Have $500, need a scope. Suggestions?

Status
Not open for further replies.
swampcrawler

swampcrawler

Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2013
Messages
584
Hi guys. I recently picked up one of the Howa Ranchland package guns in .223 kind of on a whim. For those not familiar with the rifle it's a Howa 1500 with a light profile 20 inch barrel in a hougue overmold stock and comes with the oh so high quality Nikko Sterling 3.5-10. Of course I cannot stand the scope. Tiny eyebox, blurry, small field of view, heavy as sin, just everything you expect from a 135 buck chinese scope.

Now I bought the rifle mostly to really learn how to shoot. Not that I don't know how to shoot, but I want to REALLY learn how to use a rifle, and 223 is cheap to feed and should do well enough out to 300 or so if I can ever find somewhere to shoot more than 100 yards. I may one day use it for hogs or coyotes but the 1 in 12 twist emiminates the heavier bullets appropriate for larger game, so again the primary role of this gun is sort of a "trainer" rifle in field shooting at hunting distances.

Now it needs a non garbage scope. Honestly I'm not even sure what magnification to go with. I want to stay smallish and lightish so no super high magnification 50mm objective lense stuff. I usually prefer a fixed 4 power for hunting but it seems that would limit my ability to shoot groups during load development. I suppose something between 2-7 and 4-12 power with decent glass good reliability would be my best guess. So I'm going to leave it to the guys who have the experience. What should I look into for at or under 500 bucks? Thanks for the help folks!
 
Most of my scopes are Leupolds I bought second hand. Unless you're in a huge hurry, you should be able to pick up a nice Leupold within your budget.

For what it's worth, at 13 my grandson was given a Savage in 223. He bought a cheap scope (Bushnell or Simmons as I recall) for less than $20. One day I put a couple of ground hog sized boxes on the ground about 190 yards away. Off the bench the little boy drilled them both with one shot each with his 3-9X scope.

I've also taken out a crow at 311 yards with a Leupold 2-7X scope and used the same scope on a raccoon at about 325 yards, a deer at over 250 yards, etc. The moral of the story; you don't need huge amounts of magnification.

If you want to really get into longer range shooting; get something with mil dots and learn how to use them.
 
Lot of guys really like Vortex. I've never had or even used one, so I don't know personally.

I have a Leupold VX-3 4-14x40's on a couple of my rifles and feel they are outstanding, but you're gonna be at or above your price point. Natchez had a super deal on some Weaver's. Like 70% off. I had a Weaver a few years ago and was impressed.

There will be as many opinions as there are members of this forum. I would just try to get the best glass possible.
 
As a brand Leupold are the lightest and have the most eye relief. You will get the most scope with a 3-9X40 scope. That is the most common and the competition among various makers forces them to offer a lot for the money on that scope.

My go-to scope is the VX-2 in a 3-9X40 with long range dots, about $350.

http://swfa.com/Leupold-3-9x40-VX-2-Riflescope-P51800.aspx

You can get the same scope in 2-7X32 at the same price or for $50 less get either the 3-9X40 or 2-7X34 with a standard reticle.

The same scope is offered in the VX-1 series for about $50 less than the VX-2. You could spend more money for a VX-3. They are a better scope, but not $150 better in my opinion. In fact, you'll have to spend a lot more than $500 to get a scope only marginally better than the VX-2

If you want to save some of that $500 budget consider the Redfield Revolution in either 2-7X or 3-9X. They are actually made by Leupold and are very comparable to the VX-1 line and can be had for around $200. At slightly under $200 the Burris FF-II is a very good scope too.

http://swfa.com/Burris-3-9x40-Fullfield-II-Rifle-Scope-P7932.aspx
http://swfa.com/Redfield-3-9x40-Revolution-Rifle-Scope-P44469.aspx
 
As noted Leupold has excellent eye relief. Also, on some scopes you have to be absolutely centered or the sight picture blacks out. Not so with Leupold
 
The weaver fixed 4x was what I was originally thinking. Then I saw the zeiss Terra 3x (not actually a 3x, 3-9. Dunno why that's in the name) but I wasn't extremely impressed. I don't line the leupold rifleman series. I think a leupold vx2, or a Nikon Prostaff which seems to be getting great reviews. I will probably end up just hitting cabellas and a local optics shop and look through all of the options and choose the one I like. It's hard to make a decision on glass without seeing it in person.
 
I would take a look at the Leupold AR. Its a VX2 class scope and excellent for .223. I think its 3X9. You should be able to find for well within your budget.

I have a Zeiss 2-7 Terra. The mechanics are outstanding. The glass itself leaves something to be desired. For a 200 yard deer rifle its perfectly adequate.
 
I would check out Nikon, that company is onto something with their updating the Prostaff line. The Prostaff 5s have different options for reticles, power and you get European eyebox for adjustments on the reticle, side focus, clear glass and they are well below your budget target of $500. Obj. diameters in 40mm range. IMO excellent deals, also they're compact and lightweight. Just a good deal. Good shooting and enjoy the time spent outdoors. TC
 
Last edited:
Midwayusa has the Leupold VX2 3x9 custom dial version on sale right now for $261 and free shipping. I'm going to buy one just because it's such a screaming deal.
 
I know this isnt the "cool" scope to have, but a clean condition, steel tube Weaver K4 is pretty hard to beat for a close to med range rifle (good out to 300 yards or so, for me at least).
 
I'm a Leupold guy as well... HOWEVER... you can still find some of the Zeiss Conquest 3-9X scopes out there... the ones that are no longer made. They are made in Germany and assembled here in the U.S. I picked one up for $399 and in that power range it is noticeably brighter than the same power Leupolds, of which I have a number to compare the Zeiss with. Look for a Zeiss Conquest - find one and you'll be happy you did.

Just last week I picked up a nice Leupold VX-2, 4-12X with a CDS turret for under $499, and I'm sure you can find a better price than that. It's a nice scope - pretty light, pretty small and typical Leupold quality.

Edit: I second the opinion that Vortex seem to be pretty nice scopes. I recently compared one to a top-of-the-line Leupold and the Vortex (at half the price) compared favorably. It also passed the "box test" superbly. I would look at Vortex for sure.
 
I have mainly Leupold, but just got a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 a couple months ago. I find it close to the same as my VX-3's, perhaps a very slight optical advantage to the Leupold. But, the Zeiss was $329 vs. $500+ for the Leupold.

It's an anomaly due to the discontinuation of some models and a heavily discounted price. Still, if you can find one it appears a very good value.

You gotta be real careful about Leupold/Nikon/Vortex, etc. is great/crap. Quality within a given product line can vary greatly depending upon the age of an individual item (improvements over time) and potential price point of the item in question.

New Leupold VX-3's are WAY better than VX-III's. Any highest end Nikon/Leupold/Bushnell will be better than the other companies lowest end product.

Any time someone makes a blanket statement "A" is better than "B", I'd dismiss it pretty much every time.
 
Can't go wrong with Leupold. You'll be able to get the optic and quality hardware, while staying within your $500 budget also.

GS
 
Keeping you in your mag range of 4-12x and price under $500 I would look at these, in not particular order:

Zeiss Tera 4-12x 42mm $459-499
Vortex viper 4-12x40 $399
Weaver Grand Slam 3-12x42mm $499
Vortex Diamondback $299
Leupold AR MOD1 4-12x 40mm $499
 
I would look at the Leupold Mark AR Mod 1 4-12x40 for that rifle or a VX2 4-12x40 with CDS turrets .

Leupold has great customer service , should you ever have a problem .
 
I work the gun counter at Cabela's so I sell a lot of scopes. I also mount scopes on the side and at work. I'm firmly convinced that some people see better out of certain brands of scopes. Nikon makes excellent scopes but I can see better out of a Burris Fullfield II than I can a Monarch. The Fullfield is my pick for a 3-9 under $200.00 by the way. I have a regular customer who only buys Weatherby Mark V's. Money is not an issue with him. He can see better through a Prostaff5 than he can a VX-3.

For my eyes:
The Terra(which I don't own) isn't in the same ballpark as a Conquest or a VX-3(which I do own).

I have two Vipers and they are not as good in low light as a lot of scopes in their price range and have shorter eye relief too.

My Bushnell Elite 4200 still holds its own pretty well against my newer scopes.

My VX-3 is worth the extra money over my VX-2.

My Meopta Meopro 3.5x10-44 for $349.99 is the best bang for your buck I've ever gotten on a scope.

The 3-9x40 Buckmaster on sale at Cabela's is a screaming deal.

The Burris Fullfield II is a great buy in its price range.

The VX-R line is an excellent scope - I have a 2-7.

The Clearidge Ultra RM is a great rimfire scope.
 
Buy once, cry once. If you have $500, spend all of it, if you have to have a scope right now, or save up and spend a bit more. With a scope, probably more than anything else, you get what you pay for, if you shop wisely. If you want to shoot longish range, get at least a 12X (unless you have superman eyes). There is a difference between target shooting and big game hunting... Your 1 in 12 twist is going to limit you to something in the 60 gr. range, max.
 
i've had a dozen different brands and various models of those brands....all new; never bought used. My favorites are all Leupold and the most favorite is a VX 3 3.5-10X, a superb scope, but mostly for mid range shooting. Recently, I've been buying Bushnell Elites because they are among the cheapest with reasonable quality when you need magnification above 4-12X. I have two in 4-16X and one in 6-24X. The clarity is not as good as Leupold but is half the money. They have served me well on prairie dogs and squirrels. I recently bought a Burris Fullfield II 4-12X and plan to put it on a .270. I've purchased dozens of scopes and have only spent $500 once on a Leupold 4.5-14X and it's a fine scope. My suggestion to everyone is to buy lots of scopes and trade often until you have enough experience to decide for yourself what is best for your situation. Before you cry poverty, this is my pattern over the last 50 years; I'm still buying and trading and still don't have much money. But, do I ever have fun!
 
I have had many scopes in different powers. I am sold on Leupolds for clarity, ruggedness, and dependability. That is all I have on all my rifles. Spend a little more and get the VX-3 over the VX-2. The difference in price is minimal, but optical quality is a lot better. Buy a Leupold and you will not be disappointed. Good shooting
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

NorthBorder
  • Locked
Suggest a spotting scope to see targets at 500 yards.
2
Replies
25
Views
2K
Laphroaig
Laphroaig
C
  • Locked
Help me determine if my scope's behavior is normal
Replies
13
Views
1K
Haxby
H
adcoch1
  • Locked
Looking for a quality hunting scope for ruger m77
Replies
15
Views
2K
Hookeye
H
webrx
  • Locked
Scope sale
Replies
3
Views
1K
webrx
webrx
roo_ster
  • Locked
Low Power Illuminated Reticle / Dot Scope Suggestions
Replies
8
Views
1K
henschman
H
Back
Top