3-9x40: Conquest or VX-III ?

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000Buck

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Anyone with any experience here, what would you choose? They are close in price and I am looking for one to put on an AR-10. I will be using this scope at night quite alot with the help of a spotlight. Thanks for any advice.
 
I own both and like them each. I can't not really say one is noticeably better than the other. Honestly, they are so close it comes down to which one you think "looks" better on your rifle. You will be pleased with either choice.
 
Are they both supposedly equally durable? I had a cheapo $99 Bushnell Trophy fall over on my 22 last week and the crosshairs shifted a foot at 100 yards. Which scope would most likely not do that when dropped, or is it a crap shoot? Thanks for the replies.
 
I've never heard of either brand falling appart, I'm quite partial to Zeiss, Nikon or Swarovski. Nikon makes the best bang for your buck in my opinion. Leupold seems to be going the way of thriving off its name.
 
I've been researching scopes alot lately (again) and from what i understand,Zeiss scopes are fantastic,among the best handfull of manufacturers on the planet. But then again,no one's ever accused Leupold of making junk,either, and their customer service is universally revered as being as good as it gets. Plus, they're made in the US.Your call.
Check out SWFA and Opticsplanet for the best deals i've been able to find on optics.
 
i have several examples of each. zeiss makes a better hunting x-hair (z-plex) leupold makes an overall package i prefer. no wrong choice here.

as for durability, if a scope can be broke, i've busted it (the list of scopes i've broken in the last year: sightron x 2 - no more sightrons for me - cabela's, pentax, bushnell, nikon). i'm pretty hard on stuff, but i take my hunting far more seriously than many. i've never broken a leupold, and have only had one zeiss get sideways w/ me. i think durability is a non-issue in this discussion.

fwiw, the conquest line is made in the u.s.a.
 
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000Buck,

I use scopes on bolt action and lever action rifles in the daylight. I have a half century of experiance with them. My early scopes were Lymans and when the variables came out I got Leupolds. I tried some of the cheaper scopes and I favor the better ones.

After getting 10 Leupolds the Zeiss came out with the Conquest line and I got a 3-9 and then another one. Right off I noticed the much sharper contrast of the Zeiss reticule as compared to the Leupold design. When a Leu. scope looks towards the light the crosshairs fade to brown/pink and the Zeiss does not. It stays sharp and black.

This same fault is true of other brands of scopes that use the same focal plane as Leu. does and have a 'perma-center' reticule.

When looking towads the light the Zeiss also has much less haze than a Leu.

Now I have 7 Zeiss scopes and I have not bought any Leu's since I saw that first Conquest.

The best Conquest prices that I know of are at Cameraland.
 
If you're hunting at night a lot, why not get an illuminated reticle? Makes a huge difference, even with a spotlight. We can hunt a lot at night in Texas. And I'd have to second Cameraland, I can't imagine ever spending more at SWFA. They seem to be the highest of all the internet stores, I guess because they have the most visiblilty on forums.
 
Personally, if I had to chose between these two, I'd pick the American made Leupold over the American made Zeiss...

Then again, I'd buy a Nikon Monarch series scope before I'd buy either of the others...

Or, perhaps, even a Nikon Buckmasters...

That would leave me enough money left over to buy a couple of boxes of ammo at today's costs...:)

Forrest
 
000Buck, that illuminated reticle sounds pretty interesting. I've got a good friend with some land out in Santa Cardines. The darker colored hogs could be seen pretty good through one of those scopes I bet. I'm split 50/50 on the scope brands.
 
Not sure

I am not aware of the intricacies of night time spotlight hunting (coyotes I assume?).

The firefly reticle on Bushnell Elite series scopes is actually a pretty cool/simple implementation of the illuminated reticle. No electronics, very little extra cost.

EDIT: I think Zeiss makes a better scope, but Leuopold's have never failed me. After my last go round with Weaver/Meade, I am probably sticking with Leupold from now on. Zeiss is not known for their customer service.
 
"Leupold seems to be going the way of thriving off its name."
A name it has made for its self by building scopes for 100 years.
So what do you mean by that? You mean by out doing themselves every year for the last few years... rolling out better and better products like the VX-7 series and the Euro series?
Ziess is great, but there is no obvious winner or loser between these two.
Another option: The Vortex Viper 4-12X40 for $429.99.
 
I was comparing the same when I was going to get my 6.5-20x50 scope and after comparison, the obvious choice was Zeiss Conquest and that's what I got and couldn't be happier.
 
Based on the rave reviews the Conquest gets on the internet forums, I decided to try a 3-9x40 on my Remington 700. With Leupold low rings, the bolt handle rubbed against the eyepiece of the Zeiss. Rather than go with higher rings, I tried a VX-lll 3.5-10x40 and it fit perfectly. I decided the benefits of the lower mount would outweigh any small optical differences. Just something to think about if you find the same issue with your rifle. Leupold's reputation for durability and customer service didn't hurt, either.
 
They're both great scopes. I personally prefer the Leupy VXIII. People are quick to point out the VX III is not on top of the hill in the optical clearity department. But I think the optics of the VX III are good. Good enough that you'll never miss something you'd see with another scope IMO. And when you look at all the other ways you can measure scopes, Leupy rules the roost. Compare other things like; weight, reticle choices, dependability, tracking precision, customer service, metal turret caps, overall fit and finish, compactness, etc.etc. When you look at the whole picture the Leupold VX III is still the scope by which most others are judged IMO.

And I actually prefer the traditional focus of the Leupold vs the quick focus ring on the European style scopes. The quick focus is easily turned while turning the magnification on some scopes. Plus you cannot run flip-up scope caps with the quick focus style. I also like the compactness of the leupold eyepiece when operating a bolt action with gloves on.
 
I was chatting with the "old guy" behind the counter at the local Bass Pro Shop. He strongly recommends the Zeiss over the Leupold. His reasoning was that they get twice as many returns on the Leupold.

I asked why the Leupold's were being returned and he got a bit wishy-washy.... but he stood behind his comment.
 
"His reasoning was that they get twice as many returns on the Leupold."
That's funny. We don't get any returns on either. What we do get returns on:
Bushnell
Swarovski (especially when they have been mounted on calibers such as the .300 Ultra or .30-378.)
Pentax
Millett
 
I've heard stories of European scopes being swept off the floors at Leupold in the recoil testing area. Leupold's being lighter than most other scopes helps reduce the inertia effect of recoil.
 
I actually use Leupold, Zeiss and other scopes. I have had no problem with any of them. The Zeiss is a better design and the resolution and reticule will prove that to you.

All the rest is internet chat talk. Leupold supporters seem to do that on many forums.
 
Savage 99

I agree with you the Zeiss is superior optically and the laser etched reticle is more crisp. I own both and slightly favor the Leupy for the reasons I mentioned previously. I'm not sure if there is a "Leupold crowd" but I generally feel there is an anti-Leupold crowd as it seems to be considered by many to prove their worth about how much optical knowledge they posess. I'm not aiming that at you I'm just saying I've been on several forums where it has become fashionable to bash a good American company. It goes on for pages sometimes.
 
I have a VX-2 3x9-40 on both my ar and rem 700, bought both off a auction forum for less then $200 each. Its my first experience with better qaulity glass and am very satisfied.
 
I broke out my FX-III and Conquest 3-9x40 yesterday. The FX (same glass as the VX-III series) seemed slightly less sharp than the Conquest. That pains me a little, since I have SIX FX-III or VX-III in my safe on various rifles, including my favorites. The Conquest is on my favorite 6.5x55 M70 SS FWT.

But I feel that this is a distinction without a difference...what I like about the Leupolds, is that they are USA made and have a full lifetime warranty. And I'm not crazy about the Conquest eyepiece or focusing ring.

They're both FINE scopes, each with their own strengths. Either would be a great decision.
 
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