ok I will be scoping my ruger 308, w/20in barrel, my budget is up to 600.00 usd. I have a 1.5-5 vari-x III but I feel a little under powered at the 200yd range, I would like a 3-9 at the high end...I just nwould like to know what you guys would put on a similar rifle. This is my only big game rifle for now so I need a scope that will be versitle and rugged, I will be useing it for deer, antelope, wild boar, elk , and black bear.

Any and all suggestions welcome

will227457--I gave my grandson a Win mod 88 in .308 and it has a Leupold compact 2x-7x. Leupold also makes a couple of compact 3x-9x and they too should work well for you.

Will,

Assuming that since you currently have a Leupold and presumably like it other than wanting additional magnification, and your budget is up to $600, then a 2.5-8 Leupold VX-III is well within your range. It is fairly compact with its 36mm objective and will not look out of place on your short Ruger .308. If you want to put a chunk of money back into your pocket, the Leupold 2-7 VX-II is virtually indistinguishable from the III in its performance.

Zeiss Conquest 3x9x40



Check The Optic Zone for the best price. You might have to e-mail them but should be able to get one for less than $400.00. You will be amazed at the clarity.

Yeah that Zeiss Conquest 3x9 is a nice choice.

One big advantage to me over the Leupy is that it has constant eye relief of 4 inches. You can position your eye in the same position at 3x as 9x. The Leupy has more eye relief only at low mags and a fairly large change of nearly an inch at the high mags on most of their variables. Get used to constant eye relief and you don't much like it otherwise.

I'll go with Woods and Esldude on this one and suggest a 2.5x8 or 3x9 zeiss conquest, etched easy to see in low light reticle, faster euro style diopter focus. Great glass in its price range that takes a back seat to no other comparable brand, 4" constant eye relief that as Elsdude said will spoil ya. Check with Doug at cameraland....he's doing the 2.5x8's for about $350 and the 3x9's for about $375.

Next step up would perhaps be a kahles.......

Dave

quote:

Originally posted by Esldude:
Yeah that Zeiss Conquest 3x9 is a nice choice. . . .it has constant eye relief of 4 inches.

Yes, exactly four inches. Move your eye just a tad and you lose the sight picture. It's a great telescope, but the critical eye placement is a problematic feature on an optical gunsight intended for a hunting rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:

Yes, exactly four inches. Move your eye just a tad and you lose the sight picture. It's a great telescope, but the critical eye placement is a problematic feature on an optical gunsight intended for a hunting rifle.

Sorry Stonecreek, but that is all incorrect. You don't loose the sight picture. What happens in a variable eye relief scope, move closer and you don't get the full picture, but you still get it. Mover further, and you get a ring of darkness around the picture. Same in the Conquest. Only you get best picture at the same spot each time. With variable eye relief you will have to find that best spot in a different place at each power setting.

The eye relief isn't critical, it is consistent. You simply don't know what you are talking about so you might try using one sometime to see what it is really like. Of the people I know that have used a constant eye relief scope no one has complained about it. They all like it that way.

A constant eye relief scope has the relatively uncritical placement of your eye at all powers. Variable eye relief scopes have relatively uncritical eye relief at low power, and it becomes increasingly critical as power is turned up because the eye relief shortens and the angles become more acute.

One of the advantages of a fixed power scope is that it has only one eye relief. The position of best vision is unchanging. Constant eye relief on a variable scope gives you part of the advantage of fixed power.

Well explained Elsdude that is correct. I find a constant eye relief scope to be much easier to mount in one spot that is correct at any power chosen and not have a scope that is only perfect cheek weld at one chosen power in its variable range. I also find the conquest to not be a critical scope for sideways eye movement either, it performs the same as any of my leupolds for lateral movement. I've never met anyone to this point who prefers an eye relief changing over a constant eye relief scope, especially when you have a comfortable 4". To those that claim a critical eye position with conquests I would say you must not own any.....

Focus

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:

Yes, exactly four inches. Move your eye just a tad and you lose the sight picture. It's a great telescope, but the critical eye placement is a problematic feature on an optical gunsight intended for a hunting rifle.

Stonecreek, you've brought this up before and said that you had been told this and several here disagreed. I would like to suggest that you try a Conquest and make up your own mind and perhaps not make this statement again in error.

I own several different brands and reload for over 30 rifles with all kinds of scopes and again I will say that IMO you are dead wrong about this.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:

Yes, exactly four inches. Move your eye just a tad and you lose the sight picture. It's a great telescope, but the critical eye placement is a problematic feature on an optical gunsight intended for a hunting rifle.

I've never found this to be true on any of the Conquests. Between my dad and I, we now have six of them on various rifles, and all of them seem to just "snap" right up, no matter what the conditions. Not to start a pissing match, but I would have to say they have the exact opposite characteristic of your comment. That is one of the things that has led us to purchase so many of them.

I have a variety of scopes - Kahles, Swaro, Zeiss, Leupold, Docter Optics, Pentax. I really like the Kahles the best, however, most likely out of your budgeted range. If I were in your shoes I would buy a Zeiss Conquest 3x9-40 for about $400, buy some S/K mounts for about $100 and save the extra $100.

I too would recommend the Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 MC scope. You should be able to get one in the $350 to $400 price range. (Try CameraLandNY.)

I've never noticed any criticality in eye position with this scope. I use them on .308 Win, .300 Win Mag, .338 Win Mag, 9,3x62, and .375 H&H rifles.

Great scopes for a few bucks.

Another vote here for the Zeiss Conquest. I have 4 and will take 2 to Africa with me in June. 3-9x40 with #4 German reticle.

I've owned everything from BSA, Leapers, Nikon (the high end ones), Leupold, Kahles, Swarovski, Fujinon, Weaver, Burris, Sightron, etc.

For the money, Zeiss were the best for me. I love long eye relief, and I've never lost sight of anything in a Zeiss, or had the critical eye issues that you find in other scopes. They are built like tanks, too.

I only use Zeiss scopes now and have sold all my others, even the Swaros.

Admittedly, I have never owned a Zeiss. They do seem to be good scopes at a premium price.

That said, I have a Burris Compact 3-9 mounted on my 35 Whelen, and I love it. It's light in weight, plenty of eye relief, easy to bring on target and solid as a rock. It is (was) made in the USA and the price was around $300 last time I checked.

http://www.discoveryoptics.com/st101693.html

Fits the short action perfectly! Buy one and use the extra money for something useful.

quote:

Yes, exactly four inches. Move your eye just a tad and you lose the sight picture. It's a great telescope, but the critical eye placement is a problematic feature on an optical gunsight intended for a hunting rifle.

How many Conquests have you actually used?

LWD