I hate to admit it, but I can't afford the Leupold 8-25x50 that I want. ANy ideas on a more affordable varmint hunting scope.

Born to hunt:

Don't feel bad admitting it...lot's people can't drop a bunch of money on scopes for every gun they own. Not every gun needs the perfect scope.

I bought a used Weaver Grand Slam 6 x 20 for my Savage .223 sod rat rifle for $250 in the classifieds section of this board a year or so ago. Its very clear and bright, I was surprised. New they are around $350 - $400.

I don't hold my breath waiting for the reticle to fall off from the massive recoil of my .223 everytime I pull the trigger.

Although they are very nice, you don't need a really spendy scope to hunt varmints, just like not all of us show up to the varmint fields in $30,000 trucks or with custom guns. Lots of people do very well with Simmons or cheapo Bushnells, despite a few bad experiences you hear about now and again.

Of course, every Leuy fan is gonna swear that if you ain't using a Leuy, you're un-American and morally bereft. But the truth is you don't have to have a high dollar scope on every rifle. I'll admit a less expensive scope may be a crap shot but I know a lot of hunters that swear by their Simmons and Tascos. Last but not least, I know a good old boy in Okla that shoots an A bolt in .300WM with a Busnell on it of all things. The scope has drifted under recoil so that what holds it in place is the turrets jammed against the scope rings. After listening to enough BS about his heavy piece of sewer pipe with the cheap scope, he made a bet that he could shoot 3 shots into a half of a playing card at 100 yards. I jumped all over that bet. I do wish he had plucked the crow I ended up eating. The 3 shots touched. And that was from a rest acrost a fence post.

My sons .308 wore a 3x9 tasco for 9 years befor he threw it in the rocks elk hunting...cost...54 bucks. I think it was a accident. . As far as I'm concerned it was money well spent. I replaced it with a B&L 5x15 elite. Its a better scope, but the tasco did the job too. I have tasco's on 2 varmit guns and simmons on 2. They work fine. Leopold would be better and I could replace them, but they work.
I hope you have the good fortune I did.

Bth, I put a 6-24x Burris Signature on my 223 after I put 800 rounds through my 6mmRem. with the same scope, it holds zero very well, is very clear, 'click' adjustments are accurate, and it's half the price of the Leupold, unless you get the Ballistic Mil-dot reticle, which might be a good idea since the scope doesn't have more than 22" of internal adjustments, my sons scope has that reticle and it works for him and me when I shoot his rifle, who needs all that elevation when they make the Mil-dot reticles, Jay

Try the Weaver V24, they were in Cabela's of all places for about $309. The V16 runs about $279 and the FCH with 1/8 minute dot or the varminter reticles work really well.

Born To Hunt: How about looking for a used 8.5X25X40mm Leupold. I have four of these on various calibered Varmint Rifles and simply love them! Unfortunately Leupold saw fit to discontinue this model! I bought three of mine new and the fourth was a used scope. All perform exceptionally well in the Colony Varmint and long range Coyote situations I enjoy so much! The 40mm's in this power range were a lot less expensive than the 50mm's.

For instance I have one 8.5X25X40mm Leupold on a custom 6mm Ackley Improved Varminter. The long range Coyotes and Rock Chucks I have plundered with that rig would fill the back of a pickup truck!

If you are interested in that power range and can get along with the 40mm objective lens (which I prefer over the 50mm anyway) then look for a used Leupold.

I have been completely satisfied with mine.

Good luck with whichever you choose!

Hold into the wind

VarmintGuy

Great advice from all of you! I too have used Tasco scopes on my deer rifles for years without fail. I own one Leupold scope - a 6.5-18x40. I have it on a Ruger M77 in 7mm Rem Mag. Yes, I know that it would work well on my new VLS, but I tried one of the Leupold scopes with the parallax focus knob. That was fantastic!!!! I am so very impressed with this scope, but I just can't justify spending the $ for one. I have looked really hard at Nikon. I've heard some great things about them, but whatever the brand, it has to have the parallax adjustment. Unfortunately, Nikon's scopes that are equiped with that feature do not have the magnification I want. I guess I'm just out of luck??

BTH,
I have the Leupolds where I've gotten deals on them or came with a rifle purchase, etc... but a couple of my varmint rifles wear the Bausch & Lomb 6 x 24 (now Bushnell) and I've been more than happy with them. The AO works exceptionally well, and the clarity of the glass matches or exceeds my Leupold 6.5 x 20. The click adjustments are dead on and they even come with the sunshade in the box. Another good candidate is the Weaver V24. I have a V16 on my Win 52 rat rifle and it works great.
Both of these scopes are a bargain compared to the Leupolds and are plenty sturdy for a varmint rifle. You'll be surprised at the quality of the B&L glass once you've used one on a long range varmint hunting trip.

Sheister...Im with ya on the glass with the B&L Elite. Its excellent. I paid 309.00 for the 5x15 elite w/rainguard on my kids gun. I would'nt hesitate to buy another.

I'm partial to the Weaver V-24, myself.
I have 3 of them, a 6-20 Nikon Monarch, and a 10-40 Tasco World Class+. Every time I get a "flyer", I wonder if it's me or the Tasco. The Tasco sits on my 700VLS in .243 Winchester.
I also have a Leupold VariX-I, 3-9, sitting on top of my M1A. It doesn't complain about the recoil at all, but I wouldn't consider it a long range varmint scope.
The Nikon is nice, but a little pricey. It also doesn't serve me well sitting on a .17, since I can't see the grouping on the targets at 100 yards. I mounted a Weaver on the .17. I'll mount another Weaver on my Ruger soon-to-be .19 Calhoon, and the 3rd will either stay on the .22 Hornet, or go on the eagerly-awaited Anschutz in .222 Remington.
I think the Weaver V-24 is a really good buy for the money, and wish I spent the Nikon money on another V-24.
Regards, George.

I've got a Tasco 6-18x42 on my Savage .22-250. I can use it for an excuse when I make a lousy shot. But it works fine.

Good recommendation Skinner! I'll second that one.

However, if this isn't an option, my reciommendation is to stick with Nikon or Bushnell if you want good glass without the high price. Not sure what power you want or what caliber you are using, but you can usually find the Nikon Monarch 5.5-16 or 6.5-20 on sale for under $400. Probably the same for the Elite's. If this is a 223 with lite recoil, a cheaper scope may work just fine too. The way I look at these things is if I plan on keeping something for life, I go for the better quality. Most likely it will never fail, and if it does the warantee is usually good enough to get it fixed or replaced for free. In the end, the old saying still applies, you get what you pay for...

GHD,
I already have an optometrist, and a proctologist and chiropractor as well. Thanks for your concern.
Send me a Weaver V-24 in excellent condition, and I'll be happy to send you a Nikon Monarch 6.5-20, also in excellent condition. It'll be a "win-win" situation.
Regards, George.