Barska Scope Reviews: Value for the Money

Barska may not be as well-known as some other scope and equipment manufacturers, however they have been in business for over 20 years and the company is committed to giving people good quality optics at a reasonable price. The company is also based out of Pomona, California, and they produce more equipment than just rifle scopes.

One thing that is impressive about Barska is that they produce a very wide range of scopes. These include, but definitely aren’t limited to, SWAT-style rifle scopes, tactical scopes, AR rifle scopes, hunting scopes, scopes for varmint rifles, dot scopes and spotting scopes. If you have a need for a particular scope, there is an excellent chance that you will be able to find a Barska scope to fit that need without breaking your bank account. There are even numerous Barska scope forums available to discuss these Barska products.

Because of the large number of scopes Barska produces, the best way to review their scopes is to take a look at them by type. This is to give a proper Barska scope review, understanding that there is some cross-over so some scopes could have traits of more than one kind of scope. These are among the best scopes Barska produces, in terms of value for the price.

Barska 3-12×50 IR Huntmaster Pro IR Cross Riflescope

This is a scope that works well in dim light. The scope is 13 inches long and it weighs over 21 ounces, so it isn’t a featherweight. It also isn’t exceptionally heavy. This scope is waterproof, it doesn’t fog up easily and the weight allows it to withstand bumps during transportation, as well as the impact as the rifle is discharged.

The objective lens is 50 mm to give a large field of view and it can be easily adjusted for power of from 3 to 12. The field of view at a hundred yards at an adjustment of 3x is 35 feet, while at a power of 12x, the field is 10 feet. The cross-hairs are brilliant and easy to see, too.

If the scope is turned off, the cross-hairs are still easy to see and are black. They are red when the scope is turned on.

The Huntmaster Pro comes with a lens cloth and battery.

The scope is sturdy, durable, has good optics, works well with most calibers of full length rifles and is easy to sight in. The negative is that this scope requires the separate purchase of mounting rings and if good mounting rings aren’t used, a person can’t expect to have the best possible results. This isn’t strictly a slam against the scope, since this is true of many quality scopes, so I don’t grade the scope down for it. Of a bit more concern is that while Barska is a US company, the scope is manufactured in China, as are the other Barska scopes.

At less than $100, sometimes much less depending on where it is purchased, the Huntmaster Pro is a very good value and one of the best Barska scopes for the money. It is hard to imagine a better scope at the same price.

Barska 3-9×42 IR Contour Riflescope  

The contour is a smaller and lighter scope, making this Barska scope 223 compatible. In fact, this is a scope that is nearly ideal for your AR rifle needs.

It is only a little more than nine inches in length and weighs a pound. The objective lens is 42 mm but the magnification is variable from three to nine. The optic lenses are fully coated and the scope is waterproof, fog proof and shock resistant.

The cross-hairs are similar to those of the Huntmaster Pro in that they are clear, easy to see and are black when the scope is off and red when it is on.

The Contour comes with a battery, lens cloth and mounting rings. The price is usually under $100 and this is a good scope for the money.

The downside of this scope, besides being made in China rather than the US, is that it isn’t as durable as the Huntmaster Pro. Also, though the mounting rings are included, they are cheaply made. My recommendation would be to give the mounting rings a toss and to buy a good quality set of rings. This is of some importance. Using cheap mounting rings on even the best rifle scopes can cause the impact of firing the AR or other rifle to throw off the sighting and could result in a broken scope that doesn’t perform as it should, if at all.

Using better rings is a way to maintain the scope in good condition, but my opinion is that the poor rings shouldn’t ship with the scope to begin with.

Barska Varmint AC10048 6.5-20×50 Rifle Scope

Barska makes a dandy target dot scope that has solid, easy to see crosshairs and a dot at the center that is plain to see, for under $75. The target dot scope has a big 50 mm objective lens and the magnification is variable, from 6.5 to 20.

This scope was specifically designed for target and varmint shooting and fits most rifles that are made for those purposes. The scope weighs somewhat less than a pound and a half, so it is heavy enough to be durable but light enough for varmint guns. The varmint scope is slightly shorter than 16 inches in length.

The Varmint AC10048 is waterproof and fog proof, so there shouldn’t be many difficulties when moving it from the warmth of a car interior to an outdoor range. The high end magnification also makes it suitable for longer range shots, though most target rifles aren’t known for long-range shooting.

One of the great things about this scope is that it can be used on heavier caliber rifles. It is designed for target and varmint shooting, but it should have no problems when mounted on a .30-06, .300 or .308, if it is mounted securely.

*Click here for: The Best .308 Scopes

The adjustments are easy and set for 1/8 MOA. The scope also comes with scope caps and a lens cloth.

The cons of the scope is that it does require mounts and it is advisable to use high-quality mounts that are cranked down tight enough that the impact of firing the rifle won’t damage the scope. It is also made in China.

Though I’ve not had problems with the magnification, I’m also aware that some people have said that at very high magnification, such as 16x and above, the image starts to become distorted and unclear. This could simply be a fault with some of the scopes, but not all of them, since I’ve not been able to duplicate the problem.

I’m not sure that I’d use this scope on my main deer rifle, however if a person keeps in mind that it was designed for varmint and target shooting, they shouldn’t have many problems with it. Certainly, it is a great value for the price.

Barska 20-60×60 Waterproof Colorado Spotter

With the big variety of good rifle scopes that Barska produces at low-cost, it should come as no surprise that there are also Barska spotting scopes that are also not expensive. That is the case of the Colorado Spotter.

The Colorado Spotter has coated lenses, making it waterproof and fog proof and it has a very nice variable magnification of from 20x to 60x. The objective lens is 60 mm, so it has a great field of view. The Spotter also uses prisms so the image has a sharp contrast and clear detail.

This Barska spotting scope is 13 1/2 inches long, weighs about three pounds and comes with a tripod, carrying case and an attached lens cover. It is built to be durable and Barska backs it with a lifetime warrantee.

The Colorado Spotter sells for less than $100, so it has great value for the price.

The cons, besides being manufactured in China, are that the tripod isn’t of high quality. It can be mounted on a standard camera tripod, but that would be an additional expense. Still, if the tripod is cared for, it can probably last long enough to budget for a better one.

This scope is also very light for a spotting scope. This could be a positive for many people; however it is uncertain how durable the spotting scope actually is. The light weight doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.

Despite the short-comings, the value is there. The Colorado spotter works well in comparison to spotting scopes costing several times more. That isn’t saying that there aren’t better spotting scopes on the market, because there are. However, for a better spotting scope, you can probably expect to pay in excess of $500. This should give a good idea of the value of this Barska spotting scope.

Barska Scope Reviews Conclusion

Barska makes a wide range of rifle scopes and it is hard to think of a need that isn’t covered by one or more of their scopes. The Barska scopes mentioned here are by no means the only great scopes they produce. These scopes are merely among the best Barska scopes for the money and the greatest values.

There are better scopes on the market and this is considered in these Barska scope reviews, but Barska is clearly committed to producing the best scopes they can for inexpensive use. For the price, nearly all of the Barska rifle scopes are a good value. The array of scopes they have is quite impressive, too.

Do you own a Barska Scope? If so, let us know you thoughts in the comments section.