Higher end scope cant decide

[SamuelBerryhill308]

Hello all I am finally saving up and investing in a better higher end scope for a rifle I'm doing some up grades on.this rifle will be for hunting and for paper/steel shooting as well.ive Been looking for quite some time and talked to few people about what would best soot my needs and wants.the biggest problem I have with scopes while hunting is low light and having a clear picture maybe not always due to the scope but my eyes are weak at times due to a work injury and from welding over the years. I will say I'm a big fan of leupold but I've heard alot of mixed thangs about there newer model scopes but I have looked at a few vx5 hd,vx3hd and mark 3hd models and the older vx3i lrp models I would really like to own a nightforce but not sure if the higher price tag of the nxs is worth it over the shv models another thing is I would like to stick with sfp but I've never owned a ffp scope so I'm not sure about that either.ive also looked as swarovski and ziess as well but I don't know much about either.if any one has any input on these or another model/brand that would be good I would greatly appreciate.as far as features I'm looking for I would like 30 mm tube,side focus, hold over and windage style cross hairs.cap windage turrets but that don't have to be a must.zero stop of some sort for sure.sun shade or covers included would be a plus.at least 42 mm objective lens.75 moa of adjustment or more.sorry for such a long post look forward to all the insite thanks again

 

[Mark37082]

I would either go to a range where there are numbers of rifle shooters or to a LGS with a good selection of your desired range of scopes preferably near dusk and look through them. Everyone's eyes are a little bit different. I'm a VX5HD fan. I like a SFP fire dot in 3-15x44. Buy the alumina covers and save a little over the VX6HD. Nightforce are great scopes, but a little heavy for my preferences. Your eyes will tell you a great deal more than people like me.

 

[P7M13]

Like @Mark37082 suggests, look through them at dusk, focusing on reading something or looking at tree bark. I do it after dark, from inside my house, looking about 600 yards across a school yard to the Dentist's office on the other side. Worlds of difference between my scopes at that time.
Wife bought me any scope I wanted under $1K for Xmas. Based on a review I read on Rokslide, I chose a Meopta Meopro Optika 6 3-18x50 FFP MRAD, and picked it up on a flash sale for $450. It's super nice, extreme clarity, and lighter than my Athlon of similar specs.
I would easily place it with my Mark 4's and VX7L optics from Leupold at double the cost.
Shooting it on AR10s in 7/08 and 308, it was crystal clear at 100 and 200 where I could easily see my holes.

I still have to get it out to beat it up in the field to report more - durability, tracking, return to zero, tactile feel, etc.

 

[lancetkenyon]

(Opens thread titled "Higher End Scope" in anticipation... and sees NXS, SHV and VX3 quoted in the topic)

Just kidding! But seriously...

 

[lancetkenyon]

In all seriousness, the Swaro lines are a definite step above in glass quality. But the Z lines have limited elevation adjustment.
The lower/middle Leupolds are OK at best.
NF are built like a tank. Glass is OK, but the NXS line is tried and true. Out of all your questions, that would be my pick.

 

[socalhunter88]

Big fan of the zeiss v4 here, optically great glass and if vision were a concern I'd imagine a fire dot would be helpful.

 

[Mark37082]

Higher end can mean different things to different people. If you are looking to spend around $1000 on a scope it nocks out a large number of scopes on your list. If you have $3k budget for a scope, it opens up a lot more options. i would buy another rifle before I would pay that much. There is a point of diminishing returns above $1000 for hunting scopes IMHO. To each their own…

 

[SamuelBerryhill308]

(Opens thread titled "Higher End Scope" in anticipation... and sees NXS, SHV and VX3 quoted in the topic)
View attachment 329455

Just kidding! But seriously...

These are high end to me and the highest dollar scope I've owned yet is a vx3i and the nxs is exceeds my price range but if the scope is worth it I'll buy it and only cry once lol. I know these are not high end to most on here but it's the most I can afford.if I had my pick it would be a nc8 or atacr or a S B police marksman 2 but I'd have to sell my truck and a few rifles to afford any of theses.and yes I know your kidding but some on here have rifles that cost more than I've ever payed for a vehicle

 

[SamuelBerryhill308]

In all seriousness, the Swaro lines are a definite step above in glass quality. But the Z lines have limited elevation adjustment.
The lower/middle Leupolds are OK at best.
NF are built like a tank. Glass is OK, but the NXS line is tried and true. Out of all your questions, that would be my pick.

The nxs is one scope on my list I've actually been able to shoot with out to 1k yards but not hunt with. A good friend of mine has two on his custom rifles and these are what he recommends and also was recommended the same scope by another good friend of mine and retired marine sniper that shoots 1k yard regularly and he loves all of his and from what I've seen actually using this scope on three rifles I do like it alot and I would not hesitate buying one if it wasn't for exposed windage turret I'm just paranoid while hunting I'll bump it or something and knock it off windage zero

 

[WildRose]

Hello all I am finally saving up and investing in a better higher end scope for a rifle I'm doing some up grades on.this rifle will be for hunting and for paper/steel shooting as well.ive Been looking for quite some time and talked to few people about what would best soot my needs and wants.the biggest problem I have with scopes while hunting is low light and having a clear picture maybe not always due to the scope but my eyes are weak at times due to a work injury and from welding over the years. I will say I'm a big fan of leupold but I've heard alot of mixed thangs about there newer model scopes but I have looked at a few vx5 hd,vx3hd and mark 3hd models and the older vx3i lrp models I would really like to own a nightforce but not sure if the higher price tag of the nxs is worth it over the shv models another thing is I would like to stick with sfp but I've never owned a ffp scope so I'm not sure about that either.ive also looked as swarovski and ziess as well but I don't know much about either.if any one has any input on these or another model/brand that would be good I would greatly appreciate.as far as features I'm looking for I would like 30 mm tube,side focus, hold over and windage style cross hairs.cap windage turrets but that don't have to be a must.zero stop of some sort for sure.sun shade or covers included would be a plus.at least 42 mm objective lens.75 moa of adjustment or more.sorry for such a long post look forward to all the insite thanks again

In my experience which includes a whole lot of low light and moonlight shooting the upper end Leupolds with 50mm OBJ or larger are really hard to beat.

The 56mm Trijicon Accupoint series are outstanding as well and they have the Tritium illum.

Old eyes won't like FFP particularly if you have decades shooting SFP scopes

If I had to replace every scope I own that's not a Leupod VX6, I'd replace the rest with the VX6 4-24x52 or 3-18x50.

I'm very well pleased with my Leupod Mark 4's as well and would look at the 50mm objective MK4's used if I were looking for a bargain.

 

[Ckleeves]

I would definitely look into a SHV. They probably aren't as durable as a NXS, but they still are superior to anything Leupold makes as far as durability imo. Capped windage on the SHV too. The zero stop isn't the best on the SHV but it's functional. I can't tell the difference in the glass between the NXS and SHV.

 

[257 STW]

If your not set on NEW, there are some deals to be found in the classifieds here, and few other good forums. I don`t think you could go wrong with an NXS new or used. Your eyes, and you will have to decide. I have been on a Burris XTR III kick for a bit, and so far they have been good IMHO. They have been repeatable out to1600 yds. Turrets on mine have been very good, and you can go with exposed, or a covered windage cap. The glass seems good to my old eyes (I`m 58) Not sure you couldn`t find an NXS for the same, or less $$ though. I loved Burris scopes on my elk rifles 30 years ago because they were so **** tough. (original fulfields) glass wasn`t great, but they could take a beating on pack hunts. Soooo I thought I try them again. So far so good. Just a thought.

 

[500000KV]

The nxs is one scope on my list I've actually been able to shoot with out to 1k yards but not hunt with. A good friend of mine has two on his custom rifles and these are what he recommends and also was recommended the same scope by another good friend of mine and retired marine sniper that shoots 1k yard regularly and he loves all of his and from what I've seen actually using this scope on three rifles I do like it alot and I would not hesitate buying one if it wasn't for exposed windage turret I'm just paranoid while hunting I'll bump it or something and knock it off windage zero

ive never had windage or elevation move on an NXS hunting. From crawling through brush patches, thick timber, steep canyon ground, etc. Don't know how many hundreds of miles, not once. NXS is a work horse, reliable tough scope. Gets my vote every time.

 

[SamuelBerryhill308]

If your not set on NEW, there are some deals to be found in the classifieds here, and few other good forums. I don`t think you could go wrong with an NXS new or used. Your eyes, and you will have to decide. I have been on a Burris XTR III kick for a bit, and so far they have been good IMHO. They have been repeatable out to1600 yds. Turrets on mine have been very good, and you can go with exposed, or a covered windage cap. The glass seems good to my old eyes (I`m 58) Not sure you couldn`t find an NXS for the same, or less $$ though. I loved Burris scopes on my elk rifles 30 years ago because they were so **** tough. (original fulfields) glass wasn`t great, but they could take a beating on pack hunts. Soooo I thought I try them again. So far so good. Just a thought.

I'm not against buying a used scope and i have seen a couple on here but didn't comment in time there has been a few real good deals for sure.