Budget is $400. Considering Sightron II 1 1/2-6x42mm for $200/ Burris Select 1 1/2-6x40 for $350/ Leupold VX III 1 3/4-6x32 for $400/ Leupold VX II 2-7x33 for $300/ Bushnell 4200 1 1/2-6x36 for $340. I will mount it on my Ruger 338 win mag stainless. Anything wrong with the Sightron II for $200? Appreciate any advice you may have/ Chaz

The second hand reports from other shooters who used similar guns for bear used 1.5x5 Lepold in Vari X III......the eye relief and durability were factors in their choice with lapped steel rings.....in my area the Sightron's haven't caught on and I don't even have second hand info on them.......good luck and good hunting!

I like the 1.75-6x Leupold and have a Sightron 1.5-6 on a .375. It has held up and is at least as good as the Leupold, not as good-looking however. This power range is great for damn near all hunting.

Of the scopes and price you have stated...
I would recommend the Leupold 1.75-6 with the Heavy Duplex reticle.

My wife has one on her 308 Rem Mod 7 in 308 and it is a great scope.

I really like the Heavy Duplex for hunting, we have them in the 1.5-5, 1.75-6, 2.5-8 and the 6x42.

The Heavy Duplex in no way impairs precision hunting shooting.

With the 2.5-8 I have hit a coyote at 271 yards and a kudu at a little over 300 yards.

Alaskan air can be saturated, and temperature differentials challenging to a scope's sealing system. Particularly in a variable scope, which has additional moving parts to seal, I wouldn't trust anything other than a Leupold to remain water-tight and fog-free.

There are a lot of scopes with good optics available these days, but they do you little good peering through a film of condensation.

last black i took in ak i used one with a red dot lighted reticule. light was very dim at 10PM or so and a black bear against the dark spruce forest made black crosshairs very hard to see. turn on the little 1 minute red dot and voila

My Model 70 in .338 has worn a Vari-X II 2-7X33 for more than 20 years and never had a scope problem. I would recommend the VX-II in 2-7X33 as my first choice. I also have 2 of the Sightrons on .30-06 rifles and have no complaints.

Gents/ thanks for the feedback/ Chaz

My Sako .338 WM used to have a Leupold VXIII on it. That was until a couple years ago when I picked up my first Bushnell Elite 4200 for a .30-06 I just had to have.

I was so impressed that I pulled the VXIII off the .338, sold it for right around $350, picked up another Elite 4200 3-9X40 for around $240 and put it on my .338. The improvement in clarity and light transmission was remarkable.

As for durability, I'll put the 4200s up against a Leupold any day. Especially with Bushnell's recent warranty change on the 4200s. Lifetime warranty to any owner. Still love the Leupolds, but these 4200s are getting tough for me to overlook. Just seem to be exceptional glass for the money. The rainguard feature is no gimmick either. Seems to be the real deal. Never thought I'd see the day that a Bushnell would become so high up on my optics list.

OK...so you have convinced me-- Bushnell 4200 1.5-6x36. When I brought up SWFA's site, I note they no longer carry them. Nor does Midway USA. Are they discontinued? Does anyone know a site where I can get a good price on one? Thanks again/ Chaz

$400 is not much money for a scope these days. for that budget, you need a scope with a high level of value - which leaves out leupold. I would get a burris, or bushnell in that price range, or a conquest for a little more. or, swfa has a kahles american hunter for $450: http://www.samplelist.com/pictures/6737_L1110186.JPG

leupolds are durable and servicable to be sure, but they are overpriced for the features. the only scopes they have for less than $600 are old technology.

Thank you/ Chaz

I would third the vote on the VXIII 1.75-6X the low light visibility through the scope is phenominal. It is what I have on my 375H&H Sako 75 synthetic. The VXIII will give you better light transmisson over the VXII, I would spend the extra $ on the VXII if at all possible, especially for Alaska where you may be in overcast for an extended period of time.

The bushnell elites look good at daylight but are less than specatcular at low light. I will give them credit for the rain coating on the objective, it really helps to clear the view in the rain.

Zeiss scopes look good at low light but with the fluorite coating on the glass you will have to watch out for cracking of the coating when exposed to cold/heat cycles. Any of the $500 european scopes will not offer that much of an advantage over a Leupold and will not come with a lifetime warranty.

I have looked through a couple of sighttrons and they seemed dark when looking into the shadows, much akin to the bushnells. Same would follow most of the bargin scopes.

Again, not to kick a dead horse, but think of the hunting you will be doing... You will likeluy be moving accross rough terain, inclement weather, possibly a boat or plane ride, periods of prolonged sunlight, and cold nights for a chance to take one shot at your game. At $400, the leupold is hard to beat, IMO you would jump to a kahles european (not american series) at $900 to get a better scope.

At ay rate, hope this helps and good luck on your upcoming bear hunt!

John

For me, it isn't even about the money.

Had I thought I was gaining something by leaving the Leup on my elk rifle, I would have paid in spaids.

I chose the 4200 bc I forced myself to disregard my loyalties to the other Leups in the safe and judge the scope only on what I could see.

Believe me, it hurt. But after having my hunting partner look through both side by side, and then my wife (who knows nothing about optics/hunting), it wasn't even close.

I'm sold. Jap glass is the real deal. I have a Pentax camera and bins that further support this. I will no longer look to Europe for "supreme' glass. And I no longer believe that only the US can produce a durable scope.

Your mileage may vary.

Bought the Busnell 4200 1.5-6x36 this am for $250 on sale from Natchez. Get them while you can. Thanks again for everyone's advise/ Chaz