Rifle scopes in general - The Firearms Forum

thomas44 · 08-13-2009, 08:59 PM

I'm sure this has never come up (kidding of course), but what is everyones favorite brand of rifle scopes ? I'm talking in general terms. I was talking to a gentleman recently who builds custom target rifles and shotguns, and he was telling me about an up and coming company called Vortex, and he says they are the best optics he's ever seen, and he's seen a bunch of 'em. I've got an Elite 3200 Bushnell that I just got for my new
.308 Savage that's pretty nice, but I think I'm going to end up using that in the future for something else because I just ordered a Vortex Viper 6.5-20X44. We'll see how it goes. They don't even have their distribution all set up yet, but you can order them, or just look at them at...

http://www.vortexoptics.com/

TOOHSOTKIL · 08-13-2009, 09:08 PM

No offense, but offhand I can think of a dozen or so that are better tenfold. You may need to shop dealers. Guess he`ll be stocking these????
I`ll take the Elite over those right off.

Doc1911 · 08-13-2009, 09:10 PM

I have a Vortex Spotting Scope and I would rate it a "C." If their glass is the same in their scopes then many other scopes would do better. My favorite scope is NightForce for the money - but they are pretty expensive.

Rocket J Squirl · 08-13-2009, 09:27 PM

I have one scoped rifle (not encludng rimfire)

This is what I use, and Ive sold a bunch of them at the range and to friend because they look though mine

http://www.gunblast.com/SWFA_Super_Sniper.htm

http://www.supersniper.com/SuperSniperReviews.htm

But then I shoot dimes at 200 yards for fun.

The Mrs uses a Vortex red/green dot. nice cheapie for her SKS.

My friend bought a Vortex 8-24x-50 for his 30-06, ended up getting the scope above and putting the vortex on his rimfire

thomas44 · 08-13-2009, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TOOHSOTKIL

No offense, but offhand I can think of a dozen or so that are better tenfold. You may need to shop dealers. Guess he`ll be stocking these????
I`ll take the Elite over those right off.

I'm never offended by someone else's opinion. Perhaps I put too much stock in this guys recommendation. ?? We'll see. It's always good to have extra scopes laying around to switch around and play with.

That Super Sniper looks interesting for the $$.

I agree about the NightForce scopes, although I've never owned one or looked through one, I've read alot of good things about them. Someday I would like to own one.

gdmoody · 08-14-2009, 12:13 AM

I kinda like the Nikon scopes, as good as any I have used and are affordable!

LDBennett · 08-14-2009, 07:11 AM

I have many rifles and pistols with many scoped. I have Burris, Leopold, old Tasco, Weaver, and Bushnell Trophy scopes (and others I can't even remember). Ten years ago I thought the Burris scopes to be the best at a better price than say Leopold but the pricing difference has disappeared and a couple of the Burris scopes I have have tightened up thier sealing rings so much from time that adjusting them is tough. It is interesting that I can not see an iota of difference between the optical viewing quality between any of these scopes. But I have had a cheapy Tasco fall apart (not their old World Class scope) and with the exception of one or two Tasco's I have always bought better scopes.

Most recently I winced at the new scope pricing and found that the Bushnell Trophy Series scope semed to be the most scope for the least money. I have several and they are fine. Again my eyes must be bad enough (???) so that I can not see any difference in the optical viewing quality between these Bushnell Trophies and my most expensive Leopold. I tend to buy high power scopes and that is where you would think the differences would show up (??). The one exception to this was the old Tasco 8 to 32 which was so bad at full power as to almost be useless.

This is just my experience and yours may differ.

LDBennett

GunHugger · 08-14-2009, 07:23 AM

Vortex told me today that the Vipers are made in the Philippines.

cycloneman · 08-14-2009, 08:06 AM

For hunting I like the bushnell elite scopes. The rainguard works. That is very important to me.

Sandman · 08-14-2009, 08:15 AM

Leupold. Best value. Good customer service, tough as nails, high quality optics. Unless you want to jump up to the top of the line where the scopes are really expensive, you can't do better than Leupold.

308 at my gate · 08-14-2009, 10:08 AM

I would have to say Leupold for me. I have quit a few and just like the durability and the customer service from them. I do have some others that I use but if given a choice of only one it would be Leupold for me.

army mp · 08-14-2009, 11:23 AM

I have always used the mid-range price scopes. Years ago it was Redfield, now its Nikon. Deer hunting my area 3x9x40 is about all I need. Woodchucks a higher power would be nice. But not really needed. I have ran the gauntlet, with Tasco, simmons and weaver. Not much of a fan. But that’s me.

Islandboy · 08-14-2009, 06:05 PM

Love my Leupold 3-9x50, gonna go sight it in again this W.E. due to eye surgery. can't wait, cause I could notice the diff even with crappy cataracts.

Suwannee Tim · 08-14-2009, 09:38 PM

The scopes I have bought other than Leupold that I have been completely satisfied with have been few and far between. I get amused when I hear of some new company, Nightforce for example that is building optics that are MUCH better than Leupold who has been building top of the line scopes for a long time. Usually such scopes are much larger and heavier than the Leupold it is being compared to which is how Nightforce does it. I suspect this Vortex optics is along the same line. Personally I prefer Leupold. I have a couple of Burris scopes, a Nikon and an old Redfield and a dozen Leupolds. I have sent several scopes back, bought them, looked through them and sent them back. This includes a Ziess. I have never been dissatisfied with a Leupold. I have never had a really expensive scope like a Swarovski. I really doubt that the extra money would buy any meaningful improvement in performance. I'm not very brand loyal in general but Leupold has earned my loyalty.

thomas44 · 08-15-2009, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suwannee Tim

The scopes I have bought other than Leupold that I have been completely satisfied with have been few and far between. I get amused when I hear of some new company, Nightforce for example that is building optics that are MUCH better than Leupold who has been building top of the line scopes for a long time. Usually such scopes are much larger and heavier than the Leupold it is being compared to which is how Nightforce does it. I suspect this Vortex optics is along the same line. Personally I prefer Leupold. I have a couple of Burris scopes, a Nikon and an old Redfield and a dozen Leupolds. I have sent several scopes back, bought them, looked through them and sent them back. This includes a Ziess. I have never been dissatisfied with a Leupold. I have never had a really expensive scope like a Swarovski. I really doubt that the extra money would buy any meaningful improvement in performance. I'm not very brand loyal in general but Leupold has earned my loyalty.

Thats a pretty solid endorsement. Thanks. Oh, I don't know if it makes any difference, but the guy who mentioned the Vortex scopes said that specifically the Viper series are the really good ones. Didn't know anything about the less expensive series. Thanks for everyones feedback.

deerslayer64d · 08-16-2009, 10:33 AM

I to have tried many diff scopes over the years , form tasco , redfeild. weaver , simmons and Leupold. after using the leupold scopes I never needed to look at any other's . I now own 6 diff leupold scopes and have never had a problem with any of them .

thomas44 · 08-22-2009, 08:20 AM

Well, I got my Vortex Viper 6.5-20X44, and I've got to say, this is the best glass I've ever put on a rifle. I have owned in the past a Leupold VX III 4.5-14X40, and I'll take this scope anyday, and I know that's a strong statement, but that's my opinion. The clarity of these optics is astonishing, as well as the user-friendly mag adjustment and point of impact adjustments and the zeroing of those adjustments. I've owned alot of scopes, but I'm sold on the Vortex Viper. I spent close to $500 on this scope, which I hardly ever do, but it was worth the money. Plus they have a $50 rebate program through the end of the year. AND, an unconditional lifetime warranty makes the deal a little sweeter too. As they say in the accompanying literature, there is no warranty card because the company will stand behind their product regardless of who happens to own it at the time. Nice

fyimo · 08-22-2009, 08:42 AM

I have Leupold scopes on 80% of my Rifles and a few have Redfield scopes. I will say Leupold has fantastic customer service as I bought a dun with a Leupold vari X III 3.5x10 scope and after shooting the gun the reticle became crooked in the gun. I sent it into Leupold and they sent a factory refurbished scope in less then a week.

dianalv · 08-22-2009, 11:08 AM

I always buy Leupold because their customer service is tops. I had an old Leupold scope that my dad had for years before I got it. I put it on a rifle with a great deal of recoil. Eventually the scope got where you couldn't adjust it, so I boxed it up and sent it to Leupold to see if it could be fixed. They fixed it and returned it in about a week at no cost to me and it still works great. Can't beat that. That scope was ancient.

They give great discounts to hunter educators, and I've always been treated really well by them.

I bought a rifle with an old Weaver on it and I was pretty impressed with it. It was underpowered for the rifle it was on for my purposes, but it makes a great .22 scope.

I've heard good things about Burris, but the customer service and how they stand behind their products keeps me a loyal Leupold customer.

davem · 08-24-2009, 07:40 PM

nikon team primos and cabelas alaskan quide series are tops for me. i have a tasco world class, bushnell banner there ok for a cheap scope , bought a bsa cats eye JUNK !! tasco target/varmit 12-24 JUNK x2!!

Hammerslagger · 08-24-2009, 10:06 PM

Today,the optics of cheap scopes are often superior to the best scopes of the WW II era!

But, will they stand up to the recoil (especially semi auto recoil) as well as the quality scopes of 50-60 years ago? Likely not!

At one time the advertising of the Bushnell 4200 series claimed to stand up to 10,000 shots of .375 H&H magnum. The 3200 series 2000 shots of the same. Get the picture?????

TOOHSOTKIL · 08-27-2009, 03:39 PM

The real test is shooting the box, this shows repeatability. They can look good, feel good and even the cheapeast scopes come with lifetime warranties.

If it shoots the box, it`s close to a keeper.

Doc1911 · 08-27-2009, 03:52 PM

Zeiss makes a Conquest model that is a great medium quality scope. I particularly like the 3x9x40 MC. The clarity on these scopes in "up" there with some scopes costing way more.

new308handloader · 08-27-2009, 04:00 PM

NightForce NXS 5.5 x 22 x 50mm
Great scope.....but they are proud of them and the price shows it.

TranterUK · 08-27-2009, 04:09 PM

Two best scopes I ever used, One was in the mid east, german made for Israel a Nimrod. Wow. The other was a Sworvorski (?) I diddnt have it long but it was clear and sharp and easy to use.

Scopes are interesting, you generally get what you pay for. I say buy the best you can afford. If your means are modest, as are mine, go midrange like Leopold. I would avoid the real cheapies.

Just as a footnote, I always liked the fixed powers, like a 6x40, not so popular nowdays, so many variables.

08-13-2009, 08:59 PM	#1
thomas44 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 577	Rifle scopes in general I'm sure this has never come up (kidding of course), but what is everyones favorite brand of rifle scopes ? I'm talking in general terms. I was talking to a gentleman recently who builds custom target rifles and shotguns, and he was telling me about an up and coming company called Vortex, and he says they are the best optics he's ever seen, and he's seen a bunch of 'em. I've got an Elite 3200 Bushnell that I just got for my new .308 Savage that's pretty nice, but I think I'm going to end up using that in the future for something else because I just ordered a Vortex Viper 6.5-20X44. We'll see how it goes. They don't even have their distribution all set up yet, but you can order them, or just look at them at... http://www.vortexoptics.com/ __________________ Change...it's all you'll have left in your pocket by 2013. -->

08-13-2009, 09:08 PM	#2
TOOHSOTKIL V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Curracus Posts: 318	Re: Rifle scopes in general No offense, but offhand I can think of a dozen or so that are better tenfold. You may need to shop dealers. Guess he`ll be stocking these???? I`ll take the Elite over those right off.

08-13-2009, 09:10 PM	#3
Doc1911 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: USA Posts: 874	Re: Rifle scopes in general I have a Vortex Spotting Scope and I would rate it a "C." If their glass is the same in their scopes then many other scopes would do better. My favorite scope is NightForce for the money - but they are pretty expensive. __________________ _____ Sincerely, Doc NRA Life Member

08-13-2009, 09:27 PM	#4
Rocket J Squirl Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 418	Re: Rifle scopes in general I have one scoped rifle (not encludng rimfire) This is what I use, and Ive sold a bunch of them at the range and to friend because they look though mine http://www.gunblast.com/SWFA_Super_Sniper.htm http://www.supersniper.com/SuperSniperReviews.htm But then I shoot dimes at 200 yards for fun. The Mrs uses a Vortex red/green dot. nice cheapie for her SKS. My friend bought a Vortex 8-24x-50 for his 30-06, ended up getting the scope above and putting the vortex on his rimfire

08-14-2009, 12:13 AM	#6
gdmoody Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Northeast Georgia Contributor Posts: 6,343	Re: Rifle scopes in general I kinda like the Nikon scopes, as good as any I have used and are affordable! __________________ NRA Endowment Member GeorgiaCarry.Org Member Retired US Army Postal Worker Personally, I carry a gun because I'm too young to die and too old to take an ass whoopin'.....author unknown (but obviously brilliant)

08-14-2009, 07:11 AM	#7
LDBennett Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hesperia, CA Posts: 5,715	Re: Rifle scopes in general I have many rifles and pistols with many scoped. I have Burris, Leopold, old Tasco, Weaver, and Bushnell Trophy scopes (and others I can't even remember). Ten years ago I thought the Burris scopes to be the best at a better price than say Leopold but the pricing difference has disappeared and a couple of the Burris scopes I have have tightened up thier sealing rings so much from time that adjusting them is tough. It is interesting that I can not see an iota of difference between the optical viewing quality between any of these scopes. But I have had a cheapy Tasco fall apart (not their old World Class scope) and with the exception of one or two Tasco's I have always bought better scopes. Most recently I winced at the new scope pricing and found that the Bushnell Trophy Series scope semed to be the most scope for the least money. I have several and they are fine. Again my eyes must be bad enough (???) so that I can not see any difference in the optical viewing quality between these Bushnell Trophies and my most expensive Leopold. I tend to buy high power scopes and that is where you would think the differences would show up (??). The one exception to this was the old Tasco 8 to 32 which was so bad at full power as to almost be useless. This is just my experience and yours may differ. LDBennett Last edited by LDBennett; 08-14-2009 at 07:12 AM..

08-14-2009, 07:23 AM	#8
GunHugger Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: SW PA Posts: 1,161	Re: Rifle scopes in general Vortex told me today that the Vipers are made in the Philippines. __________________ . “There will be a revolution in this country!” “I don’t believe people should to be able to own guns.” ~Barack Obama "Stand your ground. Don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war let it begin here." ~Captain John Parker, to his Minute Men on Lexington Green, April 19, 1775. Last edited by GunHugger; 08-22-2009 at 02:22 PM..

08-14-2009, 08:06 AM	#9
cycloneman Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Louisiana Posts: 7,406	Re: Rifle scopes in general For hunting I like the bushnell elite scopes. The rainguard works. That is very important to me. __________________ Who are you going to serve today?

08-14-2009, 08:15 AM	#10
Sandman Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Louisiana Posts: 552	Re: Rifle scopes in general Leupold. Best value. Good customer service, tough as nails, high quality optics. Unless you want to jump up to the top of the line where the scopes are really expensive, you can't do better than Leupold.

08-14-2009, 10:08 AM	#11
308 at my gate Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Lost in SW USA. Posts: 847	Re: Rifle scopes in general I would have to say Leupold for me. I have quit a few and just like the durability and the customer service from them. I do have some others that I use but if given a choice of only one it would be Leupold for me. __________________ You got to love it.

08-14-2009, 11:23 AM	#12
army mp V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: western Pa, Posts: 479	Re: Rifle scopes in general I have always used the mid-range price scopes. Years ago it was Redfield, now its Nikon. Deer hunting my area 3x9x40 is about all I need. Woodchucks a higher power would be nice. But not really needed. I have ran the gauntlet, with Tasco, simmons and weaver. Not much of a fan. But that’s me.

08-14-2009, 06:05 PM	#13
Islandboy Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Off the right coast Posts: 676	Re: Rifle scopes in general Love my Leupold 3-9x50, gonna go sight it in again this W.E. due to eye surgery. can't wait, cause I could notice the diff even with crappy cataracts. __________________ A politician can do only that which the law provides,but, a private citizen can do anything that the law does not prohibit. -AR. When they came and got me, I went Peaceful.

08-14-2009, 09:38 PM	#14
Suwannee Tim Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 2,227	Re: Rifle scopes in general The scopes I have bought other than Leupold that I have been completely satisfied with have been few and far between. I get amused when I hear of some new company, Nightforce for example that is building optics that are MUCH better than Leupold who has been building top of the line scopes for a long time. Usually such scopes are much larger and heavier than the Leupold it is being compared to which is how Nightforce does it. I suspect this Vortex optics is along the same line. Personally I prefer Leupold. I have a couple of Burris scopes, a Nikon and an old Redfield and a dozen Leupolds. I have sent several scopes back, bought them, looked through them and sent them back. This includes a Ziess. I have never been dissatisfied with a Leupold. I have never had a really expensive scope like a Swarovski. I really doubt that the extra money would buy any meaningful improvement in performance. I'm not very brand loyal in general but Leupold has earned my loyalty. Last edited by Suwannee Tim; 08-14-2009 at 09:40 PM..

08-16-2009, 10:33 AM	#16
deerslayer64d Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: springbranch TX Posts: 21	Re: Rifle scopes in general I to have tried many diff scopes over the years , form tasco , redfeild. weaver , simmons and Leupold. after using the leupold scopes I never needed to look at any other's . I now own 6 diff leupold scopes and have never had a problem with any of them .

08-22-2009, 08:20 AM	#17
thomas44 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 577	Re: Rifle scopes in general Well, I got my Vortex Viper 6.5-20X44, and I've got to say, this is the best glass I've ever put on a rifle. I have owned in the past a Leupold VX III 4.5-14X40, and I'll take this scope anyday, and I know that's a strong statement, but that's my opinion. The clarity of these optics is astonishing, as well as the user-friendly mag adjustment and point of impact adjustments and the zeroing of those adjustments. I've owned alot of scopes, but I'm sold on the Vortex Viper. I spent close to $500 on this scope, which I hardly ever do, but it was worth the money. Plus they have a $50 rebate program through the end of the year. AND, an unconditional lifetime warranty makes the deal a little sweeter too. As they say in the accompanying literature, there is no warranty card because the company will stand behind their product regardless of who happens to own it at the time. Nice __________________ Change...it's all you'll have left in your pocket by 2013.

08-22-2009, 08:42 AM	#18
fyimo V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Arkansas Posts: 187	Re: Rifle scopes in general I have Leupold scopes on 80% of my Rifles and a few have Redfield scopes. I will say Leupold has fantastic customer service as I bought a dun with a Leupold vari X III 3.5x10 scope and after shooting the gun the reticle became crooked in the gun. I sent it into Leupold and they sent a factory refurbished scope in less then a week. Last edited by fyimo; 08-22-2009 at 09:05 AM..

08-22-2009, 11:08 AM	#19
dianalv Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada Posts: 1,160	Re: Rifle scopes in general I always buy Leupold because their customer service is tops. I had an old Leupold scope that my dad had for years before I got it. I put it on a rifle with a great deal of recoil. Eventually the scope got where you couldn't adjust it, so I boxed it up and sent it to Leupold to see if it could be fixed. They fixed it and returned it in about a week at no cost to me and it still works great. Can't beat that. That scope was ancient. They give great discounts to hunter educators, and I've always been treated really well by them. I bought a rifle with an old Weaver on it and I was pretty impressed with it. It was underpowered for the rifle it was on for my purposes, but it makes a great .22 scope. I've heard good things about Burris, but the customer service and how they stand behind their products keeps me a loyal Leupold customer.

08-24-2009, 07:40 PM	#20
davem Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: butler,pa Posts: 36	Re: Rifle scopes in general nikon team primos and cabelas alaskan quide series are tops for me. i have a tasco world class, bushnell banner there ok for a cheap scope , bought a bsa cats eye JUNK !! tasco target/varmit 12-24 JUNK x2!!

08-24-2009, 10:06 PM	#21
Hammerslagger Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,099	Re: Rifle scopes in general Today,the optics of cheap scopes are often superior to the best scopes of the WW II era! But, will they stand up to the recoil (especially semi auto recoil) as well as the quality scopes of 50-60 years ago? Likely not! At one time the advertising of the Bushnell 4200 series claimed to stand up to 10,000 shots of .375 H&H magnum. The 3200 series 2000 shots of the same. Get the picture?????

08-27-2009, 03:39 PM	#22
TOOHSOTKIL V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Curracus Posts: 318	Re: Rifle scopes in general The real test is shooting the box, this shows repeatability. They can look good, feel good and even the cheapeast scopes come with lifetime warranties. If it shoots the box, it`s close to a keeper.

08-27-2009, 03:52 PM	#23
Doc1911 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: USA Posts: 874	Re: Rifle scopes in general Zeiss makes a Conquest model that is a great medium quality scope. I particularly like the 3x9x40 MC. The clarity on these scopes in "up" there with some scopes costing way more. __________________ _____ Sincerely, Doc NRA Life Member

08-27-2009, 04:00 PM	#24
new308handloader Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Maryville, TN Posts: 535	Re: Rifle scopes in general NightForce NXS 5.5 x 22 x 50mm Great scope.....but they are proud of them and the price shows it. Attached Images __________________ "History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid." D. D. Eisenhower

08-27-2009, 04:09 PM	#25
TranterUK Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 5,103	Re: Rifle scopes in general Two best scopes I ever used, One was in the mid east, german made for Israel a Nimrod. Wow. The other was a Sworvorski (?) I diddnt have it long but it was clear and sharp and easy to use. Scopes are interesting, you generally get what you pay for. I say buy the best you can afford. If your means are modest, as are mine, go midrange like Leopold. I would avoid the real cheapies. Just as a footnote, I always liked the fixed powers, like a 6x40, not so popular nowdays, so many variables. __________________ DVC - Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas - Accuracy, Power, Speed. The light at the end of the recession tunnel IS a train coming the other way! Last edited by TranterUK; 08-27-2009 at 04:12 PM..