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Yeah I didn't think it was a secret that Leupold puts their money in glass and construction instead of the turrets in the lower tiers. It's just a choice they all have to make. I knew I wanted ffp and a good reticle and okay dialing on my last one and I knew that ruled Leupold out instantly. I have worse glass though and it's heavier. It's prioritizing. I can't speak to dialing on a lot of their models, but the one I had stank like a warehouse bathroom to dial. It was like having loose rings. if they really were the complete package at every price point a lot of other people wouldn't have jobs.
You can definitely get your needs met out to 600 if you pick a cartridge that has lots of ammo options to try, which the win mag usually does. Of course the more you spend the more tolerant the rifle is going to be of aberrations in factory ammo. Competition in the segment you were talking about originally has really increased standards in the last 15 years and the likelihood of getting a turd is pretty low, but time is running short to find that out and get it rectified in time for this season, especially after going through enough ammo to know it's the gun. Tough call. Brownings are nice. My understanding is that they're pretty aftermarket proof so you'd better really like it how it is and not plan on wearing the barrel out before you get your money's worth. If you can afford them (and the recoil, they're lighter) then I've never heard a bad word about them. Only complaints I've heard are expense and I can't change it. "260 rips" is a youtube channel of an English pest controller, he's got a nice review of a Browning 243 they sent him to test, pretty sure he was shooting factory ammo too.
That's probably the best next step. If you want to hit a smaller animal like a deer with a drop-them-where-they stand shot at 500 yards, you'll probably need handloads tuned to your rifle. If you're willing to try a whole bunch of different factory ammo varieties, you might luck out with one that suits your rifle. I've had that work out sometimes, sometimes not. That's why I started handloading.
It always becomes a balancing act with these decisions. Its easy to be thousands into firearm setups real fast. A semi-custom like a Seekins and a VX6 HD will put one over $3K easy. Will that be any better than a Tikka with a VX3i 4.5-14 for more in the $1600 range, hard to say. Either way its a lot of money and it pays to do homework to understand what your needs/abilities are versus what a given setup will give you. The good thing is I think Browning had some good choices around $1K and you can get a very good scope in the $600-$1000 range, just try to stay away from the stuff made in China unless you're going to set up a BDC based system where you don't dial. Not dialing takes a lot $$ pressure off. From what I hear Browning has upped their game on barrel a overall build quality. I recently had a discussion about Brownings with Chris Denham from Western Hunter when I was at the Outdoorsman. He and his crew did a lot of testing on them and found them a match for many of their custom rifles.
They're very good rifles.
The vertical grip helps if you're laying there sniping. Some people's hands do legitimately hurt in that position on a traditional stock, and it does help some people at really long ranges, especially if you're going with the style of being straight in line with the gun. I shoot prone laying at an angle to the shot holding the scope or the forend so I don't notice anything. You're much more likely to shoot in a sitting position off support in a hunting situation. Outside of prone or PRS I don't get it, but that's me.
I looked through a Swaro Z5, Leupo VX-5hd and Zeiss V4.
Be careful of eye relief with the zeiss and a light win mag. Not sure if it's still the case but they were biters.
Will do.
