As far as optics manufacturers, Mueller Optics is relatively new to the market. Founded in 2003 by Richard Schlampp, Mueller has quickly developed a reputation for good quality riflescopes at reasonable prices. This has been accomplished through two unique strategies:
- Stringent component sourcing to a central location
- Consumer direct and dealer sales with a focus on word of mouth advertising
Stringent Component Sourcing
For starters, most all the Mueller scopes are produced overseas. However, this is certainly not new within the optics community. About the only optics company that still makes some of its products within the U.S. are brands like U.S. Optics.
What seems to set Mueller apart from the rest of their competition is how they utilize these parts. Rather than outsource everything to one country, like China; Mueller took a different approach. They searched long and hard for various vendors throughout the world that manufactured specific optical parts and selected the best that they could find.
Each vendor that they use produces a specific item or product that is then shipped to an overseas plant and meticulously assembled. The result is a high-quality product built with exacting tolerances. So much so, that Mueller optics offers a lifetime warranty on nearly every item they produce.
A Focus on Word of Mouth Advertising
The second unique strategy that Mueller employs is done through their advertising (or should I say lack of advertising). Quite simply, Mueller spends very little money on advertising compared to most sports-based optical companies.
Next time visit your doctor or dentist, take a moment to flip through any hunting or shooting magazines that they may have in their waiting room. I’m willing to bet that you’ll see a number of various ads from different scope manufacturers, but you probably won’t see any ads from Mueller. They prefer to rely on their network of dealers, and word of mouth to effectively advertise their line. In doing so, they have been able to keep the retail costs of their products at a very attractive level.
From a scope product standpoint, Mueller has a scope offering for just about everyone (even bowhunters). Mueller has scopes that are designed for:
- Archery
- Big game
- Illuminated models
- Turkey hunting
- Tactical applications
- Varmint shooting
- Rimfires
- Blackpowder
and nearly any other type of shooting you can imagine.
Their most popular models seem to be the APV 4.5 X 14 and the Mueller Eradicator 8.5 X 25. These two have gained quite a following among varmint hunters and big game hunters.
Mueller scopes are fairly well made and marketed as entry-level optics with a focus on being budget-friendly.
Below are some of the better deals located for Mueller scopes.
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