Two choices, which scope?

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possom813

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I have in my possession two scopes, both are in good working condition and have been on several different rifles.

I just picked up another .30-06

Which scope would you rather put on it, if it were your rifle.

Simmons 3-10x44

or

Pentax Gameseeker 4-12x40


Or get rid of both and pick up a Burris, Nikon, or Leupold.
 
That comes in to a finance thing, as in, I lack the finances for that deal.

I could sell both, in theory, for around 100-125, depending on the day, then either pick up a Burris Fullfield 3-9x40, or kick in another 25 bucks and get a Nikon 3-9x40 Prostaff, or kick another 50 bucks with it and pick up a Leupold Vari X I 3-9x40
 
After using both Leupold Rifleman and VX-I scopes and Nikon Pro-Staffs....I would not spend $50+ more on a Leupold over the Nikon. Heck, I might even choose the Nikon over the Leupold if they were the same price.

If I were in your position, Possom, I would sell both and pick up a Nikon Pro-Staff. That is, unless you have another rifle that needs to be scoped as well.
 
I'm still debating, I enjoy the old Vari X scopes, I've had my hands on a few of them, and I've found them used for 125-150.

I have Nikon on just about every rifle that I have, except for the NV stuff and have an old Leupold 4x pistol scope on an old Mosin.

I've heard a lot of good things about the Burris, but at the same time and price as the Nikon, it's looking like Nikon will end up on this .30-06 as well.
 
For my 2 cents, burris. If you want to spend more Leopold our vortex, one dealing with Nikon after a pro-staff failed in the middle of a hunt has left a bad taste in my mouth with them, plus my buddy's Burris(similar price for what I payed for the Nikon) beat it hands down on clarity. Good luck (I only buy Nikon for camera stuff and wanted to like their Scopes but.......having to prove to their customer service that the scope wouldn't hold zero, let alone the fact that it fogs up, and now I can't see out of it. Kelly can't focus on anything.....) Got to call them back. Good luck, maybe their Scopes have improved in the last 4 years.
 
Which model Simmons and where is it made? It's what I'd go with if it's made in Japan. They are great scopes. If it's not, it's probably a wash between the two.

If you get something else, I'd go with the Burris FFII over the Prostaff imo. It's a better choice. Heck, I like mine better than my Monarchs I have and the Leupold VX-II's I've had in the past. IMO the Burris FFII or the Vortex Vipers are the best two options under $400, and once you step up to $400 the Zeiss Conquest is a great option.
 
I have owned Simmons scopes and had some with problems. Never had an issue with a Leupold. If I did, their lifetime warranty would cover it, though.
 
If on a budget buy a $200 Leupold VX-1. You can spend the same money on Nikon, Burris, or several other good scopes, but the Leupold offers enough advantages that it is the better scope at the same price.

If you want the best scope for the money the $300 VX-2 is the way to go.

If you want the best glass for the money buy a $400 Zeiss Conquest.

You could spend more, and get a better scope, but you'e have to spend $1,000 to get anything significantly better than a $300 VX-2. Anything less than something in the $200 range and you are just throwing your money away.
 
I've been looking at the Zeiss online. I may be able to swing that in the near future, but I can't right now.

I really want to get this rifle up and running in the next couple of weeks(white tail rifle opening weekend in two weeks), but have a few other choices if I don't have this one finished by then.

I still have to figure out if this rifle is center feed or stagger feed, and what the difference is so I can get the new stock ordered pretty quick.
 
If you have two different optics you've been happy with you might just stick with it. Or try one and then the other on the rifle and see which one is a better fit for you on that particular rifle. We've all got our preferences. If it were my rifle, and I wanted a new scope, I might put a Leupold FX-3 with a fixed 6x on it. Might not be your first choice though.
 
Put whichever one you prefer on the rifle, quit worrying about it, and start saving for a better scope, not that those cannot do the job. :)
 
If you are punching paper during normal daylight use the pentax. Spending money to get negligible daylight gains doesnt make sense. If it is a hunting gun and you want to eke out a few moments of extra shooting check out Vortex Crossfire II scopes, I have ran them side by side with Nikon Prostaff and Leupold VX II and they are in the same class but much cheaper.
 
I know you're in south Texas but do you really need that much glass? IMHO, unless it's a varmint rig, 3-9x's and 4-12x's are way too much scope for most hunting purposes.

Simmons and Tascos are cheap scopes, no matter where they're made. I've had several give up the ghost and most were made in Japan.
 
If on a budget buy a $200 Leupold VX-1. You can spend the same money on Nikon, Burris, or several other good scopes, but the Leupold offers enough advantages that it is the better scope at the same price.
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What exactly makes the Leupold better? It's basically the same as the older VX-II. The Burris has better glass, better turrets, a track record for being just as durable, and a great customer service as well. All for a cheaper price. I fail to see what makes the VX-1 a better scope. It's not a bad scope by any means and I'd certainly take one over a Bushnell or similar cheapo, but it's certainly not a great buy in its price range as both Burris and Vortex offer much better scopes for less money, and Nikon seems to over a very comparable scope for less money.

If you want the best glass for the money buy a $400 Zeiss Conquest.
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I don't know that I would say this is the best for the money because it depends on what you will be doing with the scope, but I can agree that it is one of the best for the money. Certainly an excellent choice.

You could spend more, and get a better scope, but you'e have to spend $1,000 to get anything significantly better than a $300 VX-2.
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I disagree with this completely. It really depends on what you are doing. For a general hunting scope the VX-2 is a decent option, but the Zeiss Conquest is better for not much more as are some of the Minox offerings. If you are shooting long range, and need tactical style turrets the VX-2 is not at all what you want. The SWFA Options, Vortex Viper PST scopes, etc are much better and while they can reach $1000, you can get some cheaper ones as well.
 
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I'm actually in North Texas, and I don't need that much glass, but a 3-9x40 is pretty standard.

The two scopes I have here, the Simmons and Pentax, were picked up on other rifles and taken off when I traded the rifles, or upgraded the scopes.

The .30-06 I just picked up doesn't have a scope on it, nor does it have open sights.


I'm still, more-than-likely going to put a Nikon on this rifle as well, but I may try out a Burris.

For now though, the Pentax has made it's way to the mounts and will get zero'd this weekend.
 
Can't believe this wasn't asked earlier / more but what is the purpose of the rifle? Sounds like its moot at this point though beyond conversation. Hope the Pentax serves you well always liked their cameras.
 
The Prostaff is the cheapest scope I'd put on a serious use rifle. All of my hunting rifles wear Leupold VX-II or III, Nikon Monarch or Weaver V-series, except my 8mm mag, which has an older US-made Redfield 2-7x that came on the rifle.

The scope can make or break the hunt. With all the other costs of a hunting trip, an extra couple hundred for quality glass is a no-brianer.
 
The rifle will be a for a new property that belongs to a friend. He cleared out a pasture for varmint hunting, and then deer and hogs started showing up on a fairly consistent basis.

I've got several rifles that are accurate out to 300+. I just wanted a .30-06 because I don't have one, and every growing boy needs one. We're shooting out to 500 yards on this pasture and there is a natural 'berm' about 60 yards on the other side of the fence that we're shooting downhill towards.

All of my other larger caliber rifles are zeroed at 200 yards, I figure I'd zero this one at 400 and see how it works.

And I wanted a Savage just in case I ever decide to do a full custom build on it(not likely, but the option is there)

There really is no cost for my hunting trips, we own several hundred acres, and have access to several thousand. All within about 20 minutes of the house.
 
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