Scope Recommendations

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spazzy

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Hey everyone, my pops bought two rifles in the mid 90s, both Ruger M77 Mark IIs. One is his in .243 win and he uses it for coyotes and deer. The other is a .30-06 and its brand new, never been fired or even had a scope mounted. He bought it with the intentions of going elk hunting out west (We live in Wisconsin). When ever we go shooting/hunting and while we are cleaning the other guns he always looks at/handles the .30-06 and says it would be fun to shoot. I will be graduating from college soon, I am going to ask him for it as a graduation gift or even to be able to mount a scope on it so we could shoot it together. Also it would be my primary deer rifle (im hoping now after my undergraduate work is done I have more time to hunt).

Anyway recommend me some scopes. Anything decent in the 300-400 dollar range? My rifle-craft isnt great, but if i get more time so I can practice, I would like the scope to have the ability to shoot out to 600 yards.
 
Nikon Buckmaster or Monarch, Bushnell elite are good places to start...
swfa.com is a great resource and has some great deals...
 
Yup, those will do. Redfield, Burris and some others will too.

I been eye balling some Swift Premiers with included lens shades, that's for different reasons (target/varmint) :)
 
Congratulations. The Zeiss Conquest is probably the best scope for the money in your price range, but you are limited to a duplex reticle and 3-9x40mm to stay within budget (neither should be a problem, though a ballistic reticle would be handy if you are honestly considering taking a 600yd. shot). If you want a ballistic reticle, and are willing to spend a scant bit more Minox makes one (the ZA-3 3-9x40mm) that is just about as nice as the Zeiss (they both use the same SHOTT AG glass, though I believe they use different coatings) and won't charge you a fortune for it (extra $20-30.00). Others that are worth considering include the Vortex Viper 4-12x40mm (almost as good and comes with a greater magnification range), one of several Sightron S-IIs (not quite as nice, but an outstanding value, and available with greater magnification and choice of reticle if desired), or a Nikon Monarch 2.5-10x42mm (great scope, but has a mighty large ocular bell which I don't care for).

:)
 
I have a Nikon 4.5x14 AO Buckmaster and just bought a Sightron S-II 3x9x42. Both are in that price range. The S-II is a great scope and I like it more. If you're REALLY going to be shooting 600 yds, then the Nikon gets the nod.
 
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You can pick up a BSA DeerHunter at walmart for $30 and have enough left for another rifle! :banghead:

I've got a 1903 that I inherited from my grandpa that used to have an old weaver K4 on it. I think one of my cousins decided that any new scope would be better than 'that old thing' and replaced it with the aforementioned BSA.

I got a really good deal on a Bushnell elite 3200 that is great. My budget was a little lower than yours, but this one fit the bill quite nicely. Get the best glass you can afford.

Matt
 
No, you don't have to spend $400-$500 to get a great scope. The Burris, Redfield and Nikons are all right at or slightly less than $200 and I could be happy with any of them. For $269 you can get a Leupold VX-2 now. Leupold is coming out with an improved version soon and they are discounting the current models. The Zeiss and some Leupold VX-3's are right at $400. Any would do you good, but anything that has a MSRP of less than $150 is wasted money. They may work for now, maybe not, but in the long term they will crap out on you. Just a matter of when, not if.

I've got Zeiss, including a $1,000 Divari, but have been really impressed with the $200 Burris. I really like the long range ballistic reticle. Other scopes have something similar, but they are either MUCH more expensive, or with a system I don't care for. The $160 Redfield is impressive as well. It hasn't been around long enough to say how well they'll hold up, but things look promising for now.
 
I'm a big fan of Leupold scopes so I'd lean in that direction. Also, I'm a big fan of fixed power scopes. Personally I'd go with a Leupold fixed 4X. I've shot at 400 yards (paper/steel only; my ethical hunting max is 200 yards) with a fixed 2.5X and felt it was enough scope. 4X should be fine out at 600 yards for the occasional use.
 
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Not to be a jerk, but you have no business taking a shot past 200 yards, much less the 600 yards you mention. You just told us that you are not a good rifleman yet.

I'm a Leupold man, but I have a Bushnell Elite that gives you a lot of scope for your money.
 
You certainly can't go wrong with a Leupold.
Sure you can...all you have to do is buy a Rifleman or VX-I for a centerfire rifle. VX-II and above are fine optics (though not a great value IMO), but anything less is an abortion.

:)
 
Maverick223 said:
A_Matthew said:
You certainly can't go wrong with a Leupold.
Sure you can...all you have to do is buy a Rifleman or VX-I for a centerfire rifle. VX-II and above are fine optics (though not a great value IMO), but anything less is an abortion.

I use a VX-1 on my 30-06. It's held up great. I highly recommend it. But I will agree with you on the Rifleman... :)
 
A_Matthew said:
I use a VX-1 on my 30-06. It's held up great. I highly recommend it. But I will agree with you on the Rifleman...
I won't say that every one will fall apart on you, but I think you got lucky, I have seen plenty that couldn't take the abuse of a centerfire (or in the case of the Rifleman...a rimfire :uhoh:). The good news is that Leupold will take care of you no matter the model, but personally I prefer something that I don't have to worry about at all (it doesn't do me any good if I have to send it back and wait for a repair/replacement). Not trying to talk you into purchasing a replacement, you already own it, might as well hold onto it till it breaks (if it ever does).

:)
 
Thanks for the heads up! I've never heard of any Leupold breaking, but I just learned something new. I'll be a little bit more careful with mine now... :)
 
Your scope dollar goes farthest with a fixed power scope from a top quality manufacturer. I have Leupold M8's, which is sorta last century, but I have had no problems at all, thus no reason to change.
 
I've had 2 VX-I's that have failed, and one of them failed twice. Another friend bought one for a .17HMR, and is failed right out of the box. I'm not at all a fan of the lower end Leupolds. The other two VX-I's I've had, I've got good deals on and changed my mind before using them and ended up selling them off.

That said, I've had many of the scopes in this price range and imo the Zeiss Conquest is about the best you can get if not the best for $400. If you want to stay in the $150-200 range, the Burris FFII is very very close to the Conquest, at quite a bit cheaper. Now, these are scopes in the 3-9x40 power range. In this price range these are the only two I'd consider. I've had many other scopes in this price range including Leupold VX-I's, a Leupold VX-II, an older model Nikon Prostaff that just got put cleared out last year, 2 Nikon Monarchs, Burris Elite 3200's both tactical and non tactical, SWFA SS 3-9x42, and several others. By far the Burris has the best glass out of all of those which is why I think it's such a great deal. It also has been durable and a solid scope. The only one I've seen that has better glass to my eyes is the Conquest, and like I said they are fairly close. The difference is very small, and hardly noticeable.

Another option which I'd probably go with over the Conquest is the Burris FFII in 4.5-14x42 for around $300. I personally am a fan of more magnification than a 3-9 offers, and I love the 4.5-14 power range. I think I'd rather have this and $100 than a 3-9 Conquest since the glass is so close. If you want long range shooting, and decide you don't like the ballistic plex reticle, which I don't, you can have Burris install their tactical turrets on the scope for $80.

I've also had several sub $100 scopes that I've tested, but since this thread doesn't pertain to ones in that price range, I won't comment on them other than to say that most of them have had better glass than the lower end Leupolds, which has added insult to injury with them.

While I've never owned a Vortex, I've looked through a few and I'd have no problems going with a Diamondback or a Viper. However, I'd probably avoid the Chinese made Crossfire.
 
burris, sightron, leupold, nikon, vortex, bushnell, weaver, zeiss, the list goes on. for $300-$400 you're going to get nice glass any way you slice it. some maybe be a little better values than others, or have a feature or a little more magnification, better eye box, etc than the others, but you're going to get good glass whatever you buy.

Now, if you had them all lined up at the range, you could probably pick one that fit you the best, but by buying online or even in a store, you're just going to be making a an educated guess as to what will be best for you.

Sometimes you can catch a bushnell elite on a big sale, or find a refurbished nikon, or a closeout model (I love you half price vortex) but basically you get what you pay for. Is a zeiss conquest a far better scope than a tasco world class? absolutely. is it 10x as good, well, probably not. In my opinion, there is a sweet spot around $250 bucks for optics, and after that you start to get into diminishing returns.

if you want a burris, http://www.natchezss.com/product.cf...tic Plex Reticle Matte w/FREE 10x32 Binocular $220 -$20 rebate -selling the binoculars to me for $50 gets you a fullfield 2 for around $150. :)
 
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