scope for xs7 .308

what scope for deer on an xs7 in .308

  • Redfield Revolution Riflescope - Accu-Range - $145

    Votes: 7 30.4%
  • Burris Fullfield II Rifle Scope, Ballistic Plex LRS - $175

    Votes: 2 8.7%
  • Vortex Diamondback Riflescopes, BDC Reticle - $190

    Votes: 1 4.3%
  • Bushnell Elite 4200 Riflescopes - Multi-X - $200

    Votes: 13 56.5%

  • Total voters
    23
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.

rj2

Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2010
Messages
8
going on an xs7 in .308 going to be used for mostly deer probably 200yds & less - maybe target shooting to 300, dont really see myself going farther. all scopes in 3-9x40. Obviously the 4200 will be better but is it worth the $ over the others? what one do you guys think is the best buy?

Redfield Revolution 3-9x40mm Riflescope - Matte Finish, Accu-Range - $145
Burris 3-9x40mm Fullfield II Rifle Scope, Matte Black, Ballistic Plex LRS - $175
Vortex Diamondback 3-9x40 Matte Riflescopes, BDC Reticle - $190
Bushnell Elite 4200 Riflescopes 3-9X40 Matte Multi-X - $200
 
Have you looked through all these? I'd go with the best glass your budget will allow. Makes a difference for hunting in low light and for target shooting. Hunting at the extremes of the day is generally a very productive time.
 
None of the above. Nikon Prostaff BDC I have two of them, really good glass, never had to reset my zero and the price is right to say the least.
 
I too say none of the above. I would opt for a Leupold or Nikon scope within your budget.
 
thanks guys, most places i have looked have the revolution above the prostaff and it doesnt cost any more so that is why i left the nikon off the list.

it seems like the elite is the 'best deal' so i feel like between that and the diamondback (only read great things) the elite is still the way to go.

the burris is just in the middle and i have probably done the least research on this model.

i have just been wondering if the elite is worth the extra cash over the revolution basically. if i get the revolution i can get rings/sling/bipod/caps/ammo/etc. for the price if the elite. obviously the elite is the better scope but with my practical use will there be any advantages?
 
I hope this isn't off-topic. If so, let me know and I'll delete. Also, I'm a complete noob with scopes. This is just research on my part.

While I would definitely buy better scopes if I had more cash at my disposal I researched this and bought cheap Centerpoint Adventure Class. Nearly all I've read from folks who actually own and use them regularly on anything up to .30-06 claim decent optical performance, excellent mechanical performance, and durability seems fine. I paid $60 each delivered for the 2-7x32 and $70 each delivered for the 4-16x40.
 
those bushnell elites are really great. Glass, adjustment tracking, even my 3200 is awesome. I'm surprised no nikon is on your list
 
I voted for the Burris Fullfield II. Honestly though, I think the Bushnell Elite 4200 is better in terms of glass quality, but nothing else and it's not a very big glass quality difference. The adjustments on it are the same ones as on the 3200 series, which are something I'd expect on a $30 scope. The ones I've used haven't tracked well at all, haven't been repeatable, and all in all are just lousy. However, if it's a scope that you will zero and not mess with again, you should be fine as once zeroed they seem to hold zero.

The next issue with the Bushnell to me is the crappy customer service they have. It seems like for every story I hear of someone having a good experience with Bushnell's customer service, I hear about 5 stories where people sent their scope in for warranty work only to have Bushnell tell them it has a bent tube, or some other fault that the owner caused, and offer to sell them a new one at a "discounted" rate. Their CS is the biggest thing that would keep me from recommending them.

That said, the Vortex Diamondback is also a great choice, or even better the Viper scopes you can get on clearance if you can live with one of the sizes on clearance. They also have great customer service to go with their great products. It to me would be very close between this and the Burris FFII as the way to go with a scope in this price range.

As for the Nikon Prostaff, I've not used any of the newest ones so I can't say to much about it. However, I've used the older ones and it seemed like a solid scope durability wise, the glass quality left a lot to be desired. While it was decent and would probably work okay for 98% of the hunting situations people would get into in legal hunting hours it was just a big step down from the Burris, especially in low light. The turrets were also lacking on these older Prostaffs. To me in the price range of the FFII and the Diamondback it wasn't a good deal, but at the $100 price range you could get them on clearance for, it was a great deal for a solid scope.

That said the newer ones have better turrets and are supposed to have better glass, I just haven't gotten to test one out yet.

I do have a couple of Monarchs, and while I like the turrets better than the Prostaff by quite a bit, and even quite a bit better than the regular turrets on the FFII, and the Monarchs do seem like a tough scope, but I really don't see much of a difference at all in glass quality between and the older Prostaffs. I think the FFII has better glass than even the Monarch, but the Monarch does seem to be a pretty decent scope.

I don't have much experience with the Redfield, but it seems to be similar glass wise to the VX-I's, which I've also had experience with several of. To me the biggest issue with the VX-I is the durability doesn't seem to be there. I've had 2 of them fail, and the 3rd one I didn't use. A friend also bought one and his also failed to hold zero right out of the box. Mine at least worked well for a bit before failing to hold zero. One of mine failed twice. Leupolds warranty is nice, but it's not something I want to keep having to use.

The next issue is the friction adjustments. They are absolutely horrible. They aren't accurate at all, and are just a pain.

I know the Redfield has click adjustments so it should fix this issue.

The next issue is the glass. While it's decent, and they certainly are worse scopes out there, it's not in the same class as many other scopes in that price range. The Burris FFII blows it out of the water especially in low light. Heck, I have compared them to 2 cheaper Simmons and in the day I couldn't tell a difference in glass quality at all, and in low light the Simmons were slightly better. The glass quality just isn't great, but I've compared them to others like Bushnell Banners, etc, and the Banners are certainly worse. I just don't see the reason to spend this much on a scope with this kind of glass, when you could get the Burris or Vortex and be getting glass quality that is a ton better. The Redfield has similar glass or so it seems, and I feel the same way about it because of that. I've also heard several reports of the Redfield changing the poi with magnification changes, but they were early on and I haven't heard of any of these reports lately so I hope that's worked out.


I've also used one of the Center Point 4-16x40's and while it tracked well which surprised me for the price, and it always held zero, the glass quality was not anything special at all. It was in no way comparable to any of the scopes on that list. At lower powers it looked decent. Not great, but certainly decent and I'd feel fine in most hunting situations with it, but on higher powers the glass deteriorated quickly. It looked just washed out. It was a decent scope for $70, but even the Leupold VX-I blew it away glass wise.

That being said, I've found very few modern day scopes that I couldn't see with at the last of the legal hunting hours. While there have been one or two, there haven't been many. Some have been better than others, but lets face it you don't really need a S&B to make it to the end of legal hunting hours. I think a lot of people get too wrapped up in trying to push the limit or see slightly after legal hours. However, I do like to get the best glass possible for the money.

All in all, I just feel like the Vortex or Burris is the best in this price range from what I've used.
 
I picked up a current production Weaver K4 4x38 that does just fine for my 7mm-08 XS7.

I prefer single power scopes; your milage will vary.
 
For a hunting 200 yard rifle and even a light paper use 300 yard rifle, I'd add another scope or two to the list. I'd first say the Vortex Viper 2x7 listed at SWFA.com It's currently marked down 40% to $149. The Viper line is Japan made and right up there with the better Japan made scopes. Vortex has an amazing warranty bested only by Leupold, maybe. Their scopes have become very popular with the tactical crowd as a durable and quality option. If I were to spend $200 or less on a hunting riflescope today, it would be on that Vortex.
 
Napamorning.jpg

I've has good luck with straight 4X compact scope for all around hunting and shooting. But I also like 2X - 7X scopes. .308 is a keeper!

I killed these two California coastal blacktailed bucks with two shots. They dropped in their tracks with plain 150 grain soft tip ammo by Remington. Double lung shot placement each time.

TR
 
The scopes you listed as your options were pretty much the same ones I had narrowed down to for scoping my big game rifle. I ultimately went with the Elite 4200, and liked it so much that I bought another one for the Cabelas $200 deal. For the price, they have very good quality optics, and where I hunt, I usually don't change my scope settings a whole lot, generally just sighting in for the MPBR I want and then focusing on trigger time. I recently bought one of the Vortex Viper 2-7s they have on sale at SWFA ($150) and took it out for the first time today. The Viper has excellent optical quality, and really solid construction. While I still think I like my 4200s a little better than the Viper, it is definitely not going anywhere. Good Luck with your purchase.
 
Last edited:
I too say none of the above. I would opt for a Leupold or Nikon scope within your budget.
The current Redfields ARE Leupolds. Owned by Leupold, made in the Leupold plant in the US, same warranty, and better features than the Leupold branded scopes in the same price point. If I went foreign made in the same price range I'd go with a Bushnell Elite or a Vortex over a Nikon. The current Burris Fullfields haven't impressed me compared to Redfield, Nikon, Bushnell Elite, and Vortex in the same price range.
 
The current Redfields ARE Leupolds. Owned by Leupold, made in the Leupold plant in the US, same warranty, and better features than the Leupold branded scopes in the same price point.

The rights to the Redfield name was purchased in 2009 by Leuopold as their budget line of scopes. They are essentially no frills VX-1's with a slightly lower price point. So, yes you are correct. I'm not 100% the warranty is the same though.
 
They are essentially no frills VX-1's with a slightly lower price point. So, yes you are correct. I'm not 100% the warranty is the same though.
I own one. The warranty is the same. They also have more frills than a VX-1, in the way of having click adjustment knobs sourced from the VX-3 line; rather than the VX-1's friction adjustments. The warranty info, the US manufacture, and the Leupold & Stevens product info are prominently displayed on the box & in the literature.
 
For a hunting 200 yard rifle and even a light paper use 300 yard rifle, I'd add another scope or two to the list. I'd first say the Vortex Viper 2x7 listed at SWFA.com It's currently marked down 40% to $149. The Viper line is Japan made and right up there with the better Japan made scopes. Vortex has an amazing warranty bested only by Leupold, maybe. Their scopes have become very popular with the tactical crowd as a durable and quality option. If I were to spend $200 or less on a hunting riflescope today, it would be on that Vortex.
Actually the Viper line is made in the Philippines and they have a much better warranty that Leupold because they will replace or repair it even if you break it because of some fault of your own. This is actually written that way as well unlike Leupolds, and they are very willing to work with you just like Leupolds.

I do agree with the rest of this statement though.
 
The current Redfields ARE Leupolds. Owned by Leupold, made in the Leupold plant in the US, same warranty, and better features than the Leupold branded scopes in the same price point. If I went foreign made in the same price range I'd go with a Bushnell Elite or a Vortex over a Nikon. The current Burris Fullfields haven't impressed me compared to Redfield, Nikon, Bushnell Elite, and Vortex in the same price range.
Correct, with transerable lifetime warranty. Made in the USA-Oregon. I picked up the 4-12x40 last week, very nice for the money.
 
Actually the Viper line is made in the Philippines and they have a much better warranty that Leupold because they will replace or repair it even if you break it because of some fault of your own. This is actually written that way as well unlike Leupolds, and they are very willing to work with you just like Leupolds.

I do agree with the rest of this statement though.

I've heard they are Japan made, Philippine made with Japan made glass, and Philippine made. I thought originally they were coming completely from Japan. Not sure where everything on them is from today. I've heard people quote both LOW (Japan) and Kenko (Philippines), both of which make very good scopes for the money. I thought originally the Crossfire line was China made, the Diamondback line was Philippine made, and the Viper line was Japan made. I bought a Diamondback (which was Philippine made) for a friend and it has been a good scope for the cash buy anymore you can almost find a Viper for the same cost.

I do believe Leupold basically repairs/replaces a scope for whatever reason, though I haven't had to deal with them personally.
 
As far as I know the Crossfire line has always been made in China, the Diamondbacks in the Philippines, the Vipers in the Philippines, and the Viper PST's in the Philippines although I've heard from numerous sources the PST's use Japanese glass even though they are made in the Philippines, but I can't confirm that, so it may not be true.

However, if I'm not mistaking, the Razors are made in Japan as well as the Viper bino's.
 
One of the advantages of the Bushnell is Rainguard. It's their proprietary coating and it does reduce external fogging. If you'll be hunting wet, I'd be going Bushnell (Oh, wait a minute - I did :)). I have other scopes like Nikon, Weaver, Taigga (Russian) and on ... The Bushnell has been an excellent field scope. BUT, for 308 I'd really like to try a BDC Nikon ...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top