New rifle scope...choices????

[wildstreak]

I am in the process of having a 300 win mag built on a 700 action. I am trying to decide what kind of optics I want to put on top of it. The sole purpose of this rifle is to hunt.I have alway been a leupold guy, I have several and they have served me well. But when I bought them the choices were really limited for quality optics. Now there countless scope manufacturers out there. I also have a couple of Vortex PST FFP vipers. They seem to be OK but I have them on small caliber rifles and I havent really tested their durability yet. To be honest, I am concerned about a company that was virtually unheard of yesterday and is extremely popular today. I hear great things about their warranty but in my mind the best warranty is one you dont have to use. I dont want to be out in some remote area and have my scope take a dump. The warranty wont help me much then.

Anyway, I am looking for opinions. I have some contacts that I can get some decent deals on several brands, including the aforementioned Leupold and Vortex. I was really interested in Leupold's Mark 4 ER/T 4.5-14x50 FFP.

Lets hear it.

 

[Gr8bawana]

If you have been a Leuopold guy in the past and they have served you well why change now. But like you said some of those companies that popular now, will they be around 30, 40 years from now?
Never had a problem with my Leoupold scopes that have been on rifles and well used for over 35 years.

 

[wildstreak]

If you have been a Leuopold guy in the past and they have served you well why change now. But like you said some of those companies that popular now, will they be around 30, 40 years from now?
Never had a problem with my Leoupold scopes that have been on rifles and well used for over 35 years.

No reason to change, I just dont want to limit myself.

 

[stevevan]

Right, plenty of scope companies to chose from nowdays. Myself, I've put down a lot of boot tracks with a Leupold scoped rifle over my shoulder in many different terrains/conditions and they have never failed me. That being said, I have bought a couple Vortex rifle scopes and a Vortex spotter. I do like them and my opinion is they are a very good value for the money. My only problem, if you will, is the stamped "Made in the Phillipines" on the scope. Just a mental thing I have a hard time coming to terms with.

 

[Halo]

Leupold VX-6 3-18x CDS I put one on a hunting rifle of mine and love it. I will likely be upgrading another rifle soon from the VX-3 to the VX-6.

 

[WapitiBob]

Nightforce NXS or AtacR.
Vortex has a no question warranty because the Japanese making them weren't doing mechanical tests before they get shipped. I would look at swfa ss or the new Burris if a Nightforce is too much.

 

[CrossCreeks]

There are so many great choices now it hard to make a decision, but you can find great and good scopes in a lot of price ranges ! I am a Leupold fan and have many of their scopes one of them is on my 300 Win. Mag. (VX-II) and it has held up well and is awesome !

 

[MAKAIRA]

Check out the Zeiss Hd 5 in a 3x13x42 with the target turret.So far I have been impressed with using it in -15 To 90 degrees and it is fairly light.

 

[badgerbob]

If you're spending real money on a rifle put a real scope on it. Nightforce NXS or AtacR.
Vortex has a no question warranty because the Japanese making them weren't doing mechanical tests before they get shipped. I would look at swfa ss or the new Burris if a Nightforce is too much.

I am not a fan of Burris. A fellow that once belonged to the same shooting range as me, had one on a .270 win. A cal. known for a modest recoil. I don't know the Burris model no. he had, but it was back to the factory several times and at my last contact with him the issue had not been settled. Also I purchased a pair of Burris pocket sized bino's sometime in the mid 90's. I really liked them for hunting in timber where the distance wasn't great. They were 8x25 I think. This past spring I sent them back to Burris due to a smudge appearing inside of one of the lenses. I had a UPS tracking number indicating they had received them. After weeks of e-mails they finally admitted they had them and that they would be contacting me at the end of the week with a repair order no. After badgering them with e-mails, after the week, they said they were working with their manager to decide what to do about the issue. A few days later I got a new pair of Colorado binos. They retail for around 100 bucks which is about half what I paid for the first pair in the mid 90's. They are no where the quality of the first pair I had. I will just give them to one of the Grandkids and pick up another pair. I'm liking Vortex these days. Maybe this is helpful.

Good luck
Bob

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

To keep it simple, if you simply want a variable power scope stick with what you have confidence in. Leupold has always served me well. Go with a VXIII.

If you want some ballistic compensation, think about one of the leading turret type scopes like Nightforce NXS.

 

[JScams]

I was on a budget but just picked up a weatherby Vanguard series 2 in .300 win mag...Paired it with a Nikon Prostaff waterproof 3x9x50. Everything for under $800 and I couldn't be happier..

 

[AKaviator]

Congratulations! You're pretty much good-to-go for whatever big game you choose with that rig. I hope you share some nice trophy photo's with us all!

 

[packmule]

To keep it simple, if you simply want a variable power scope stick with what you have confidence in. Leupold has always served me well. Go with a VXIII.

If you want some ballistic compensation, think about one of the leading turret type scopes like Nightforce NXS.

Or just get a turret for a Leupold. I have a hard time getting away from Leupold when there's nothing wrong with them and the CDS works.

 

[cntryep3614]

Since Redfield was bought out by Leupold they have been putting some quality scopes together. They were slacking for a while, but the absorbtion has been good to them and there glass is for a fraction of the cost of a zeiss

 

[wildstreak]

I really like this Leupold....and i can get a hell of a deal on a brand new one...

http://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/scopes/mark-4-ert-riflescopes/mark-4-ert-4-5-14x50mm-30mm-m1-front-focal/

 

[wildstreak]

Well...I was pretty set on the ER/T Mark 4 Leupold until I read about the CDS that Leupold is putting out. Now I am leaning towards a VX6.....Geez....

 

[brushcreek]

I am not a fan of Burris. A fellow that once belonged to the same shooting range as me, had one on a .270 win. A cal. known for a modest recoil. I don't know the Burris model no. he had, but it was back to the factory several times and at my last contact with him the issue had not been settled. Also I purchased a pair of Burris pocket sized bino's sometime in the mid 90's. I really liked them for hunting in timber where the distance wasn't great. They were 8x25 I think. This past spring I sent them back to Burris due to a smudge appearing inside of one of the lenses. I had a UPS tracking number indicating they had received them. After weeks of e-mails they finally admitted they had them and that they would be contacting me at the end of the week with a repair order no. After badgering them with e-mails, after the week, they said they were working with their manager to decide what to do about the issue. A few days later I got a new pair of Colorado binos. They retail for around 100 bucks which is about half what I paid for the first pair in the mid 90's. They are no where the quality of the first pair I had. I will just give them to one of the Grandkids and pick up another pair. I'm liking Vortex these days. Maybe this is helpful.

Good luck
Bob

every company must produce a lemon every now and again. I've owned several Burris scopes and have been very impressed with them.

 

[packmule]

Well...I was pretty set on the ER/T Mark 4 Leupold until I read about the CDS that Leupold is putting out. Now I am leaning towards a VX6.....Geez....

To further complicate things, take a look at a VX-3L CDS.

 

[coastalarms]

I really like this Leupold....and i can get a hell of a deal on a brand new one...

http://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/scopes/mark-4-ert-riflescopes/mark-4-ert-4-5-14x50mm-30mm-m1-front-focal/

I usually suggest mildot or tmr IF you want to be able to accurately range with your scope AND that is the reticle that you will have on all your guns. Once you figure out mildot (especially with targets that don't change size much) they are fast and accurate. Same for FFP. If you have one rifle that has a duplex, one that has a mildot, and one that has a Boone and Crocket it can get complicated and you wont ever really get to be as good as you can with any of them. Oh, and stick to the same load for deer, elk, whatever.

FYI, I have mildots on all my rifles, also have a dope chart taped to the stock. The mildot master slide rule is worth its weight in gold when you are first learning the system. I still carry a rangefinder, but I can mil estimate pretty accurately and fast

 

[badgerbob]

every company must produce a lemon every now and again. I've owned several Burris scopes and have been very impressed with them.

I understand that. I was happy with my first pair, just wanted to get the smudge out. My problem was with the customer service I got and the lack of quality in the pair they chose to replace with. If everything else is equal, customer service will be the deciding factor for me.