Author Topic: Best scope? (Read 1988 times)

encore4me · « **on:** January 13, 2008, 01:10:26 PM »

I'm looking at getting a new rifle soon and wanted to know what would be the best scope to get. The gun will be a Remington left handed Model 700 SPS in .223 Remington. I want to hunt coyotes, ground hogs and shoot paper. I have a fondness for Leupold's,but I don't know which one to get though, VX III or a tactical? I would like to spend no more than $600. it dosen't have to be a Leupold scope just something nice.
If anyone has a similar set up please let me know what you are using. Thanks Matt

The Sodbuster · « **Reply #1 on:** January 13, 2008, 05:53:41 PM »

For what you're doing, I prefer something with a little higher magnification. Can't go wrong with a Leupold, but I would suggest serious consideration to the new Nikon Monarch 4-16 X 42mm (well, 40something at least). Comes with 3 reticle styles. Cheaper than a similar Leupold.

I'm not won over by big, 50mm objectives. At 7X, the Nikon still gives a 6mm exit pupil, and you can't use any more than that. There's other, good choices. I'm sure our colleagues will offer additional advice.

victorcharlie · « **Reply #2 on:** January 14, 2008, 01:01:17 AM »

Nikons are now made in China.

Graybeard · « **Reply #3 on:** January 14, 2008, 02:21:05 AM »

Brand aside the uses to which you plan to put it make quite different demands on it for magnification. For target shooting paper punching only a lot of magnification is a good thing at least to a point. As the days heat up too much magnification just means mirage blur.

For ground hogs it really depends on the range and you might need low or high power as the shots are presented to you. For coyotes if you're calling them in close again you'll want a lower power but if they stop way out there a higher power could be helpful.

Were it me I'd chose a scope with a 40 or 42 mm objective I hate those HUGE objectives with a power range of 4-12, 4.5-14 or 4-16. Note that I'm recommending you have the option of 4X for those closer in shots and feel that at most 16X is adequate for any use you'll make of it with the posible exception of paper punching and that depends on the range of it.

There are lots of good brands out there made by and/or sold by a number of GBO sponsors. I won't play favorites and chose one over the other but just say look to the GBO Sponsors and you'll find plenty of good scopes at good prices to chose from.

kyelkhunter3006 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 14, 2008, 09:50:55 AM »

Quote from: victorcharlie on January 14, 2008, 01:01:17 AM

Nikons are now made in China.

I don't think that all Nikons are made in China, just the lower priced ones. The Omega's and Buckmaster's that I've had were made in the Phillipines.

beemanbeme · « **Reply #5 on:** January 14, 2008, 11:59:48 AM »

I ain't gonna get into the scope argument 'cause there are a whole bunch of very good scopes out there that you don't need a second mortage to buy. As I posted somewhere else, if I can buy a scope that does everything I want it to for $800, why should I pay $1600 for one because it has a little bavarian sweat rubbed on it? And if you've got a thing about China, you shouldn't be typing on a computer.
I totally agree that a 4x16x40 will take you where you want to go. Along with a standard plex. I'll admit I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer but I tried one of those mil-dot scopes and there was so much busy "poop" (ha, beat you to it GB) in it, I never could get confortable with it. With a standard plex, I could play around with the plex and the power ring and do some country boy range finding and go from there. To me, Pdog shooting was supposed to be fun anyway.

Don Fischer · « **Reply #6 on:** January 14, 2008, 01:24:54 PM »

I haave two Nikon's, The 3-9 and 4 1/2-16. Both are Buckmasters and both guarented for life even if the owner changes. 3-9 on a 243 and 4 1/2-16 on my 6.5-06. 4 1/2 -16 has target turrets and they appear very accurate. Neither scope changes point of impact from changing the power. Leupold makes very good scopes, you couldn't go wrong there either.

On the made in China deal, doesn't matter where they are made. They must be made to Nikon specs. Very few Nikon cameras are made in Japan anymore either! Matter of fact I seem to recall that at one time, made in Japan was a negative.

drdougrx · « **Reply #7 on:** January 14, 2008, 01:54:26 PM »

I have a couple of .223 varmint rifles. Ones a rem 700 LVSF (Lite Varmint Stainless Fluted). I have Leupold VX-II 6.5x18 scopes with fine crosshairs. I like them alot!! Cost you in the $400-$500 range.

Catfish · « **Reply #8 on:** January 15, 2008, 10:07:46 AM »

For a hunting rifle you`ll need nothing better than a 3 x 9. Leupold VXll, but if you want the best a 3 1/2 x 10 VXlll. Higher power scopes will give you and advantage on the bench, but as GB said, keep the low end of a hunting scope to 4x or less. When walking around always carry the scope on the lowest power for close fast shots. If your presented with a long shot you should have time to up the power setting.

Doesniper · « **Reply #9 on:** January 15, 2008, 04:23:58 PM »

I've been very impressed with the Nikon Monarchs.

nilescoyote · « **Reply #10 on:** January 16, 2008, 12:34:40 AM »

I recently compared my leupold mk4 tactical to my nikon monarch gold and bushnell elite 3200 tactical.

What I found was surprising. Testing was done at 5 power on all scopes. The nikon was ever bit as bright and clear as the leupold well past sundown. I was mainly testing the three for light gathering ability in the last few minutes of day light. It was a toss up between the nikon and leupold. the bushnell held its own until the last ten minutes. As for repeatable adjustments the bushnell and the leupold are still to new to me to say but both are doing well. The nikon has been used extensively dialing up and down for different ranges and has always be right on the money.

For your price range nikon has the best optics. A close 2nd would be burris signature series, both can be had for under 500.

If you want external adjustments and will not be shooting in "extreme" low light conditions, Bushell elite 3200 tactical 5-15 power is a great deal at under 325.00 (if you shop around) plus you get a mil-dot reticle for ranging and hold over.

Old English · « **Reply #11 on:** January 16, 2008, 12:55:10 AM »

Nikkon Monarch. I now have 2 of them in 3/9 the Team primos model which you can get for $200. I have compared them with my VX3, Monarch are brighter, clearer and half the price. A 3/9 scope gives good field of view and sufficient magnification for your intended use, whatever make you go for. I would be careful about buying to much magnification on a hunting rifle, field of view shrinks and that it is the opposite of what you need on a rifle for coyote hunting.

Guy Pike · « **Reply #12 on:** January 19, 2008, 07:46:27 AM »

There sure are alot of choices when it comes to scopes! A Leupold Rifleman 3x9 and a Weaver T 24 or 36, each in Warne quick detach rings would really set you up nicely. The Leupold is readily available new and the Weaver should be able to be purchased used off one of

the benchrest sites since they are all going to 40 power or higher lately. The Tasco, Bushnell, Simmons, BSA target scopes are alot less money but too often a crap shoot when it comes to clarity, reliability, repeatablity, etc. I have read reports from junk to great on the cheaper stuff. None the less, the two scope approach is an alternative. Good shooting, Guy

dalv · « **Reply #13 on:** January 19, 2008, 01:14:02 PM »

FWIW - I have the Weaver T36, Leu VXIII 6x20 30mmtube,my most $$$$ scopes. A bunch of Simmons, couple Barska,Bushnell, etc. The VXIII is on a Tikka 595 .223 - wonderful scope for the range. Weaver is on a clssic Model 52 .22 Target gun

awesome glass for bench accuracy. The rest are decent, Barska for being a cheap scope is actually pretty good - better than I expected. So there is something to the saying you get what you pay for and the glass should cost as much as the gun. But.....

I recently bought a used Tikka (love 'em - 595 in .308

) that came with a VXI 3x9 Leupold w/caps. I figured I could always trade up or use it on another gun. What surprised me is how great this $219 scope is - really clear, bright and holds aim.

What I am learning is the high power scopes are great at the bench but sensitive to eye relief, not as bright due to higher magnification, and generally tougher to see through with 50 yr old eyes. It has been mentioned before the chase to get high power magnification without always realizing it comes at a cost. This is true with Binoculars - get over 8x and they are tough to use unsupported cause any shaking is amplified (unless you spend $$$ for image stabilized which are bulky).

I would go with Graybeard and others and recommend staying with 4x??. Take a look at the lower end Leupolds, you can always use it on another gun down the road if you need more glass. You won't regret it.

beemanbeme · « **Reply #14 on:** January 20, 2008, 05:48:23 AM »

One thing that hasn't been mentioned (I don't think) and one advantage to the varibles, especially the ones that start out kinda on the low end is the field of view.
When I was doing a lot of Pdog shooting and was looking for another target, I would crank the scope down to a low powder to scan downrange. When I spotted a Pdog, I would zoom in on him to the higher power. With a high powered fixed scope or the scope set on a high power, you can be just a tad off and not be able to find the target because the field of view is so narrow.

rks1949 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 24, 2008, 04:01:02 PM »

Don't count out the Sightron scopes either. Great glass,positive clicks,and very repeatable,and unlimited lifetime warranty (warranty if your the first owner or the fifth owner.)

trotterlg · « **Reply #16 on:** January 24, 2008, 06:25:34 PM »

For a lower mid range scope a US made Swift is hard to beat. Larry

kyelkhunter3006 · « **Reply #17 on:** January 25, 2008, 09:21:58 AM »

Swifts aren't made in the US. I believe that they are made in Korea now. But that are still a great scope for the $$$.

mjbgalt · « **Reply #18 on:** January 25, 2008, 09:53:48 AM »

simmons are junk in my experience. tasco is a crapshoot....one is good and one is crap. the ones i keep having great luck with are all bushnell...from $75 to $200 and up, they are a great buy for the money. i also had a nikon buckmaster (help me out guys...i think that's the right model name)...and it was a quality scope but i only used that one, and not for very long.

i have to say Bushnell is worth a long look...especially for those of us who don't always have a pocketful of money

-Matt

Old Syko · « **Reply #19 on:** January 25, 2008, 10:06:14 AM »

Gave my son a 5-15 Bushnell Elite 3200 2 or 3 years ago that landed on a little Mark 10 in .223 that has earned it's rightful place as his favorite varmint rig. This scope doesn't take a back seat to anything, even the more high end glass that we own.

Grayfox97128 · « **Reply #20 on:** January 29, 2008, 04:44:46 PM »

I have a Bushnell Elite 3200 10x40 tactical with mil-dot on my 223. It is one of the clearest and brightest scopes I own, even better than the lower end Leopold scopes

Brithunter · « **Reply #21 on:** February 03, 2008, 11:36:21 PM »

Hi All,

Personally I try to stay with scopes from reliable (as quality goes) makers However recently I was able to try a new Leupold varible scope on a friends rifle and was shocked at how unclear the optics were! They did not compare to my older Vari X111 nor my M8 Compact 4x scope. He had brought a new Zeiss Conquest and then we tried that on the rifle and the optics were so much clearer that the scopes were swopped and the rifle now wears the Conquest scope.

This is the first Zeiss Conquest that I had ever seen and it looks like it's a decent scope for the money. Most of my scopes have been brought used as I cannot afford the quality optics I like new and the budget section seems a real crap shoot. Brought three from this sector in the last year new an two of them are faulty and the vendors are not interested to it might need to go to court to get redress. Oh both faulty scopes despite being different makes were made in China!

I am afraid that Simmonds scopes don't have a very good reputation here and in fact the only good one I looked at was the 1.5-5x20 Fire View. A Simmond varible another friend had on his .22 AMT rifle was so foggy in the optics I couldn't make out the target on the indoor 25 yards range. After comparing it to my old steel Weaver K3W on my BSA botl actio he dumped the Simmonds and brought another scope which was not Simmonds. In fact our local dealer stopped stocking Simmonds as he got fed up with all the returns he got with them.

badhop · « **Reply #22 on:** July 06, 2008, 01:43:25 AM »

I had the same decision to make when I bought a 204 caliber rifle. I wanted a scope that would be a good fit for paper punching, ground hogs, and coyote. I ended buying a Leopuld VX-III 6.5X20 AO with the one inch tube. Most of my shooting with this caliber is at least 75 yards, so the lower power scopes don't help my cause. If I'm going into areas that I can shoot only as far as 100 yards then I'll be using my CZ 17 HMR with a VX-II 6X18 AO. I quess I don't have a problem with finding my target with the higher power scopes. My feelings are if you have a gun that can shoot out to 100 yards, or one out to 400 yards with a little bullit then I want to see the target as a BIG ONE, no matter what the distance is. I have 55 year old eyes is problably why.