Need a good scope, suggestions?

aris_unlimited · 10-25-2009, 11:41 AM

I am looking for a scope that has power ranging from 4-12 or 4-16 power. I want something reliable, with a decent warranty/reputation and I want it to have quick adjusting turrets on it.

Any suggestions?

Oh, and it needs to be able to take a kick well. I am going to put it on a FN AR in .308 and it may see time on a .300 RUM as well.......when I get one lol.

wunhunglo · 10-25-2009, 12:28 PM

Got to ask ..........Price range.

I use a Leupold Mk4, LR/T PR, 4.5-14 x40, mil dot on my M1A. Cost me over $500 a few years ago but it is doing what it is supposed to do and I'm winning competitions with it! Some folk maintain that Leupold are over-priced.

Da Mc · 10-25-2009, 01:24 PM

As far as quality and integrity goes there are many good brands on the marketplace. I would say Luepold because of it's availability. The best way to get a scope is to go to the retailer and look through them to see if it meets your individual prefference. Then go online and see if you can get a better price. A friend bought a 5-30x50 Swarovski Z-6I or at least thats what he orderded $2500.00! Bass Pro Shop says that what they orderded. 3 weeks later the non illuminated reticle model came in, wrong one, and it had a broken band on the scope cover. My friend settled for that model cuz he didn't want to wait another 3 wks. for the right one. It's been 2 more wks. and still no cover yet. I looked through the scope to sight it in and saw no difference in the clarity or performance than my $300.00 IJK Optics scope 10-40.x50. My point is you wouldn't buy a car w/out driving it, why would you buy a scope and not look through it first to see if you like it. He didn't have that opportunity cuz Swarovski is such an expensive line that they only had a few on display. He always buys only the best and was only blindsided by price and name brand. Do your own individual homework and you will satisfy yourself. Hope this helps.

samuel · 10-25-2009, 02:04 PM

Most dealers will dicker on scopes and the type you are talking about is plentiful.Stay away from those bargain scopes under $100.They usually aren't worth that. ,,,sam.

rdale501 · 10-25-2009, 02:10 PM

I got a real good deal on a used Leupold Vari-X lll on e-bay a few years ago. I just started turning in fairly low bids and was out-bidded on several until finially one must have slipped by everyone else and I got it. It is a tacticle modle. They haven't offered the tacticle in Vari-X lll for some time. Tacticle modles are in a line of their own now, I think. Anyway the lifetime warrenty on Leupolds make the used ones as good as new. I've never had any trouble with it.

danf6975 · 10-25-2009, 05:40 PM

wefore we start mentioning models we really do need to know what your budget is.

keep in mind you get what you pay for with scopes.

Greyhawk50 · 10-25-2009, 05:53 PM

I got this from a trusted & knowledgeable source.
Nikon Pro-Staff.
Enough said.

texnmidwest · 10-25-2009, 05:58 PM

Good advice above. First thing is to decide on price range. Then go find the best scope in that range. Many brands have quality scopes as well as budget ones. One tends to get what one pays for.

If it were me, I would stick to Leupold, Burris, Nikon or Bushnell Elite scopes. But, there are a host of other quality scopes in other brands out there.

toolman · 10-25-2009, 07:59 PM

Quality optics and accessories from Leupold, Bushnell, Burris, Nikon and more!

vahillbilly · 10-26-2009, 08:49 AM

I use a Bushnell elite 3200 4-12x40AO on my 300rum. It gives a lot of eye relief and has held up well.

cremley · 10-26-2009, 01:11 PM

I will recommend a falcon. I have a 4.5-18x56 mounted on my Tikka T3 in .308. It is very clear and seems to be very well made.

The guys name is Matt and he is pretty good to work with. It took a while for my scope to come in as it was on back order but he helped me out with the rings as well. I originally bought rings from another company that were too low and he let me send them to him and he replaced them with the right sized rings:
Falcon Menace Optics

This guy is supposed to be very good as well:
RW Snyder Guns & Gunsmithing guns scopes custom fire arms

This is my rifle and a range report:
http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/opt...rt-review.html (Falcon 4.5-18x56 short review)

http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/han...-up-loads.html (Range Report using my new setup and worked up loads!)

Txhillbilly · 10-27-2009, 11:43 PM

[QUOTE=Da Mc;1028969]. A friend bought a 5-30x50 Swarovski Z-6I or at least thats what he orderded $2500.00! . I looked through the scope to sight it in and saw no difference in the clarity or performance than my $300.00 IJK Optics scope 10-40.x50.

Da Mc,I have a couple Nikon Monarch's along with Leupold VXII &VXIII scopes,and they are nowhere near the quality & clarity of my Swarovski Pro Hunter 4-16X50. The quality of glass that is in the higher end scopes just blows away the stuff that is in an average scope.

On a clear day,at short ranges you may not notice a difference.But when lighting isn't good,or at longer ranges you will see the difference and it will be a very big difference.

On a cloudy day,the Swarovski makes the Nikon/Leupold's look like a $10 Tasco when comparing the two.

Beancounter · 10-28-2009, 12:02 AM

I have a Leupold VariX III that I sent in and had the target turrets put on. For the $ it works great.

Palladin8 · 10-28-2009, 11:30 AM

I will agree 100% with Txhillbilly. The Swarovski I own is head and shoulders above my Leupolds or Burris scopes in low light or long range. Leupold is a fine scope and so is Burris. Both have lifetime warranty's and service is outstanding. You will get a little more scope for your money with Burris vs Leupold but either one are great. If you have a large retailer close by that has several different brands I would suggest looking at them all.

TX Hog Hunter · 10-29-2009, 12:24 AM

Very hard to beat a Bushnell 4200 as a quality general purpose scope. I'm also on the Opticstalk forum and you VERY rarely see anyone post a negative on the 4200 series. I have several and they have been 100%.

dls56 · 11-02-2009, 09:59 PM

I took a leap of faith today and bought a Nitrex after calling Wisconsin and talking to a representative. Reviews were limited but favorable. They have a good mail-in rebate program going on which knocks the price down also.
I also have Nikon, Leupold, and Burris brand scopes and each have a niche. So many scopes to choose from it's dizzying.

Mooseman684 · 11-02-2009, 10:30 PM

Aris...
Look into the Mueller APV 4.5-14 X40 for 115.00 Delivered to your Door !
I have the silver one and it is Excellent...Lifetime Warranty.
Mueller Scopes, THE APV 4.5X14 40MM BLACK & SILVER
Rich

toolman · 11-02-2009, 11:43 PM

FWIW, I just performed a little experiment where I replaced the Sightron SI on my rifle with a BSA Huntsman. Both scopes are 3x9x40 and the BSA actually seems a bit brighter indoors, in the field, it's a LOT different. The BSA has a bad problem with flare in early morning light unless I pull it back in the deer blind so the sun doesn't hit the objective lens.
The Sightron is clear as a bell no matter the light, but the eye-relief is quite a bit tighter and not near as forgiving as to position.
Conclusion: If you don't have sun shining on your scope, the BSA Huntsman is great. The Sightron is a great deal for the $$$.
Given the knowledge from this test, I'd choose a Sightron S II, a Nikon Monarch, or a Bushnell 3200 or 4200. (Or a US Optics/Nightforce/etc.)

10-25-2009, 11:41 AM	#1
aris_unlimited Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Payson, UT Posts: 165	Need a good scope, suggestions? I am looking for a scope that has power ranging from 4-12 or 4-16 power. I want something reliable, with a decent warranty/reputation and I want it to have quick adjusting turrets on it. Any suggestions? Oh, and it needs to be able to take a kick well. I am going to put it on a FN AR in .308 and it may see time on a .300 RUM as well.......when I get one lol. __________________ "Strength is not in numbers, it's in singular determination." Life Member NRA Life Member NAHC

10-25-2009, 12:28 PM	#2
wunhunglo Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: currently "Sunny West Africa" Posts: 4,102	Got to ask ..........Price range. I use a Leupold Mk4, LR/T PR, 4.5-14 x40, mil dot on my M1A. Cost me over $500 a few years ago but it is doing what it is supposed to do and I'm winning competitions with it! Some folk maintain that Leupold are over-priced. __________________ How can I 'Soar with the Eagles' when I'm working with such 'Turkeys'!

10-25-2009, 01:24 PM	#3
Da Mc Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Riverside Cal. Posts: 73	Scope As far as quality and integrity goes there are many good brands on the marketplace. I would say Luepold because of it's availability. The best way to get a scope is to go to the retailer and look through them to see if it meets your individual prefference. Then go online and see if you can get a better price. A friend bought a 5-30x50 Swarovski Z-6I or at least thats what he orderded $2500.00! Bass Pro Shop says that what they orderded. 3 weeks later the non illuminated reticle model came in, wrong one, and it had a broken band on the scope cover. My friend settled for that model cuz he didn't want to wait another 3 wks. for the right one. It's been 2 more wks. and still no cover yet. I looked through the scope to sight it in and saw no difference in the clarity or performance than my $300.00 IJK Optics scope 10-40.x50. My point is you wouldn't buy a car w/out driving it, why would you buy a scope and not look through it first to see if you like it. He didn't have that opportunity cuz Swarovski is such an expensive line that they only had a few on display. He always buys only the best and was only blindsided by price and name brand. Do your own individual homework and you will satisfy yourself. Hope this helps.

10-25-2009, 05:53 PM	#7
Greyhawk50 Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Ohio Posts: 70	I got this from a trusted & knowledgeable source. Nikon Pro-Staff. Enough said. __________________ Pick Your Battles Wisely GREY

10-25-2009, 05:58 PM	#8
texnmidwest Some People's kids.... Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: South east Wisconsin Posts: 6,978	Good advice above. First thing is to decide on price range. Then go find the best scope in that range. Many brands have quality scopes as well as budget ones. One tends to get what one pays for. If it were me, I would stick to Leupold, Burris, Nikon or Bushnell Elite scopes. But, there are a host of other quality scopes in other brands out there. __________________ never pass up a bathroom, never waste a ** , and never trust a fart.

10-25-2009, 02:04 PM	#4
samuel Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 10,916	Most dealers will dicker on scopes and the type you are talking about is plentiful.Stay away from those bargain scopes under $100.They usually aren't worth that. ,,,sam.

10-25-2009, 02:10 PM	#5
rdale501 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: oregon Posts: 532	I got a real good deal on a used Leupold Vari-X lll on e-bay a few years ago. I just started turning in fairly low bids and was out-bidded on several until finially one must have slipped by everyone else and I got it. It is a tacticle modle. They haven't offered the tacticle in Vari-X lll for some time. Tacticle modles are in a line of their own now, I think. Anyway the lifetime warrenty on Leupolds make the used ones as good as new. I've never had any trouble with it.

10-25-2009, 05:40 PM	#6
danf6975 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 257	wefore we start mentioning models we really do need to know what your budget is. keep in mind you get what you pay for with scopes.

10-25-2009, 07:59 PM	#9
toolman Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: abilene,tx Posts: 7,135 Blog Entries: 25	Quality optics and accessories from Leupold, Bushnell, Burris, Nikon and more! __________________ cosmoline is an aphrodisiac!

10-26-2009, 08:49 AM	#10
vahillbilly Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 2	I use a Bushnell elite 3200 4-12x40AO on my 300rum. It gives a lot of eye relief and has held up well.

10-26-2009, 01:11 PM	#11
cremley Young Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Southern New Mexico Posts: 2,655	I will recommend a falcon. I have a 4.5-18x56 mounted on my Tikka T3 in .308. It is very clear and seems to be very well made. The guys name is Matt and he is pretty good to work with. It took a while for my scope to come in as it was on back order but he helped me out with the rings as well. I originally bought rings from another company that were too low and he let me send them to him and he replaced them with the right sized rings: Falcon Menace Optics This guy is supposed to be very good as well: RW Snyder Guns & Gunsmithing guns scopes custom fire arms This is my rifle and a range report: http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/opt...rt-review.html (Falcon 4.5-18x56 short review) http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/han...-up-loads.html (Range Report using my new setup and worked up loads!) __________________ I wouldn't be so paranoid if everyone wasn't out to get me. NRA MEMBER

10-27-2009, 11:43 PM	#12
Txhillbilly Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: North Texas Posts: 314	[QUOTE=Da Mc;1028969]. A friend bought a 5-30x50 Swarovski Z-6I or at least thats what he orderded $2500.00! . I looked through the scope to sight it in and saw no difference in the clarity or performance than my $300.00 IJK Optics scope 10-40.x50. Da Mc,I have a couple Nikon Monarch's along with Leupold VXII &VXIII scopes,and they are nowhere near the quality & clarity of my Swarovski Pro Hunter 4-16X50. The quality of glass that is in the higher end scopes just blows away the stuff that is in an average scope. On a clear day,at short ranges you may not notice a difference.But when lighting isn't good,or at longer ranges you will see the difference and it will be a very big difference. On a cloudy day,the Swarovski makes the Nikon/Leupold's look like a $10 Tasco when comparing the two.

10-28-2009, 12:02 AM	#13
Beancounter Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 14	I have a Leupold VariX III that I sent in and had the target turrets put on. For the $ it works great.

10-28-2009, 11:30 AM	#14
Palladin8 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 2,451	I will agree 100% with Txhillbilly. The Swarovski I own is head and shoulders above my Leupolds or Burris scopes in low light or long range. Leupold is a fine scope and so is Burris. Both have lifetime warranty's and service is outstanding. You will get a little more scope for your money with Burris vs Leupold but either one are great. If you have a large retailer close by that has several different brands I would suggest looking at them all.

10-29-2009, 12:24 AM	#15
TX Hog Hunter Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: NE TX and NW AR Posts: 92	Very hard to beat a Bushnell 4200 as a quality general purpose scope. I'm also on the Opticstalk forum and you VERY rarely see anyone post a negative on the 4200 series. I have several and they have been 100%. __________________ Bill Wilson aka TX Hog Hunter wilsoncombat.com idpa.com circlewcranch.com

11-02-2009, 09:59 PM	#16
dls56 Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: VA Posts: 39	I took a leap of faith today and bought a Nitrex after calling Wisconsin and talking to a representative. Reviews were limited but favorable. They have a good mail-in rebate program going on which knocks the price down also. I also have Nikon, Leupold, and Burris brand scopes and each have a niche. So many scopes to choose from it's dizzying.

11-02-2009, 10:30 PM	#17
Mooseman684 Super Moderator Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Alaska Wilderness. Unit 13 Posts: 11,318 Images: 2	Aris... Look into the Mueller APV 4.5-14 X40 for 115.00 Delivered to your Door ! I have the silver one and it is Excellent...Lifetime Warranty. Mueller Scopes, THE APV 4.5X14 40MM BLACK & SILVER Rich __________________ You know you might be facing your doom,when all you get is a click when you're expecting a BOOM!

11-02-2009, 11:43 PM	#18
toolman Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: abilene,tx Posts: 7,135 Blog Entries: 25	FWIW, I just performed a little experiment where I replaced the Sightron SI on my rifle with a BSA Huntsman. Both scopes are 3x9x40 and the BSA actually seems a bit brighter indoors, in the field, it's a LOT different. The BSA has a bad problem with flare in early morning light unless I pull it back in the deer blind so the sun doesn't hit the objective lens. The Sightron is clear as a bell no matter the light, but the eye-relief is quite a bit tighter and not near as forgiving as to position. Conclusion: If you don't have sun shining on your scope, the BSA Huntsman is great. The Sightron is a great deal for the $$$. Given the knowledge from this test, I'd choose a Sightron S II, a Nikon Monarch, or a Bushnell 3200 or 4200. (Or a US Optics/Nightforce/etc.) __________________ cosmoline is an aphrodisiac!