The Accurate Reloading Forums
swift scopes?
16 October 2006, 20:49
brendan muirswift scopes?
i have a swift bino 8.5 x 44 about 20 yrs now just fine no trouble ,any opinions about their scopes ,i don,t change settings once load is found .bucster
17 October 2006, 07:19
31 bertramI have been using Swift scopes for years. I would stay with the "Premier" line which have Fully Multi coated lenses, photo etched reticles, and speed focus. Also over the counter lifetime replacement warrenty. Hope this helps.
17 October 2006, 11:05
specneedsI had a bad experience with a Swift losing it's zero about the time a huge mule deer wandered into the meadow 275 yards away. I still think about that buck and how nice he would have looked hanging on the wall. Granted my sample size isn't that significant but I wouldn't buy a swift scope for big game hunting although I'd put one on a 22 in a minute.
17 October 2006, 18:12
ReloaderBought one for a Mler and the reticle broke after I zeroed the rifle for the first. Of course, it didn't break until I had it cleaned and ready for the hunt

. Went back to the store I purchased it from and they gladly replaced it and off to the range to waste more Pyrodex and Sabots I went...
Only experience w/ a Swift. Would I buy another, No. I rate them right w/ Trashco and the Cheapie Bushnells.
If you are looking to save a buck, the Nikon Buckmasters and even the Prostaff are by far the best deals on the market period. They are very durable as well.
Good Luck
Reloader
17 October 2006, 18:51
brendan muirthanks guys,after thinking over i,ll pass on the swift as i know if you add the orig cost of a swift and then go to a nikon or equv. a person has a the cost of a top notch scope in it without having the good scope to use,got my thinking straight now
18 October 2006, 02:20
srwi read on a hunting site a while back that the buckmasters series of nikons had had more returns then any other brand in its price range. i never used one , but have a buddy that buys high end nikon monarchs and no problems.
i have 2 swifts and really like both.
4x12x40 on a rem 270.
8x32x50 on a savage 22-250
18 October 2006, 18:28
Reloaderquote:
i read on a hunting site a while back that the buckmasters series of nikons had had more returns then any other brand in its price range.
Please show us the facts that back this up, not what you heard from a forum.
The nikon Buckmasters line is a very tough and durable scope that can not be beat for the money. I've owned piles of scopes and the BMs will stand w/ the best of them. I consider them very close to the VXII scopes I have.
I've never had a dealer tell me he's recieved them back and I know many shooters and hunters that use and abuse them yet none has ever had a problem. Although I've seen problems w/ more expensive brands but, that's another subject.
Reloader
19 October 2006, 05:20
Don FischerI've got a Buckmaster on a 243 and it's a nice scope. Only thing I don't like is the crosswires are to wide. I'd buy another tho.
19 October 2006, 06:40
LuckyduckerI hauled three rifles over 200 miles in soft cases behind the seat of my pickup on a deer hunt last year and one wore a Nikon Buckmaster, one a Luepold Vari-X II, and the last one had a Simmons Aetec. The Buckmaster was the only one that held absolute zero, the other two had to be readjusted before taking them hunting.
My son has a Swift Premier on his 22/250 varmint rifle. It holds its zero but lacks clarity in the upper magnifications. I would not recommend these scopes unless it was a low manification scope. If I remember correctly my son's was a 6x-24x. When looking through it on 6, 7, or even 8x it was pretty decent but upward from there it gave me a headache.
Dennis
Life member NRA
19 October 2006, 21:15
HeatI can certainly reply to the Buckmasters as being a nice scope. I have one on my 06' and have had no troubles with it at all... My hunting partner had a Monarch on his 300 WM and it would lose it's zero virtually after every shot (make no mistake, it was a very light rifle)... He returned it for a replacement (no questions asked) the second one performed the same way... After a few shots it lost it's zero and would then lose it after virtually every shot... Not saying anything bad here really, just that they seem to handle non magnum cartridges with no problem... The optics in my Buckmaster are very good and again I've had no problem with it... I will be going with either a Zeiss or Leupold on my 340 Weatherby for the reason of durability..
Ken....
"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant, but that they know so much that isn't so. " - Ronald Reagan