I have always been of the opinion that you should always buy the best gear that you can afford for several reasons:
1. In optics, price almost always equals quality. You may only get one fleeting chance at the animal of a lifetime over a lifetime of hunting. Is that missed opportunity worth saving 50 or 100 dollars? The good news is that competition has brought the prices of high quality optic way down. You get the same or better quality today for $3-400.00 that you did 15 years ago for $800-1000.00. A good rule of thumb is to buy a scope over $200.00
2. When you are a serious hunter and outdoorsman, the quality of your gear can not only make a difference in comfort, but can sometimes mean the difference between life and death. Again, competition has been the key in making things more affordable. Remember when a pair of Gore-tex gloves cost $50.00?
3. Ebay can be a godsend for those on a budget. Lots of closeouts and slightly used items are available, but in true political correctness form, no guns there. Best bet- look for something used at your local gun shop or through gunbroker.com.
4. Contact an outdoor pro and buy their leftover gear. I give a lot of stuff away every year, usually to a new hunter, that is perfectly useable. We get new gear as part of or contracts in exchange for work and trade shows. I sold 4 waterproof/breatheable parkas for $25.00 each at a garage sale last week.
We all make choices in what we do. A pack a day smoker spends almost $3000.00/year on their habit.
Starbuck's coffee is $4.00/cup.
Lunch out every day can cost you $40-50/week.
Most factory rifles now are excellent shooters. The new Mossberg and Savage rifles are under $400.00 and shoot 1" groups. Ruger, Weatherby, Remington, and Winchester have fantastic rifles in the $400-$700.00 range.
I just bought a rifle for my son, a Ruger M77 Hawkeye in .30-06 and put a Leupold VX-II scope on it. Total cost- $750.00. He's 15 and will never have to buy another rifle for the rest of his life and can shoot any big game animal in North America and most in the world. If he hunts for 50 years, the total annual cost is $15.00, plus ammo (which has become outrageous!). One of the finest wingshots I ever knew shot a 20 year old Remington 1100, 2 3/4" 12 gauge. Another usd to shoot 24's and 25's on the trap range with an old 870 pump. Both are great guns that are very affordable. I have an 870 and I have a Benelli SBE.
When you buy cheap, you also wind up replacing it more often, which costs you more in the long run, and you'll never find yourself saying, "I wish I had waited and bought..."
Remember, When there's lead in the air, there's hope!
Ace
Tags: Cheap Rifles Optics Bows Gear Raingear
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