the hunt....for a scope

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littlelefty

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Hello,
On this year's deer hunt I nearly got in trouble when my hand-me-down Simmons Whitetail Classic 3x9x40 fogged badly one cool (cold) morning. It cleared up within an hour and I finished the hunt by shooting an 8 point that evening. Nonetheless, that is the last of that scope.

I plan to handle as many possible replacements before purchasing, but since this here interweb is so fun, and I can get lots of subjective input from bunches of like minded and nice folks like you, I thought I'd ask for some input...

My rifle is a Rem. 788 (LH of course) chambered in .308. Rifle use is a little range time and a little deer hunting east of the Mississippi River. Budget - I'd like to stay at 300ish or less.

I like simple, and have looked hard at 4x options; namely Weaver K4 and Leupold FX-II 4x33. I also appreciate the variability (pun intended) that comes with a variable power scope. Here I am looking at 2-7ish types; Bushnell Elite, Leupold VX-1 or 2, Burris FF, etc. Continuing on the simple theme though, I am not real crazy about the reticle in the Burris FF E1 line. Maybe if I look thru one I will change my mind, but it looks busy to me.

So, fire away, please. Thoughts, advice, ideas, more questions are all welcome.

And thanks!
 
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No reason not to buy a variable. Newer, quality scopes are as tough as a fixed power. A 2-7X32 or 3-9X40 is all you need. Priced at around $200 the Burris FF-II is my pick in this category. I don't like the Burris E-1 reticle either. The older FF-II is about perfect.

http://swfa.com/Burris-Fullfield-II-Rifle-Scopes-C56.aspx

Don't let someone talk you into a 50mm scope. Waste of money

Other good $200 scopes are the Redfield Revolution and Leupold VX-1.

Moving up to $300 will get you all the scope you will ever need. You can spend more, but a $300 VX-2 is about as good as it gets in a hunting scope.

http://swfa.com/Leupold-VX-2-Riflescopes-C4132.aspx

I haven't even looked through one yet, but the new Zeiss Terra looks promising at $350-$400. They might be enough better to pay a bit more. I know the older Zeiss Conquest 3-9X40 that have recently been discontinued sold in the same price range and were excellent scopes. These are supposed to be their replacement.

http://swfa.com/Zeiss-Terra-Rifle-Scopes-C4918.aspx

My personal pick is the VX-2. But there are several $200 scopes I could be perfectly happy with including the Burris.
 
I"m not an expert, but I'll take a stab at getting the ball rolling: in the 2-7x category, if you are looking at vx1's, you might as well be looking at the redfield revolution. basically the same scope for less $$. and if you are looking at the redfield, you might also take a look at the weaver classic 2-7 and the vortex diamonback 2-7. Leupold, redfield, and weaver make some of the sleekest scopes with small rear ocular bells. I like sleek. :) I have not been impressed with burris lately. I recently bought their FFII 2-7x35 scope and do not think it compares optically to my sightron s1, my older buris timberline, my weaver classic V, or my mueller. Not as good as the vortex diamondback either. And I don't like that they stopped including lens covers......cheapskates.
You can certainly get nicer scopes (bushnell 3200 springs to mind) but I don't know a whole lot about them. I had higher power vortex viper and weaver grand slam scopes that are better than the sub $200 stuff, but not enough for me personally to pony up the money. The cost benefit was not there for me. Other folks will certainly disagree. Few things are as divisive as scope recommendations on these boards.
 
The new Leupold VX-2 3-9X40mm is the nicest $299 scope that I've ever seen! It's as good or better than the older Vari-X III's or VX-III.
 
This past spring I bought a Vortex Diamondback 3.4-10x50. I should have probably just went with the 3-9x40 but I like the scope. It is clear & bright & IIRC it has a lifetime warranty.
 
thanks for the input so far!
yeh, no 50 mm objective for me.
M8 - good idea; I hadn't thought of that one.
I too like the looks of the Burris FF reticle (the non E1) and since I don't use flip up caps I also don't think I'd mind the eyepiece turning.

Anybody with Bushnell Elite experience? I read good things about their Rainguard coating.
Other brands? Nikon, Weaver

Any brands that you think I should stay away from due to lesser performance in lower light (like dawn and dusk)?
 
I just went through this for a new rifle. After looking through dozens of scopes I finally chose one that I was not even originally considering. I went with the Zeiss Terra 3-9x because of a great deal. I had it narrowed down to the VX2, VX3, and Viper HS.

The Zeiss (to my eyes) has better glass: brighter and more crisp. My only complaint are the turrets as they are not numbered. They do have a zero reset but that seems a little pointless. Mechanically, the Leupold and Vortex models are better.

Look through as many scopes as you can in different light conditions. Some stores let you try them outside.
 
Fixed power scopes are great if you hunt in a known distance regularly. You can usually get better glass/features for the money with fixed power.
 
I have a Redfield, Vortex, and Nikon scope all of them are in the same price range of each other and are 3-9x40. Hands down the Redfield is the better of the 3 in lowlight conditions. At 5:56 am a few weeks ago I shot a doe @ 60 yards and could see her crystal clear. The other 2 scopes were not as clear when I have been presented with the same situation. All of them have been adequate in all other areas. Just my .02
 
+1 for the Redfield. Shot a deer at first light this year. Scope was very clear in that low light situation and has held zero perfectly through a lot of hunting and range time. I have a Nikon on another rifle and would say the Redfield is as good or better for a little less money ($200ish).
 
Try looking through one with an illuminated reticle - the last one I bought is a Leupold VX-R, but I'm sure there are others.

For aging eyes, and/or in anything less than optimal light conditions, that red dot at the crosshairs really helps.
 
I just got 2 weaver grand slams, 4.5-14x40 with adjustable objective. They were on sale on midway. Replaced a vortex viper 3-9x40 on my AR and a leupold rifleman 4-12x40 on my model 700. The weaver is just as clear and crisp as both scopes. The eye relief is a little close than the leupold but for the price I paid in very happy with them. I did a lot of looking and the weavers always got brought into the conversations.
 
I recently went through a similar exercise. I wanted a slim, lightweight (10 oz) scope for less than $300.

I first tried the Weaver Classic 2.5-7x. Really nice scope for the money. About $180. The problem was it didn't have enough eye relief.

I ended up with a Leupold VX-1 2-7x for about $210. More eye relief and just as clear. I probably should have gone with the Redfield which would have saved me $30.
 
A long, long time ago I had a scope fog up on me, and another fellow we were hunting with dropped his rifle causing the reticle / cross hair to break. We were on an Alaska Caribou hunt and a very long way from civilization.

The other fellow borrowed a rifle from one of the others and I was able to dry my scope out. However, an old fellow on that trip said,

"If you need a scope, get a Leupold," and he proceeded to tell me why. I took that to heart and haven't looked back. I've tried other scopes and the only ones I like as much or better are an old U.S. made Burris and a Zeiss.

All my "serious" hunting rifles wear Leupold scopes, save two. I've bought them new and used. In 30 years, I've sent two Leupold scopes back for service. Once it was a defective scope and Leupold fixed it for free and got it back to me fast. The other time the scope was fine and it turned out there was a problem with the rifle. However, as it was a 20+ year old scope, Leupold checked it all out, replaced seals and recharged it - all at no cost.

On top of that, they hold their zero, are well-built, don't fog, and are made here by a 5th generation, family-owned company.

I've got a couple old Vari-X IIs, a couple rimfires, a 4X handgun scope, and the rest are VX IIIs - two target scopes and a couple others. As far as hunting scopes go, you want something rugged that holds its zero. Reliable and uniform adjustment, good glass, and all the rest falls into line. Customer service is icing on the cake. The question of what scope to get for a hunting rifle is an easy one.
 
Take a look at Vortex. I have been a die hard Leupold customer for decades, but after checking out Vortex, I think they have a great piece of glass. My Son's bought three scopes, a couple pairs of their binoculars, and a spotting scope this year, and the quality is definitely there. Vortex is significantly less expensive than Leupold to, their warranty policy is pretty much a no questions asked approach as well.

GS
 
wow! more and more really great input. Thanks!

I had not considered Redfield or Vortex but did some reading on them after a couple of posts here - definitely worth putting on the list. I do like that sleek, simple look on Redfield and Leupold.

Now I'm gonna have to go put my hands on (and eyes into) all of these options...

gbw - what is this "aging eyes" thing of which you speak??? Mine are 50 years young.
 
The Bushnell Elite is probably a pretty nice scope, and I don't think anybody mentioned the Nikon Monarch 2-8X32.
 
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