Buy the most expensive scope you can afford?

My blood boils when I read gun magazines that tout "affordable" optics in the $700-1k range. UAHHHH! Thankfully nobody seems to be suggesting that.

I've been pleased with my Nikon pro-staff, I threw it on a heavy barreled Ruger M77 in .260. The gun deserves much more glass, but even with a sub $300 scope its does better than I can shoot.

My Model Seven wears a Redfield, 2-7x, and its dropped several deer with no issues at all.

My dad recently picked up a Bushnell monocular, I was extremely impressed with the clarity of glass for a $150 deal. Plus lifetime warranty? Nice.

A friend of mine put a Zeiss Terra on his Ruger American and has been raving about it. I realize some dislike these but they have great ratings on Amazon and Cabelas.

I've seen for years the recommendation to buy a scope that was the same value as the gun its being put on. A good rule of thumb maybe, but as others have said, the low-end optics we have today would blow high end scopes from decades ago out of the water.
 
I've had a Weaver fog up
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My dad had an old Weaver K-6 mounted on his Winchester M100, it always fogged up terribly in our damp pacific northwest marine climate. He finally broke down and got a Burris 3-9x and he actually likes hunting with it now.
 
Too much off-topic wandering, folks.

To recap: The subject has to do with a scope for paper punching at no more than 200 yards.
 
Yup, we were wandering off-topic. Regarding a good scope for the money, I have been impressed by Burris Fullfield II 4.5-14 scopes. For $300 you get a lot of scope. And, for a long time I had a Bushnell 4-12 that I paid $150 for, and it was a fine scope. It isn't necessary to spend a lot of money.
 
Thanks for all the replies everyone. I think I'm still just as confused but I made a decision. After looking at a couple different brands and prices I decided to go with the leupold vx1 for $200.

The lenses seem nice and clear. I like the reticle. The adjustments don't seem as nice as some others but I don't think I'll be adjusting the turrets much, if at all after I get it sighted in.

This has been interesting please keep discussing if there is more to add.
 
I've got two very old Denver Redfield's, 1-4x and 2 3/4x. Have two Nikons 3-9X and 4 1/2-14. One Banner in 3-9x and two new 2-7x Leupold/Redfield's. I really like the Redfield's in 2-7x but they don't work all that well on 30-06 length actions. Need extension rings to get them on. I think the only scope I have right now that cost me over $200 was the 4 1/2-14 Nikon. For myself, I think if your putting this scope on something to hunt with, scope's like my 4 1/2-14x should stay on the dealer's shelf. I got mine to put on a rifle I like for target's out to 500 yds and have never had it over 8x to shoot. Hunted with the rifle a few time's but took off that one and put on a 3-9x.

I read the same thing, get all you can afford. Well those high dollar scope's are fine for guy's willing to spend the kind of money they cost and I'm sure they can justify the cost, I can't. To many really good scopes out there anymore for well under $400! A lot under $300! I'd look at Leupolds, Redfields, Nikons, higher end Bushnells, ect. Burris is supposed to be a good one but I've never used one. I have had so much luck with the scope under $300 that I don't even look at more expensive. Also, Leupold, Redfield, and Nikon all have life time warranty's! There are scope's for under $100 that I would avoid. Had a Tasco years ago the my 25-06 just took apart in a few months. At the same time I had a Tasco World Class that did survive that 25-06 and the 6.5x06 for several years, under $100 but I'd suggest avoining them.

General rule as far as price goes is anything from around $150 and up to $300 is normally worth looking at. I don't go look at some that are supposed to be good scope's like the Vortex. Suppose to be nice scopes but I have my own list of proven proformer's over the past 50 yrs that i stick to.
 
I don't buy the "best scope you can afford" argument either. It's called the Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns. Basically, at each increased price point, the improvements are smaller and smaller. At some point, the increased price isn't worth the increased benefit.

For me (another guy who shoots less than 200 yards 98% of the time) I don't ever feel like my $200-$300 Leupold and Vortex scopes are insufficient. Scope quality is going up across the industry. You just don't have to pay as much to get a great quality scope anymore.
 
High prices do not always mean high quality. Any more than low prices mean junk. Mind you, some brands are well known for being junk at any price. Tasco and Simmons(Not on Savage packages any more), for example. Had a Tasco that cost me $40Cdn.(was on sale.), years ago. Laughed, as I watched the reticle bounce back and forth every time I opened and closed the bolt through a bore sighter several years later. The rifle still wears a Scopechief, 40 years later.
"...gun magazines that tout..." Yep, but the gun rags are about marketing the stuff they're writing about and not much else.
Anyway, what calibre is your rifle? This time of year has varmint and rimfire rifle stuff being 'on sale'. You might still find deer rifle stuff on as end of year sales. And don't forget the rings and bases.
 
Like Eatman's reply and many others too. I must own 30 scopes and a very large majority of them are over 18X. Most I've ever paid was for a Weaver Super Slam 5-20 and it was on sale for around $370. Own lots of scopes in various brands that cost in the $100 to $200 price range that have served me well for my paper shooting with anything from a 22 hornet to a 30-06, with about 9 cartridges in between them. Have had maybe two scopes have a problem, holding zero and etc and they were replaced by the manufacturer.

Have almost always been satisfied to very satisfied with the optics in my lower priced scopes for my target shooting....up to 400 yds, but 80% of it is 100 and 200 yds. Heck, you'd be surprised by the number of my fellow range members with the $900 plus scopes that have sat down with one of my cheapo scopes and been impressed with the optics.

Most common problem I encounter is the windage/elevation adjustments. I often go to range with at least three scoped rifles to shoot and do this two or three days a week, weather permitting. I seldom shoot the same reloads I'd shot the previous time before in a rifle......so, am cranking on the windage/elevation adjustments fairly regularly. While I always get the scope adjusted, may take a few more shots than it would with a scope with more reliable adjustments, like my Weaver Super Slam scopes.
 
jeff2222 said:
I've been looking to buy a scope for a rifle I've recently purchased. Almost everything I've read essentially says buy the most expensive one you can afford. But I am having a hard time figuring exactly why this is true.
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Maybe it isn't. "You get what you pay for" is more optimistic than wise. It misses the possibility that some products are overpriced, or that some people may spend more on an object to get the aura of a premium status rather than a more tangible benefit. You will see this in wrist watches.

Some people are cheap. I am often cheap. For some things I know that there are higher quality versions, but I don't care if the thing I buy is good enough for my purpose.

Some people are very knowledgeable customers. They understand what is important for a product for their purpose, what the market offers, and can still make a frugal choice that serves their ends.

Some people seek the status of having a premium consumer product. They may not be interested in an important quality of the object other than that it is known for being expensive.


Beyond those basic categories, we have the narcissim of minor differences. People can argue about whether the right choice is a $1,000 scope or a $3,000 scope, yet compared to iron sights a solid and simple $50 scope can be a huge improvement.
 
The bushnell elites are good scopes . Maybe their lower end stuff isn't real good but if you got a little 22 or 17 hmr and are just plonking what's it matter . Now I replaced two banners that I was using for 300 yard shots with elites . I could tell the difference then .


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It's kind of the same train of thought as when you are purchasing a car or truck. Say you have enough money to get the car for $100k. Some people go for car that costs $15k and say to themselves I don't need the one for $100k. Some will go and get the car $100k and say why not, I deserve this. Both cars do the same thing but the one for $100k just does it better and every time the guy/gal drives it they smile. So if you want to be like meahh it's just a car get one for $15k. If you want to smile or get your hurt rate up when you drive it, get the car for $100k. If I can afford it, I get things that make me smile. :0) good luck.
 
When it comes to scopes, I'll open up the wallet for a scope that allows me to shoot better. And lately, I'm opening up the wallet a lot more than I did 20 years ago. My eyes aren't what they use to be so I need to spend more money just to be able to see the target clearly. Seeing the target clearly makes me smile.
 
ed308
I'm in in the same boat. I shoot bench rest only with a Bushnell variable 24 power that is always on 24. Should have went with a Weaver T36 fixed power
 
My eyes aren't what they use to be so I need to spend more money just to be able to see the target clearly. Seeing the target clearly makes me smile.
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So I'm at a the opisite end of the spectrum, at 44 I still have 20/10 vision and low quality glass just irritates the heck out of me. I want high end glass to allow my good eyes to see everything possible and not impede any visual information.
 
When it comes to scopes, I'll open up the wallet for a scope that allows me to shoot better. And lately, I'm opening up the wallet a lot more than I did 20 years ago. My eyes aren't what they use to be so I need to spend more money just to be able to see the target clearly. Seeing the target clearly makes me smile.
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But $$$$ isn't necessarily always the guarantee. Case in point, my Ruger 10-22 Takedown. Putting the package together I chose a Simmons 22-Mag "cheap" scope. With a $30 rebate, it cost me a cip f coffee or two over twenty bucks. First range trip, and new gun shakedown resulted in a hole the size of my thumb nail made by 10 rounds @ 50 yds. To see ho.w well everything went back together, I broke down the rifle, removed the scope via QD rings, then reassembled it. Loaded up another mag, and put another ten rounds in the same thumbnail hole. All with a twenty dollar scope!
Still on it, or in the carry bag, and still making tiny holes.
 
I like to spend wisely.
I own 5 Vortex scopes, 3 HS, a Crossfire, and a Diamondback.
The Diamondback has been a great scope for the 200.00 I spent on it. The HS scopes all deliver what I paid for.
No problems yet with any of them, and I will definitely look at them in the future, and I would never pass a great deal on an older Leupold, they seem to last.
 
You should do whatever makes you happy! With scopes you really do get what you are paying for. My $200 scopes are ok meah till I looked and used nightforce or S&B. Now I look back and see that for the last 10 years I have 6 new scopes with the expanse of $14,000.00. Soo there is that. :0) and I never look back. Get the best you can afford.
 
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