You guys might be well aware of Barska by now. Previously we reviewed one of their scopes called the plinker-22 which is a great budget scope by the way. Today we got another budget scope to review for you guys. But this time it’s a little more expensive than the plinker-22. Let’s start the AO varmint; Barska 10-40×50 review.
Barska 10-40X50: Outlooks
Specifications | Magnification: 10 – 40x; Objective Lens: 50 mm; Eye Relief: 3 Inches; Exit Pupil: 6.25 – 1.55 mm; Linear FOV @100 yds: 9.42 – 2.62 ft; Length: 16.53 Inches; Weight: 14.1 Oz.
Body Quality
Build quality is definitely good for the price. Barska claims that the scope is waterproof fog proof and also shockproof. So you can imagine that they won’t put material like plastic and call it shockproof.
In our test, we found out that scope can take quite a bit of hits without issue. Also according to other reviews and user reviews the build quality is quite good. We didn’t find any review claiming their lens fell out of the scope or something of that sort. Rest assured the build quality is solid.
Lenses
The lenses are fully multi-coated. Meaning both of the lenses the objective lens and ocular lens are fully coated with a different kind of coating.
This means Barska isn’t lying when they are saying that the scope is fogproof and waterproof. So you can assume we had a pleasing experience testing the scope. The objective lens is 50mm which is pretty big and gives you plenty of viewable area. The lenses get a pass mark from us.
Zoom & Turrets
They aren’t bad at all. To surprise you the zooming experience was rather solid and the caped turret felt quite sturdy.
They didn’t feel like they would unscrew themselves from recoil hit. The distortion lag is barely noticeable. The object-viewing experience is also good.
Just like you guys we had our doubts about how a sub-100 scope going to perform on 40x zoom! To be honest, it did pretty well. whether it’s totally accurate up to 40x zoom that’s up for debate.
But if you are looking for a long-range scope and don’t want to spend a handsome amount of money without second thinking you can pull the trigger on this one.
As we mentioned the turrets didn’t feel under-built or bad quality. They looked pretty good and solid. The turret provides windage and elevation as usual. But instead of 1/4 MOA, it provides 1/8 MOA.
We hope that this will be able to serve you for a long time 🙂
Reticle
The Barska 10-40×50 AO varmint uses a Mil-dot reticle. The reticle provides holdover reference points to compensate for bullet drop and wind drift. Which all in total makes the scope pretty darn accurate.
You can easily determine the bullet drop and adjust accordingly thanks to the Mil-dot reticle. Well to some people the dots in the crosshair might seem to bother but you are stuck with it.
So please make sure you have no issues with the reticle before buying. The scope is in the second focal plane not first. Let’s be real you can’t hope to have an FFP scope for under 100$.
Pros
- Good build quality.
- Good lenses.
- Excellent pricing.
- Lifetime warranty.
Cons
- The reticle is not suited for all.
Barska 10-40X50 Review Summary
The scope is pretty good for the price. It has a solid build quality and a solid lens with a good zoom. If you are on a budget and want to get into long-range shooting the scope might be it for you.
For under 100$, I don’t think you can find a better long-range scope. This scope checks almost all the necessary things that make a good scope.
Hi, I’m Brent Hansford. A writer turned hunter & now sharing my love for the sport through writing. As I practically breathe weapons, I firmly believe I’m capable of providing you with new knowledge about firearms and hunting. My mission is to help more people get better at hunting & master the weapons. Let me help with unleashing the beast within you!
