This is topic Tell me about Scopes in forum Optics forum at The New Huntmastersbbs!.
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Posted by Pilgrim on Earth (Member # 314) on March 08, 2006, 11:35 AM:
2 questions. Answers based on practical experience are appreciated.
#1 - Considering their use for predator hunting (night time hunting included), do you think the high end optics are really worth the considerable extra expense?
#2 - Considering their use for predator hunting (night time hunting included, but not talking about night vision), what's the best scope for under $1000?
Thanks fellas.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on March 08, 2006, 01:53 PM:
I don't know if they are still making them, but by golly, I sure had a lot of luck with 3.5X10X44 VXIII Leupold scopes. Not too fancy, but they sure work.
I have gotten into higher end scopes, the past ten/fifteen years or so, but I could still use those scopes. Plenty of magnification. Currently, the only one I own is on my 300Win. Mag. and I have no plans to change it.
I'm assuming you hunt with a light. If you are hunting by moonlight, the big 56mm Europeans can't be beat.
So, question #1, no, not worth the considerable extra expense, unless you really get into night hunting in a big way.
Question # 2. I don't know for sure, have not looked through every scope on the market? The 4.5X14X50 VXIII Leupold and the 4.5X14X44 Conquest are very nice scopes for that application. Well under $1000.
The very best, strictly night hunting. I'd get a 2.5X10X56MM Zeiss. The best night hunting scope I own is a 3X12X56 Kahles, but those cost a little more. But, these are a little bulky for all around work, day stands and night hunting.
So, we are back to the compromise solution, and I think that 3.5X10 Leupold is a good dual purpose scope.
Good hunting. LB
Posted by Andy L (Member # 642) on March 08, 2006, 02:21 PM:
I have never had a high end scope. But, I can tell you this, I have had great luck with Swift. Good scopes and great warranty. Best I have seen. I have several 4-12 and one 6-18 and love them.
I got a gun from AZ Hunter with a Simmons ATech on it and was gonna scrap it, til I used it. Now I got another one of them too....
If Vic chimes in, he may actually talk of those scopes some, at least he has in the past. I like them too...
FWIW
Posted by UTcaller (Member # 8) on March 08, 2006, 03:50 PM:
For my money it's hard to beat the Burris fullfield II.I've Got two of them.A 3x9-40 BP on my .221 fireball,and a 4.5x14-42 BP that I used to have on my .22-250 but I swapped it to my .204 ruger.I'm probably going to get a couple more this year.One for my rebarreled .22-250,and one for my .223 AI.Both will probably be 3.5x10-50 BP.FWIW Chad
Posted by albert (Member # 98) on March 08, 2006, 06:34 PM:
Warranty? Don’t know too much about warranty? I know the Burris warranty is good as I have sent in two scopes to them. Leopold is another story don’t know if there warranty is good or not, mainly because I’ve never had to use it. Yes I do own several Leopold’s
Posted by Az-Hunter (Member # 17) on March 08, 2006, 07:11 PM:
Leopold....was a nature lover and author,he never made optics. Maybe your thinking of the optics firm called Leupold? ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I don't know why that bugs me so much, but every time I hear the name pronounced that way, or written, it makes me squirm?
Kind of like the proper pronunciation of Sako, so many guys will pronounce it "say'-co", instead of the correct "sock'-o". Kind of like bellying up to the counter at Taco Bell, and asking for a dozen tay-cos:)
Language is a funny thing aint it.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on March 08, 2006, 07:21 PM:
Must be a regional thing, Vic? I'm with you 100% on Leupold, but indifferent on Sako. Albert gets a little slack, he's Canadian, and he promised me a wolf, this year. Whoopie! I'll be there, checking fares now.
Good hunting. LB
Posted by Nahuatl (Member # 708) on March 14, 2006, 09:20 AM:
#1, yes, I only complain about the price once, but using a quality scope is a joy every time. Whenever I lend one to a novice, they really see the difference.
And #2, If you're going to get into a lot of night hunting, you might look around to somehow pay less than retail for the best 56mm you can find. That's the only way you'll keep it under a $grand.
Similar to Leonard, I own and like both the Zeiss 2.5-10x56 and the Kahles 3-12x56 30mm tube Europeans the best. But I've always shopped and managed to pick them up pre-owned, slightly ringed, or with a rifle already underneath, and deeply discounted. At dusk and dawn, or with a spotlight, they're really really good, and neither is AO, but they are still big and cumbersome. I'd consider a Swarovski or Schmidt & Bender 2.5-10x56 to be of similar quality. The only scope in that category anywhere close to $1K new/retail though is a fixed power Swarovski 8x56.
I also own and like an older NightForce 5-20x56 30mm (it's now a 5.5-22) and that is also an excellent piece of glass, but it's really big and heavy AO, and not something you want to carry further than the hatch.
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