Scopes... Suggestions welcome.

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Venom1956

New member
There are so many! :( I am just looking for a some quality glass to replace some tascos I have on a few rifles from when I was 18... What do you recommend and why?

Also I am trying to find a 'lower' priced 3x9 with a mil dot reticle for my .22 rifle so I can just use the mils compensate for range increases easily.

I am not interested in any of the BDC ones... for some reason I just don't like em.

Brands I've been looking at are Leupold, Redfield, Nikon, Bushnell?

Also I've read that sometimes the lower end of the 'big name models' can be made in china and what not. Which is fine but I'd just by a non name brand scope then. So which if any of the model lines to avoid. (if that made any sense.)

I am open to anything. I am not looking for cheap just curious whats out there. I mainly do pistol shooting so I don't keep up on scopes and there are SO MANY OUT THERE!? :confused:
 
For my $, I would go with a Zeiss Conquest and be done with it. I have owned/used the spectrum of less expensive brands/models but once I found the Zeiss, it was love at first sight, literally. All the less expensive brands/models work fine just the clarity of Zeiss is hard to beat.

I love saving $ but it's like driving a BMW or Porsche (vs. a Ford or Toyota, both very good) for the first time. If you can afford it, there's no comparison.

If you're only looking to buy the scope for a .22, the Mueller brand seems to work great for the price. I have a simple fixed 4 power Simmons (~$30) on my 10/22 and it has held up for many years.
 
The Leupold VX-2 I just bought was $300, shipped. I like it better than my old Leupold in some ways. The power ring works smoothly and has a good bump on it, so it's easier to use. The focus adjustment doesn't have a lock ring, but works quite well. It has a finer thread than most and there's no slop.

The lower-priced Leupolds, through the VX-1, are not made in the USA and don't have a lifetime warranty.

I don't like the Nikon Monarch, because the view doesn't seem to go to the edge, but optical quality is close to the VX-2.

I chose the wide-multiplex reticle that has a wider narrow section. It seems to work better for longer-distance shooting.
 
The lower-priced Leupolds, through the VX-1, are not made in the USA and don't have a lifetime warranty.
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http://leupold.com/hunting-shooting/scopes/vx-1-riflescopes/

The Leupold VX-1 is USA made and comes with the same lifetime guarantee as any other Leupold, including the bottom end Rifleman.

The VX-2 with LRD sells for about $330, $300 with a standard duplex reticle, and would be my choice for the most scope for the money. The VX-3's are slightly better and I have a few in 2.5-8X simply because I like that size scope and magnification range. But If I were going to suggest anything more expensive than the VX-2, I'd go straight to the $399 Zeiss Conquest.

If on a tight budget the VX-1 is the most scope you will get for $200, and is a far better choice than anything selling in the $150-$200 range. The absolute cheapest scope I'd sugggest is the Redfield Revolution. I wouldn't even suggest the Leupold Rifleman. It sells for the same price as the VX-1 and is a step below. I don't really understand why they even offer it.
 
Hard to say, I am a Bushnell fan, I do own an expensive Leupold, but frankly find my $150-200 Bushnell's to be just as good, just as reliable.

I am going to replace a Bushnell scope on my 30-06, I took a rather nasty spill while hunting a few years ago and knocked my Bushnell 3-9 X40 pretty severely, it surprisingly held it's zero, but it took such a hit the power adjustment got dented and was hard to move from then on, recently it froze up all the way, it's been out of production for several years, so it's just going to get a new one.
 
I would second the Mueller APT suggestion for a .22 rifle. I have an APV on a .22 rifle and a .243 and they work fine. The APT is a step up with a 30mm tube, mil-dot, and target turrets.

For your centerfire rifles, I would pick a scope in the range of the VX-2. I could kick myself for not buying a 4-12X40AO with the B&C reticle VX-II Ifound on clearance for $250.
 
I like the Swift Premier series. I think they go for under 200. I have one on my 788, and I have no complaints.
 
I have VX-3 s 2.5x8 & 3.5X10, Nikon Buckmasters 3X9s, Sightron 6.5X20 & 4X16, and Ziess 3X9. I agree with Twins the Ziess is IMO the best glass.
Right now $ for $ the Ziess conquest is a great value @$399.00
 
I found this on another board:

Re: USA made scopes?
There is no scope manufacture that produces 100% made in USA scopes. Not even Leupold. If you contact Leupold about their lens this is their response.

"The lenses in our scopes are about the only item we do not make in our plant in Oregon. We buy our lenses, which are designed entirely by Leupold engineers, from both domestic and international sources. We would like to buy all our lenses in the United States, but there is not currently a lens manufacturer who can meet our quality standards in the volume we require."

Even in this response they contradict themselves about domestic lens.

There are only a couple manufacturers in the USA that make quality lens and they are so expensive that a scope maker would have to charge outrageous prices even for their low end scopes.

The FTC only requires that a product assembled in America with 50% or more parts made in America may carry the Made in USA label.
Click to expand...
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I may be wrong about the VX-1, but regardless of where the lenses come from, the resolution, as I compared with a VX-II bought at the same time, there is a significant difference!!! I can't recommend the VX-1, as there are other scopes (like the Mueller 4-14x APV) that are even clearer, for less money. However, the VX-2 I just bought is very nice and worth every penny!!!

The VX-1 I bought for a friend a few years ago didn't have a lifetime guarantee.
 
I know you're not interested in BDC, but... Mil dot, BDC, etc... in any case, you're going to need an easy means of getting a hold over, especially on the .22, unless you just know for a fact that you're going to be shooting at known ranges. That being said, I'm using this one on my Marlin 60:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/179988/vortex-crossfire-ii-rifle-scope-3-9x-40mm-dead-hold-bdc-reticle-matte

Plain n' simple, it works. And works quite well. Installed and took to the range and determined my holds for 25-100 yards. Reckon me and hooligan1 are on the same page; really like these Vortex.
 
Heck yeah WWWJD, I'd take a Vortex anyday over most of the big brands,, they are just alot better, brighter, crisper, repeatable,,, etc.:)
 
Scopes I own

None of the scopes I own are mil dot but, they are all good clear scopes.

Leupold VX I 2-7 on the .22lr
Pentax 3-9 on the .243
Nikon 3-9 on the .270
Minox 3-9 on the .30-06

The Minox is the BEST scope I own and I recommend them very highly. At the NRA convention in St. Louis, I had the chance to look through the highest priced scopes (Zeiss and Swarovski) and then the Minox. IMO the Minox was as good or better than the others for about 1/3 of the price.

IMO, the best place to buy is scope is Camera Land of NY. They have great deals on all the name brands and are excellent people to deal with.
 
Leupold

Another vote for Leupold.
They all look good when you're standing in a sporting goods store. The VX3 will make a difference early and late in the day when you can't see anything in a cheaper scope.
I don't know how good your eyesight is either but the eye relief on a Leupold can make a big difference and is much more forgiving in the distance from your eye to the scope. The longer distance may help you avoid getting cut over the eye when shooting a magnum or shooting while in an odd position.
I also have some friends who speak highly of the Zeiss Conquest but haven't tried one yet. Haven't heard any bad reports on Zeiss.
 
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