I am going to buy a scope for my new Varmint rifle. I am having a new 22-250 built. My budget is between $600-$1,000. My major concern is tracking, and clarity. Light gathering is nice, but not my priority. I have been looking at the straight 16X IOR scope. Also a 6.5X20 Zeiss Conquest. I would consider tracking my number one priority. Thanks, Tom.

I consider the conquest best in its class for resolution and brightness, excellant scopes with side focus and some new varmint ranging reticles also. That said the sightron big sky has really good optics too and tracking second to none. Elite 4200 and grand slams have good tracking and decent optics but weaver has meade instruments handling service and they are poor, elites offer little in special reticles. IOR's are great glass but on the heavy side. Your budget allows some very good glass and its hard to make a mistake with the conquest.

woods

Get the 6,5-20x50 Ziess, you won't be disappointed...I love mine

quote:

Originally posted by HEAD0001:
I am going to buy a scope for my new Varmint rifle. I am having a new 22-250 built. My budget is between $600-$1,000. My major concern is tracking, and clarity. Light gathering is nice, but not my priority. I have been looking at the straight 16X IOR scope. Also a 6.5X20 Zeiss Conquest. I would consider tracking my number one priority. Thanks, Tom.

New guy here.....what do you mean by "tracking"???

This refers to a scopes ability to return to a setting. The best description I can give is to describe a practical test for tracking.

Using one fixed aiming point. Shoot one to three shots(or more). Adjust the scope 16 clicks up. Using the same aiming point shoot a second group. Then adjust the scope 16 clicks right. Shoot another group. Adjust the scope 16 clicks down. shoot another group. Adjust the scope 16 clicks left. shoot a fifth group. The fifth group should be into the first group.
This is best done at 100 yds. Better 2 or 300 yds.
The more difficult it is to distingush the 1st and 5th groups from each other the better your scope is "tracking".

muck

Not all scopes are very predictable when it comes to click value and returning to a given point in windage or elevation. Tracking is the ability to do so repeatabily without problem. Holding POI or point of impact is another good feature to look for. We use the conquests at night with only moonlight and snow reflection to shoot coyotes, thats where brightness and resolution really come in.

Dave

Leupold 6.5 - 20 AO, dot reticle. Have 3 of them and never failed me.

Conquest is a great scope scope at the upper end of your range(900-1000) . The Bushnell 4200 elite is a good scope at the bottom of your price range ($475).I also have been playing around with the Vortex Viper. Good for the money. I think you can find their 6.5x20 for about 475-500 bucks.

I'm not a big Nikon fan, but their monach 6-24 is a great scope and should not be over looked either. It is right in the middle of your range.

Have fun picking one out!

Ed

I have a Zeiss Diavari Z 3-12 x 56 MC on my 257 and tracking and brightness is impeccable. Slightly on the heavy side though.

Hard to beat the Leupold VX-III 6.5 - 20. Very crisp adjustments and wonderful clarity.

I've shot IOR for over a decade; great scopes. I've got two Conquests I've been using for a few years and am just as happy with their tracking and repeatability. I think they are also a bit brighter than my IOR's. They have become my favorite scopes.

Doug at cameraland has the 6.5x20 conquest for $625.....right at the lower end of what you want to spend......

Dave

You won't be disappointed with the Zeiss; love mine. Thats a VERY GOOD price from Doug; I'd jump on it!!!

I was looking at a Zeiss Conquest last night at the Sportsman's Whorehouse over in Medford that just opened...

Neither had target nots like Bugles' did above...

but I thought the elevation turrent was useless with no numbers on it for point of reference..

I also thought the field of view was much smaller than out of a similar sized Leupold or Nikon....

Sad to say, I wasn't overly impressed with it...

Just my observation on it...

Out of my leupolds - elites and conquests I like the conquests best. Best reticle, etched and black all the time regardless of light reflection. Constant eye relief not changing with power setting. Euro diopter focus, and the best FOV of any of my scopes both to my eye and in the specs.

You must have looked thru a BSA by accident

Dave

Wel Dave,

I have admitted more than once that my eye sight is not the best source to test a scopes quality at...

Sometimes I can see better out of a Tasco, than a lot more expensive scopes..

However, that problem has never occured looking thru a BSA....

Naw, I didn't care for the Conquest, although it didn't have target knobs like Bugles has...and what I disliked most about it was the windage and elevation turrents...

I had not intention of knocking anyone else's choices.. it would just not be my choice...

how's the 260 project coming along anyway???

Well we're in the "it will be about 12 weeks" mode that most custom barrel makers have. With LW I had to pay in advance and they all seem to stay pretty backed up I guess. I'm hoping by the end of feb. it will make an appearance. With 18-20" of snow on the ground and another double digit one coming Sunday I guess theres no real rush ......


Seen some tasco scopes that were pretty clear and nice.......shame bushnell/tasco just got bought by investment bankers.......that usually is where cheaper outsourcing and basic product line and service begins to take a dramatic slide. Redfield, simmons, and weaver have been good examples of the old bean counter and $ huggers taking control.

Take care and watch for some 260 posts along about March 1st.......hopefully.

Dave