chinese 3x 4x-32 AIM scope is similar, needing a bit of a bump to get it to change immediately but otherwise shifting on its own within a few minutes. The Bugbusters just seem especially stubborn, at least in the two examples I've tested.

comparing $100 scopes to $300-$400 scopes is real fair

I've read that if you have a cheap scope that lags....tap the turrets after each adjustment or adjust from an over high and right setting to down and left
 
Sorry if I offended. Of course it's not a fair comparison, but I wasn't comparing anything negatively besides the lag. The view through a Big busted is very decent, the reticles are good, and they're certainly tough scopes. Perhaps more fair to compare the RWS 4x scope for lag... It responds fairly quickly to adjustments and cost me $45 including shipping. And I did compare the two vintage Weaver scopes for lag - both are very quick, and both cost around $40 from eBay sellers. I have another 4x with the Simmons brand (subsidiary brand of Bushnell) which cost $50 new and is equally lag-free. It's just something which stands out as being difficult to deal with, when a scope doesn't respond to adjustments in a predictable fashion. Undermines the value. But if tapping after adjustments works (hasn't really when I've done it) or the directional zeroing trick works (hadn't heard about that) then great, problem solved.
 
Excellent fun. Never seen that in Canada.

Re the topic, 3-9 vs 3-12, is there much point? Also, I had one on my 1740 build and it was fine for 20 yd but beyond that I found the reticle too thick so I put a Hawke on to explore 40 yd shooting with it. The UTG reticle looks like it was drawn with a marker pen in comparison to the fine Hawke one.
Compact, nice and rugged looking but not much good for +20 yd precision targets. I found at least anyway. Biggest draw was $125 on Amazon, not seen that price for a few months though.
 
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finally got the two new UTG 3-12x32 Side Focus Bug Buster scopes...two days late as they decided to go to San Diego from IL first them come back to ND

I put one on my Crosman Custom Shop 1300 KT with 14.6" Lothar Walther/1701P 2-stage trigger pistol/carbine and will find another host for the other one.









Edit: mounted the other one in rings for a picatinny rail that I can move around from gun to gun




 
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Excellent fun. Never seen that in Canada.

Re the topic, 3-9 vs 3-12, is there much point? Also, I had one on my 1740 build and it was fine for 20 yd but beyond that I found the reticle too thick so I put a Hawke on to explore 40 yd shooting with it. The UTG reticle looks like it was drawn with a marker pen in comparison to the fine Hawke one.
Compact, nice and rugged looking but not much good for +20 yd precision targets. I found at least anyway. Biggest draw was $125 on Amazon, not seen that price for a few months though.

At 5m and 10m in my basement range it makes a big difference...I like the new side focus and the elimination of illumination. Depending on distance and what I'm shooting at I pick and and swap scopes appropriate for the job.

3-9x32 Bug Buster $85 USD vs 3-12x32 Bug Buster $99.77 USD....easy choice for me.

Uploaded at Snapagogo.com
 
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