3-9x40 $200 Suggestions

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spazzy

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I just bought a new deer (maybe elk someday) rifle. Tikka m658 in 30-06. Mostly used for deer hunting with some casual target shooting 3-6 times a year maybe 20-30 shots each outing, most likely between 100-200 yards. Most of my hunting in wisconsin is done 75-150 yards.

I am shopping for a scope. My budget for scope itself is 200, and the catch is it has to come from cabelas. I have a ton of gift cards floating around.

Features I would prefer
Focus on the lens, not side of the scope
Non adjustable turrets (i would prefer the older style where the caps thread off)
Plain duplex style reticle

My top 4 choices from doing some casual browsing are

Vortex diamondback
Vortex crossfire ii
Nikon pro staff
Leopold vx freedom

Vortex is assembled local to me and I really like the warranty. From my casual searches online they are leading the pack.

Any thoughts between the crossfire and diamondback?

Any thoughts that would put the nikon or Leopold ahead of the vortex offerings?
 
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Leupolds VX Freedom or Burris Fullfield E1. I own Vortex Crossfire and diamond back and like them both. The Leupold and Burris are just better scopes in my opinion.
 
I have an old fullfield II that I've had very good luck with. I'd buy another one for sure. I don't know if Cabelas carries that particular model though.
 
I have a crossfire ii and a diamond back. diamondback is good, the crossfire not very at all. the dusk dawn bushnell is brighter.
 
While not 3-9x40 I just purchased a Leupold VX-Freedom 1.5-4x20 for $199 for my Ruger Model 44 Carbine. I am a Leupold fan.

~g
 
I don't think you have any bad options listed. Personally I would buy a Redfield Revolution. That gets you out a little cheaper but I don't think you give up anything in quality. Scope debates rage on endlessly and rather than say others are wrong I'll just stick with what works for me and why. I wear corrective lenses. Myopia and astigmatism. I can't see a significant difference between a Swarovski and a Redfield or Leupold......but I can see a difference between the Redfield and a Simmons or Tasco so I don't feel like I gain anything spending ove the $170 or so for the Redfield.....but the gain from $50 to $170 was worth the investment.
 
I would personally go with the Leupold VX Freedom or the Vortex Diamondback based on your preferences and limitations.

That being said, if you don't mind the higher magnification (4.5-14) the Mueller APV that they have is a great scope for the money and has the adjustable objective you want. I have one on my Savage Mark II.
 
I'm not hung up on magnification but I do like a wide field of view. That's the main reason I'm leaning toward the vortex diamondback. Its field of view on low magnification rivals competitors 2-7 models.
 
Gotcha. That being the case, the Diamondback seems like your best options if AO isn't essential.
 
Also, if you want to widen your search, you could consider selling gift cards online, there are quite a few sites that buy them. I've done it from time to time, for Cabelas you'd probably get about a 75% return I'd guess. I'd only do it if you really wanted something else they don't have, though.
 
So Bushnell has their new nitro scopes out. Cabela's has one for $350, but hear me out, Bushnell is running a 20% back rebate, which drops it to 280, and depending on what your coupons are, you might able to get down to nearly $200. The prime line would be even cheaper. Not a lot out there on them. If they are elite levels of quality it should be really nice, if it's a trophy or banner, wellllll....... But it's certainly priced like an elite. Only review I could find was on Savage shooters, and he liked it. Your mileage may vary.

https://www.cabelas.com/product/hun...nell-nitro-mm-riflescope/2842807.uts?slotId=4
 
Maybe I'm not reading the specs right but the diamondback seems to be fairly competitive as far as eye relief? Maybe it's a situation where on paper is different than real world conditions?

Diamondback 3.3 inches
Fullfield II 3.1-3.4 inches
Leopold vx freedom 3.66-4.17 inches
Nikon pro staff 3.6 inches

At what point do you all notice the difference between eye reliefs? 1/2 inch difference? Is more eye relief always better?
 
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FF2s ive got seem a lot longer than 3.1- 3.4
Its the only scope i owned that worked on my overly long .375 Abolt. My similarly sized Nikon wasnt even close, and the only one that bettered it was my Bushnell ultra hd 1.75-5x32 at 4.5"
The others all seem about right tho the DB might be a little generous from my experience, tho none of them have been on guns ive owned.

On a gun where my heads going to be in the same position every time, and where there is room to get the scope where i want, then eye relief and eye box dont matter to much.
But for general use i want 3.5+ and I like, tho dont require, a generous eye box.
 
I think the Burris FF-II is the best $200 scope out there. In fact there is nothing under $400 that I'd rather have.
I agree. As I've posted here several times, I've compared my FFII 4.5-14x42 to several other scopes that I own in the $400 range street price (actual cost to acquire, not MSRP). At any given magnification that I compare the various scopes, I find the Burris to be at least as good, and often better. This includes Vortex Viper, Sightron SII 6-24, Weaver V-24, and Weaver Grand Slam. The Burris is a great scope to my eyes, and it takes $500 or so (and some bargain hunting on prices) for me to buy a scope that I find to be better.
 
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