How can you justify a 2-3000 dollar scope?

[BigN]

I shoot coyotes at less than a hundred yards. Any $50 scope I find at a yard sale is plenty good for me, I have many of those and they serve me just fine. Shooting 1000 yard matches? Maybe you need a $1000 scope. I don't know since I've never shot that far. Buying what you need is frugal. Buying what you want is indulgence. My point is, NEED is a highly individual compulsion. Spend your money on what you think you need, if it's shooting 1000 yard matches, plinking out behind your house with a 22lr, or just trying to impress folks on a shooting forum. It's your money.

 

[Officers'Wife]

First off, if you are an adult with reasonably good judgment you shouldn't have to justify how you chose to spend your money.

That said, if I had the discretionary cash available and thought for a moment such a scope would aid in reducing the suffering of my targets I wouldn't need justification even to myself.

 

[Zeke/PA]

First off, if you are an adult with reasonably good judgment you shouldn't have to justify how you chose to spend your money.

That said, if I had the discretionary cash available and thought for a moment such a scope would aid in reducing the suffering of my targets I wouldn't need justification even to myself.

I agree ! I've been having excellent success with the Nikon scope offerings and I now own several on a variety of rifles one being a 4X Prostaff on my T/C Omega.
Very accutate deer hunting combo!
P.S. I like the "turnip truck" reference and I hope that you don't mind if I use it in future verbal battles.

 

[thegiff]

I (and I think a lot of other people also) match the scope to the rifle and the intended use. I have a $40 scope on a .22, a $250 scope on a hunting rifle, a $1000 scope on my competition training rifle, and a $1200 (bushnell hdmr as someone mentioned earlier) on my tactical comp gun.

The choices come down to repeatability, expected reliability and warranty, features and so on. A 10X fixed power scope is not useful in tactical comps, too high for close shots and way to low for some of the far shots, and the need to dial quickly under time pressure is important.

But for a 22 that on a good day with a great scope will only hold a 3" group, why put a $1000 optic on it, it's pointless.

The $2K+ scopes add some image clarity and brightness, I'm seriously considering one for my next comp gun.

 

[taliv]

heh yeah the scope on my 22lr is prob not even $40.

 

[snakeman]

i don't. I have a truck that cost less than that

 

[Torian]

First off I'd like to say that I believe that you get what you pay for and that I can appreciate spending a couple hundred dollars more for a quality scope. I myself own a Minox ZA5, Gen 3 PVS14, Vanguard Spotting scopes, Aimpoints etc... I am willing to spend money for quality/rugged optics. I have looked through different scopes and in general the 700-1000 dollar scopes did not impress me any more than most of the 400-600 dollar scopes. In fairness some of those 1000 dollar scopes were more rugged and more shock resistant.

But I have never looked through a Nightforce, Kahles, Swarovski, Steiner, etc.. I was looking through gunbroker and several of these brands have scopes that enter that 2-3k price range and even beyond that.

Those of you who own or have experience with these brands.. do you feel they are worth the price? Or do you feel that the optical quality can be matched by less expensive scopes? Do you feel the build quality or ruggedness far exceeds that of less expensive optics.

I know these questions depend on your use and background as a sniper on the SWAT team will probably feel differently than an occasional shooter. I base my purchases on the simple question: Are these products currently used in harsh environments or do I feel that they could endure harsh environmental conditions.

I'd like to hear your opinions and experiences.

In a combat zone / LEO role for precision work at extended distances...yes. In every other area, absolutely not. My Leupold VX-R Firedot (600 from Leupold) is about as much as I need to spend to have a scope I can rely on.

 

[Magnuumpwr]

Let me clarify myself, I only have 5 "high" dollar scopes. They are not on 22's or such, (2) on 50 BMG rifles, (2) on 308's, and (1) on a 338 Lapua Mag. The rest of my scopes/optics are $1300 and below.

 

[Lapman]

hi guys, new member just reading some threads. I recently just bought a new rifle to add to my collection and heard many of the same things. if you want to shoot really accurate an at long ranges (which i do) then you need a really good quality GLASS. you can buy a 150 dollar BSA that looks tacticool but with less quality glass than better brands. And i can say i was very very close to buying a 2k+ dollar nightforce. but talked to a few more dealers and a friend of mine which sells nightforce AND sightron pointed me toward a sightron for 1k+ cheaper and same quality scope i took both of them and looked through them dialed, different temps, times etc. (played with them) and found no difference except the label on the knob cover.


Rifle is a : Weatherby mark v TRR 338 lapua ($2500)
scope is a : Sightron 8-32x56 ($1200) not nightforce 2300

 

[back40]

i have a couple (what i would consider) mid range scopes. i have not regretted buying any of them, and can agree with those that say you don't know what you are missing until you have a chance to use the the better stuff. not just look through it at the store, but actually use it.

i recently upgraded my binos too. i've been using the same pair for about ten years and decided to step up to something nicer. people that say 'spend as much as you can, and even make it hurt a bit' are correct in my mind. once it's paid for you just don't regret buying high dollar optics and you likely won't go back to anything less.

i have the swfa ss 10x42 sf on my .22. i took some ribbing from a couple buddies about putting a $400 scope on a .22. that was, until they got behind it. i use that gun as something of a trainer and have shot it out to 315 yds. i don't regret for one second buying it, and actually use it to accuracy test other rifles at 100yds. it's easily swapped between rifles all the time and i don't have to worry about it getting beat up, or wonder if it's tracking true.

my take on all of this is to buy the best you can afford that will do what you want it to do. spend a little more than you think you should without buying features that you don't need.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

if this answer has been given before, sorry

How can you justify a 2-3000 dollar scope?

How can you justify betting a once in a lifetime hunting trip, maybe thousands of dollers, on a $39.95 scope?

 

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

My favorite scope I own is a NightForce ATACR. The difference in it and my second favorite , a Bushnell Elite Tactical 4305, is phenomenal. I have over 130 true MOA of adjustment. The best optical glass that NightForce has ever used. It hurt to buy it, but at long ranges the difference is worth more than I paid.

 

[Black Butte]

Cha ching!

http://ads.midwayusa.com/product/578242/us-optics-er-25-t-pal-rifle-scope-34mm-tube-5-25x-58mm-side-focus-first-focal-illuminated-mdmoa-reticle-matte

 

[witchhunter]

A friend of mine recently bought an 80 thousand dollar Corvette, does he need it? No but it sure is a sweet ride...I think the guys that own those 3 thousand dollar scopes feel the same way.

 

[CountGlockulla]

I'm justifying it because I need a mixture of features and robustness that you cannot get on a less expensive scope. I am putting together a tactical match rifle. The cost of consumables, travel, and fees will surpass even $3K pretty quickly. In my situation a less expensive scope would be a matter of false economy.

 

[taliv]

The cost of consumables, travel, and fees will surpass even $3K pretty quickly.

this is true. in my case, i just added them up last week and by the end of this month I'll have shot or directed 33 tactical/sniper rifle matches in the past 33 months. while many are $300, if I said conservatively the average match fee is $200, that's more than twice the cost of a Schmidt & Bender just in match fees. and 80% of them are out of state for me, so travel is significant.

 

[shiftyer1]

My citizen watch keeps more accurate time than a rolex will I couldn't justify it at all.

 

[dubbleA]

Tracking and repeatability are often overlooked by most hunters/recreational shooters. It's a very important feature to some.

Here is a good example of tracking. Was shooting this rifle at 600yds one weekend and at the end of the day I put it up. A couple of weeks later I decided to take the barreled action out of the stock and make some trigger adjustments. After doing so I wanted to confirm my zero. I remembered to crank my turrets back to 100yds before shooting it.

This is the resulting 5 shot group confirmation at 100yds. The scope in question is a Nightforce.



As far as being built like a tank and being rugged a lot of folks don't have a clue as what that translates into with scopes.

Notice the wall thickness of a USO.....



Is everyone going to need an optic that can withstand grueling punishment as the one above? Of course not but having that option is there for someone willing to pay for it.


We all are going to have different wants and needs with anything. With that said the law of diminishing returns pops up. Some small things/added features/quality can wind up costing you much more. Only the end user has to justify what he or she spends.
If you lay down your hard earned $250 and buy scope X and are happy with it filling your needs it should be no different than someone laying down $2500 for scope Y.

 

[brue182]

I justified a scope that cost that much by buying a rifle that cost 6x that. I can't buy a Barrett and put a $150 scope on it.

 

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

My 300WM cost me almost $4k to have built the cheapest scope I would consider for it was the NightForce ATACR. Don't get me wrong I have a $600 Vortex on my RRA 24" AR but the difference in quality is the money difference. It just depends on the rifle and the job you want it to do. I am a believer in buy once cry once as far as scope go. The ED glass on the NightForce and it's build quality is a world of difference even to my Bushnell Elite Tactical.

This rifle was made to shoot at long ranges and I just couldn't see myself skimping on the scope.

 

[jrdolall]

I can afford to buy just about any scope you will see in a Cabela's or Bass Pro so it doesn't really come down to the "can I afford it" questions for me. My needs regarding scopes are pretty simple as I don't shoot at 350 yards and I don't crawl through the mud on a regular basis. I think a $79 Walmart scope will work for everything I do.
I generally put Leupold or Nikon scopes on my rifles. $3-500 is about all I am willing to spend for my needs. If I were hunting griz in Alaska or doing some safaris then I would probably be willing to spend more on an even "better" scope.
I drive a Ford pickup rather than a Mercedes. I could buy a Mercedes if I wanted it. I do have air conditioning in the F150 as well as leather, power windows and seats. I could do without them(okay not the AC) but I enjoy having them. They cost more but are worth it for MY application. $2k scopes not so much.

 

[JoeMal]

I couldn't justify a 3k scope. No way. Even if I could afford it I would never see the need for it.

Of course I don't shoot out to 500 yards or hunt elk in the mountains. If I did my impression may change but today, no way.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

[Plastikosmd]

For me it was easy, I bought a cute little 10/22 for the wife to shoot, sans scope. We then went scope shopping and she tried all they had (swarovski dealer). She picked what she thought was the clearest and that is why a 3 k scope sits on a 350$ rifle!

 

[ZDriver96]

Lol have to make the wife happy! I think thats the best reason yet!

Good info guys...

DubbleA thanks for the review on the NightForce.. Those features are definitely something to consider depending on the users application.

 

[MtnCreek]

Here is a good example of tracking. Was shooting this rifle at 600yds one weekend and at the end of the day I put it up. A couple of weeks later I decided to take the barreled action out of the stock and make some trigger adjustments. After doing so I wanted to confirm my zero. I remembered to crank my turrets back to 100yds before shooting it.

I'm more impressed with the bedding job than the scope!