Elite 6500 or VX3 or Lynx or Nightforce

[Hunter2011]

These scopes might be too expensive to put on a CZ452, but I've now learned my lession. Buy right the first time or you will buy again later. Like I must do now.... My current scope is a Sightron SII 4-16X42. It holds zero and tracks perfectly. But at 13X-16X magnification the image is not as clear as I would like it too be. For 100 meter paper punching I do need high mag. Secondly, only 8moa of adjustment per turret revolution is not doing it for me. I need at least 2 moa more per turret turn.

I've narrowed my search to the following.
Bushnell Elite 6500 4.5-30X50
Leupold VX3 6.5-20
Lynx 2.5-15X50
Nightforce 5.5-22X50

Any other suggestions.

Obviously the Nightforce is the pick of the litter. But at almost twice the price is it really worth it?
My current choice between the remaining 3 is the Bushnell. My ONLY gripe with it is that is only focusses down to 25 yards. But then, I seldom take shots at less than 20 yards. Another ''bad thing'' I've read about the Bushnell is that apparently it's image is getting much worse at anything past 16X. Is this true?

If I get the Nightforce, and its a very big if, I will feel like a total snob, and with it everyone will expect you to win all the competitions

 

[helotaxi]

Don't know about the 4.5-30x model but the image on my 2.5-16 6500 is clear from one extreme to the other. Never heard of Lynx, but if 15x is good enough for that one, I would be looking at 15-16x in the others as well.

 

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

I had the Bushnell Elite Tactical 4305 4.5-30x50. It is a great scope. I am a huge fan of Bushnell's higher end scopes. NightForce are awesome scopes. They don't really make anything but high end. I have not had a VX Leupold or Lynx..

 

[woodguru]

I have quite a few Elite 4200's and love them.

A true sleeper in high magnification scopes that are very clear and built to allow frequent repeatable adjustment use is the Swift Premium line, not their lower end scopes, the Premiums that list at about $350 for the 8-32x. This scope can be had online at like Optics Planet for about $250.

You would be very surprised by these for the money

 

[Coltdriver]

Just my not so humble opinion. I would buy the VX 3 and not think twice about it. They are exquisite scopes.

And I mean VX 3 not a VX III. Leupold has stepped up their glass to compete with some of the European stuff coming in, Zeiss conquest etc. The result has been the best glass, again IMNSO, that Leupold has ever made available.

Once you buy that scope you will probably keep is as you sell and change out rifles underneath it. But every time you get a new rifle and mount the scope you know you have excellent glass so that you can extract everything from the rifle.

With that scope on 20 power you could see the holes in a target at 200 yards pretty easily.

 

[helotaxi]

With that scope on 20 power you could see the holes in a target at 200 yards pretty easily.

I've had the same results with my Bushnell Elite 4200s. Quality glass trumps high magnification. I have a very good spotting scope but I've found that at the range I largely don't need it with any of my Bushnells, my SWFA 5-20's or my Vortex Viper 6.5-20. Bullet holes are visible out to 300yds without too much trouble. My NSHO, you overpay for Leupold for the performance that you get.

 

[Hunter2011]

I've read that some guys are not happy with their 6500's That is because apparently the zero changes a bit if you adjust the parallax via the sidewheel... And some say it also happens when setting the occular lens focus. How true is this? Or is it just a myth or proparly shooter error?

 

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

I have never had a Bushnell do this. I use mine on a 50 BMG. I have never had the zero change. I even performed the tracking test on different magnification levels. It held zero 100%.

 

[helotaxi]

Mine has been rock steady on my lightweight 7mm WSM.

I fail to see how adjusting the occular focus could even possibly impact the zero.

 

[Hunter2011]

This is where I get my statement from. Apparently it does happen with a few guys..
http://www.airrifle.co.za/showthread.php?t=31402&page=2

I sure hope it's just because he can't shoot

 

[helotaxi]

Well the problem that I find with his assertion is that you can't actually judge a POI shift with a change in parallax setting because you're comparing a parallax free setting where your head/eye position behind the scope is irrelevant to POI to an incorrect parallax setting where moving your head/eye behind the scope changes the relationship of POA/POI. That's the whole reason for having a parallax adjustment in the first place. He can't say for certain that his eye position didn't affect the POI.

After shooting over the chrono and zeroing the scope at 100yds with the parallax correctly set for that range, dialing the correct drop and setting the correct parallax had the completely expected result of a first shot hit at 300yds.

 

[paulo]

Zeiss 6.5-20 x 50 on sale for $750.

 

[Hunter2011]

Thanks, I feel better now as I allready ordered this scope

 

[R H Clark]

Parallex will make a difference when shooting for ultimate accuracy.Not as much at 100 yards as 50 since that scope is likely set for about 150 yards.It will also matter less if you can get perfect eye alignment every time.For ultimate accuracy you do need AO.

There is a difference in shooting dime size groups and trying to shoot groups the size of a single 22 caliber hole.

I would have went with the 6.5-20 EFR Leupold with fine crosshairs for a 22 target scope.
Another good choice would be a fixed 24X target scope with AO.

 

[Hunter2011]

I've confirmed that the scope's POI does change when turning the parallax side-wheel. I used a Bushnell collimator. When I go from 25 to 100 there is a POI shift of half a block on the colliminator... There is no shift when turning the eye-piece. But this should not be a problem if you set the side-wheel for the distance you are shooting at every time.

 

[helotaxi]

Once again, if the parallax is set correctly for one distance, and then you change the parallax setting without changing distance, it may appear that the zero shifted, but all that proves is that your eye was in the wrong spot to begin with. A collimator doesn't change that, merely proves and quantifies it. Since the image on the collimator is at "infinity" it will likely show a shift at every distance up to that point unless your eye placement is perfect, and if it were you wouldn't need a parallax adjustment at all.

 

[R H Clark]

If that Zeiss has side parallex or what is refered to side focus,you are good to go.All the adjustment does is eliminate parallex at the yardage you are shooting so that you don't have to be as precise with eye alignment on every shot.

The marked adjustment may or may not be spot on.You will have to experiment to know for sure.Just clamp the rifle down in a cleaning vice or such and zoom in on your target.If your crosshairs move when you move your head,you have parallex issues.