Best sub $400 hunting scope?

[Sgt. grizz]

I have been using the vortex viper hs I bought two of them for $300 on sale and I have shoot way out there with them 1400+ and hit my target but I did have to shim the scope for that but if you have a 20moa base you would be fine.
I do like the athlon as well

 

[the hunter]

I highly doubt these guys are going to be dialing, I'd look on ebay for used zeiss and swaros.

 

[brotherbear67]

Midway USA has the the Bushnell Nitro on sale. Might check it out.

 

[Dr. Vette]

I didn't quite get my 4.5 x 14 that low of price but it is a very nice piece of glass. What I really like about it is that its extremely light weight and short. I got mine for a Tikka Superlite and the Leopold weighs half of what my Athlon Ares does. For a light compact rifle that VX-3i is hard to beat.

It's only a couple of times per year. You need to watch Optics Planet sales and coupons, eBay, and other sources. But, you can find them if you're patient.

 

[baldhunter]

The Weaver Grand Slam is a nice scope too.I recently picked one up to put on a 30-06.I was a little concerned about the published eye relief,but I think it has a good 4" at least.It's a very clear scope and tracks well.too.

 

[Lycan]

I've been in this boat.......my primary hunting rifle wears a Sightron SIII and Aadland rings but I'll give another vote for Primary Arms on a budget. Particularly the 4x14 FFP MOA. I have 4 Primary Arms scopes. One on a Remmy .308 5R milspec and it consistently shoots under .5 moa. Also currently running an Athlon Argos 8x32 FFP on a Patriot Valley Arms John Hancock and it will do bugholes all day.

I typically find that if you use a good rail and bed it, it will take a lot of stress off the scope as the rings align better (I still lap if needed). I have a theory that this helps a lot in getting the cheaper scopes to perform.

 

[Ts3]

Used Leupold VX-3

 

[beretzs]

The SWFA 6 or 10X MQ's are awesome optics for me. I use a ton of the 6X MQ's for my personal hunting. Sometimes you can get into a 3X9 SS HD for around 400 bucks during sale times during larger holidays.

I have a 6X SS on my CA Ridgeline and so far haven't had any issues making first round hits on 10x10 steel out to 600 yards without drama. Plus, again, like was mentioned earlier, they are 300 bucks everyday of the year and 240 on sale during the larger holdiays.

 

[AlfredA]

Hello to all. I read but rarely post. Here are my thoughts for the OP:

SWFA hands down in the price range (their house brand SS series). Your friend is using a Tikka in 30-06 which suggests long range. You also mentioned reticle issues including canting. The SWFA scopes have excellent tracking. They tolerate recoil nicely. They have both fixed power and variable as options. A fixed 10x will give both of your friends a lot of scope easily out to 300 - 600 metres without breaking the bank.

For closer in hunting, Nikon has some nice offerings in variable power 3x-9x which also are not bank-breakers.

There are other options, my suggestions (also mentioned by others here) keep within the budget.

 

[ThrdKllr]

Sightron S-Tac @ Optics Planet

 

[tedscouton]

You can buy a leupold vx-3i for 399.00 just a yr or so ago you could buy a Zeiss Conquest 3x9x40 for 399.00 but I think it's discontinued. I bought a rifle from a guy yrs ago with that same scope and it's a nice scope for the money .

+1
Where are your friends hunting? I regularly hunt high sierra's in CA, Southwest Colorado, mountains in PA and occasionally Texas and Kansas. Not one of these places need the weigh and bulk of a 30mm 4-16 scope unless you like carrying a extra pound of scope. IMHO stick to a 1" 3-9x40 or 3-10x42 scope.

Personally I run Swarovski, Zeiss and Leupold scopes 3-9x40mm to 4-12x50mm but if I had to buy a budget scope it would be a VX3i that can be found on sale for well under $400 or a used Conquest for $300-$400. Today there are several Zeiss 3-9x40mm on ebay for under $400 BUT be sure to stay away from any ebay Zeiss that has a adjustable Object all the ones I have seen are Chinese knock offs.

Keep your eyes opened, I just recently picked up a Swarovski 3-10x42 BRH scope for under $525, not bad for a scope with a life time warranty and new street price of $899...

 

[Ronald W Schaefer]

Vortex Viper 4-16x44 HS-T, great bang for your buck--transferable lifetime warranty, you can find used ones for ~400.00 but if you can save up an extra $200.00 you can get them new for about $599.00. You can also find a lot of used Leopold's in that range. As an aside I've always budgeted 1/2 $ for the rifle, 1/2 $ for the optics.

 

[mnoland30]

Another vote for Leupold Vx3. They are light, dependable, and guaranteed for life. I have them on all of my rifles. I've fallen on my rifle on the rocks in a stream, and it still shot to the same point of aim. I had a broken reticle on a Nikon and found out their "lifetime" guarantee only applies to the original owner with receipt and warranty card. I had a Redfield fog up back in the '80s. I'm all for light weight rifles, so why weigh it down with a heavy scope? If you buy Leupold online, you have to watch out for counterfeits. I have a VX-3 3.5x10 with Duplex reticle and CDS dial for sale at that price point if they are interested PM me. I don't like the dial. It has only been on a couple of hunts and is in good shape.

 

[James Bailey]

At that price and for a hunting scope, all thevafor mentioned scopes are great. I killed a lot of deer with an old Bauch & Lomb 2-8x36. I remember when a VX-3 or a Nikon Monarch was a dream for me and those scopes are still plenty good enough for almost any hunting applications. A good point was made earlier, a scope really is no better than the mounting solution. I use Warne on everything I have and have hunting rifles that I havent adjusted zero for on years. Leopold and Weaver make good amounts and rings as does Burris and Nikon. A VX-2,3 or a Nikon Protaff 5 or Monarch or Votex will kill any and every deer in the woods out to 400 yes and I reality, and especially if they are beginners or experts many shots are gonna under 300 and 200 and most under 100. I wouldn't be too concerned over anything over 3-9 or 40mm. I've been deer hunting for almost 40 yrs and between Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, and Texas, that's been my experience.