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Barska is a company that’s known for producing a wide range of rifle scopes at surprisingly low prices.
But does Barska compromise on quality? More importantly, are Barska rifle scopes worth buying? We’ve decided to review the very popular Barska Plinker-22 to find out.
Before we get to the detailed scope reviews, take a look at a preview of our top recommendations.
The Barska Plinker-22 offers the standard features at an incredibly low price. It’s accurate, lightweight, and user-friendly.
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This one’s perfect for varmint hunting. The Barska rifle scope offers stability and precision for the best experience.
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We recommend this Barska rifle scope due to its versatility. It features illuminated reticles with a durable yet lightweight design.
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Quick Summary of the Main Product
The Barska Plinker-22 is a pretty solid rifle scope that’s designed to be used with rimfire rifles. It comes with mounting rings, caps for the scope, and a cleaning cloth for the lens system.
The main selling point of the Plinker-22 is its price. Barska added several features into the scope, but it’s still one of the cheaper options in the lineup of Barska rifle scopes. So it’s a great option if you’re on a tight budget.
As the scope’s name suggests, it’s ideal for plinking. Its specifications make it a good choice for target practice.
However, if you plan to hunt seriously or take long-range shots, there may be better alternatives for you on the market.
Features and Benefits
Reticle
The Barska Plinker-22 uses a simple duplex pattern; the thick bars on the reticle thin out towards the center. So the rifle scope is easy to use – even for beginners.
The reticle is placed on the second focal plane. As the reticle size doesn’t change with magnification, the reticle can be easily seen through all zoom levels.
These features allow the scope to work perfectly in short to moderate ranged situations.
Turrets
The Plinker-22 features textured turrets that can be adjusted by your finger. The turrets are set at a click value of 0.25-inch.
How is this important?
The windage and elevation knobs help you sight your scope to the target. And as these are easy-to-use, adjustments can be made in the nick of time.
Once you’ve properly zeroed in, the turrets also maintain the zero across all magnification levels. Hence, you won’t have to repeatedly make adjustments.
Magnification Range
The Barska Plinker-22 comes in a few different models. These scopes have different magnification settings.
We’ve chosen to review the most popular choice: the model with a magnification range of 3-9x. And unless you know the exact distance you plan to shoot over, it’s also the most sensible choice.
Why?
The low setting of 3x offers a pretty large field of view, which makes the Barska rifle scope suitable for short-range shooting.
As the magnification is variable, it can also be used for shooting over a larger area – making the scope multi-purpose.
Durability
Low-priced products are generally not meant to last. The same can’t exactly be said for the Barska Plinker-22 though.
The rifle scope definitely isn’t the sturdiest one on the market, but it’s pretty reliable. The monotube is sealed to make the scope waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof. So it can certainly withstand extreme conditions.
The covers, that come included, keep the scope protected when it’s not being used.
Barska has included a limited lifetime warranty as well, so receiving a defective scope is the least of your worries.
Weight
We know the Barska Plinker-22 can take a few hits, but don’t get the wrong idea. The Barska rifle scope isn’t bulky either.
In fact, the scope really stands out in terms of its weight.
It has a 32mm objective lens and a length of 12 inches. Because of these features, the Barska scope is remarkably light at a weight of only 11.46 oz.
Hence, the scope can easily be mounted or packed away without it being a burden.
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Pros
- The Plinker-22 is extremely affordable and offers great value for money. Its quality is similar to the rifle scopes that are double its price
- Adjusting windage and elevation is super easy and hassle-free as the turrets are well-made
- The Barska scope is incredibly lightweight and portable. This also makes the installation process convenient.
- The scope is pretty accurate and it holds its settings over rounds
- It is waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof. So you aren’t held back by the weather
- The optics are fully multi-coated. This improves the quality of the image produced
- The scope’s fast-zoom feature is useful for taking out moving targets and shooting at different range layouts
Cons
- The included mounting rings are a bit small for some firearms. So you may need to find a different attachment
- The lens is relatively small. This affects the brightness of the image produced
- The crosshair can get slightly blurry when using the scope at its highest magnification level
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Social Proof
We browsed the internet for reviews of the Barska Plinker-22 to see how the customers liked the scope.
The 3-9×32 model has a positive overall rating of 4.3 out of 5 on Amazon; 83% of customers gave it 4 or 5 stars.
Its rating makes it one of the best Barska scopes. Most customers were really impressed by how easy it was to install the scope.
More Recommendations!
#1: Alternative for Varmint Hunting – Barska Varmint 6.5-20×50 Review
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Although the Plinker-22 is one of the best Barska scopes, it can’t be properly used for varmint hunting. A more suitable scope would be the Barska Varmint 6.5-20×50.
We really like how sturdy the Barska scope is. It feels good to hold which says a lot about the materials used in its construction. The design keeps the rifle scope stable which allows for accuracy in shooting.
Plus, we found the scope to produce clear images that are amazing for its price. The reticle is distinct and the view is incredibly bright, even in low-light conditions.
Features of Barska Varmint 6.5-20×50
- 6.5-20x magnification range
- 50mm objective lens
- Second focal plane reticle
- 15.95 inches long
- 22.3 oz in weight
- Multi-coated lens
- 3.6 inches of eye relief
Pros
- Affordable
- Good visual quality
- Waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof
- Easily adjustable turrets
- Firm build
- Parallax adjustment
Cons
- Reticle type not the best for long-range shooting
The alternative for varmint hunting is Barska Varmint 6.5-20×50 because of its wide magnification range and the image clarity it offers.
#2: Alternative with Illuminated Reticle – Barska Contour 4×32 Review
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Another feature that the Barska Plinker-22 lacks is an illuminated reticle, which makes the Barska Contour 4×32 a suitable alternative.
The first thing that you’ll notice about the Barska Contour is its compact design. Despite its rugged design, it’s pretty lightweight. Hence, mounting and sighting in the rifle scope is super easy.
What’s more is that the Barska scope comes with a number of accessories, including mounting rings, a lens cloth, and lens covers. The lens covers are pretty useful as they offer protection and can be flipped open effortlessly when needed.
Features of Barska Contour 4×32
- 4x magnification
- 32mm objective lens
- Second focal plane reticle
- 8.5 inches long
- 10.4 oz in weight
- Fully coated lens
- 3.3 inches of eye relief
Pros
- Versatile
- Lightweight and portable
- Affordable
- Illuminated Mil-dot reticles
- Has a green and a red Mil-dot reticle
- Adjustable brightness
- Waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof
- Sunshade prevents glare
Cons
- Eye relief may be short for some
- Reticle not suitable for long-distance shooting
The alternative with illuminated reticle is Barska Contour 4×32 because of its versatility and solid design.
Guide to Buy
It can be a little overwhelming to decide which rifle scope to buy. To help you choose, here are some aspects to consider:
Magnification
Scopes can end up being useless if their magnification power isn’t suitable for the range they’re going to be used at. The ideal magnification power is entirely subjective.
Variable rifle scopes are popular as they’re multi-purpose, but a fixed rifle scope can do just fine if you plan to shoot at a similar range.
Lower magnification scopes are great for shooting moving targets. However, you’re going to need a higher magnification scope if you plan to take slow shots over a large distance.
Reticle Type
With a wide variety of reticle types available today, you need to make sure the reticle you choose positively affects your shooting precision.
A large reticle is great to use in low-light conditions, but it can also end up covering your target. On the flip side, a reticle with thin crosshairs can provide you with the precision you may need.
Popular reticle types include the duplex reticle, the Mil-dot reticle, and the BDC reticle.
Lens Coating
The lens coating directly affects a scope’s light transmission.
But what does this mean for you?
The more the coatings, the brighter and clearer the image will be. The four main categories of lens coatings are coated, fully coated, multi-coated, and fully multi-coated lens.
Rifle scopes with a better quality of lens coating, however, also cost a lot more.
Weight
Weight is another aspect that depends on where you plan to shoot.
A larger tube can offer better image quality but it also significantly increases the overall weight of a scope. This is fine if you plan to use a bipod to shoot your rifle.
However, if you plan to move a lot between shots, you’re going to be exhausted before you know it. In this case, a lightweight scope will definitely work out better.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Where are Barska scopes made?
Barska is an American company based in California. However, Barska rifle scopes are manufactured in China.
Is a 3-9×40 scope good?
3-9×40 rifle scopes offer a wide field of view and generally give you a range of up to 400 yards. Unless you plan to take long-distance shots, 3-9×40 scopes are a good choice.
What magnification is suitable for 600 yards?
You’re going to need at least 6x magnification. We recommend getting a variable scope with a magnification range of around 4-14x.
What magnification is suitable for 300 yards?
4x magnification is usually enough for 300 yards depending on the shooter’s capabilities. Variable scopes that offer a magnification range of 3-10x or 4-12x would be perfect.
Is a 50mm scope better than a 40mm?
50mm scopes let in more light which allows a brighter image to be produced.
However, these scopes also weigh and cost more.
So unless you plan on buying a low-light scope, 40mm scopes are usually a better choice.
Wrapping Things Up…
In conclusion, the Barska Plinker-22 has limited features to properly facilitate long-range shooting and serious hunting like other scopes can.
However, the scope is still one of the best Barska scopes as it offers decent quality at an absurdly low price.
If you enjoy plinking or are just starting your journey as a hunter, we definitely recommend picking up the Barska rifle scope.
