Optics for hunting

Check Natchez web site - they have a Burris Veracity Rifle Scope - 3-15x50mm 30mm Ballistic E2 Reticle RFP for $450. Great buy on a great scope. I just got one for my STW - love it. I hesitated because of the 50 mm objective, and like you I prefer a smaller scope. But it actually is very nicely proportioned. It comes with capped turrets but all you have to do is call customer service and they will send you the M.A.D. turrets at N/C. I only used the MAD turret for elevation. You can get custom turrets made by Burris or adhesive strips from a couple of companies.
This looks like a great option.
 
Most scopes at your price range will usually not track accurately when you start screwing on turrets but since you like Burris scopes here is one for you and its in your price range. Maybe you'll get lucky and it will be great, maybe it was a good day in the Philippines or where ever it was assembled. To be fair, some of the more expensive Burris items are assembled in the US.


Typically scopes assembled in Japan, the US, or Europe will hedge your bet on tracking true. The Chinese/Philippines stuff is pretty hit and miss. Of course you can find anecdotal reports of things like Night Force and Leupold scopes failing to track. What you usually don't see from those reporting it is that those companies immediately made the device right for them.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think the FF IV is made in China.

I would buy this Philippines manufactured FF II before I gave a dime to China. I have several on rifles that I carry on the tractor or in the Ranger and haven't had any issues so far.

This place is local to me, I have been in their store, but haven't purchased anything from them. Kinda a yuppie REI for hunters and shooters

$143.76

BURRIS Fullfield E1 4.5-14x42mm Ballistic Plex Reticle Riflescope (200349)
 
Correct me if I am wrong, but I think the FF IV is made in China.

I would buy this Philippines manufactured FF II before I gave a dime to China. I have several on rifles that I carry on the tractor or in the Ranger and haven't had any issues so far.

This place is local to me, I have been in their store, but haven't purchased anything from them. Kinda a yuppie REI for hunters and shooters

$143.76

BURRIS Fullfield E1 4.5-14x42mm Ballistic Plex Reticle Riflescope (200349)
Go with the Meopta optics 6 scopes in whatever magnification range suites you they make that scope in First or Second focal plane from the post I've read the 2.5 x15x44 second focal plane should be close too your 500.00 budget and the turrets are low profile on that scope hope that helps they are great scopes and not made in China
 
Correct me if I am wrong, but I think the FF IV is made in China.

I would buy this Philippines manufactured FF II before I gave a dime to China. I have several on rifles that I carry on the tractor or in the Ranger and haven't had any issues so far.

This place is local to me, I have been in their store, but haven't purchased anything from them. Kinda a yuppie REI for hunters and shooters

$143.76

BURRIS Fullfield E1 4.5-14x42mm Ballistic Plex Reticle Riflescope (200349)
Philippines or China, not a huge differenced really. My post was tongue in cheek. My position is when I spend $$$ and vacation time to go hunting cannot justify carrying something that might or might not work when I'm dialing 15 MOA to take the one shot I might have in a 7 day hunt. But, hey maybe others can afford to blow time and money on hunting gear that might or might not work, each to their own.
 
Wow-
So much information. This site is absolutely the best. From my experience with Burris I want to lean that way but I have looked at the Meopta and they look great. That
4-20x44 looks awesome on paper. I'm going to attempt to find one in a store. Thanks everyone for the suggestions.
I know someone with that scope and he loves it. So far it has been very reliable. He has it on a light weight 300 WSM. I shot it at our range and thought it was as good as anything I've used. Meopta is a brand that isn't everywhere but they make very good products that are sold for smaller dollars because they are on their own monetary system and not the Euro. If they were on the Euro like Zeiss and Swaro their products would be 1/3 again as costly or more.
 
On the note that maybe some can afford to not have the most expensive this or that. I have learned that the most expensive is not always the best. I don't have the ability to spend more than my budget on an optic. My wife and I have great careers. I also have 3 children, a house, automobiles, and land to take care of. I own a CZ 557 MTR .308 Win that was $600. I have a Burris Fullfield on it that was maybe $250. It will print groups around .25 moa with about anything you feed it. I have a $25000 truck in the driveway that will take me anywhere I want to go. Expensive isn't always better for the application you are looking to fill.
 
Philippines or China, not a huge differenced really. My post was tongue in cheek. My position is when I spend $$$ and vacation time to go hunting cannot justify carrying something that might or might not work when I'm dialing 15 MOA to take the one shot I might have in a 7 day hunt. But, hey maybe others can afford to blow time and money on hunting gear that might or might not work, each to their own.
To be honest(devil's advocate here) anything you buy is in the category of "might or might not work", regardless of price or brand name.
 
To be honest(devil's advocate here) anything you buy is in the category of "might or might not work", regardless of price or brand name.
That's bull, you hedge your bets with quality optics. The stats are in your favor with quality. Sure Nightforce, Kahles, or Leupold have a certain level of failures but your chances are lower otherwise no one would sell the higher end stuff and PRS shooters would all be using $300 scopes from China.

But, everyone has to buy and live with what they can afford.

For me I'd rather drive and older truck (2006 F250) and save more to hedge my bets that when I dial a correction on a mature Coues buck that scope is going to work because I have to live with very low deer densities and draw tags. And, in 30 years of hunting the west and shooting far enough to need correction a lot, I haven't had a failure using quality gear.

If you hunt in a high animal density areas and don't hardly ever shoot far enough to use anything except MPBR then you have a less strenuous environment for gear than I live with.
 
That's bull, you hedge your bets with quality optics. The stats are in your favor with quality. Sure Nightforce, Kahles, or Leupold have a certain level of failures but your chances are lower otherwise no one would sell the higher end stuff and PRS shooters would all be using $300 scopes from China.

But, everyone has to buy and live with what they can afford.

For me I'd rather drive and older truck (2006 F250) and save more to hedge my bets that when I dial a correction on a mature Coues buck that scope is going to work because I have to live with very low deer densities and draw tags. And, in 30 years of hunting the west and shooting far enough to need correction a lot, I haven't had a failure using quality gear.

If you hunt in a high animal density areas and don't hardly ever shoot far enough to use anything except MPBR then you have a less strenuous environment for gear than I live with.
Hmmm... But they still have the occasional failures. There are probably cheaper scopes that work fine. Good marksmen are good marksmen, regardless of equipment.
 
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