choosing a rifle scope

Huffmanite said:
By the way, these Weavers are made in Japan by same company that makes, Sightron Big Sky scopes, highest end Bushnell elites and another company or two that is well regarded.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you're talking about LOW. Since Sightron is a subsidiary of Kenko, it seems more likely that Kenko makes Sightron scopes.

Elmbow said:
Probably my next scope will be another VX3 2.5-8x36.
Click to expand...
Better grab one now. They're discounted, because Leupold is changing their model lines again.
 
Jebby,

While any of the ones you mentioned would work fine for you, I think you may possibly look into a different direction.

While I love the Vortex Crossfire II's that I have, for hunting I go a different path.

Redfield Revenge 4x12-42. Decently clear glass(no, not Nightforce grade), and there is a ranging system in the scope. No need for a separate range finder.
I got the Varmint reticle, just because I could at the time.

Liked it good enough that I bought a second. They are on my 7mm Rem Mag, and my Ruger 77 in 257 Roberts.

Glass and ranging are good out to 600 yards.

Just a thought...
 
Almost every scope listed here with the exception of the higher end Euro options or those such as Meopta have glass produced by LOW. The coatings, tubes, internals and packaging are different. The higher the price, the finer the clarity, the better the internals (in most instances, not all) and better the quality. You get what you pay for in optics. I'd look at the Meopta Meopro on sale at CameralandNY or on the SWFA Sample List, maybe the EuroOptik or SportOptics sale/demo/used pages to get better quality at a reduced price. Take a look at the Trijicon Accupower as well. There are some good buys out there if you look enough.

A better place to seek optics guidance is Opticstalk and Opticsthoughts.
 
Leupold, Burris, Meopta, Vortex, are all good scopes, you could get a good scope in you price range. My 7-08 is in a Rem Mdl 7 and I didn't want a giant scope on it to mess with the balance and lines on the trim little rifle, the biggest I was willing to go was a Leupold VX III 3-9x40 and honestly a 2-7 or so would work great for hunting ranges. I am liking lower powered scopes more and more for some reason as I age.
 
Panfisher, you are absolutely correct (in my oversized opinion). My little Rem Model 7 .260 wears a Leupold VXII 2-7 because that is the smallest and lightest scope in its class. It doesn't "overbalance" that little rifle. Honestly, I've never even needed to crank it up past about 5 in the field.
 
Optics shouldn't necessarily be balanced to the aesthetics of the rifle but, more to the application and use of the rifle as to its end use. Where a 40mm or less is just fine for open plains or stalking for compactness and weight, they aren't very good for dusk hunts in the stand in a swamp or beanfield.

Choose the scope based on what fits your use.
 
Choose the scope based on what fits your use.
Click to expand...

Spot on.

I frequently get asked to recommend a scope by customers. My first question is "How are you going to use the rifle" and the second one is "What's your budget?".
 
For 5 years I've had a Zeiss Conquest 3 x 9 - 40 on my Browning Safari 30 06. $400. I've been pleased with its' quality and it has held together just fine.

.02

David :)
 
I vote for Leupold...for hunting it is super bright for those critical first 10 minutes and last 10 minutes of daylight. That is where a hunting scope really shines and earns it's price. Leupold is redoing its VX3 line and you should be able to find a good deal on VX3 inventory still out there. Even their VX2 is remarkable in low light.
 
My goodness, if you think Leupold is good at dawn and dusk, you need to look through some other glass sometime. There's a ton of other glass out there that puts a VX3 to shame in low light, some of it costing 1/2 as much.
 
^^^^
What he said!
I have many of the scopes mentioned here including Sightron, Leupold, Burris, Vortex and Redfield among others. The biggest surprise in the bunch was the Redfields. For the money, the clarity and brightness are hard to beat. Durable, too.
I put one of their 4-12 Revenge scopes on a Weatherby Vanguard in .30-06 with nearly 1,100 rounds downrange and it is just as nice, clear and zeroed as the day I stuck it on there. (Redfield is made by Leupold these days.)

My favorite, though, it the Vortex viper. I have three of them in 6.5-20x50 with side focus and dead hold BDC reticle. They are on my silhouette rifles but are, IMHO, too much magnification for a hunting rifle. Not enough field of view for hunting inside 100 yards for my taste. YMMV.

For what it's worth, I think a Vortex Viper with a 30mm tube in 3-9x40, 2.5-10x44 or 4-16x40 would be the cat's meow on a hunting rifle. Like this one: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/49...-tube-25-10x-44mm-dead-hold-bdc-reticle-matte

I hope this is helpful.
 
Last edited:
The vortex name is right out of the blue!

Never heard of it!

Invented in china!

We had never heard of it till very recently.

I started with Lyman, Redfield, Unertl etc decades ago. An economy brand then was Weaver. Euro scopes were Zeiss, Hensoldt etc.
 
Vortex headquarters are about a mile away from where I work (Middleton, WI). Their product line runs the whole gamut from foreign-made lower-end all the way up to 100% US sourced+assembled. A lot of it is nice stuff of which I've handled binos, rifle + spotting scopes. I do not sport any atop my rifles but would consider it.
 
I'm a hunter - deer, pigs, coyotes. Most of my scopes are Leupold VX-3, but I have a Burris FFII, and a Vortex Viper PST 4-16 ffp. I think that the newest Leupold has the best glass, but the differences are small. Most of my hunting is with the Vortex, and I like it a lot.

As for magnification, a 3-9 would work fine for hunting, but I upgraded to 4.5-14 and 4-16 and sold the 3-9's. Part of the reason is laziness. I like to shoot paper and easily see where the bullet hit, without having to move to the spotting scope. My hunting is mostly edges of fields or power line ROWs, so I keep the scope set on 8 power. That must seem high to some, but I shoot quite a few running pigs (inside 120 yards or so).
 
I recently bought my first Vortex scope for my Annie MPR 64. It is a ffp scope and it is as bright as my Nightforce. I shot the best group of my life with that rifle and scope combo and Norma TAC ammo. I have a bunch of Leupold VXIII scopes on different rifles and the Vortex is every bit as good. I am pretty much sold on them. My scope is a 6-24X50 ffp.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top