The Best Scope

[Glenn Powell]

I have a Leupold VX3 4.5x14x40, good scope, if I were to do it again I would get the 50. The 50 would give brighter image at the higher magnification under low light. Good choice going with the duplex, mine is the boon and Crockett, too busy, but actually works the way it's designed for hold over.

 

[TRECustom]

Apologies. The NF was a 12 x 42 x 56, not an 8 x 42. Aside from the Made in Japan label, I was also surprised that it is a 2nd focal plane reticle.

Tom

 

[TRECustom]

GlenninJuneau, I agree on the 50mm objective, but the 40mm compensates somewhat by being able to get it down closer to the bore line. I had to add a Beartooth comb raiser to the .340 stock so I could get a cheekweld. Might not need it with a 40 mm objective.

Tom

 

[swampshooter]

Leupold vx-3, 3.5-10x40. This is a great scope that will last you the rest of your life.

 

[Glenn Powell]

Hey, true custom, trade ya straight across the 40 for the 50;-) if height is an issue go with the vx3L 50. I picked the4.5x14x 40 because it is the same weight as the 3x9x40. The Bushnell 3200 has pretty good glass and the crosshair is pretty fine. I am just partial to Leupold VX3.

 

[chevytruck_83]

for those features you don't need to spend that much. I have a nice leupold vx-iii 6.5-20x50 with 30mm tube and I will say that your just as weell off with a redfield 4-12. has leupold's lifetime warranty and is clear as any and holds a great zero. at least do yourself the favor and look through one. you will be amazed.

 

[fredhorace77]

I appreciate everyone's input on all of this...i have narrowed my decision down to a couple selections...

HIGER PRICED SCOPES
Leupold VX3 3.5-10x40 with Wide Duplex
Leupold VX3 3.5-10x50 with Wide Duplex..only reason considering 50 is just better light performance but not a deal breaker
Leupold VX3 2.5-8x36 with Wide Duplex

Nikon Monarch 2-8x32 with Nikoplex
Nikon Monarch 2.5-10x42 with Nikoplex

Zeiss Conquest 3-9x50 since it has a wider duplex than the 40mm objective

LOWER PRICED SCOPES
Nikon Prostaff 2-7x32 with Nikoplex

Redfield Revolution 2-7x33
Redfield Revenge 2-7x34

Weaver Classic V 2-10x38
Weaver Classic V 2.5-7x32
Weaver Classic V 3-9x38

the reason it has taken me so long to decied is that i have historically spent alot of money on so many different scopes searching for what i believe to be the best all around scope for what i need it to do...im really trying to do my homework on this next purchase...truthfully out of all the scopes im considering there is still not exactly what i want in a scope..i like so much about all of them...i wish i could just combine the best from all of them to make one ultimate scope

 

[chevytruck_83]

forgot to mention exactly which redfield I have. mine is a revolution 4-12x40. l usethe accu range and love it for 300 and under. of course like you stated. reticle is preference. clarity is why I'm suggesting it. good luck deciding. its part of the fun..

 

[Sully2]

I have been shooting Leupold scopes for 40 years with nary a problem but I am in the process of switching out to Zeiss. The Zeiss 4.5x14 sits on my Varmint Rifles and a few super fast hunting calibers but the 3x9 Zeiss is now on my go to hunting rifles for big game. Anything over 9x really needs an adjustment for parallax in my opinion but I shoot target at 14x and then usually carry my scopes at 6x for hunting. The Zeiss optics are superior in all my scopes to both the VX-3 Leupolds I still have and the Mark 4 that I got rid of in favor of a 6.5x20 Zeiss for my 6x47 Lapua. My 2 cents. Tom

X2!

 

[jo191145]

Have you given any consideration to something along these lines?
Just wondering. Not pushing.
http://swfa.com/Leupold-15-5x20-VX-3-30mm-Riflescope-P45019.aspx

As a non hunting target shooter used to 36X + I decided to build myself a lightweight hunting rifle.
The basic concept was just a light, no frills work gun that could be used for just about anything.
Pestering chipmunks to marauding bear ;D
Fast target aquisition was one of my highest priorities.
I finally settled on that Leupold scope after looking at a lot of red dot sights.
Perhaps there are better choices for fast target aquisition but thats what I went with.
I'll admit I'm not 100% happy with it but it is a Loopy. Can always sell it without much loss.

FWIW I chambered my snap shot do all in 204R, 243W, 7mm-08, 6.5x284 and 308W
Gotta love those erector set Savages.

 

[fredhorace77]

Hmmm jo..ive never really considered one of those but i see where ur going with it...looks interesting...now my decision just grew harder...LOL

 

[jo191145]

Yeah, its like this Fred.
I envisioned in my head using one of the thousand red dot sights available.
This is stuff I have 0 expierience with.
I wanted snap shots like I could do as a kid with iron sights or Dads old 2.5X Weavers Those days are gone for me. ;D
So I went to the local Cabelas and started playing with what they had. Just in my hand of course.
Perhaps not a fair test but I was'nt happy with anything I tried. Small dots that vanished if they got too far away from the eye.
The lit all says that should'nt happen. Even if it did'nt happen I still felt the dot was too small to aquire rapidly.

More research led me to that large circle with a dot in the center.
My theory was this. In a snap shot situation center anything in that larger circle and it should die.
Sort of like using a shotgun.
Got a little extra time and you can use the dot.

There are red dots with the same idea. After looking at 1X red dots I felt the ability to crank up some power behind them was worth the extra money for my eyes.
I'd be interested in what others who have used this type of scope think of it and my theorys.

 

[fredhorace77]

Another shooter on here recommended sightron scopes...anyone know if their hunting scopes are as good as their competion scopes....same glass or different?

 

[SmokinJoe]

I have a couple of the VX-R 3-9X40 scopes on hunting rifles & have found that I really, really like that illuminated red dot in the center. Check one out before you buy.

 

[Minesweeper3433]

I use EoTech and Aimpoint weapon sights extensively both at work and at home. I prefer my aimpoint but only because i have more experience on it. The eotech site is however faster and the dot is half the size of the aimpoint dot so I like using it on rifles were I want both speed but also the ability to hit a 3 inch cube at 100 yards on the last course of the day. The aimpoint dot fogs out on that little cube and I usually end up having to site it in to hit at the top of the dot no just center of dot. As far as dots being to small try looking through some of the smaller models of red dots sites by trijicon. The dot is I believe 8MOA for close up work on smaller firearms. Also works great on pistols which is what I believe they originally made it for. However I had some of the cheaper models on the market and if you use a red dot site on a work gun you will quickly realize that there is an enormous amount of crap flooding the market in reddots. I only by reddot sites direct from dealers that I know and trust and only from aimpoint trijicon eotech and leupold. I will say I am not a fan of the leupold red dot as I hate the smaller window but I do like how it still has a reticule in the off position.

 

[.260 james]

Just my opinion , but I have three 6x weavers on my carrying rifles and I have a 6-24x for the .243 for the prairie dog/ steel /rock shooting season(summertime). I have never had a problem with these scopes ever. They are not the most elaborate or the most popular, but they are good solid scopes that hold zeros very well and in the case of the variable I have run the adjustments frombottom to top many times and it returns precisely. And for all that the are plenty cheap.

 

[NateHaler]

thnx k22 but thats why im staying away from AO...I have found that in my normal hunting situations, having to adjust the objective is more of a hinderance than a help...Its not uncommon for me to get shots on coyotes at 7-10yrds. running and then may have one at 200yrds. I have had several scopes over the years with AO and i love them for shooting paper or working up loads but in a standard hunting situation it doesnt work for me...truthfully probly 95% of my shots on coyotes are around 60-80yrds.

get a 4x whatever brand scope and call it done. "The Best Scope" is a ludicrous quest based on what you've mentioned since your subject line. You don't want to adjust it, you're shooting at point blank range, and you need a simple field of view without reticle distraction. Get a 4x with plex reticle, whether $100 or $800 -- it won't matter.

 

[NateHaler]

Another shooter on here recommended sightron scopes...anyone know if their hunting scopes are as good as their competion scopes....same glass or different?

How about calling Sightron directly and asking them, and then telling the rest of us?

 

[NateHaler]

I just got a 8 x 42 x 56 NF to mount for a friend. First NF I've ever been able to handle, and underneath it says Made in Japan. I was surprised.

They've been around for way more than a decade, and always made in Japan, just like many of some of the world's best optics, e.g. Nikon and Canon and Fujinon.

Weatherby brand rifles were made in Japan for decades. Might still be. I'm amazed at how some consumers don't understand what they're buying, and apparently just proceed based on assumptions rather than facts. ???

 

[stinnett1981]

Leupold! american made, awesome customer service and just simply a great quality product.