Well, i never owned a utg product before and i finally bit on the price/perfomance ratio propaganda. I have a Centerpoint 4-16x40 rifle scope that is all out of proportion to its cost. It is a very good scope and has been on my .308 for over a year. I handload and shoot a lot with pretty stout loads for hunting(not a box or two a year..frequent range sessions with 50 rounds of .308, 50 of .223 and 500 or so .22). The centerpoint is a rock solid optic that just doesn't cost much. Rumours were that leapers and centerpoint were the same scopes, so i just had to try one from UTG.First of all let me say i see similarities in the two brands, but there are differences that make me believe they use the same factory, but not the same specifications. I will add that i slightly prefer the centerpoint, but they don't make a CQB scope like this one.
The leapers scope is a beautiful thing to look at, as is the centerpoint. They are both heavily built (and heavy, BTW) and simply gorgeous on or off the gun. But looks don't really count much after you paint them camouflage, so the equipment has to perform. Out of the box, the centerpoint takes the edge regarding fit and finish of the controls and flip up caps. On my new utg, the ocular end cap was shipped with the ridges installed over the ridges and the rubber is stretched so that proper installation is loose. This results in the cap falling off, especially if you try to flip the cap open. I batted this one around in my head and decided to use some electrical tape inside the flip up lens cover to fill the depressions a little. Don't try this with cheap electrical tape. I have the good stuff.
It works fine this way, but i think it should have been right out of the box, even for 74 bucks. The centerpoint was perfect in every way and it was only 70bucks in a blister pack at walmart. While i'm on that...the packaging of the utg wins hands down. It is very good protective display packaging with all the details and nice graphics...little things tell me something about where this company is trying to go. The scope arrived in perfect condition except for the one end cap. The objective end cap is perfect. All tools are included, two batteries, and the rings were separately boxed and wrapped.
The fit of the AO and magnification control functions is so tight they are difficult to move, score one for centerpoint. The lock rings on the w/e knobs are tough to loosen and tighten, aggravated by the close quarters of the short body of this scope. Still, the clicks are firm and precise and exactly 1/4" @ 100 yards as advertised..which makes sight-in a breeze. I was in the 10 ring on shot number 7. I think UTG takes the nod here. I haven't tried to reset the zero yet, but i suspect it is as with the centerpoint...be careful here and follow the instructions. It wasn't as simple as it seemed on the centerpoint...but it does work and is a nice feature most folks won't care about anyway. BTW, the instructions for that procedure are pretty much word for word with the centerpoint..same factory..i think so.
Both scopes have adjustable objectives that are accurately marked for yardage. Good job. It's nice to be able to range something and set the AO to that range and see it clearly without further adjustment, especially with front adjusting AO. I wish both of these companies could figure out a way to get side AO and keep the prices down...lol.
The eye relief on this is a little over 4 inches down to a little over three...perfect for quick acquisition. This one really shocked me, along with the clarity of the optics for such a cheap scope. I will be able to offset mount my red dot in front of this once i get my quad rail. Long eye relief on the scope really opens up the weak eye field of view for quick target aquisition. Advantage, leapers. Okay, the Centerpoint isn't a CQB scope, so sue me. Quick aquisition is still nice for deer hunting if one pops out in front of you. In fact this one may end up on my .308 next deer season for that reason. Never hurts to be ready.
Anyway, i don't want to send the wrong message about the UTG. It is a fine scope, worth WAY more than 74 bucks. The rings on this thing are QD and extremely heavy duty. I haven't taken them off to see if they maintain zero, but i will when i get my quad rail. I don't have any need to do that at the moment. I'll amend the review if the zero changes. If not call it good. So, one faulty lens cap...which i may contact utg about to test their customer service...and tight controls (which i expect to loosen over time, so how bad is that really?) All in all, I find the UTG new generation compact CQB scope to be a real winner. I am betting utg sends me a new cap for free and all is well.
Don't believe everything you read (including this)...step out and find out for yourself. Shooting on a budget makes it fun for more people. Hats off to UTG (and centerpoint...by Crossman) for bringing quality to the masses.
Buy UTG 3-9x32 Compact CQB Bug Buster AO RGB Scope Now
I have a Leapers fixed 4x32 pre-adjusted @100yds.You can read my review on it.It is a great scope,I had pretty good dime to quarter sized groupings with it at only 60yds.But wanted something just a bit more powerful "Man,Did i find it" This UTG BugBuster is awesome! It is truely comparable to my Father's Leupold 3-9x40!!! For $75 bucks you cant beat it.So if you are looking for a great scope to be really accurate and crystal clear on YOUR AR-15..I highly reccomend the new generation BugBuster-It is WAY better than the 5th gen BugBuster!Leapers & UTG really did their homework and "seriously" improved this scope.Thanks again UTG and Amazon.com...Happy Hunting Ladies & Gentlemen,Peace!Read Best Reviews of UTG 3-9x32 Compact CQB Bug Buster AO RGB Scope Here
I've been looking at different scopes for the past two months and finally came accross this scope. This scope is durable, pretty on the rifle (Tactical Mini 14), cheap, and has just enough power to see anything down range. For my purpose, target shooting, it's perfect. As of far no problems and I couldn't have gotten a better deal on this scope. I recommend this scope to any range shooter.Want UTG 3-9x32 Compact CQB Bug Buster AO RGB Scope Discount?
This item arrived today, and I set about mounting it to my rifle. My first impression is tentatively good. I'm not positive, but it appears that the reticle is tilted relative to the X-Y axis of the adjustment turrets by about 5 degrees or so. This would cause a slight shift in elevation when adjusting windage, and a slight change in windage when adjusting elevation. I must caution that this is how it appears to be at first glance, but that it may prove to be correctly aligned when I have a change to take it to the range and sight it in. I used a Wheeler Engineering scope mounting kit that comes with a torque driver, and some spirit levels to ensure the scope turrets are square with the rifle's receiver, so I know that the apparent tilt in the reticle cannot be caused by the scope being misaligned in the rings.The rest of the scope appears to be a solid, well built unit. I like the locking turrets. The turret click adjustments were positive, and there was plenty of tactile and audible feedback. I liked the locking feature of the turrets, but I will have a better idea of the zero reset feature after I sight it in. The supplied rings feel solid, but time will tell how they hold up. I used medium strength thread locker to secure the scope rings, and torqued them to approximately 15 inch-pounds. The rings had a non-slip liner in them to help keep the scope in place under recoil. If the scope can be removed and replaced on the rifle and still hold zero I will be duly impressed by the rings. The scope shipped with hex wrenches for the rings, and for the turrets. It also came with a lens cleaning cloth, and two lithium button cells (one, and a spare) for the reticle illumination.
The reticle illumination washes out in daylight, even on an overcast day. This will be most useful at dusk or during extremely dark or stormy conditions. Most shooters will probably leave the reticle illumination off, as will I. It is a nice feature to have, but not one that will make much of a difference for the vast majority of shooting conditions. Most states do not allow hunting in the dark, and most competitive shooting matches are daylight matches as well.
Like other reviewers, I thought the lens covers left something to be desired. The objective lens rotates to adjust parallax, so you have to remove and replace the cover every time you adjust for a different range. And the ocular lens cap is loose fitting. This scope would be better served with standard (photography lens) sized threads so that clear camera lens filters can be screwed onto the lenses to protect them. This way the user can leave the lens caps on all the time, and replace them if they get scratched or damaged.
The instruction manual was well written, but it can be a bit confusing because it is designed to cover a wide range of different optics. So the purchaser will have to filter through and find the information relevant to their particular model. This particular scope is 3-9X magnification with a range estimating mil-dot reticle. In order to accurately estimate range, you need to have the scope set to the proper magnification (this is different for each scope model). The manual suggests that this magnification is written on a supplied ranging card. The scope did come with a card, but I could not find anywhere on the card that says, "use this scope at XXX magnification for range estimation". I sent Leapers/UTG a customer service request asking for clarification, so this will be an opportunity to see how their customer service dept. performs.
I gave the scope a 3 star review for the apparently tilted reticle, and the omission of range estimation magnification from the instructions. If their customer service gets back to me promptly with an answer, and it turns out the reticle tilt is just an optical illusion I will upgrade the rating accordingly.
UPDATE:
I've decided to return this unit for a replacement. I attempted to bore sight the scope using a Leupold bore sight device, and when the scope is "zeroed" on the bore sight device, changing the elevation adjustment causes a slight change in the windage, just as I expected. So it isn't just my imagination, the reticle is indeed off axis a few degrees. Amazon makes returns easy, and already has a replacement scheduled to arrive in a couple of days. I'm hoping the replacement scope has no issues. I'll update again when the replacement arrives. (See the customer images above for a picture of the reticle.)
UPDATE 2:
Well, Leapers never got back to me. The replacement scope arrived today from Amazon, with another tilted reticle. In an optimistic mood, I ordered a second one of these hoping to get 2 good units. BOTH the replacement, AND the second one have problems right out of the box. The replacement had another tilted reticle and the other one's elevation adjustment doesn't work. It clicks like it is supposed to, but the reticle doesn't move.
I'm done buying UTG optics.
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