[LVSteve]

Perhaps another title is "Why I need JB Weld and Loctite in my house".

I was shooting my new FS2000 to zero a 6x42 NcStar scope when I found myself shooting big horizontal strings. Now I know I get impatient, tired and cranky sometimes but they were 8 inches across at 50 yards. Sure enough, the scope was loose. BUT it was not at the rail where the problem occurred.

Take a look at the pictures. The scope and mount is actually three pieces, the scope, the quick release rail mount and an intermediate piece to mate the two. I found that the two Allen bolts you can see were not all that tight and certainly not thread locked. I tightened them but the problem persisted. I removed the rail mount and found another Allen screw underneath that attaches the scope to the intermediate piece. This was well loose and also showed no signs of threadlock.

The final straw was when the rail index pin fell out. It had been glued but you can see how well that worked. It needs to be staked into the hole and/or fixed with JB Weld. The Allen screws just need Loctiting. Now, is it blue or red Loctite I need. I can never remember.

 

[Stevo]

Another title might be "You get what you pay for".

I bought a 4x NC Star similar to that for my boy's 10/22 and the same thing happened to it. It's a giant POS.

 

[oldgoat46]

I have had really good luck with an NC Star spotting scope and then a 2-8 power rifle scope was pure junk they didn't make it good either. Stevo is right you get what you pay for.

 

[LVSteve]

Indeed. A product spoiled for the lack of three or four dabs of thread lock. The actual optical side is hardly Nikon, but it works well enough for me.

 

[HoosierDaddy In Memoriam]

Red is the strongest
Blue is less so

 

[Worland]

Like we say at work, Red is forever. Blue, not so much. Red is typically used for something you're never going to ever take back apart. Even with a heat gun, sometimes red won't let go. There's a light blue paste that is good for scope screws too.

Never had any problems with NC Star scopes or mounts & I happen to have the exact same one you do. Of course, I loctite everything before mounting it to the rifle.

 

[samnev2]

I purchased an NC Star 4X AR 15 scope. Lasted 20+ rounds before the reticle came apart. That was many years ago. I learned "cheap comes out expensive" the hard way:mad

 

[CCubed]

Have an NC Star LER scope on a scout mount. After about 50 rounds, "something" snapped off inside and was rattling around. It was a long time ago, so I can't remember what the piece looked like, but I got it out. You can still see through the scope fine...and it seems to still be adjustable and hold its zero, but...then again, I wouldn't bet money on that. I concur with everyone on here whose said "you get what you pay for," in reference to NC Star's scopes. Seems to hold true to their products, more or less, across the board.

 

[jjk308 In Memoriam RIP]

Optics Planet has a good set of customer reviews for their scopes and gear. But you have to check the ratings by scope models, not just the brand, and make sure they are from fairly recent reviews, too. Because companies like NCStar do not usually make their own scopes but are really trading companies, importers buying mostly from a number of chinese factories, there may be no consistency in quality within a brand. And there can be problems as chinese companies have a habit of buying in with the trading companies, providing good products at a low price, then cheapening them to make a profit as production goes on.

The better companies will build their own plants to take advantage of cheap labor or have a long term contract and ride herd on the quality but that isn't true for the cheaper ones.

http://www.opticsplanet.net/riflescopes.html

 

[Motor]

I have 2x-7x LER NC Star on a M39. I have had (fingers crossed) no problems with it.

LVSteve, Like the man said in post #6, red is permanent. #242 (blue) is OK. If you look on Midway's web site they have a very good description of the different types and what they are for. The blue (#242) is actually a little stronger than what Loctite recommends for the size screws that are used for scope mounting. The type for these smaller fasteners is #222 (Purple) it is for screws #2 through 1/4". Most stores may have the #242 but few ever have the #222 so most people end up using the #242. #242 is ok if you use just a very small amount on the #6 or #8 screws. On those set screws that basically never have to be loosened, wet the entire screw with it.
Motor

 

[Daves-M1A]

I have a couple of the NC Star 3x9x42 MarkIII scopes. One I've had on my AK for 2 years and have it mounted with the quick release.It's been great and well worth the $60-70 I paid for it. Have another on my AR and it works just as well. The one on the AK has been used for several thousand rounds and was knocked off the bench rest onto concrete by my Brother while detached from the rifle. It still holds zero. Are the optics as clear as say a Nikon? No, but they are about 98% and if you are shooting the average AK or AR that scope is more than enough for 100-300 yds. Going out further than that and you need to spend some money on not only the gun but the optics

 

[milprileb]

You may get a good one and often a Chicom scope can satisfy your needs but if you put hard use on
them, just realize you are taking this bargain scope to a level of use its going to struggle to endure.

Trend: 50% seem to work okay and 50% crap out some way. Take you chances and roll the dice.