I have managed to get a $300 dollar award to spend on a rifle scope. From what I looked at there are too many to choose from.

What I am looking for is something that will handle recoil from a 7mmRemMag or 300WSM (haven't decided if I want to switch scopes yet). I was looking mostly at 3-12X or 4-12X scopes with 40-44mm adjustable objectives.

I have mostly looked at the Cabelas Outfitter series, Sightron S-2 and the whole Leupold line. All are priced in the $280-300.

What do you recommend for $300?

Oh yeah and I want to stay away from needing extension rings to fit my long action 7mm

I have been very pleased optically with the Weaver Grand Slams, and the Bushnell 3200 series. The Bushnell's are pretty long scopes, and should allow room for the rings. The 6-24x40 4200 series is really long. Best place I've found to peruse scopes is the Opticzone http://www.theopticzone.com/ Easy to open 2 browser windows and compare back and forth. Great people to do business with.

quote:

Originally posted by MThuntr:
What do you recommend for $300?

Sightron SII's are nice, as are Nikon Buckmaster's, Burris Full Field II.
You may be able to luck up on a 3-9 Nikon Monarch for $300 or a little more.
The Monarch's well worth the few extra bucks....

From my experience w/ several diff scope makes, in the price range you are after a Nikon Buckmasters scope cannot be beat. They are even better than many scopes that cost more.

I own several of them and wouldn't hestitate buying another for one minute.

Good Luck

For that price range, just three words. Nikon, Nikon and Nikon.

Nikon is great, and I like the Sightron 2's also, the Bushnell Elite 3200 is a nice $200 scope.

You can buy one of the scopes mentioned above. Many people do. Many people also buy Dodge trucks.

How about getting a genuine Leupold and change back from your three bills? The 4-12 VX-I retails for $249 everywhere (I found a couple of them on sale at a local retailer for $199). The VX-I is built on the extremely well-proven and time tested Vari-X II design and is as close to "bullet proof" as you'll get in a scope. The optics are about 99% of the most expensive scopes you can buy (and about 200% of most Asian-made scopes). The "clickless" friction lock adjustments are dissed by some shooters (without explanation or apparent reason), but were actually preferred not too many years ago due to the ability to make infinately small adjustment increments. Regardless, after five minutes fidling with them at the bench sighting in, you're not likely to mess with them again in years on a hunting rifle, so why the fuss?

A friend and I were recently shooting two new rifles from the bench. One had a Leupold 4.5-14 VX-III with side parallax which is indeed a fine and expensive scope. The other had a Leupold 4-12 VX-I. Aftere extensively shooting both rifles, both of us agreed that there were no practical applicable differences between the two scopes.

The Leupold VXI is a bust in my opinion.
It's a glorified Rifleman scope.
(No disrespect intended toward Stonecreek.)

Leupold also uses Asian glass.
No big secret there.

"Some people also buy Dodge trucks"??
Please....

The VX-1 doesn't even come close to a Sightron-2, or even a Bushnell 3200

quote:

"Some people also buy Dodge trucks"??
....

Oh man, not the truck debate.

Well I guess that 10 year old Dodge 4x4 at the camp w/ 140,000 miles is just going to fall apart next time I use it . I abuse the heck out of that poor truck and she just keeps on going...

I'd put my 05 cummins up against any of them as well...

I'm just worried to death that when the hunting season rolls around my truck aint gonna start, my scope's gonna break, my model 700 bolt handle's gonna fall off, and my darn non-premium bullets are gonna bounce off the animals

Ya'll have a Good One


Reloader

quote:

The Leupold VXI is a bust in my opinion.

What's your opinion based on? The VX-I is in every way the equal of the prior Vari-X II, which was for many years the standard by which all other hunting scope were judged.

I own several dozen Leupolds (one is a 1965 model purchased new). I now puchase exclusively VX-I's if that model is available in the magnification range I need because the VX-I provides me with all of the features Leupold is famous for: generous eye relief, dependably waterproof, light in weight, compact for magnification, and fully warranted with (so they say as I've never used it in 41 years) the best customer service in the industry.

If you've had a bad experience with a VX-I I'd love to hear about it.

quote:

"Some people also buy Dodge trucks"??
Please....

Check the Blue Book. You'll take a beating on resale of a Dodge. The market may be imperfect, but it speaks very loudly as to the desirability of a Dodge. You are free to disagree with the market, as I have in the past. But when I do, I always pay for it.

I mention Dodge trucks in the scope discussion because there is a strong parallel with the resale value of other scope brands as compared with Leupold. The market tells us that used Leupolds, are, for whatever reason, much more desirable than Bushnells or Nikons or whatever else. Again, the market could be wrong, but you'll pay a price for going against it.

Look Stonecreek, I wouldn't have even bothered to post a response after your first response, if it were not so condescending sounding.

Optics are subjective, but the "Dodge truck" remark was kind of elitist and unproductive don't you think?

This forum was asked by the original poster about a good $300 optic and he was provided with a couple options.

Have a nice day...

Edit to add:
I have no bad expereiences with the VXI, I just think there are better options out there for the same or less money.
AND, your quite right, the VXII WAS the standard. Better options out there now, IMHO.

quote:

Optics are subjective, but the "Dodge truck" remark was kind of elitist and unproductive don't you think?

I think I explained that in my comparison in resale values. Absent evidence that my premise is mistaken, I think it is a valid and useful comparison.

Glad to hear you've had no problems with the VX-I. But that would seem to make your characterization of it as a "bust" somewhat puzzling?

Anyway, I didn't intend to come off as condescending; I just enjoy a spirited discussion (and have an obvious and admitted bias against Dodges which is cheerfully validated to some extent by the Blue Book. Besides, it really gets the old Hemi boys riled up, which is always good for a smile.)

Thanks for the back-and-forth, Cheaptrick. I suspect you're okay.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
[QUOTE]Glad to hear you've had no problems with the VX-I. But that would seem to make your characterization of it as a "bust" somewhat puzzling?

Anyway, I didn't intend to come off as condescending; I just enjoy a spirited discussion (and have an obvious and admitted bias against Dodges which is cheerfully validated to some extent by the Blue Book. Besides, it really gets the old Hemi boys riled up, which is always good for a smile.)

Thanks for the back-and-forth, Cheaptrick. I suspect you're okay.

The "bust" part of my comment was directed toward all the hype when the VX line was introduced.
All they did was move the scopes around like a 3 card Monty game.

Still have coin turret slots though, which I deplore.

To their credit, no broken VXI's in my part of the world and no one bitching about short eye relief either though.

Keep 'em in the 10 ring!!

I have a Nikon 4.5x14x40 sitting on a Howaby 300 Weatherby. Scope stays dialed in. Plenty of eye relief. Pretty good scope for the money.

http://theopticzone.com/detail.aspx?ID=3610


ZM

Vx-I are good scopes I have two with no problems so far. Clear out to the edges and accurate. Tracking was ok but I sight in and leave them alone. IMHO good scope for the money.

If you can go to a well stocked gun store and look through both the Leupold VX-I's and a Weaver Grand Slam. I think that you will notice that the Weaver GS is a good bit better Optically than the Leupold for the same or less money. Make the same test with a Nikon Vs the Leupold and you'll notice the same thing..............DJ

Sightron SII's are worth a close look.

I picked up 2 Bushnell Elite 3200 3x9 and they work great..

Rich

Pissing contest aside, I agree with the S-II in your price range. I own 3 now. If you can find a Nikon Monarch for a few bucks more, do it.

Good Hunting,

Bob

quote:

The "bust" part of my comment was directed toward all the hype when the VX line was introduced.
All they did was move the scopes around like a 3 card Monty game.

Agreed!

The VX-I is just a Vari-X II, the VX-II is just a Vari-X II with click adjustments, and the VX-III is just a Vari-X III with added advertising hype. They're still the best line of optical gunsights for hunting that is available, in the opinion of at least a plurality of shooters. But I'm really glad that their competition has a following, and in some cases an arguable point of superiority. Otherwise Leupold's prices would be more disadvantageous to the consumer.

If you have some patience, go to fleabay and bid on a Conquest. I managed to pick one up nib for about $325.

quote:

Originally posted by Bob in TX:
Pissing contest aside, I agree with the S-II in your price range. I own 3 now. If you can find a Nikon Monarch for a few bucks more, do it.

Good Hunting,

Bob

No pissing contest going here, friend!!

Excellent points, Stonecreek.
Sounds like Leupold has been good to you for many years. Don't blame you for sticking with them.

Best wishes to you and the other posters!

While I'll admit that the Cabela's Alaskan guide 6.5-20x44 scope that sits atop my Rem700VSSF 223Rem was purchased partly because they were discontinuing that particular scope model or atleast that Reticle version...

but that was pure serendipity.
I had walked into Cabela's with the intention of buying an identical scope, though with a different reticle...
I walked in with the intention of getting a fine crosshair with a target dot, but decided that getting the scope for $200 instead of $329 ($130 cheaper) but having to "suffer" through life with a duplex reticle was a compromise I was willing to live with. the fact that they gave me another $10 off because it was literally the last one in the store, and indeed the demo piece simply sweetened the deal further...

I had spent the previous day examining every scope model in the display rack and had fixed on that model as having the best resolution, yes, even compared to Leupolds costing upwards of twice as much.

and if there was a difference between it and a swaro or Zeiss, I couldn't see it (and I didn't like the swaro reticle anyway)


Looking at new scopes for my 7mmMag I've settled on the Bushnell Elite3200 5-15x40

It's right on your $300 price, but if you are willing to spend another $39 you can get it with their glow in the dark "Firefly" reticle.

AllanD