Loss of Love for Leupold, New scope time.

MTNRaine said:
Long of the short, my VX6 HD took a dump at the moment of truth and I missed a 370" bull. Looking for something that can track, and handle the minor bumps of a mountain hunting rifle( I don't expect any scope to get tomahawked and hold zero) and maintain zero. Would prefer to keep it under 28 oz... I know its nothing special and the glass in the VX6HD is much better but my 6-24 gen1 one PST has never failed me in 7 years of hard mountain hunting and its had its fair share of accidental spills(like falling down the mountain with it strapped to my pack) and never shifted more than an inch off zero after even the biggest mishap on the mountain. So basically looking for the reliability and weight I've experienced with that scope but looking to upgrade to better glass and turrets while not being heavy. I've looked at the Zeiss v4&v6 The Mark 5, NX8 and a few others. I want at least 18 if not more 20-25 on the top end. What lighter scopes have you guys had good luck with and recommend? I'll give up a little in glass for durability but it would be nice to have my cake and eat it too.
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If you want tough, dont believe you can beat leupold mark lV. 8x25. My navy seal buds Loved the mk IV for their toughness and reliability. I believe they hzve been discontinued to the public but there should be some still around. Midway had them not too long ago at a great price, $899. I BOUGHT 2. just my opinion. My VX VI,7 X 42 has survived hundreds of rounds through my 375 cheytac.
 
When I want something sturdy, but a little lighter than my Nightforce scopes, I go with Sightron SIII 6-24x50mm. Weighs 24 oz., and you should be able to find then used for about $600-$700. Great glass. Mine has never failed me.
 
shooters said:
March. Lightweight. Kinda finicky eye box I thought. I've heard of a few with issues.

Mark 5HD. I've still NEVER heard of one failing yet. In my eyes it's glass is right with the ATACR. Just beautiful. Turrets, tracks, etc.
The 3.6-18 is about as good as it gets!

NX8. 4-32. Ill never own another. I hated the eye box. Absolutely hated it. Same for the parallax. Worst I've seen and I'm a huge NF supporter. You could have it set midway and still not see at most distances. And edge to edge not crisp at all.
The new 4-20x50 ATACR might be what your looking for.
Swaro X5i 3-18. This would be my choice.
Kahles 318i.
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ATACR 4-20x50... link or info please?!
 
MTNRaine said:
Long of the short, my VX6 HD took a dump at the moment of truth and I missed a 370" bull. Looking for something that can track, and handle the minor bumps of a mountain hunting rifle( I don't expect any scope to get tomahawked and hold zero) and maintain zero. Would prefer to keep it under 28 oz... I know its nothing special and the glass in the VX6HD is much better but my 6-24 gen1 one PST has never failed me in 7 years of hard mountain hunting and its had its fair share of accidental spills(like falling down the mountain with it strapped to my pack) and never shifted more than an inch off zero after even the biggest mishap on the mountain. So basically looking for the reliability and weight I've experienced with that scope but looking to upgrade to better glass and turrets while not being heavy. I've looked at the Zeiss v4&v6 The Mark 5, NX8 and a few others. I want at least 18 if not more 20-25 on the top end. What lighter scopes have you guys had good luck with and recommend? I'll give up a little in glass for durability but it would be nice to have my cake and eat it too.
Click to expand...
Why not buy a gen 2 PST? You have already proven their worth!
 
softtail103 said:
Can't go wrong with Zeiss.
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Boy oh Boy are you right. I've had Leupold, Nikon, Vortex & numerous others, I am a pretty big fan of Shepherd scopes, I've had 3 with zero complaints. I'm gettin my 1st .40 1:16 twist smokeless muzzleloader conversion from a Rem 700ML. I got a used, but near mint condition Ziess Conquest V4 4-16x44. for 660.00. Great deal me thinks ( I wish it were IR ) but amazing glass throughout entire magnification range, fantastic in low light ( I set it on my tripod to scan the fields out the back door at daybrake- while its barely light enough to see beyond 100yds. The scope does great. Its the lightest in its class too - 22oz. I think. Super excited to get this gun together & see its tracking throughout its range - I could be shooting at hand shakin range from a stalk of self climber stand or shoot 4-500yds. This is a fantastic scope for this, a true " Hunters scope ". It's well worth the 11-1200.00 it costs new. I have a Vortex Viper Gen2 PST 5-25x50 FFP IRMOA on my LRML, no complaints its just a tad heavy, but being able to shoot from 100-500yds without touching my elev dial is badass. I'm pushin 275gr .45 bullet @2500FPS with BH 209. The scope is a very nice scope , tracking is good, no issues & it takes a pretty reg pounding on my gun like a champ. BUt IT AIN'T A ZIESS
 
MTNRaine said:
Long of the short, my VX6 HD took a dump at the moment of truth and I missed a 370" bull. Looking for something that can track, and handle the minor bumps of a mountain hunting rifle( I don't expect any scope to get tomahawked and hold zero) and maintain zero. Would prefer to keep it under 28 oz... I know its nothing special and the glass in the VX6HD is much better but my 6-24 gen1 one PST has never failed me in 7 years of hard mountain hunting and its had its fair share of accidental spills(like falling down the mountain with it strapped to my pack) and never shifted more than an inch off zero after even the biggest mishap on the mountain. So basically looking for the reliability and weight I've experienced with that scope but looking to upgrade to better glass and turrets while not being heavy. I've looked at the Zeiss v4&v6 The Mark 5, NX8 and a few others. I want at least 18 if not more 20-25 on the top end. What lighter scopes have you guys had good luck with and recommend? I'll give up a little in glass for durability but it would be nice to have my cake and eat it too.
Click to expand...
Maven RS3 or Zeiss conquest V6. Both have very good glass and track well. I have both and actually dropped the rifle on the Maven and it held zero and no tracking problems after. Maven has more of a long distance reticle and if first focal plane. Zeiss is simpler reticle and second focal plane. Both are great scopes. Good luck
 
any product can fail and hence the saying, "Some folks swear by them while others swear at them." I was fortunate to work in optics for a bit and got to demo many scopes for a season before buying one. Yet, on rare occasion, I ended up disappointed by a scope. I bought three Vortex Vipers and swore at all of them. I now have two Gen 2 Razors, and I swear (mildly) by them.
I've never had a problem with my Leupold scopes. I've run a VX-5HD 3-15, a Mark 5HD 5-25and a FX-6 fixed scope for 7+ years with flawless reliability.
On my 300PRC I'm running a Zeiss Conquest 30mm tube V6 3-18. It's a Timex scope as it has taken a licking but keeps on ticking.
I almost put he same Zeiss on my 6.5PRC, but opted to go lighter and went with a 1" Z5i 3.5-18 Swaro. Oh my. Check it out :)
Nightforce also makes great scopes. Yet I've never been more disappointed in any scope more than I was with the NF NX 8. No comparison to NF's much better ATACRs.
Good luck next year. You've got time to choose a new scope and try it out :)
 
Ninering62 said:
Boy oh Boy are you right. I've had Leupold, Nikon, Vortex & numerous others, I am a pretty big fan of Shepherd scopes, I've had 3 with zero complaints. I'm gettin my 1st .40 1:16 twist smokeless muzzleloader conversion from a Rem 700ML. I got a used, but near mint condition Ziess Conquest V4 4-16x44. for 660.00. Great deal me thinks ( I wish it were IR ) but amazing glass throughout entire magnification range, fantastic in low light ( I set it on my tripod to scan the fields out the back door at daybrake- while its barely light enough to see beyond 100yds. The scope does great. Its the lightest in its class too - 22oz. I think. Super excited to get this gun together & see its tracking throughout its range - I could be shooting at hand shakin range from a stalk of self climber stand or shoot 4-500yds. This is a fantastic scope for this, a true " Hunters scope ". It's well worth the 11-1200.00 it costs new. I have a Vortex Viper Gen2 PST 5-25x50 FFP IRMOA on my LRML, no complaints its just a tad heavy, but being able to shoot from 100-500yds without touching my elev dial is badass. I'm pushin 275gr .45 bullet @2500FPS with BH 209. The scope is a very nice scope , tracking is good, no issues & it takes a pretty reg pounding on my gun like a champ. BUt IT AIN'T A ZIESS
Click to expand...
Zeiss is very good. I have a pair of 10x40 Bino's I bought 25 years ago. They still operate like new. I also have a 6.5-20X Leopold, 50mm. However, it's a second plane scope. My mistake.
 
I've had a similar situation with scopes getting knocked around while elk hunting. After tons of research I ended up getting a Bushnell elite xrs ii 4.5-30. The glass is not bad but also not great, slightly better than the vortex viper glass but not in the class with my niteforce atacr or sightron s3. Selling point for me is how it is built. Compact, built like a tank, locking windage turret and the zero stop design is the best I've seen. It is also the most user friendly scope I've ever handled. I was never a Bushnell fan before I bought this, but even with the inferior glass, I prefer this scope over all my others. Excellent mountain scope.
 
Texas sniper said:
I've had a similar situation with scopes getting knocked around while elk hunting. After tons of research I ended up getting a Bushnell elite xrs ii 4.5-30. The glass is not bad but also not great, slightly better than the vortex viper glass but not in the class with my niteforce atacr or sightron s3. Selling point for me is how it is built. Compact, built like a tank, locking windage turret and the zero stop design is the best I've seen. It is also the most user friendly scope I've ever handled. I was never a Bushnell fan before I bought this, but even with the inferior glass, I prefer this scope over all my others. Excellent mountain scope.
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I like that scope too. The only problem is that they are built like a tank. Heavy and clunky. Also that wouldn't be my preferred mag range for a hunting scope, but works great for competition and the like.
 
Wildcat99 said:
I like that scope too. The only problem is that they are built like a tank. Heavy and clunky. Also that wouldn't be my preferred mag range for a hunting scope, but works great for competition and the like.
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I think Bushnell has come back. It used to be a trashy scope.
 

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