Need scope recommendations
- Thread starter Trainer
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how much can you spend?
my scope shopping always starts w/ leupold. if i can spend a lot, i look at the vari-x3's, if not, vx-2's. never bought a vx-1, but hear much good about them, too.
sightron is also worthy of a glance. cabela's alaskan guide scopes aren't too bad, either.
for power settings, the typical 3-9x (2.5-8, 3.5-10, even 4-12) scopes will work fine. a fixed-6 or a fixed-4 would also serve you well.
with a defined budget, and what other accessories you need (rings, bases, sling, scope cover), may be able to help more...
my scope shopping always starts w/ leupold. if i can spend a lot, i look at the vari-x3's, if not, vx-2's. never bought a vx-1, but hear much good about them, too.
sightron is also worthy of a glance. cabela's alaskan guide scopes aren't too bad, either.
for power settings, the typical 3-9x (2.5-8, 3.5-10, even 4-12) scopes will work fine. a fixed-6 or a fixed-4 would also serve you well.
with a defined budget, and what other accessories you need (rings, bases, sling, scope cover), may be able to help more...
redneck2
Member
Lots of recommendations...
on the old site...http://www.thefiringline.com. Do a search and you should come up with dozens of threads
Strong recommendation from someone that's hunted a long time and had some bad experiences...
don't go cheap (as in Tasco, Simmons, Swift, etc). Get something thats waterproof/fogproof. Worthless for hunting if it's not.
I'd look at Burris (very good) or Weaver. Leupold are excellent but usually more money, though the idea of a VX-II is something to look into. Get Butler Creek flip caps front and rear (factory ones are less than worthless). Check with your local gun store. They may have a good used scope that the'd take off a rifle in stock. Good scopes have lifetime warranty.
Something in 2x7 to 3x9 range should be fine.
on the old site...http://www.thefiringline.com. Do a search and you should come up with dozens of threads
Strong recommendation from someone that's hunted a long time and had some bad experiences...
don't go cheap (as in Tasco, Simmons, Swift, etc). Get something thats waterproof/fogproof. Worthless for hunting if it's not.
I'd look at Burris (very good) or Weaver. Leupold are excellent but usually more money, though the idea of a VX-II is something to look into. Get Butler Creek flip caps front and rear (factory ones are less than worthless). Check with your local gun store. They may have a good used scope that the'd take off a rifle in stock. Good scopes have lifetime warranty.
Something in 2x7 to 3x9 range should be fine.
cheygriz
member
In my opinion, based on personal experience, the very best low priced scopes available are Leupold and Nikon. Personally, I would avoid anything "cheaper" than those two.
You get what you pay for. When I was a teenager, more years back than I care to remember, a wise man gave me some good advice. I would have saved myself a lot of money and grief if I had followed it.
He said: "If I had $150 to spend on a deer rifle, I would buy a $50 rifle and put a $100 scope on it. I would not buy a $100 rifle, and then waste $50 on a junk scope."
You get what you pay for. When I was a teenager, more years back than I care to remember, a wise man gave me some good advice. I would have saved myself a lot of money and grief if I had followed it.
He said: "If I had $150 to spend on a deer rifle, I would buy a $50 rifle and put a $100 scope on it. I would not buy a $100 rifle, and then waste $50 on a junk scope."
Amish_Bill
Member
I seem to recall a blurb recently that some of the Leupold scopes are in the $200-$300 range.
Don't waste your money with any of the $50 "specials"... The $75 specials... still not that great. Pay a fair amount once and be satisfied. Don't go cheap, curse the gun for being "inaccurate" and STILL have to buy a better scope.
Don't waste your money with any of the $50 "specials"... The $75 specials... still not that great. Pay a fair amount once and be satisfied. Don't go cheap, curse the gun for being "inaccurate" and STILL have to buy a better scope.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
As far as "need" with an '06 and generally inside of 300 yards, a good used Weaver K4 will serve as well as most anything, regardless of price. I've used several, with various rifles and cartridges. I've used Weaver bases and rings since 1950 with no trouble of any sort.
That said, any variety of Leupold 3x9x40 will work well. And in the FWIW department, one of my longer one-shot kills was at 350 yards--with the scope set at 3X.
The weak point for many of the cheaper scopes is repeatability of adjustments. This is of no importance to a hunter, who normally just does the "set it and forget it" thing upon sighting in.
For Texas whitetail hunting a 150-grain bullet is plenty. Sight in for two inches high at 100 yards; this is dead on at 200 and about six inches low at 300..."Point it and pull; the freezer ain't half full."
Art
That said, any variety of Leupold 3x9x40 will work well. And in the FWIW department, one of my longer one-shot kills was at 350 yards--with the scope set at 3X.
The weak point for many of the cheaper scopes is repeatability of adjustments. This is of no importance to a hunter, who normally just does the "set it and forget it" thing upon sighting in.
For Texas whitetail hunting a 150-grain bullet is plenty. Sight in for two inches high at 100 yards; this is dead on at 200 and about six inches low at 300..."Point it and pull; the freezer ain't half full."
Art
redneck2
Member
I'd second that...
a good fixed power would be better IMO than a cheap variable
one problem no one mentioned is that cheap scopes "wander" when the power is changed. Point of impact (if it actually repeats) may vary depending on the power setting
One real good way to tell a quality variable is to see how hard it is to change the settings. It should turn very hard. If it turns easy, it means there is a lot of slop which lets in moisture and lets the zero wander.
a good fixed power would be better IMO than a cheap variable
one problem no one mentioned is that cheap scopes "wander" when the power is changed. Point of impact (if it actually repeats) may vary depending on the power setting
One real good way to tell a quality variable is to see how hard it is to change the settings. It should turn very hard. If it turns easy, it means there is a lot of slop which lets in moisture and lets the zero wander.
Every scope I've had fail was a Weaver or a Redfield. (3 scopes in 20+ years)
I've never had a Tasco, Burris or Leupold fail. I'm not "nice" to my scopes, I take them out and use them in all manner of weather.
Burris and Leupold can be expensive, Tasco went out of business and was bought out by Bushnell.. anyway they are back but the product line isn't the same. (the EXP line was dropped)
Midway was running specials on Leupold Vari-X scopes for a while, check it out.
http://www.midwayusa.com/
I've never had a Tasco, Burris or Leupold fail. I'm not "nice" to my scopes, I take them out and use them in all manner of weather.
Burris and Leupold can be expensive, Tasco went out of business and was bought out by Bushnell.. anyway they are back but the product line isn't the same. (the EXP line was dropped)
Midway was running specials on Leupold Vari-X scopes for a while, check it out.
http://www.midwayusa.com/
nico
Member
That's correct. The 3-9X40 VX-II I got for christmas is listed as $280 on outdoorworld's website. iirc, a 3-9X40 VX-I is about $180. Personally, I don't think I'd buy anything other than a Leupold, Nikon, or Burris because of the quality and warranty that they have.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
Wally World lists Leupold scopes in their catalog in the sporting goods section of my local store. The price for the "simple" 3x9x40 is about $180 plus tax. Per Leupold, that scope's lens coatings are as good as the higher-priced versions. It just has no "clicks" in its adjustments, and the markings are coarser: 1/2" vs. 1/4", which is no big deal at all.
A trick for judging any variable: Fire one shot at lowest power, and then the next shot at the highest power. If the scope is good, your two-shot group will be the same as if you'd used just one power setting.
Art
A trick for judging any variable: Fire one shot at lowest power, and then the next shot at the highest power. If the scope is good, your two-shot group will be the same as if you'd used just one power setting.
Art
nico
Member
actually Art, according to Leupold's website, the Rifleman and VXI (which seem to essentially be the same thing) have slightly lower quality lens coatings than the VX-II and VX-III
Amish_Bill
Member
Probably the lowest I could recommend to a friend would be a 3-9 vari-XII.
Quality + Lifetime Warranty = a great product.
Quality + Lifetime Warranty = a great product.
benEzra
Moderator Emeritus
Definitely. If you're on a budget, go with a fixed-power scope, since all your money goes into the optics that way--a $50 4x scope will perform WAY better than a $50 3-9x (and this will be true at any price point). The mechanisms in variables must be made VERY precisely in order to maintain shot-to-shot consistency, and that doesn't come cheaply.
Amish_Bill
Member
Oops.. I stand corrected on the fixed power point.
Not knowing much about the price of these I'd guess you probably paid around $500 for her, give or take $100.
Seems like a waste to add a $50-$100 scope to this fine rifle. To me, the scope is the most important part of the package.
As long as it's a straight shooter, I'd rather spend $50-$100 on a POS rifle and mount a $500 scope on it, than have it the other way around, but I'm a hunter more than a shooter, I guess.
I have a local dealer that has a layaway program. For six months each I pay off my Swarovskis one by one. I barely even notice the econimics this way. It feels better than going in and dropping $1,200 each shot.
Perhaps you could find a similar layaway system with a dealer that stocks good, medium priced scopes as well. Let's see, $400 for a good Leupold....divided by 6 months....comes out to just $66 a month. Doesn't really seem like too big of a hit for most pocketbooks these days. I spend more than that everytime I go to the saloon.
I'd suggest saving up for good glass. It's worth it.
redneck2
Member
'Nuther thought...
again spending more money
think real hard about getting quick detach mounts. Most of my scopes are on solid mounts, but the quick detach is real nice when you're transporting, and especially when cleaning. Leupold's system holds within 1" of zero at 100 yards when removed and re-attached.
again spending more money
think real hard about getting quick detach mounts. Most of my scopes are on solid mounts, but the quick detach is real nice when you're transporting, and especially when cleaning. Leupold's system holds within 1" of zero at 100 yards when removed and re-attached.
308win
Member
Sightron scopes are a good value for the money. They are equivalent to Leupold in quality and less expensive.
Sightron Scopes
Sightron Scopes
I spend the extra bucks on good mounts and rings, don't skimp there. A one piece base is better than two.
I've never heard of 'Sightron' scopes, seems like a small company.
I've never heard of 'Sightron' scopes, seems like a small company.
sightron has been around for a little while. they make a pretty full line of optics (spotters, binos, etc).
the glass on a sightron is surprisingly good, and they do track very well. they compare to leupold rather well, but they are not leupolds. leupolds are lighter, have better eye relief, and the glass is slightly better (though the 'untrained' is unlikely to notice).
as far as more inexpensive than a leupold... no, not really. they are close enough in price (if you are talking equivalent scopes) that i usually pay the extra 10 or 20 bucks to have the leupold, and therefore a known quantity (and quality).
sightron is an excellent scope for the person who just refuses to buy leupold for no other reason than it says 'leupold' on it.
the glass on a sightron is surprisingly good, and they do track very well. they compare to leupold rather well, but they are not leupolds. leupolds are lighter, have better eye relief, and the glass is slightly better (though the 'untrained' is unlikely to notice).
as far as more inexpensive than a leupold... no, not really. they are close enough in price (if you are talking equivalent scopes) that i usually pay the extra 10 or 20 bucks to have the leupold, and therefore a known quantity (and quality).
sightron is an excellent scope for the person who just refuses to buy leupold for no other reason than it says 'leupold' on it.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
Dr. Rob, why is a one-piece base supposed to be better? Most I've seen are three-screw. A two-piece system, with four screws stressed in shear by recoil, would provide a third more strength. (I'm assuming quality machining, with parallelism--which with today's machinery should be a given.)
While I've heard some claim a stiffening effect on the receiver, I'm dubious that one 6x48 screw would help much.
Art
While I've heard some claim a stiffening effect on the receiver, I'm dubious that one 6x48 screw would help much.
Art
standingbear
Member
i have a tasco 6-24x set up on my 223 varmit rifle-its held absolute zero since day 1.i think i gave 80 bucks for it new.i have a friend that uses the same setup on his 22-250 and has had no problems.I believe it has a 40mm or bigger bell.has taken many a fox at night.my uncle has a weaver k8,its an old one,on his surplus 03.
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Most varmint hunting is usually done, around here, during daylight hours. All that's normally required is a scope that can maintain zero during transport and recoil.
Since Trainer's rifle is a .30-06, I'd amagine some of his hunting will be on large game animals. Here the most productive times are usually at dusk and dawn, when every bit of light transmission is helpfull, and good optics can add several minutes to these prime times when lesser optics can't see.
The money factor comes into the quality of the glass, it's coatings, it's resolution, and the % of light it will transmit.
redneck2
Member
Good call..
and, since you're new to rifles, make sure to keep the scope away from your eye when you shoot
took my step-son out to shoot my 870 with slugs. Told him not to "creep" the scope. He found out the hard way I was right. Only took maybe 6 months for most of the scar to go away.
and, since you're new to rifles, make sure to keep the scope away from your eye when you shoot
took my step-son out to shoot my 870 with slugs. Told him not to "creep" the scope. He found out the hard way I was right. Only took maybe 6 months for most of the scar to go away.
4Truck
Member
Posted By Redneck2
I have to disagree there, I have several Leupold scopes, some VX-IIs and some Vari-X 3s, and the Vari-X 3s have the easiest power adjustment dials of most scopes I've seen. I have yet to have any trouble with moisture or dirt getting in to any of them
I have to disagree there, I have several Leupold scopes, some VX-IIs and some Vari-X 3s, and the Vari-X 3s have the easiest power adjustment dials of most scopes I've seen. I have yet to have any trouble with moisture or dirt getting in to any of them
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