OT: Rifle Scopes

[PooPopsBaldHead]

Looking for a scope for a new rifle. Want to keep it mid tier. Leupold is not an option. Bad experience.

Up to 25/30x power would be ideal. 34mm tube is great. Illuminated reticle is on the wish list but not mandatory. Want to shoot out to 7-800 yards at a range and hunt up to 5-600.

Nightforce, Steiner, Zeiss are too high.. Thinking more like higher end Vortex, Maven, higher end Burris, etc are where I am looking. Any other brands, recs, or dubmass takes are appreciated.

 

[3000lbchicken]

shame nikon stopped making scopes.

eta.. Folks in my camp switched to vortex

 

[85Bears]

Nikon is what I always went with.

 

[aTotal360]

Vortex. End of discussion.

 

[The Cooterpoot]

As far as cheaper scopes, I've actually had good luck with a Swift Premier I bought a couple years back. I just grabbed one I caught on sale thinking nothing about and it's been solid. And has a lifetime warranty.

 

[macpappy]

Meopta is my favorite but that’s probably on the upper end of what your looking for.

 

[ronpolk]

Looking for a scope for a new rifle. Want to keep it mid tier. Leupold is not an option. Bad experience.

Up to 25/30x power would be ideal. 34mm tube is great. Illuminated reticle is on the wish list but not mandatory. Want to shoot out to 7-800 yards at a range and hunt up to 5-600.

Nightforce, Steiner, Zeiss are too high.. Thinking more like higher end Vortex, Maven, higher end Burris, etc are where I am looking. Any other brands, recs, or dubmass takes are appreciated.

I have a vortex (not a high end model - more low to mid range) on 3 of my rifles. Like all of them a lot. They are all very clear, hold zero well. I also have an older Nikon on my 35 whelen and it’s great too but I think Nikon is out of the scope business.

If I were in the market for a scope now, even a higher end, I’d definitely look at vortex first.

 

[ZombieKissinger]

Let me direct you to a few options on the Academy app

 

[MaxwellSmart]

Vortex Viper PST gen 2 5x25 is pretty much the best you're going to get for the money. The Strike Eagle is a good reliable scope but the glass isn't a good. Same with Arken. I took my Viper PST off my main hunting rifle last year and replaced it with a Nightforce NX8 4x32. I put the Viper on a .22 for long range plinking. It tracks perfectly, something non of my Leupolds ever did.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

Vortex, best I believe for the $.
I've got a couple of VIPERS.

 

[BIGDAWG44]

I was a Nikon man. Went with sig sauer. Their glass is amazing. I’m a sig sauer only guy now

 

[Coast_Dawg]

Looking for a scope for a new rifle. Want to keep it mid tier. Leupold is not an option. Bad experience.

Up to 25/30x power would be ideal. 34mm tube is great. Illuminated reticle is on the wish list but not mandatory. Want to shoot out to 7-800 yards at a range and hunt up to 5-600.

Nightforce, Steiner, Zeiss are too high.. Thinking more like higher end Vortex, Maven, higher end Burris, etc are where I am looking. Any other brands, recs, or dubmass takes are appreciated.

Not sure your price range but there is Tract Optics, Maven as you mentioned but depending on which Maven, Nightforce has some in that range. I would guess you plan to dial this scope and unless you go upper end Vortex, you would likely not care for the spongy turrets. True budget options that are recommended all the time for their value at their price point are Athlon and Arken. Trijicon might have something that falls in the range you’re looking for. Bushnell is another to look at.

If the budget is tight, don’t look at Tangent Theta or Zero Compromise. They’re easy on the eyes but hard on the wallet. Schmidt and Bender also…

If you have military, law enforcement or first responder credentials, you might have access to discounts that could possibly put something above your “price point” within reach.

 

[Dawgbite]

1. German glass
2. Japanese glass
3. American glass
4. China, Vietnam, other glass
I had an old guy give me some good advice a long time ago, for every dollar you spend on a gun, spend the equivalent on glass. It’s hard to do but it’s been good advice.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

Let me direct you to a few options on the Academy app

They show scopes.

 

[M R DAWGS]

Looking for a scope for a new rifle. Want to keep it mid tier. Leupold is not an option. Bad experience.

Up to 25/30x power would be ideal. 34mm tube is great. Illuminated reticle is on the wish list but not mandatory. Want to shoot out to 7-800 yards at a range and hunt up to 5-600.

Nightforce, Steiner, Zeiss are too high.. Thinking more like higher end Vortex, Maven, higher end Burris, etc are where I am looking. Any other brands, recs, or dubmass takes are appreciated.

I’m a Leupold fan and have never had any problems with the double digit number of the ones that I own. That being said, I’ve had good luck with a few Vortex scopes that I’ve bought, and think they are of very good quality.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

I had an old guy give me some good advice a long time ago, for every dollar you spend on a gun, spend the equivalent on glass. It’s hard to do but it’s been good advice.

I read this a lot, but it really depends on where you hunt. Most hunters throughout the SE are taking well less than 200 yards shoots (i realize there are some pipelines and bean fields where long shots are taken). Is it really worth spending $1000 or more on a scope? Maybe out west taking extreme shots, but you know your most common shot. I'd rather spend less than $500 on a scope and have $500 left over for another handgun. I hunt with an Remington Model 742 30.06 that's probably older than me. I have a $30 Bushnell Walmart scope in it that i bought in the early 90s. It still drives tacks today out to 150 yards, which is about my longest shot.

 

[Coast_Dawg]

I read this a lot, but it really depends on where you hunt. Most hunters throughout the SE are taking well less than 200 yards shoots (i realize there are some pipelines and bean fields where long shots are taken). Is it really worth spending $1000 or more on a scope? Maybe out west taking extreme shots, but you know your most common shot. I'd rather spend less than $500 on a scope and have $500 left over for another handgun. I hunt with an Remington Model 742 30.06 that's probably older than me. I have a $30 Bushnell Walmart scope in it that i bought in the early 90s. It still drives tacks today out to 150 yards, which is about my longest shot.

Different people chase different things with scopes. Clarity, low light use, reliable dialing, zero retention to name a few of the most common that I see. Pretty much everybody’s eyes see things differently. I speak only from my experience but higher end optics are easier on my eyes when spending any prolonged amount of time shooting. Until I upgraded, I had no idea other than what I had read on forums and the things I had been told by my gunsmith. I don’t expect to go back to lower end optics for any future purchases though.

 

[Dawgbite]

I read this a lot, but it really depends on where you hunt. Most hunters throughout the SE are taking well less than 200 yards shoots (i realize there are some pipelines and bean fields where long shots are taken). Is it really worth spending $1000 or more on a scope? Maybe out west taking extreme shots, but you know your most common shot. I'd rather spend less than $500 on a scope and have $500 left over for another handgun. I hunt with an Remington Model 742 30.06 that's probably older than me. I have a $30 Bushnell Walmart scope in it that i bought in the early 90s. It still drives tacks today out to 150 yards, which is about my longest shot.

The thing is that a $1000 scope isn’t 10x better than a $100 scope. It’s probably not twice as good. What money buys is quality glass and what that gives you is clarity and light transmission. This gives you extended shooting time in low light. Where the difference really shines is low light conditions and old eyes.

 

[Leachbeach]

Hawke

 

[cowbell88]

You mentioned Burris and didn’t see where anyone else commented. I have a couple of Burris scopes. The last one came on a Tikka I bought. It’s a Fullfield IV 3-12x56 with ill crosshair and those MOA dots on the vertical. Don’t really care for those dots, but the red crosshair is sweet. Clarity is good for me. Other than weight, I have no complaints. I haven’t priced one, but guessing they are in the $600 range.

 

[OopsICroomedmypants]

Primary arms scope

Primary Arms PLx 6-30x56 FFP Rifle Scope - Illuminated ACSS Athena BPR MIL Reticle​

$1500 Japanese glass FFP

 

[40mikemike]

Whatever your complaint is with Leupold, give them another shot. Nothing in their price range beats the VX3 and VX5 series of scopes for brightness, clarity, reliability and weight. I’ve owned or currently own Leupold, Nightforce, Zeiss, Swarovski, Burris, Bushnell, Vortex, Nikon, and I’m sure there are some I’m forgetting. Leupold is the winner of the bunch.

 

[grinningmule]

Decide on the max price you want to pay and go from there. You can drive yourself nuts researching optics. Narrow down by price and then pick 3-5 and read tons of reviews on them.

 

[skipperDawg]

Sorry to jump in ..but just a suggestion and come hunt where the only scope is your mask..
Sorry again.carry on

 

[ETK99]

Leopold the best money can buy when they're good.....but man, I've had some Leopold duds too. They're not constructed like they used to be. At dark, they're just hard to beat.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

The thing is that a $1000 scope isn’t 10x better than a $100 scope. It’s probably not twice as good. What money buys is quality glass and what that gives you is clarity and light transmission. This gives you extended shooting time in low light. Where the difference really shines is low light conditions and old eyes.

Unfortunately a GW lives near my hunting camp, I can't take those "questionable" after legal shooting hours shots .

One tip for low light conditions, the camera on an iPhone 15 literally turns night into day. If you're watching a food plot say 150 yards away with a few deer grazing but you can't tell their size, take a pic, you'll be surprised how much light is captured.

 

[Anon1684630174]

From reading different shooting forums, Vortex seems to be the choice for mid tier scopes these days.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

I was a Nikon man. Went with sig sauer. Their glass is amazing. I’m a sig sauer only guy now

I haven't actually looked at the Sig Sauer lines. Real interesting tech on the BDX line with the range finder talking to the scope. Not sure it's the direction I want to go.... trying to keep my phone charged on a multi day hunt wouldn't be fun, but it would be cool on the range.

 

[aTotal360]

1. German glass
2. Japanese glass
3. American glass
4. China, Vietnam, other glass
I had an old guy give me some good advice a long time ago, for every dollar you spend on a gun, spend the equivalent on glass. It’s hard to do but it’s been good advice.

Not true any more. Most glass is made in Asia and then assembled in the country of the brand's origin.

 

[BIGDAWG44]

I haven't actually looked at the Sig Sauer lines. Real interesting tech on the BDX line with the range finder talking to the scope. Not sure it's the direction I want to go.... trying to keep my phone charged on a multi day hunt wouldn't be fun, but it would be cool on the range.

I have the BDX and it’s pretty cool. They also have the non BDX version of course. I actually bought it for the BDX for Midwest but the glass is amazing. I didn’t expect it to be that good

 

[aTotal360]

I haven't actually looked at the Sig Sauer lines. Real interesting tech on the BDX line with the range finder talking to the scope. Not sure it's the direction I want to go.... trying to keep my phone charged on a multi day hunt wouldn't be fun, but it would be cool on the range.

I'm a Sig guy. They used to be a client of mine. Vortex was also a client. I'm taking Vortex 100 times out of 100.

Outside of handguns and their govt contract firearms, Sig is no more than a licensing company. Just like Remington or Browning. Like when you get a pair of Browning boots. Browning ain't really making boots. They are getting crapped out by the lowest bidder. Sig is almost the same way. I think they assemble some of their scopes at their West Coast plant. Some of them are banged out in Bangladesh or wherever.

Vortex is an optics company. It's what they do. Scopes are not an offshoot of their key primary line. It is their primary line.

 

[OopsICroomedmypants]

Whatever your complaint is with Leupold, give them another shot. Nothing in their price range beats the VX3 and VX5 series of scopes for brightness, clarity, reliability and weight. I’ve owned or currently own Leupold, Nightforce, Zeiss, Swarovski, Burris, Bushnell, Vortex, Nikon, and I’m sure there are some I’m forgetting. Leupold is the winner of the bunch.

I have a VX3 HD and it is clearer than a Zeiss of the same magnification. Best light gathering scope I own by far. Make sure you don’t go cheap on mounts. For hunting I like Leupold and Talley lightweights.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

If you have military, law enforcement or first responder credentials, you might have access to discounts that could possibly put something above your “price point” within reach.

This is the answer. I actually started digging around using some of those discounts and it looks like I am going to go way above my initial quality level for the same price point. Found Steiner's H6Xi 5-30x50mm for 60% off MSRP. It's still $200 more than I wanted to spend, but if I were Fishwater it might be at the top of my list with S&B and ZC.

Going to read about it a little more, but it seems top of the line in nearly every aspect.

 

[40mikemike]

Unfortunately a GW lives near my hunting camp, I can't take those "questionable" after legal shooting hours shots .

One tip for low light conditions, the camera on an iPhone 15 literally turns night into day. If you're watching a food plot say 150 yards away with a few deer grazing but you can't tell their size, take a pic, you'll be surprised how much light is captured.

First, buy a suppressor. Next, buy a thermal scope. You’re welcome.

 

[Wytalehntr]

From reading different shooting forums, Vortex seems to be the choice for mid tier scopes these days.

I have noticed this too. I'll definitely look at Vortex next time I buy a scope.

 

[ronpolk]

You mentioned Burris and didn’t see where anyone else commented. I have a couple of Burris scopes. The last one came on a Tikka I bought. It’s a Fullfield IV 3-12x56 with ill crosshair and those MOA dots on the vertical. Don’t really care for those dots, but the red crosshair is sweet. Clarity is good for me. Other than weight, I have no complaints. I haven’t priced one, but guessing they are in the $600 range.

No comment on the Burris scope but rather about Tikka. I bought a tikka 270 a couple years ago. It’s easily my favorite gun. First tikka I’ve owned and I’ll definitely be buying more. It’s hard to imagine a better gun at the price point. Very accurate, very smooth bolt.

 

[Palmettodog]

I've heard good things and bad things about all the scopes being discussed, but here's a little perspective for you.

I have a Swarovski American Hunter, 30mm tube, 56mm optics. Great scope that I paid a lot of money for it, $2000+, and I would rival it against any scope in any conditions. I also have a Crimson Trace, 1 inch tube, 50mm optics, that I paid roughly $250. For the last two years I've hunted solely with the Crimson Trace and I have been blown away with how well it does.

 

[Pilgrimdawg]

I suggest that you go back and look at the Zeiss V4 Conquest series. They are more economical than the high end Zeiss scopes and they are just excellent. Between my 2 boys and myself we have 5 of them. My 300wm elk rifle carries the 4x16x44 and my 6.5PRC deer / antelope rifle caries the 6x24x50. I haven’t priced them in the last year but normally $1100 to $1250 depending of power and features. Occasionally after hunting season is over I have seen them on sale for $1000. We have put them on horses and rode all over the Teton Wilderness for 10 days and the zero never moved. The zero also has always repeated after numerous yardage adjustments back and forth. I would also recommend a custom ballistic turret calculated in yards instead of minutes. You can order them from Kenton Industries for approximately $130. You provide the specific details on the ammo you are using and they run the calculations and produce the dial. With regard to the scope magnification I have shot steel at 600 yards with the 4x16x44 with no problem and small groups. It also fits better in a scabbard if you plan to hunt off of a horse. It’s perfect in my opinion for an elk rifle. The 6x24x50 is fantastic and I hope to have an opportunity to shoot steel out to 1000 yards with it next fall. It’s a great scope but I must say, it’s more power than I need about 99 percent of the time.

 

[MaxwellSmart]

This is the answer. I actually started digging around using some of those discounts and it looks like I am going to go way above my initial quality level for the same price point. Found Steiner's H6Xi 5-30x50mm for 60% off MSRP. It's still $200 more than I wanted to spend, but if I were Fishwater it might be at the top of my list with S&B and ZC.

Going to read about it a little more, but it seems top of the line in nearly every aspect.

Steiner is no slouch but one of my hunting buds has an H6xi and my Nightforce NX8 is noticably clearer. He is thinking seriously about changing. There are plenty of scopes that are clear enough, how they track is a big difference. If you hold over for distance then it's not as important but if you dial your yardages then there are only a few I would buy and trust to be banged around on a hunt.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

Steiner is no slouch but one of my hunting buds has an H6xi and my Nightforce NX8 is noticably clearer. He is thinking seriously about changing. There are plenty of scopes that are clear enough, how they track is a big difference. If you hold over for distance then it's not as important but if you dial your yardages then there are only a few I would buy and trust to be banged around on a hunt.

Yeah, the NX8 is a cat daddy. A friend of mine has your exact model. I just can't get there on my budget seems like $1500 is the floor even with discounts. So far I am down to 2 in my price point it looks like so far.

-I prefer Mil vs Moa since I am used to it

Steiner H6Xi 3-18x50mm STR-MIL FFP​

Actually looking at the 3x18x50 since I can get it in MIL for under $1000

Vortex Viper® HD 5-25x50 VMR-3 MRAD Riflescope​

$180 less than the Steiner.

My guess is the Steiner might be the best glass I can get for under 1000 but since this is for hunting I don't know anyone that is disappointed in Vortex for durability and overall performance. The Steiner does have great light transmission that apparently is only rivaled by optics in the $1800+ category. Light transmission is a big deal for me.