deer hunting scope?

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electrode1998

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Hi,
I am buying soon I hope, a 3-9x50 scope for my remington 700sps. I use it for deer hunting and I am leaning twords the leupold vx-ll or maybe the vx-1. I cannot realy find a written difference between the two. The stores around here do not have any vx-1s to look thru to compare them. I am on a limited budget but I am willing to spend up to $400. If I can get just as much bang for my buck at a lower price I will. I already know about not going with a cheep scope. I have been bit by that bug already. Let me know what ya'll think.
Thanks,
P.S. gun show this weekend so reply soon.
 
I`m not sure but I think the main difference between them is the VX1 has friction 1/4" adjustments and the VXII has click adjustments of the same degree. There is also a slight difference in lens coatings with the VXII haveing the better grade.
 
If I may ask, what type of hunting are you going to be doing? What is the longest shot you would take?

I personally like a fixed 4x on my deer rifle, but a Leupold VX-III 3.5-10x40 did just fine as well....turned down to 4x.
 
i like nikon monarchs. You get vx-III quality at vx-II prices. New models coming out too, so there are deals on the old style. Not sure about the 50mm objectives, though. Pretty useless in the woods.
 
If you have a $400 budget, buy the Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40, no question. In my opinion, it is the best scope anywhere near that price range.
 
I have a vxII on my 30-06 and hate it.I started using burris and like them much better.Not to mention half the price,If you want a vx II 3x9x40 I have 2of them forsale because they are being replaced by burris.
 
My exposure

BSA, Tasco did not hold center. Simmons 3-9x50 went foggy, currently my Bushnell 4 -12 x 42 (I think the numbers are right), seems to be doing ok. I have had no exposure to a Burris, Nikon, nor any of the high $$$ scopes. I have one Bosch & Lomb on a RUGER Super RedHawk in .44 mag, still clear at 10 - 12 years old.

I have the Bushnell mounted on a Remington 700 ADL .270 in a Laminated Monte Carlo stock w/ heavy checkering. It is one of my favorite to shoot. It always seems to get comments when I take it out to the range.
 
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Is the leupold glass that much better? How much better is it than Bushnell? Would really like to know because I want a better scope, but can't afford top dollar.
 
lamazza,
I looked thru the bushnell and then the leupold at the store and there was no contest. With my eyes at least the leupold was hands down the winner. That being said other people like the bushnell. My best advice seems to be to go to the store and look at all the scopes you like and if it take time save up to get what you realy want.
However I could never see myself spending the over 1000 dollars others spend on scopes. I would pass out if I dropped it in the woods.
 
I personally like a fixed 4x on my deer rifle
Click to expand...

So do I.

Points to remember about scopes:

1. Scopes are not binoculars. You don't spend hours and hours looking through them. The optical quality is not as critical, therefore as in binoculars.

2. Scopes are aiming devices screwed onto rifles. They must hold zero even when thumped and bumped.

3. High magnification comes with two prices -- small field of view and large size.

4. Repeatable click adjustments and finger knobs are for target scopes. No one adjusts his scope while hunting -- you zero it at the range and leave it alone. If you suspect it's off you go back to the range.

5. In some 50 years of large animal hunting, I have used a variable power scope at other than the lowest setting exactly once -- and didn't really need to then, but had the time to fiddle around.

Conclusion: For deer, elk, etc, a rugged, 4X scope is all you need.
 
$300 delivered, Leoupold vx2 3-9 matte finish Good for 3/29 only PM or email me
 
I once compared Swift 1.5-4.5X to a Leupold 4X, looking at a deer outside my window about 50 yards away in early evening. With the Swift set on 4.5X, I could just barely make out the gray shape of the deer. With the Leupold, the image was much brighter and more distinct. Lesson: Go fixed and go Leupold. Imho, You really can't go wrong with that combo.
 
I have a cheapo Simmons 3-9x40 on my Savage .270. For the money, its a good scope, but lets be real...its not a player in the price range you are talking about.

With that said, I have 2 VXI's in 3-9x40 on both of my AR's. Although they are freshly installed, I like them. Its great Leupold quality on a not break the budget type of price. New, retail they are $219.00.

I too believe the limits of ALL of those above scopes I listed is probably about 300 yards...at least for my eyes, lol.
 
I wouldn't go for a 50mm objective at all..

You simply don't need it on a hunting rifle. It comes with added cost, higher rings and may affect your cheek weld as well. I never hear much of anything negative about Leupold scopes, but better ones are available for less money. For example I have one VX1 and it doesn't compare to a Bushnell Elite or aWeaver Grand Slam in features or optical clarity. $300.00 or less wil buy You a great scope. I've never owned one, but at the $400.00 level I would be greatly tempted to try a 3X9 Conquest. Essex
 
. Scopes are not binoculars. You don't spend hours and hours looking through them. The optical quality is not as critical, therefore as in binoculars.
Click to expand...

While I agree that you do not spend hours and hours looking through a riflescope, I strongly disagree with your conclusion that optical quality is not important. High quality optics can make the difference especially in low light when high quality optics can make the difference as to whether you can even see the target or not. High quality optics will also provide better depth of field and are less subject to chromatic aberration. With good glass a deer kind of "pops" out of the background, instead of blending into the haze of underbrush.

Repeatable click adjustments and finger knobs are for target scopes. No one adjusts his scope while hunting -- you zero it at the range and leave it alone. If you suspect it's off you go back to the range.
Click to expand...

I agree that finger knobs are strictly a target thing, but repeatable click adjustments make it much easier to sight in, especially with a general purpose rifle that may be used to shoot more than one load. Although I agree that if you are the kind of hunter that shoots maybe one box of ammo per season, youmight not care much about repeatable adjustments.
 
With optical quality there is no such thing as "good enough" for binoculars -- it trumps everything else. In rifle scopes, you quickly reach "good enough" -- and it is reliability that trumps all else.

As for adjustments -- before you hunt, you should zero. So it really doesn't matter if you use different bullet weights and so on for different game -- you really aren't going to just add a click here, subtract a click there and go hunting without shooting to confirm your zero, are you?
 
Nikon Monarch Sale at Midway

If I were in the market for a new scope right now, I'd 100% for sure get a Nikon Monarch from Midway.

In the last sales flyer they had 3 models on sale for GREAT deals. The best deal was a 44mm 6.5-20x Monarch for $350 (normally a $500+ scope). They had the 3-9x also for something like $250.

Leupold scopes are nice, but you pay a lot simply for the name. IMHO Nikons are a much better value. It's kind of like a Cadillac vs. a Lexus though, if it means that much to you to overpay just to buy American, then so be it.
 
Essex County said:
I wouldn't go for a 50mm objective at all.
Click to expand...
Gotta disagree with you on that one. I bought my first 50mm objective scope a few years ago, and now I won't deer hunt with anything else.

True, it's overkill when the deer are out in the open - but for dusk and dawn, or shadows under a heavy tree canopy? You can't beat it. The image is so much brighter and sharper that it makes all my old scopes look like staring through the bottom of a coke bottle.

(that's a glass coke bottle, for all you young punks who thought coke has always come in plastic bottles) :cool:
 
According to the pros at Opticsplanet the least returned (for repairs) of all scopes is the Leupold VX-II series. I have a VX-II 3X9X33 on my mountian rifle and it is everything I will ever need for deer.
 
I would expect that the 3X9 is at the upper range of power that you could ever need for hunting in your area,and you could get away with less power ,weight,and size.
I believe many think 3X9 has become the standard for hunting because many who choose a very cheep scope (never a good choice if you can avoid it) think bigger is better. Just because many make a poor uninformed choice doesn't make it right.
If I recall one of the differences between the VX1 and VX2 is the warrantee. The VX1 is limited (1 year?) and the rest of the Leupolds are lifetime.
My experience shows me that you are very much looking at the correct brand,clearly some others disagree but thats my vote!
 
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