Who has a Simmons Aetec?

dan newberry

dan newberry

New member
I looked through a buddy's Simmons Aetec 3.5 to 10X the other evening.

I had forgotten how bright and clear these scopes actually are.

Question is: Are they reliable? Hold zero? Fog?

Just wondering how many of you guys have tried these...

Dan
 
Ive got the 2.8 x10 And so far its been very good to me. It started on a savage10 fp in.223 and went with NMLeon to Wyoming for a p-dog shoot- he was connecting out to 500+ yards with it and when it came home it went on to an dpms 16" AR and has been out bouncing around with me on several coyote hunts with out any trouble. Holds a good zero with no noticable poi change when you change power ( at least I havent noticed any) and its pretty clear glass.
 
I've got 2 of the 3.8x12AO's and so far I've been very impressed with them. I've got them mounted on my two CZ527's in .223 and .204. They might be a little heavier than other scopes in that power range, but on my CZ's I'm still under 7-1/2 pounds all up weight. I can live with that. Very bright and clear. I think they are comparable to my Bushnell Elite 3200's and they were about half the price from the Optic Zone. The're all sold out or I might have bought more. The new model are quite a bit more money and that puts them closer tothe Elite 3200's or some of the Nikon's, that makes the choice a little more difficult. I'm not sure what Simmon's did to change the new models and warrent the price increase so I can't say if the value is still there.
 
Dan--just sold my last remaining Aetec. It was on my tang safety Ruger 77 243. This rifle shot one hole groups with handloads. Sold it to a good friend. I have used Aetecs plenty, and so have 2-3friends. Never any problems with the 5-6 we've owned. You are right about the optics, highly under-rated IMHO. I shot a nice 8-pointer with this set-up in 2003 in Northern Michigan in freezing temps. No troubles. Come to think of it, we all use them in damn cold temps, it's cold up here. None of us have had them on really hard kicking guns, but no problems so far, in a lot of hunting hours, in temperatures in the single digits at times. I don't know if you've seen any of the new Simmons stuff so far, but optically, it looks pretty impressive for the money---2MG
 
I have one mounted on a Savage 116 30-06. Great scope in my opinion. I have sat in a treestand while deer hunting as late as 9:00 pm using this scope to watch deer on a full moon night. I had deer all around as night fell. Did not see anything I wanted to shoot before I ran out of light so I decided to sit and watch rather than run them out of the food plot. I could see figures with my naked eyes, but could make out racked bucks with the Aetec. No, I did not shoot anything. I eventually threw my hat in the food plot to scare them off so I could get down. Moral of the story is they are exceptionally bright and clear. Sighted it in on the 06 and haven't had to touch it in 3 years and numerous shots and truck and atv travel.
 
How much are the new Aetecs?

I didn't know about the price increase.

Thanks for all of the replies so far. It's looking like these are durable scopes.

Dan
 
I have used three Aetecs. Two where on 22-250s and for the money they were pretty good. I did have one on a 25-06, shot approximately 20 rnds through it and wouldn't hold any longer. But I know from the reviews I have read, durability never seemed like much of an issue.
 
I've had one for 7-8 years now, beat it around alot. Works great for night hunting yotes. I have nicer scopes but can't saying bad about that atec. Its done it's job and then some.
Matt
 
The Atec is alright if you don't change loads frequently and move the windage and elevation. Try shooting four corners on a 2 inch square with constant point of aim.
I like the clarity and brightness.
 
Ditto. I have an Aetec 3.8-12x44 AO and it's great on my 223 coyote rig. I don't change windage and elevation hardly ever. I did shoot the square once, and wasn't terribly impressed. It might have been me, might have been the scope, but I don't need to make many adjustments for my use.
 
I've got two Aetec 2.8-10. Mounted on a 22-250 and a .223.
Never had a problem with them yet been using them for about six years. The only thing I don't like about them and most brands are the heavy duplex's whatever happened to the old fine crosshairs?
 
My Aetec has been very good to me,clear,bright&tough. The heavy crosshairs can block out a crow or small target at a distance but those same crosshairs show up on a target at dusk when the fine "target" type crosshairs vanish. Mine has been hot,cold,wet,and dropped and is a great hunting scope for the price.

.02
 
I've owned/used several Aetecs. Mostly they came with rifles I bought or as part of some trade or another. They're a decent scope, but I don't think I would go out and buy a new one. For the money involved, I'd put a little extra with the price of the Aetec and go for a Bushnell Elite 3200 or a lower end Leupold. If you can get a deal on one, by all means go for it! However, there are better choices in the almost same price range.
 
X-man, I agree 100 percent. I was thinking around 75 bucks for a used 2.5-10 power should be about right. The last Aetec I sold I got 80 dollars for it, but it was a silver one and a guy wanted it real bad... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Dan
 
My father-in-law put a 2.8-10x on his BAR 30-06 one season and put very few rounds thru it before the adjustments went out. He only checks zero before hunting, so probably less than a box of rounds... He didn't try to warranty repair it, but I suspect Simmons would've replaced it. One lemon doesn't mean much, but personally I'd look at the Leupold VX-1 lineup. I love my 2-7x33.
 
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