Best sub $400 hunting scope?

[bigngreen]

I was told by a Leupold rep that all their scopes use the same great erector inside, from the cheapest to the best.

Thats why they spend so much time on the UPS truck getting fixed and they don't tract for beens too!!

 

[eric1115]

I picked up the smoking deal Ares BTR 2.5-15 (much better magnification range for a hunting scope IMO, plus it was available in MOA while the 4.5-27 is mil only for the sale)

Its only downside for me at that price is the weight. Turret feel is fine but not great (zero stop is great though and seems to track very well), reticle is good if you spend some time with it, and clarity/low light are both pretty good. At $800 list price, it's got some stuff competition (used vx5, Zeiss, etc) but at the sale price the 27 oz weight is really the only weak spot. There are quite a few good scopes that are half a pound less.

 

[ronstone09]

Happy Sunday y'all. I have two buddies in need of a hunting scope that are both in the same boat of limited funds.

My first friend and I were at the range yesterday with his 30-06 sporting a Vanguard scope, we kept dialing elevation but could not get any on target change. Eventually the reticle even canted under recoil. This is a replacement from Vanguard for another broken optic. Needless to say he's done with Vanguard.

Another buddy is a brand new hunter, I talked him up budget a little to a Tikka T3X and now that rifle needs a scope.

Both have a budget of around $400. Anyone have a suggestion in this range? I am less familiar down in this range. A quick look on Midway shows options from Nikon, Burris, Bushnell, and Vortex. Any great closeout deals?

I would go to Amazon and pick a quality used scope !

 

[ronstone09]

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 .

I use zeiss conquest for hunting moose and elk and really like them !

 

[30BR]

The guy at Scorpion Optics just warrantied a guy's scope on this site because his ACTION BLEW UP. That guy is a man of his word, so if he has a product that fits your need, buy with confidence.
https://www.scorpionoutdoors.com/co...nom-hi-grade-3-9x40-ir?variant=12868571693090

 

[kukusya]

The guy at Scorpion Optics just warrantied a guy's scope on this site because his ACTION BLEW UP. That guy is a man of his word, so if he has a product that fits your need, buy with confidence.

Never heard of them

 

[30BR]

Never heard of them

Me neither, but go look at the thread called What happened to my gun. They are a Canadian firm, I believe.

Here's a link to the post..
https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/what-blew-up-my-gun.226167/page-6

 

[Gater]

Happy Sunday y'all. I have two buddies in need of a hunting scope that are both in the same boat of limited funds.

My first friend and I were at the range yesterday with his 30-06 sporting a Vanguard scope, we kept dialing elevation but could not get any on target change. Eventually the reticle even canted under recoil. This is a replacement from Vanguard for another broken optic. Needless to say he's done with Vanguard.

Another buddy is a brand new hunter, I talked him up budget a little to a Tikka T3X and now that rifle needs a scope.

Both have a budget of around $400. Anyone have a suggestion in this range? I am less familiar down in this range. A quick look on Midway shows options from Nikon, Burris, Bushnell, and Vortex. Any great closeout deals?

Take a look at some of the Nikons I have a M223 BDC 3x12 on my mouse gun (AR-15) shoots pretty good 1/2 MOAs are no problem

 

[waveslayer]

Honestly, I see these type of posts all the time. Need a budget scope, then it won't hold a zero or dial worth anything...

I would do all that I could and save some money to get to the $800 dollar range. You will open up your options more and have a more enjoyable experience.

If you spend all that time in the woods hunting... Time = Money, look at the loss of income for some, just to miss out on an animal you are hunting = wasted time and money.

Cry once, buy once.

One concept I have never understood was why each rifle has to have it's own scope?... I sold all my scopes back in the day when , I couldn't afford much, and bought just two nice pieces of glass.
Take a good torque wrench and now I move my glass from one gun to the next. Nope I don't loose zero girls and boys. I've tested it extensively.

With all the rifles I own, I now have top of the line glass on all my rifles! That's my suggestion.

If you want help with writing down each zero, let me know

 

[SlugFester]

Midway just had MSRP Bushnell Forge over $900 for $399. Don't know if any are left.

 

[JimmyCP]

Happy Sunday y'all. I have two buddies in need of a hunting scope that are both in the same boat of limited funds.
My first friend and I were at the range yesterday with his 30-06 sporting a Vanguard scope, we kept dialing elevation but could not get any on target change. Eventually the reticle even canted under recoil. This is a replacement from Vanguard for another broken optic. Needless to say he's done with Vanguard.

Another buddy is a brand new hunter, I talked him up budget a little to a Tikka T3X and now that rifle needs a scope.

Both have a budget of around $400. Anyone have a suggestion in this range? I am less familiar down in this range. A quick look on Midway shows options from Nikon, Burris, Bushnell, and Vortex. Any great closeout deals?

for long range, a SWFA fixed power for $250. For east coast style hunting (last minutes of dusk, first minutes of dawn), get a better quality used scope off gunbroker for as much as you can afford. 400 bucks new wont buy much light gathering.

Athlon Optics , Argos BTR , Riflescope , 6-24 x 50 First Focal Plane (FFP) 30 mm Tube, Illuminated ATMR MOA Reticle , lifetime warranty. Turrets track as good as my hd razor. 304.00 amazon prime 1 day shipping.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01APT0E6U/?tag=lrhmag19-20

 

[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.

 

[Philip J Theodhor]

For my money and my eyesight I vote for either the Nikon Prostaff 7 or the Nikon Monarch series. I have found that they offer incredible brightness, always sharp imaging, at all magnification levels,return to O"easily, and incredibly solid build. I prefer the 1st FFP style with either the BMD ,or the Mil dot variant. (all must have a parallax correction adjustment knob)My magnification is usually 4 x -16 x 42 mm ,although I do have Monarchs 4 x 16 50 mm Please if possible go to a gun store and check all your potential scopes for yourself before making a purchase.
OBTW the lifetime warranty or the price point doesn't hurt either !

 

[JustMe2]

Take a look at the Shepherd scopes https://shepherdscopes.com/. I really like mine for about $400 and they use a unique FFP reticle which incorporates a very fast built-in ranging capability. I use mine on a 300WM for both elk and deer hunting. I bought the 18 inch deer size reticle and thru some range experimenting using 24 inch size targets, figured how to use the deer circles to accurately range elk.