Never used a Barska, but have seen and sold a ton of 'em. Had a lot of people swear by their varmint scopes when I lived in ND. If you are on a tight budget, they are really hard to beat. Having looked through quite a few of 'em, my only complaint that I can remember is how on higher magnification the image's color washed out badly. But heck, a varmint scope at well under $100, who cares if the color isn't great?! Seen targets shot at 300yds. with a NEF .204 topped with a Barska that weren't much bigger than a quarter so they seem to do their job well.