08-06-2011, 08:52 PM
George Rosenfield, former owner of TASCO once had an idea to produce a high-end scope and had the Japanese "Light Optical
Works" reverse engineer some nice European scopes. What they came up with was the Euro-Class scope, which George then had the, at the time respected, Hakko Scope Works build. It's a 30mm scope as you are interested in. They ran into a problem and discontinued it after one year. The problem arose from the fact that people had a hard time plopping down their hard-earned money for a very high quality Tasco scope, as they automatically associated Tasco scopes as low end. The company lost a lot of money on the Euro-Class scopes through the course of the year they were in production. Their loss can still be your gain, as they pop up from time to time on Ebay, usually selling between $100-$200.00. They are worth every penny if you can snag one, but bidding often gets escalated by folks who recognize them and who covet them. Still, one will slip under the radar from time to time and you can snag a good deal on one.
IMHO, the best of the Euro-Class scopes is the 3-12x52. It is a hunters dream come true, delivering great low light gathering characteristics consistent with dawn and dusk windows of opportunity. They do not usually appeal to the mall ninja folks as they don't look sexy, nor have a lighted reticule. The image through the one I have rivals my more expensive Nikon Monarch 4-16x50 and Bushnell Elite 4200 4-16x50 at a fraction of the price. Going with a 30mm scope carries a slightly higher premium when buying rings, but IMHO, is worth the extra cost.
They are a very strong, heavy scope and a lot of folks report having them in service on stout recoiling calibers for many years without a problem.
Unless you're pants are on fire to get a scope ASAP, watch for one of those Euro-Class scopes on Ebay. The joy of gaining a great scope for the cost of hunting one down, makes the deal all the more sweet. Mine has a standard duplex reticule though they also can be found with a 4A reticule if you prefer them.
Hoot
Works" reverse engineer some nice European scopes. What they came up with was the Euro-Class scope, which George then had the, at the time respected, Hakko Scope Works build. It's a 30mm scope as you are interested in. They ran into a problem and discontinued it after one year. The problem arose from the fact that people had a hard time plopping down their hard-earned money for a very high quality Tasco scope, as they automatically associated Tasco scopes as low end. The company lost a lot of money on the Euro-Class scopes through the course of the year they were in production. Their loss can still be your gain, as they pop up from time to time on Ebay, usually selling between $100-$200.00. They are worth every penny if you can snag one, but bidding often gets escalated by folks who recognize them and who covet them. Still, one will slip under the radar from time to time and you can snag a good deal on one.
IMHO, the best of the Euro-Class scopes is the 3-12x52. It is a hunters dream come true, delivering great low light gathering characteristics consistent with dawn and dusk windows of opportunity. They do not usually appeal to the mall ninja folks as they don't look sexy, nor have a lighted reticule. The image through the one I have rivals my more expensive Nikon Monarch 4-16x50 and Bushnell Elite 4200 4-16x50 at a fraction of the price. Going with a 30mm scope carries a slightly higher premium when buying rings, but IMHO, is worth the extra cost.
They are a very strong, heavy scope and a lot of folks report having them in service on stout recoiling calibers for many years without a problem.
Unless you're pants are on fire to get a scope ASAP, watch for one of those Euro-Class scopes on Ebay. The joy of gaining a great scope for the cost of hunting one down, makes the deal all the more sweet. Mine has a standard duplex reticule though they also can be found with a 4A reticule if you prefer them.
Hoot