What scope would you put on a hunting Howa 1500 in .308 in the following budget ranges?

F

FindANewSlant

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1) Under $200

2) $200-$300

4) $300-$400

5) $400-$500

Right now I'm looking at a Nikon P-308 4-12x40, a Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40, and a Leupold VX-1 3-9x40.
 
I put the Redfield 3x9-40 on one 2 months ago.

I can see the holes at 200 yds. Haven't tried it further than that.

I think that is prolly the limit for seeing holes in paper for me.
 
Fer wut?

What is the purpose of your rifle?

Hunting? What kind of area/setting and ranges?

Target? Ranges?

I like Nikons a lot, and Leupold for some of your higher price ranges.

I would PERSONALLY, based on MY experience, avoid Vortex.
 
If the rifle shoots well then good optics can make it better but if it doesnt they're not going to help.

3x9 is old school. The leupold VX3i 4.5x14 -40mm with the Boone and Crocket reticle is an excellent choice. It has a 1" tube and you should be able to get it mounted at 1.5" above center of bore. I have one on my Weatgerby Mark V .257 WM. Acquisition is fast and field of view is excellent. It is also parallax free so no need to focus when changing magnification.
 
At $200 maybe a bit less, Burris FF-II 3-9X40. It is significantly better than the other options you are looking at. I see these come up priced closer to $150 at times.

https://swfa.com/burris-3-9x40-fullfield-ii-rifle-scope-6.html

Honestly I don't see anything in the $200-$400 range that is any better than the Burris. If I wanted anything better I'd skip straight to the $500 class.

At $500 the Meopta Meapro 3-9X40. This is the same scope as the now discontinued Zeiss Conquest. Zeiss just bought them from Meopta and rebadged them. They have been sold under other names including a version sold at Cabelas. This is far and away my favorite scope. When Cabelas discontinued them a few years ago they dropped to $250 and I bought 2. It blows the VX-3 out of the water

https://swfa.com/meopta-3-9x40-meopro-rifle-scope-5.html

The VX-1 and VX-2 have been discontinued and replaced by the VX-Freedom. I have no personal experience with the new scope, but the old VX-2 was close to the Burris FF-II in all regards, but cost $150 more.

The Redfield scopes are essentially re-badged Leupold VX-1's. They are a decent scope, but for about the same money the Burris is better.
 
I like my 3x9 Nikon Prostaff on my Savage 11 in .308. I have a wood stocked Weatherby and not a Howa and that wears an old Bushnell Trophy 4x12. If weight is a concern go light and keep a 2x7 or 3x9. If it's going to be a range toy or stand hunting rifle what will some weight and extra magnification hurt
 
I would go with the Redfield 2-7x or similar power from another maker that might have one. I have a prejudice from many years ago for Redfield and have two of the 2-7x new ones. My 308 has a 1-4x Denver Redfield on it and my 30-06 a 2 3/4x Denver Redfield on it. They are hunting rifles. I have two or three of the Nikon scopes and like them but not the BDC reticule. My 22 mag has a 4x Elpaso Weaver, really nice scope!

In the end I think anything up to a 3x9x you can afford will do fine. I'm old school. BTW, I wonder if anyone really has enough experience with what is out there to really seperate the different brands?
 
Tallest said:
What is the purpose of your rifle?

Hunting? What kind of area/setting and ranges?

Target? Ranges?

I like Nikons a lot, and Leupold for some of your higher price ranges.

I would PERSONALLY, based on MY experience, avoid Vortex.
Click to expand...
Hunting in Texas hill country usually within 150 yards but occasionally out to 400.
 
That Prostaff 3-9x50 looks like a mighty fine second choice to that Leupold. We'll see where my bank account stands at the start of the season.
 
I'm going to take a totally opposite stance from NHShooter. I don't wan't a 50mm objective on ANY hunting rifle. Now granted, I might change that thought if I ever wanted to smoke prairie dogs at 600 yds but for normal hunting I want a scope that balances with the rifle. Since I will never be toting a 10lb rifle into the woods, I don't want a 50mm scope.

That Howa 1500 is a relatively lightweight rifle (assuming standard sporting barrel profile and standard factory stock). Any scope that is big, bulky, and heavy is something that I would not want on it.
 
50mm is less about distance and more about available light. :)

Since I've always done well with the old Leupold Vari-X II scopes, 3-9x40, and bought one used for $150, you can guess what I'd be likely to do, regardless of budget. :D
 
Variable of 6X to 8X on the top end. That's more than enough magnification for hunting medium or large game. It also means the objective needs to be no larger than 40mm. So the scope can sit fairly low. Brands I would consider include Burris, Leupold, Nikon, Redfield, Vortex, and Weaver.
 
Doyle said:
I'm going to take a totally opposite stance from NHShooter. I don't wan't a 50mm objective on ANY hunting rifle. Now granted, I might change that thought if I ever wanted to smoke prairie dogs at 600 yds but for normal hunting I want a scope that balances with the rifle. Since I will never be toting a 10lb rifle into the woods, I don't want a 50mm scope.

That Howa 1500 is a relatively lightweight rifle (assuming standard sporting barrel profile and standard factory stock). Any scope that is big, bulky, and heavy is something that I would not want on it.
Click to expand...
It's pretty heavy. Solid wood furniture with a liquid mercury recoil suppressor in the stock. Built late 90s/early 2000s.
 
I can only comment on the "under $200" cause I don't use scopes costing more.
Vortex, Nikon, Sightron, Burris--all have scopes in that price range if you're a careful shopper.
A 3-9x40 is a good compromise between size and capability.
 
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