$1,000 Glass vs. $1,500 vs. $800

[USMCsilver]

Lemme preface the post with this:

The most expensive scope I own is a cheap Trijicon 1-6.

2nd is a 1-10 Swampfox.

I have a slightly higher power Redfield that's 23 years old on another rifle, but I honestly have not picked the rifle up in close to a decade.

Point being, as mentioned in another post, I'm wanting to put a scope on a new rifle. Of course, prices are all over the board. I've never looked through a NF, Meopta, Swarovski, etc. I do have a few 3-9 Leopolds, and they do the job fine on .22's and my kid's .243.

However, when looking to drop some money into a scope, is there anything in particular I should be looking for? Japanese or German glass, warranty, etc...

Example:
I was looking at GovX earlier and saw this - https://www.govx.com/p/36821/golden-...x52-riflescope $1,625 seems high, as I think some NF scopes hover in that range. However, 15-60x zoom seems strong.

I've shot 500m open sights, but have no real-world experience looking through any optics at 800m to even know where to begin my search.

Who here shoots 800-1,200? What's a magnification that you'd prefer? And any favorite optics around $1,200? (Or, even better - $600?)

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

[Steelin' Ducks]

@Saltedbutter

[ShortMagFan]

In my experience glass and optics is really specific to your eyes

Personally I’ll take Zeiss glass over any other. Others will swear by Swarovski. Unfortunately it’s hard to figure out what works best for you without just trying it.

Much over about 16x is going to become real hard to use in any practical hunting setting. Personally the highest magnification I own is 12x. I shoot to 400 regularly but haven’t shot further in years

Anything above 12x also needs parallax adjustment which I find to be a pain in the ass.

My current scopes are a few Zeiss victory Diavari’s - 2.5-10x42 or 50. Love the first focal plane reticles. One Zeiss V6 2-12x50 - it’s the first illuminated reticle I’ve had and it’s pretty nice. And a couple Kahles 1” scopes

[USMCsilver]

@Saltedbutter

Good call

In my experience glass and optics is really specific to your eyes

Personally I’ll take Zeiss glass over any other. Others will swear by Swarovski. Unfortunately it’s hard to figure out what works best for you without just trying it.

Much over about 16x is going to become real hard to use in any practical hunting setting. Personally the highest magnification I own is 12x. I shoot to 400 regularly but haven’t shot further in years

Anything above 12x also needs parallax adjustment which I find to be a pain in the ass.

My current scopes are a few Zeiss victory Diavari’s - 2.5-10x42 or 50. Love the first focal plane reticles. One Zeiss V6 2-12x50 - it’s the first illuminated reticle I’ve had and it’s pretty nice. And a couple Kahles 1� scopes

Thanks for the insight.

I don't think 10x will cut it for 800 (when/if I wanna go that far).

I'll add this - I was less than impressed with the 10x on the Swampfox. I got it sight unseen (no pun intended), as it was that, or a Vortex, or Primary Arms at 8x max. Playing with it in hand, out the kitchen window, it seemed okay.

Once it was on the rifle, it just didn't seem to offer a good sight picture - it was just blurry. At 8x it was fine, but when adding the extra 2x, it just wasn't good. (Though I did get a sub 1/4" 3-shot group at 103m with cheap 110gr 300BO ammo.)

Like you said, I guess it all depends on the shooter and their eyes. My vision SUCKS (20/400ish) but is 20/15 with contacts. Shooting with glasses and a scope is nearly impossible for me.

I'd assume that any "good scope" won't have similar deficiencies as the Swampfox that I have. It may have something to do with it being a SFP vs a FFP. Hell, I dunno...

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

[Palmetto Bug]

My question is how much long range shooting do you really think you'll be doing? I assume you already have a place to shoot. Most folks have a hard time even finding an 800 yard range.

Here's the hard truth.

What's your goal? Are you planning to get completely into the long range shooting stuff, competition, reloading, regular range practice, etc. It's a sport you have to commit to and stay dedicated to if you want to get competent or competitive. Long range shooting is all about the very, very fine details. It's the very expensive fringe of rifle shooting. The guys that excel at it aren't looking for bargain scopes.

I too am intrigued by long range shooting but I don't have room in my life for a hobby that can be so consuming. I already reload, have a very nice rifles with a more than adequate scopes capable of shooting that far, am a member of a club that has an 800 yard range with regular matches, have my own shooting range but just don't have the space in my life to put into becoming a real competitor. You are looking at one of the most expensive facets of shooting sports and you're looking for an economy scope to get started. I'm saying this because I've already confronted the learning and financial curve. Everybody wants to be a sniper nowadays. Don't waste a bunch of money to find out you'll need to quit all your other hobbies to become average at it. JMHO

[duckchoppin]

Two things you spend money on: steaks and rifle scopes

[SilverFox]

I haven't looked at every brand out there but I've been really happy with the Meopta scopes I have. I've still got some Leupolds but for the money I'll buy Meopta and be happy. I bought one of their 5-30x56 FFP scopes a couple months ago for long range shooting. I like it so far but I haven't tried it at first and last light yet.

If I was just going to hunt morning and evening and was figuring on a first or last light shot, I'd just buy a Sightmark Wraith night vision for 4 or 5 hundred and have at it if my shots weren't over a couple hundred yards. I shot one of those the other day and it was extremely clear even in the daytime. It was the 4K version. It'll beat any glass scope out there at first and last light. The only issue they have is every time you increase the zoom you downgrade the image so they have their limits on a super clear picture before it gets grainy. I have a $1600 night vision and it's the same way.

[Saltydog235]

I’ve got NF, Ziess, Leica, S&B, Trijicon, Leupold and some others others. I just bought a couple of Burris Veracity PH’s to go on a couple of Sako S20’s that I acquired. For me hunting wise, the S&B Stratos and Leica Magnus are the best. Trijicon and the Leupold VX5 HD are dang good too, the NF NXS I have isn’t great in low light but top notch everywhere else. I’m interested in how the Burris performs. If it’s as good as I’ve heard, with its features, that’s a lot of optic for the money. Value wise, the Accupoint and VX5HD are difficult to beat.

[b-stick]

You need to consider what you actually wanna do with the rifle.

Hunt or shoot LR. You can do both with one scope but weight and magnification will be an issue. I’ve had a lot of top end scopes ranging from NF, Minox, Eotech, S&B, and shot several Tangeng Theta and Zcos.

If you are wanting a hunting scope, it is realllly hard to beat the Leupold vx5hd. If you are wanting a little of both, the NF NXS or SHV is a good option but you are going to sacrifice weight and optical quality. I personally think my Leupold is brighter than both of those models. Vortex just sucks. Minox and TT are at the top when it comes to any type of optic. They are also well above $1500. My favorite range in magnification is 3-15 and 5-25. My match rifles all toted 5-25 and my hunting rifles are 3-15. Very seldom do I ever shoot over 10-12 but it’s there if I needed it.

Toughness goes to NF and Minox. I beat the hell out of them at matches and they never missed a lick. I sent two S&B PMIIs back for shifting.

[ScLowCountry]

What do you want to do. Kill deer over a corn pile at the last light? Or just deer hunt? SC is about the only state where glass matters for deer hunters because we get to hunt until one hour after sunset. Thats when low low capability come into play. Or do you want shoot long range? That is also where glass matters

[Catdaddy]

I don't know much about the high end stuff, but I have two Leupold scopes and two sets of binoculars. The binocs are 50 and 30 years old. I have sent the 50 year old pair back two times. They came back like brand new, at no charge and in less than 2 weeks.



Sent from my motorola edge plus 5G UW (2022) using Tapatalk

[BachelorJack]

I'd argue this topic is a trap.

Like anything you are paying for varying degrees of smaller and smaller gains as you spend $$.

There is no real difference between driving your ford or kia or chevy across the country versus a Lexus. They can all get you there. You just get varying degrees of reliability, features, and comfort. Which you pay for.

Nightforce is reliable. But the glass quality is nothing fancy. Poor low light performance. This is your toyota

Vortex starts and stops with the razor line. I'm shocked people buy anything of theirs below the viper line. The warranty is required with the viper and vortex line. I cannot imagine the cheaper offerings are better. This is your kia.

Burris, Bushnell, Redfield, Simmons, weaver, and most other previously made in America brands are now outsourced to China or Taiwan or the Phillipines. Your scope should say made in "blank" on it. All bets are off with these. This is your Saturn. Go ahead and tell me how you "got a good one" and I will laugh because I've seen an endless sea of bad ones. Then again sometimes you will still see a Saturn on the road...

Leica, Zeiss, Meopta, Swarovski, S&B are all excellent low light scopes. They have excellent glass. Build quality varies and with it reliability. Features go from sweet to puzzling on account of the preferences of their European origin. Just like Mercedes, BMW, Audi vehicles.

ZCO is incredible. Low light. Features. Reliability. But you pay for it financially and it's heavy as all get out. Like Land cruiser mpg. But it's a really sweet ride.

Leupold. Oh leupold. It your ford chevy jeep. I won't own another. Oh, yours works great? All of mine did too until they didn't and left me in a shit spot. The warranty is less friendly than Vortex's. The repairs are less competently completed. Vortex doesn't usually mail your same broken scope back to you. Vortex just sends you a new one.

I personally run vortex, trijicon, and swarovski. If I could stomach the weight Id still have the ZCO.

[FLS]

The Golden Eagle is specifically built for F class shooting. Unless you’re playing that specific game, it is a poor choice for almost every other application.

Assuming you want a LR optic. Repeatable accurate tracking is the most important feature, everything else is a very distant second.

NF if you want durable. The ATACR line is their best glass. If you can find an NXS F1 3-15 buy it.
Khales if you want dependable European glass.
Leupold Mark 5 line has nice glass, good reticles, but durability is questionable.
Vortex the Razor line is solid, glass is really good track true and good reticles. They’re heavy. I’ve got a couple of LHT 3-15s and a 3-18 Razor Gen 2. They’ve been solid.
Bushnell DMR line is solid. LOW glass, Tracking is reliable, good reticles. I’ve shot these for years, bought more expensive scopes to replace them, but keep coming back. This ain’t your Peepaws Bushnell.
TT and ZCO top tier, but to my eyes not twice as good as what’s listed above.

[USMCsilver]

My question is how much long range shooting do you really think you'll be doing? I assume you already have a place to shoot. Most folks have a hard time even finding an 800 yard range.

What's your goal? Are you planning to get completely into the long range shooting stuff, competition, reloading, regular range practice, etc. It's a sport you have to commit to and stay dedicated to if you want to get competent or competitive.

The guys that excel at it aren't looking for bargain scopes.

Thanks for the honesty.

As far as reloading, I've got that covered. I have access to a little over 300, but thought I could drive somewhere a few times a year and stretch my abilities. I don't plan on turning into a full-time hobby, as Colt's baseball takes up most of my money/time.

I'm not looking for a "bargain" scope. (Even though I'm sure $1,500 is considered "cheap" for some people.). I was really just looking for some input as to how much these things vary at different price points. Again - I have no experience with nice scopes.

I just know that I'm looking for the best bang for the buck and wanted opinions on what they have & like and why.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

[BachelorJack]

Find a vortex razor. The amg are lighter. Mil or Leo get 40% off minimum so ask your ex military friend to help you out. On account of all your booze he drinks.

Start there. It's a good place to build from.

Decent deals on used vortex can be had on snipershide.com. The warranty makes used as good as new. Stop looking at new prices.

[USMCsilver]

You need to consider what you actually wanna do with the rifle.

Hunt or shoot LR. You can do both with one scope but weight and magnification will be an issue.


Toughness goes to NF and Minox. I beat the hell out of them at matches.. .

In all honesty, it will be aimed at deer or backyard paper more than it would a long distance range. I'm not too concerned with weight, as I don't hike any crazy terrain/distance to reach a stand.

Toughness is nice, but I'd assume most "nice" scopes are pretty tough. Granted, it'd be a range toy and deer gun. It would only get a few bumps (and hopefully never dropped).

What do you want to do. Kill deer over a corn pile at the last light? Or just deer hunt? SC is about the only state where glass matters for deer hunters because we get to hunt until one hour after sunset. Thats when low low capability come into play. Or do you want shoot long range? That is also where glass matters

I'd sacrifice some distance for light gathering. I like being able to see those smart critters when they approach the feeder when they think it's dark.


Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

[bman940]

Bachelor Jack hits the nail on the head. I just picked up a pair of Riton Optics, 5 Primal 10x42 binoculars, and I couldn't be more pleased. I watched doves coming into my tank for water the first evening I had them. I was impressed with the clarity, and I felt the image was bright and the focus adjustments were easy to use. Owning some heavy alpha glass, the Riton Optics binos are a pleasure to wear around my neck. Riton is having a big Labor Day sale this weekend, which is a nice bonus. I'll be scooping up another one of their Red Dots for an AR.

[Model12]

I like to see in the dark.......Swarovski/Meopta/Leupold......With large objectives........Nothing less on my rifles.

[bman940]

I agree for my rifles. I put a Blackhound Optics Emerge 2-12X44 FFP MOA on my custom .375 H&H and smacked a hog at 110 yards over an hour after the sunset. I quickly decided with low-light performance like that, I'd rather have it on my deer rifle. Having a 34mm tube it is nice that Blackhound includes rings to mount it. That is a nice savings there. I'm sure they are having a Labor Day sale too. You definitely get what you pay for and if I can pay less and still get what I need, win-win.

[Silentweapon338]

10x was made for 1k I won't go into details why.

That said glass has come along way.

Just drop the doe and buy a Tangent Theta