best 24x bang for the buck suggestions please

[gregw83]

I will be ordering a new savage lrp in 243 soon, and need some suggestions for a good scope for not a whole lot of money. I have a budget of up to 500 for a good scope. I've considered the vortex viper and hawke Sidewinder. I plan to shoot out to 600-700 yds. I would like at leas 20x magnification

 

[emn83]

Vortex Viper PST or Sightron SIII are both great scopes for under $1000

 

[rcairflr]

I agree with the above for the SIII Sightron, but since you stated $500 the Sightron SII Big Sky 6-24 can be had for close to the $500 and is also an excellent scope.

 

[gregw83]

how's the clarity on the sightron at the higher magnification? This rifle will be used for groundhog hunting, so that is kind of important to me. I've used a cheap konus pro 6-24 on my 223 for years, and for the range you get with 55gr 223 loads, it works out ok. that is until you see a chuck run into the taller grass or brush, and know he's probably standing up watching you, but the scope isn't clear enough to tell Mr. groundhog from rocks, shadows, and clumps of tilled field dirt.

 

[bruce_ventura]

If you want good clarity at high magnification, I would recommend the Hawke Sidewinders over any Vortex model in the same price range. The Hawke scopes have better light management that gives a higher contrast image at high magnification.

In my experience, the vortex 6-24X scopes start to lose image contrast at about 18X. Some people on this site report problems as low as 14X, so it depends on lighting conditions, your pupil size, etc. Use the search function to learn more.

The Hawke 1/2 mildot reticle has a 1/2 mil spacing at 20X. The turret has 1/4 MOA clicks. If you set the magnification to 17X (actually 17.2, to be accurate), the reticle has a 2 MOA spacing. Then you have an MOA/MOA scope for correcting missed shots.

 

[gregw83]

I've strongly considered the sidewinder, because I like the side focus, and I must have a mil dot scope. The only thing I've heard bad about them is that they don't have enough adjustment on the turrets.

 

[bruce_ventura]

The Hawke website says that the 6-24X56 has 62 MOA (+/- 31 MOA ) of internal adjustment, which is about par for a moat 30 mm scopes. In fact, these scopes actually have a much larger adjustment range, at least 70 MOA, as I recall.

IMHO, any adjustment range beyond about 65 MOA is wasted. The image starts so loose resolution starting at about +/-25 MOA of adjustment. At +/-35 MOA the loss of resolution is usually pretty noticeable. This is a consequence of using a doublet objective lens. It happens with all scopes that use this objective lens design. To get a better lens design, you need to move into the $1,500+ price range. Nightforce NXS and Swarovaki Z5/X6 scopes have an air-spaced triplet a objective lens design that has much better image resolution at high internal adjustment.

Companies that advertise really large adjustment ranges in a 30 mm tube for a scope below the $1,000 price point are usually hiding something about how the scope performs at large adjustment ranges. Either the resolution is degraded, the field of view is obscured at low magnification, or the field of view is small.

 

[rcairflr]

how's the clarity on the sightron at the higher magnification? This rifle will be used for groundhog hunting, so that is kind of important to me. I've used a cheap konus pro 6-24 on my 223 for years, and for the range you get with 55gr 223 loads, it works out ok. that is until you see a chuck run into the taller grass or brush, and know he's probably standing up watching you, but the scope isn't clear enough to tell Mr. groundhog from rocks, shadows, and clumps of tilled field dirt.

The Sightron SIII is the best glass you will find under $1000. With the 6-24 or 8-32 sighron SIII you will be able to put the crosshairs on a 1 inch target at 500 yards. I have the SII Big Sky 6-24 and the SIII 8-32 and both a excellent scopes.

Do some research on the SIII, a lot of benchrest shooters are using them at 1000 yards and comparing the glass to the Nightforce scopes

 

[emn83]

The Sightron SIII is the best glass you will find under $1000. With the 6-24 or 8-32 sighron SIII you will be able to put the crosshairs on a 1 inch target at 500 yards. I have the SII Big Sky 6-24 and the SIII 8-32 and both a excellent scopes.

Do some research on the SIII, a lot of benchrest shooters are using them at 1000 yards and comparing the glass to the Nightforce scopes

+1 I got my 10-50 specifically for 600 and 1000 yard F-Class, and even at 50X it is very clear, i have no doubt the lower magnification models are just as good.

Lots of guys are using the SIII because it provides great quality for people who cant afford Nightforce orther top end scopes

 

[jghoghunter]

The best bang for the buck on a 24x scope is a Bausch & Lomb 6-24. They are a no frills scope. I've been using them since the mid 90's. I have 2 now. I have them on varmint rifles. One of them, the one I bought in the mid 90's has been to South Dakota almost every year since 95. It has no problem "resolving" prairie dogs at 890 yards, that's the farthest I've shot them with a 220 weatherby rocket. It's killed ground hogs here in Pa out to about 750 yds, in the dark shadows or in the open fields no problems seeing them. It's a great scope for the money. If you watch fleabay you can get them $275-$350. I also own Nightforce, leupold and March rifle scopes and a Swaro spotting scope. I have gotten to play with a lot of scopes over the years and I still feel that the B&L for a varmint rifle is the best bang for the buck.

 

[gregw83]

Thanks for the info, any suggestions for a website with a good price on the Sidewinder?

 

[Rudolph Optics]

At $590 retail price the Rudolph V1 6-24x50mm with the T3 reticle is excellent value for money!

Specifications:

* 30mm tube
* +\- 90 MOA of adjustment
* Side Focus Parallax Adjustment
* Unlimited Full Life Time Guarantee

Contact us at: [email protected]

 

[bruce_ventura]

Special Deals on Hawke Sidewinder Scopes

Greg,

HighPowerOptics gives special deals to LRH members. I sent you a coupon code for any Hawke Sidewinder scope.

Other members feel free to PM me to get info on our latest deals.

For a limited time, we are including our Field Lens Cleaning Kit ($14.99 value) free with any Sidewinder Scope.

Hawke Sidewinder 30 High Power Optics

Field Lens Cleaning Kit

 

[CynthiaN]

Hello everyone, I'm a newbie here and this is my first forum too. So I'm a little nervous.
The reason I'm here is to learn about long range hunting and shooting. I have a Tikka
T3 300 WM with a Redfield 4-12X40 scope. I hate this scope. I also reload with my Redding T-7 Turret, and I'm trying to find the perfect load for this rifle.
My question is what is the right scope for about $ 1,600.00 to put on my T# so I can do both long range hunting and some bench shots? I'm only 5'-4" and about 125lbs. so I want to keep the weight down. Any comments would be welcome. Thank you.