I am in the market for a new scope for a big game rifle. I have mostly bought Bushnell scopes here in Canada. Due to country of manufacture and exchange rates Leupold's have been very expensive. Now our dollar is better and the Leupold is more affordable and I would like to try one. My question is, I have always felt that rainguard is a good feature, is this a disadvantage in the Leupold? I know I can buy the raincote kit for the Leupold but that is something else to frig around with. Are Leupold's good enough in the rain or is the Bushnell better or is rainguard just marketing ? Let me know your thoughts.

I live in the desert Southwest but if I were in the rainy parts of the country I would go after raingaurd...often thought the Elite
4200 would be a fine scope for adverse weather conditions...such as Alaska for bear and such...not really all that impressed with Leupolds...have had several and getting rid of them in favor of Zeiss Conquests...well and a few Nikons...to me much better clarity...

Actually I was also wondering about the Zeiss Conquest. What would it be like in wet weather?

my rainny day rifle has a bushnell 3200 scope & raingard works. It works best on cold damp days where it is usable, this scope has bounced around in the back of my truck for 4 years without loosing point of aim. I would go with a 4200 because the 3200's are really not that sharp.
I own a number of Leupolds & have never had a problem with them.. if you hunt in cold damp conditions I'd try a 4200.

The conquest is a great scope in its price class.......but in the rain and snow it will be exactly like any other scope without a rain coating. I'm a conquest fan but just bought a 3x9x40 4200 elite with rainguard for my bad weather deer rifle. We have plenty of wet foggy messy days in our season and I'm tired of fighting the external fogging and wet lenses even with flip-ups. i have a couple 4200's and the rainguard flat works. You can put your scopes out in an unheated garage up here when its 10 or so below zero and then carry them in a warm house and the rainguard scopes will be good enough to use and shoot with while the others will take a bit to begin to be usable.

See where some of the newest burris scopes are going to a rain coating. Can't wait till zeiss puts there new raincoating on the conquests.

Dave