BSA 8-32x44 Review

This post is to review the BSA 8-32x44 scope I have on my Stevens 200 rifle. I picked up this scope from Cabela's about 3 years ago. I purchased this for about $100, after checking out the reviews on it extensively. I was cautious because it was such a cheap scope, however I didn't have the money to put a $1000 scope on a $200 rifle.

As for features, it is fairly simple. There is a nice black rubberized coating that does not shine. It has an eye piece adjustment for the magnification, and on the objective lens for there is the parallax adjustment. It also has a mil-dot reticle, with 1/8 MOA clicks for adjustment.
The eye relief is short, about 3.5 inches. The optics are clear, but not optimal. The difference in light is readily available between this scope and higher dollar ones. I was not surprised at this because it was an inexpensive scope. The scope also seems solid and well built. I wouldn't hammer nails with it, but I'm not afraid of breaking it with any sort of normal use either.

Mounting this scope I have a tall scope rings on due to the size of both the eye piece and the objective lens. With medium rings, the bolt comes very close to the eye piece and can make reloading difficult. These rings, I've decided, need to be replaced. They close on in an uneven way and don't look as sturdy as they might be. Also because the close to one side it tends to turn the scope as they are tightened. I have also put on "flip-up" covers on it. These are clear to allow me to look through the scope when they are closed if need be.
Additionally, this scope came with screw on/off covers and a four inch sun shade in the box.

In the field I've put over a hundred rounds through this rifle with this scope and it keeps the zero very well. The adjustments also seem to on at 1/8 MOA, as far as I can tell.

Overall I give this scope very high marks for the beginning shooter who wants high power when it comes to the scope. I think if you have the money and experience this may not be the scope for you, but I have no problems recommending this scope for someone who can deal with a slightly lower quality scope and wants to save a good deal of money.

-Steven Kipp

Practice

I went to the range a few days ago to practice prone shooting with a 22 long rifle. I found this to be good practice, but with a "light" feeling. It felt very different than shooting my 270. There wasn't a great deal of anticipation because of the light recoil and because 22 long rifle is very cheap. There seems to be a certain amount of weight with every center fire rifle shot that the 22 does not have. (Note: This does not apply to safety. All guns deserve and are treated with respect and caution) It feels like every shoot needs to matter with the larger guns, where the 22 I can load another magazine and have at it again. I'm wondering if this is more just me, or is normal at the range.

Don't misunderstand me, I think any trigger time is good. Getting into prone and working on form is great with any rifle, even shooting a BB gun in the basement. (Again with proper safety) But could this feeling of "Oh, I'll just throw some more lead down range." missing the point? Or worse yet training me incorrectly? It seems to me that when one is shooting long range, for what ever reason, every shot counts. Shouldn't that be the way we practice too?

What I think I may do to solve this is take Massad Ayoob's advice and make every shot worth something. For example for every shot I miss I owe my wife a dollar. I believe that method would put me in the right mind set.

Do you have any additional ideas? We'd love to hear from you. Comment so everyone can see or drop us an e-mail.

-Steven Kipp

Stevens 200 Review

This post is a review of my current rifle, a Stevens 200. Savage makes the Stevens brand. It even has the chief head mark on the bottom of the grip.

The other aesthetically appealing thing, for me at least, is that “STEVENS” is printed on the bolt. Having the same name as the rifle is somewhat of kick for me. Okay so I’m easily amused.

What drew me to this rifle in the first place was the price. It was the first year Savage had come out with these Stevens rifles and it was tagged at $199 from Bass Pro. It didn’t look like much when I bought it, and I wasn’t expecting much taking it home. I was mainly after a big game hunting rifle. I was extremely surprised when I got this rifle home and learned more about rifles in general. It had many features of a good rifle, but I hadn’t the knowledge or experience to look for them before I had bought it. Point being, I lucked out.

Starting from the business end of the gun, I found it had a free-floating, blued barrel. It is 22” long with a 1:10 twist. The barrel is also light and tapered, with a rounded crown on it.

Moving back we get to the stock. It’s a gray synthetic stock that is mostly hallow. Being hollow does give it a bit of a flimsy feel to it. It is, however, strong enough that I don’t worry about it. There are standard swivel studs (one on the fore-end and on the shoulder rest) that I have mounted a bi-pod and attached a military style sling. On top is my 8-32x44 BSA scope. I’ll get into the accessories with later posts.

The action is chambered for 270 Winchester. It has a standard cylindrical bolt with the afore mentioned “STEVENS” mark on it. The bolt is smooth and feels strong. The head of the bolt also has some checkering on it, I am assuming for slip resistance. But the best part of the action, other than the fact that it is safe and works, is the safety. It is on top of the action where your thumb rests as you are ready to fire. It is in a very natural position, which makes operating it very easy and natural to operate.

The trigger is a standard trigger, as the Stevens brand does not come with an option for the Accu-trigger. It seems to have a nice break on it, but my experience in that area is limited. The pull weight is still set at what ever it rolled off the factory line at. I do not have a scale to measure it. Overall it has a nice, but not great, trigger. On the back of the rifle I have mounted a Limb-Saver recoil pad, which helped with the recoil from this some what light rifle.

Needless to say, at this point the gun shoots much better than I do. Therefore I have no idea what it is capable of in terms of accuracy. The exception is that both my brother and I hit a soda can at ~415 yards with about a dozen rounds of zeroing in, each.

I am very happy with the rifle.

-Steven Kipp