What's an excellent varmint scope?

H

Hot Shot

New member
The expertise on the forum was a big help to me last year in figuring out how to best rid my pond of muskrats with my new Ruger 223. I was successful in using a Leupold VX 4 3-9 Var power scope on the 223.

I love the scope but my eyes aren't what they used to be and I am thinking about buying a more powerful magnification scope. The question I have for anyone interested in helping me out is what scope and what magnification , recticle etc.

My target is moving, a swimming muskrat. I need to make head shots that are around 2"x4" at distances from 130 - 190 yds. I am shooting from an elevated deck about 20 ft high so I have a good sight picture.

Also based on many concerns from last year the shooting is safe because of the background of the pond and the varmint loads I use.

What would be the right quality scope for my need?
 
Your 3-9 sounds good to go..

For me, higher magnification is distracting and hard to get on target.

But that's me, 4power is the highest that I go.

It really depends on your budget.

3-9x40 has been my workhorse scope
 
I would like to spend around $600 but I don't want to sacrifice quality. As I said I love my Leopold which I think runs close to a $1000 .

Regarding the magnification point, there is no way I will hit the target described above with a 4x scope. It is a challenging shot for me with a 9x.
 
Weaver was good in the day not sure about now

I have a 2-10 weaver found on eBay, newer type... Seems real good, clear glass but haven't tried it on a weapon
 
The Vortex recommendation is one that I have heard good things about but have no experience with them vs Leopold which I know is quality.

I do not want to sacrifice quality for price.

The Leopold suggestion at $800 I know is quality and would be more inclined to go in that direction unless the Weaver at $400 has comparable quality
 
The Weaver SS series is every bit as good as the Leupold VX3. Plus you get turrets that are easy to set to zero, can be dialed if you want but lock down. Weaver's reticles in them are glass etched. You can get the EBX which is pretty fine and gives you that BDC feel for holdovers as well. Think of it as a hybrid tactical/hunting scope.

I have a 2X10X50 with the EBX on my Savage 10 Predator Hunter, darn good scope for the coin I laid out for it. I own a couple Leupold VX3's and cannot tell the difference in them optically. Truth be told, I like the Weaver much better. I had another one on a 7mm08 700 that I put together, shot it a lot, killed a lot of deer late in the evenings with it too. I'd of been out of the stand with my Leupolds when I shot.

I've owned another Weaver Tactical 3X15X50 with the Illuminated EMDR. The glass was great, the scope was well made but, I didn't like the fact the entire reticle illuminated, too much when darkness was falling.
 
I don't hunt, but that sounds like fun. The higher power scopes will have a more narrow field of view. No free lunch. My targets don't move. The higher power scopes allowed me to see that I was not holding steady enough. I looked at an SWFA 3x15 that was very nice at $699.00. I would have purchased one, but the demo was not for sale, and the eta would have been about 6 weeks. I purchased their 16x, I love it.
 
You don't need a top of the line scope to handle your task

Any name brand mid priced variable will do the job

What I would concentrate more on is finding an accurate load with the lightest, fastest bullet and zero it for 150 yds

Then aim just ahead of them and pull the trigger when their nose touches the crosshairs
 
The Nikon M-223 model is a nice scope. It has a wide zoom range of 4-16 and has very clear glass in it. I have one on my Rock River and like it. It is also within your price range with a little extra for the rings and mount.

Nikon M-223

Jim
 
i,m waiting for some one to tell me another scope maker who will fix, up grade or replace their scope after its 20years old and owned by 4-5 different people. i know for a fact leupold has and will. i sent in a older 4.5x14 52 LPS to be checked for gas leak and erectors that i bought third handed and they said they no longer serviced that model, but gave me a choice between three other scopes and i choose a new 4.5x14 CDS 30mm tube with side focus and it was sent with in 3 week at no charge including postage. they also replaced a 4x eer pistol scope a friend had on all the big boomer contender calibers over the years, 30 herret, 45-70 and 375 JDJ. the 375 JDJ did it in. they replaced it with a new 4x eer scope at no charge. thats why i use leupold scopes. cry when you buy, laugh when it lasts. eastbank.
 
i,m waiting for some one to tell me another scope maker who will fix, up grade or replace their scope after its 20years old and owned by 4-5 different people.
Click to expand...

Nikon, Bushnell Elites, Ziess, Swarovski, Burris, Weaver SS series, etc are all covered by lifetime warranties.

Or maybe Leupolds are more expensive than they are really worth due to paying for all those replacements. J/K, they make a quality scope but they are too expensive when others offer the same performance for less. I own quite a few Leupolds because for a while that's the only name I knew. Where I hunt and the way I hunt, they just aren't that good.
 
I hunt varmints with several rifles and scopes. On the 260 is a vortex viper PST 4-16 FFP, with a 30 mm tube. On the 223 is a Leupold VX2 6-18. On the 220 is a Leupold VariX III 6.5-20x50, with a 30 mm tube. I just had the TMR reticle put in the VariX III, and really like it.

The brightest is the older VariX III, but not by a big margin. It also has the best glass. The Vortex is very good, and its glass is good if not great. Certainly it's good enough and all I use for deer hunting. And the VX2 is a darn good scope too. And I have a couple of Burris FFII 4.5-14 scopes that have impressed me.

Bottom line, in my opinion, is that most major scope makers sell very good gear, and you can't really go wrong. Just get the features you need. If you want turrets, I do think that the Vortex Viper PST is the best scope for under $1000. If you don't need turrets, I'm a big fan of the Leupold VX3 4.5-14 with the Varmint Hunter reticle.

The one scope I have that I'd upgrade is the Leupold VX2 6-18. I'd probably go with another Leupold 6.5-20 or I might get the Vortex Viper 6-24 PST FFP with the MRAD reticle. If shooting to 400 yards, I don't need turrets. Beyond that, the turrets are good to have. But that's just my thinking on it.
 
i have owned hunderd,s of scopes over the last 50 years made by many makers, so please give me personal examples of any of the makers you posted, upgrading,repairing or replacing free of charge in a very short time(under 3 weeks for me) to any one who has it(not the original buyer) no matter how old or how the damage was done? the same leupold customer sevice goes to all leupold scopes from the bottom of the line to the top of the line. i,ll be looking to see your posts about the scopes you posted were serviced and when they were returned for service and the so called free service and the time before they were returned or replaced. eastbank.
 
Nikon sent me 2 in one season, about 2-3 weeks apart from receiving the broken one. Leupold took 12 weeks to repair my VX-III and 16 to send me a new VX-II. My Ziess has never had to be serviced or warrantied, neither have any of my Weavers and that includes a 50yo K4. My Trijicon will have to be relamped eventually but that is the nature of the tritium. I've beaten the crap out of a Bushnell 4200 and not one thing has been needed. I have a Bausch and Lomb that must be 25yrs old, it's clear and holds zero, sucks in fading light though. I have a few Burris makes, can't give them away hardly.

Happy you've had such excellent service out of Leupold, they make a good product, just overpriced. They also happen to suck in low light conditions, or at least the models I have do and my buddy's VXR isn't even in the same class as my Trijicon. There's other glass out there that is much better for the same money and glass that is equal for much less.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top