Need a good scope for my .308

[ArkansasFatboy]

Guys I need advice on a good scope for my new rifle. The rifle is a stevens model 200 .308 and I want to top it with good glass. What would be a good choice in the 300.00 to 400.00 price range I would like at least a 3x9x50 and no more than 12 power.
Thanks

 

[CDignition]

The Super Sniper line looks to be a good for the money

 

[CB900F]

Arkansas;

You might want to re-think the 50mm objective lens. That'll usually produce something around a 56mm objective bell diameter on the scope. There are some good reasons why that isn't always the way to go when scoping a rifle.

The high mounts needed to accomodate the large bell frequently raise the scope higher than you want. That makes it tough to get a good cheek weld in a quick shot situation. Without having the cheek weld, the relationship between the eye & the ocular lens becomes very loose & parallax problems ensue.

Glass weighs a lot. Not only do you get more weight with a bigger objective lens, you also raise it higher on the gun because of the increased objective bell diameter. This can easily affect the balance of the gun. More weight higher makes it much easier to tip. Having the scope canted to one side puts the crosshairs to one side or the other of the center of the bore. That doesn't do accuracy any good.

Better glass is just that: better. You're not talking low-budget glass with the numbers you put out. Frequently you'll find that the superior resolution of the better glass will more than make up for the supposed "light gathering power" of a larger objective.

Nikon Monarch, some very good deals around out there right now. Zeiss Conquest, probably the best glass on the market in the price range you've given. Leupold VXIII, made in America and very well made too.

All of the above with 40 to 44mm objective lens's should satisfy your needs without going big. Think resolution and clarity rather than just big lens.

900F

 

[.41Dave]

+1 to what CB900F said. The Zeiss Conquest or Bushnell Elite 4200 in 3-9x40 are my recommendations.

 

[byf43]

Nikon Buckmasters scope.

4.5-14x40mm Side Focus.

A buddy has one on his K98k used with an Iron Elite mount, and really likes it.
He also put one on his M1 Garand and likes that even better.


My wife bought one for me, for my M1A, for Christmas. Haven't been able to try it yet, though. (Waiting on $$$ for new Sadlak mount.)

 

[cheygriz]

Spend a little more and get a 3.5-10X50 Leupold VXlll. It's head and shoulders above anything else in the under $1,000 price range.

In my experience, a higher quality, slightly more expensive item is ALWAYS cheaper in the long run.

 

[nwilliams]

+1 on Nikon Buckmaster or Monarch, I just bought a Buckmaster 6-18x40 for my Rem 700 LTR and I love it. Of course I'm a photographer also and all I use is Nikon (at least when it comes to cameras)

Good Luck!

 

[sansone]

bushnell 4200 elite. good repeatability, bright optics

 

[rockstar.esq]

"Spend a little more and get a 3.5-10X50 Leupold VXlll. It's head and shoulders above anything else in the under $1,000 price range."

Not true, IOR scopes run $600.00 or so and thoroughly Whup up on the Loopy.
http://www.valdada.com/vn/ior/03h

30mm TUBES make a ton of difference.

The aforementioned Nikon Monarch is probably the best scope for that price point. Should you decide to move up in price, look into the IOR scopes.

 

[itgoesboom]

30mm TUBES make a ton of difference.

Only in the amount of adjustment, not in the quality of image or light transmission.

Personally, I say go with a Leupold. Nikon has nice scopes too, but there customer service sucks, same with Burris. The Bushnell Elites are nice, got to use one on a hunt once, but I really didn't mesh with it.

For the $$ you are talking about, a Leupold is probably the best bets.

I.G.B.

 

[nwilliams]

Nikon has nice scopes too, but there customer service sucks

That's shocking to hear actually, I've been using Nikon products for years and years as a potographer and they've always gone above and beyond to correct any problems I've had with their products. Granted I've never dealt with them regarding scopes, only photographic equipment. Although IMO every company has its share of rotten apples sitting in its customer care department, I've just been lucky so far. In any case sorry to hear you've had bad experiences, thats a shame

 

[itgoesboom]

Nwilliams,

Photography is exactly where my personal experience with Nikon has come from, and I have heard many more horror stories from those who have had to use Nikon's service for their rifle scopes.

Here is an example of my experience with Nikon's service.

Paid $4,000 for a digital body. Had to send it into repair within the first year for a defect, took nearly a month to get it returned to me. Within a few more months, the camera crapped out again. Sent it in, with a check for $700 (now out of warranty), and it took another month to get back to me. Came back broken, same issue. Sent it back in again. Took another month.

Guess what?

Yup, came back to me broken again. Sent it in a third time after testing it, and this time they sent me a new camera as a replacement. Ofcourse, it wasn't actually new, it was refurbished. :banghead:

Oh, and some of the parts on that one were installed upside down. And it started to have issues within a few months.

Any company can make mistakes, Leupold screwed up when I sent a lens in for some custom work. Difference is that Leupold took care of everything, including shipping, and fixed the issue in a week.

Nikon took multiple months to fix my gear, and then replaced it with another piece of screwed up gear.

I.G.B.

 

[Bullet]

You might look here -

http://www.riflescopes.com/departments/16/rifle_scopes.htm

 

[Ndenway]

on my favorite 308s I've got nikon monarch 4x, a 6x springfield armory G'vnt model and a redfield 3x9x40, all are pretty good hunting and paper punching glass for less than 3 bills each,


I also got a couple of bushnell 4x, they've held their zero through several thousands of rounds of 308, but the clairity isn't anywhere as good as the above three brands, of course they cost about a 1/8 of what the good ones do.

 

[Davo]

bushnell elite, nikon buckmasters, or if going tactical check the super snipers.