I just purchased a RRA Varminter and am looking for a good, but not too expensive scope. This will be used for targets, rabbits, maybe a coyote or fifty. Target range near my house is up to 600 yards, so shots will be anywhere from 50 to 600 yards. I've narrowed it down to these three:

Bushnell Elite 4200 6-24x40 ($399)
Weaver Grand Slam 6-20x40 ($355)
Nikon Monarch 6.5-20x44 ($415)

I'm not worried about weight or size as most shots will be taken from a bench or the bed of a truck.

Any thoughts as to which would work best?

I personally like them in the following order.

Nikon Monarch
Weaver Grand Slam
Bushnell Elite 4200

All three are very close, but I think the Nikon has a very slight edge with the Weaver and Bushnell being about the same.

I'll second Jon's assessment. While any of the three would serve you well, I would definitely select the Nikon. I have two of these exact models, and they're superb.

Thanks for the quick replies. I was leaning towards the Nikon (well, really wanted another Conquest but it seems prices have gone up since I got mine). Is there any other scope in this price range that would work better than the Nikon? Or would I be better off just giving Jon my credit card number and quit all this research stuff?

There's nothing in that price range that will out-perform the Nikon. The Zeiss is ever-so-slightly better overall, but you probably could never detect the difference in the field or on the range. And the cost is a good bit higher than the Nikon.

By the way, Jon's Nikon prices are the best you'll find.

quote:

By the way, Jon's Nikon prices are the best you'll find.

Even if his prices weren't the lowest, he'd still get my business. When I bought my Conquest last year, it had to have been the smoothest internet purchase I have ever made. It just happens to be a big plus that his prices are so low. Last time I was going to order from a dealer down in Texas, but they gave me too much runaround with their 110% price guarantee, so I found it somewhere else. Ended up being a great move, and I have no plans to go anywhere else.

BigWhip-I've dealt with the Texas outfit you refer to (it HAS to be the same one with that guarantee you mention) exactly once -- and I won't do it again. I don't need anything at the moment, but when I do, it will be theopticzone.com (Jon) that gets my $$. Jon contributes here and often gives detailed advice, and unlike many business people, you don't see any bias or ulterior motives under a hidden agenda coming through. That's rare in today's world...

Bigwhip,
I bought a Weaver Grand Slam 6-20x40 off Jon a short time ago when they were on special. It is a great scope and I am very happy with it. Not only were the opticzone very helpful but it was delivered to my door in six days. As I live in Australia this is remarkable delivery.
Pete

Thanks for all the support guys. I really do appreciate it!

Yeah Pete, that's pretty quick. Here in the states he beats most of the other outfits in shipping as well.

Have a Good One

Reloader