Mid Priced Scopes

[beretta_man11]

I'm not exactly sure where this post should go, so for now, it's here.

I'd really like to get feedback on some mid priced, lower powered scopes. As with most people, I'm looking for good low light performance out of a hunting scope. Low power around 2 with upper end around 10x. I like the idea of at least a 50mm obj.

Here is where I'm at:
$330 Nikon Prostaff 5 - 2.5-10x50 1" BDC
$350 Nikon Prostaff 7 - 2.5-10x50 30mm BDC
$500 Sig Whiskey5 - 2.4-12x56 30mm plex
$600 Nikon Monarc5 - 2.5-10x50 1" BDC
$600 Minox zx5 - 2-10x50
$680Trijicon Accupower - 2.5-10x56 30mm MOA

Your thoughts?

 

[spdcrazy]

I can't speak on behalf of a lot of those scopes but you will hear that there is no need for 50 on the bell for those powers by some people. also keep in mind that a 50 or 56mm bell will lift the scope up from the rifle, could make acquiring the sight picture difficult.

I would also look into vortex scopes and leupold has some mid line scopes. i'm looking myself. somewhere in the 300-400 range. good scopes can be found for 200 IMO.

if this is a hunting rifle, keep weight in mind

 

[beretta_man11]

I've been told before that anything over 40 is overkill, but in my situation, I see no need to not overkill. I'm not packing this setup for miles up mountains, it's just to a deer stand on the back 40.

I currently have the Diamonback 3-12x42 but I'm not overly impressed with the low light performance. I also have an elite 6500 2.5-16x42, same goes for it. For the money, I've been really impressed with my Prostaff5 2.5-10x40, I'd just like to see a little better, a little later.

 

[spdcrazy]

Sounds like you are in the right direction then. Curious on what you end up. Keep us informed. I'm sure others will chime in withore info.

 

[Dosh]

11, my son's pal just bought a Nikon Prostaff 7, don't recall the power. I looked through this scope and was impressed. Your 2.5X10X50 #16320 is on sale at Opitcs Planet $329.95 free shipping. There are a ton of positive posts on this forum of Nikon's great customer service. I have several Nikon scopes of various models and they all hold turret settings very well.

 

[toddc]

Honestly your best bet is to hit a store with stuff in stock every evening and look thru them near dark. Peoples eyes differ in the best of light. In the dark there are HUGE swings from person to person. What I see and you see will not be the same. A few observations on your picks though.
The Trijicon is massively overpriced for the actual value. Trijicon runs off of a name. The specs look good but I am not impressed with any of the glass they make for what it costs.
The Nikons will all be good glass but Nikons forte isn't really known as late night glass.
The SIG I have no experience so I will not say.
The Minox may be a decent pick as most Euro companies are more night friendly even though the scopes are designed for us.
I would also consider the SWFA and Sightron S-tac or SIII and Meopta. SWFA.com carries them all to check specs.

 

[redhaven85]

Honestly your best bet is to hit a store with stuff in stock every evening and look thru them near dark. Peoples eyes differ in the best of light. In the dark there are HUGE swings from person to person. What I see and you see will not be the same. A few observations on your picks though.
The Trijicon is massively overpriced for the actual value. Trijicon runs off of a name. The specs look good but I am not impressed with any of the glass they make for what it costs.
The Nikons will all be good glass but Nikons forte isn't really known as late night glass.
The SIG I have no experience so I will not say.
The Minox may be a decent pick as most Euro companies are more night friendly even though the scopes are designed for us.
I would also consider the SWFA and Sightron S-tac or SIII and Meopta. SWFA.com carries them all to check specs.

This is good stuff. People's eyes are very different, and we perceive things very differently through different optics.

I'd agree with the statements about each brand, other than my Trijicon 3-9x40 has very nice glass IMO. And the reticle is great for low light.

Meopta MeoPro seem to do well in low light, but the duplex reticle is really difficult to see.

 

[Xtremetj]

Of those listed I would opt for the Nikon Monarch 5 or Minox.

I have a Monarch 3 on my 7 mag and its a great scope so I'm guessing the 5 would be a bit better. When sighting it in it moves exactly where it should when moving it 1 inch up or down and left and right. It is so very close to my sons Zeiss Conquest you really have to take a long hard look right at last light to see the Zeiss is slightly better of the two.

Minox - I have had a pair of Minox HG binoculars for several years and really like them. I think they are every bit as good as most of the other $500-1000 binds other than the Zeiss Conquest HD. Those seem to work really good for my eyes at last light. As mentioned above, everyone's eye's are different.

Good luck.

 

[KoolBreeze]

I picked up a Meopta Meopro 3.5-10x44 from Cameraland a few weeks ago for $350. I really like the scope. Mine has the duplex reticle but they also have them with the German #4 for another $50.

It is a touch better than my Vari-X III in low light to my eyes. Legal hours here are 30 minutes before/after sunrise/sunset and I have no problem seeing through it well beyond that window.

The duplex crosshair is a little thin but I can see it just fine during legal shooting hours. The outer posts of the reticle are a touch thicker than the those of my Vari-X III and I really like that. My only complaint with the reticle is that the distance between the center of the crosshair and the post of the outer reticle is too much to be of any use in holdover for the ranges I hunt in. I measured it at approximately 9 inches at 100 yards. But it's not a big deal, as 99% of my shooting with this rifle is inside 300 yards and the turrets allow for easy enough adjustment should I need to stretch that a bit further.

 

[SansSouci]

Good Morning, Beretta_Man11,

Mid-priced might be subjective.

Your scope should match your right, and not merely in magnification. I like my scopes mounted as close to the barrel as possible. My largest objective is 40MM. I don't like large objective scopes because they have to be mounted higher. When I bring my stock to my shoulder, I should be able to immediately acquire sight picture. I don't want to raise my head to acquire sight picture. But I'm sure that other hunters have different takes on objective sizes.

My advice is to buy a good-quality scope that's nitrogen filled to prevent fogging. Some 40+ years ago, when I began big game hunting, the Leupold Vari-X II 3x9x40 was the gold standard scope. They're just as good today as when they were introduced.

Keep in mind that we might look through our scopes for maybe a cumulative 5 minutes a day. In contrast, we'll glass for hours. Hence, I'd spend more money on German glass than a German scope. While I don't own a German scope, I do own a pair of Zeiss binos. A great pair of binos are worth their weight in gold.

I own all Leupold scopes except for one 70's Redfield Ranger 2x7, which still is an excellent scope. It has never let me down.

I don't need fancy focus knobs or other fancy gadgets. I need a reliable scope that will work as designed and not fail when I need it to work as advertised. I focus my scopes at the range before I leave for hunting trips and leave well enough alone. So far, it's worked well for me.

I've seen that Leupold has come out with a high end line. I doubt that they'll work any better than a VX-II.

My suggestion is to start with a Leupold VX-II 3x9x40 and go from there. Who knows, you might just wind up with Leupold VX-II 3x9x40, which would be an excellent choice.

BTW, I own a couple Vari-X II's, a couple Vari-X III's and a couple VX-3's. I cannot say that one is better than the others. My favorite scope is a 25+ year-old Leupold Vari-X II 4x12x40 AO that is mounted atop my 7MM Rem Mag.

Leupold Scopes are made in America, and Leupold's customer service is second to none. Every once-in-a-while, I'll send a couple back for inspection. It's free & turnaround is a couple weeks.

I wish you absolute success.

 

[SansSouci]

I can't speak on behalf of a lot of those scopes but you will hear that there is no need for 50 on the bell for those powers by some people. also keep in mind that a 50 or 56mm bell will lift the scope up from the rifle, could make acquiring the sight picture difficult.

I would also look into vortex scopes and leupold has some mid line scopes. i'm looking myself. somewhere in the 300-400 range. good scopes can be found for 200 IMO.

if this is a hunting rifle, keep weight in mind

^^^Excellent advice^^^

 

[beretta_man11]

I agree on mounting height due to a larger objective, but it will be going on a break open rifle and if nothing else, it may help with hammer access. I have a stock pack that also helps with comb height.

I ended up ordering a Minox zx5i 2-10x50 that I'll get my hands on today. I'll be comparing it to the Diamondback HP 3-12x42, elite 2.5-16x42, a prostaff7 3-12x42 and a prostaff 5 2.5-10x42.

I'll let you all know my findings.

matt

 

[Catahoula]

My vote is for Leupold all the way. Great products & great service. I tried a 6x24 Vortex PST & hated it. Weaver also has some decent stuff.
Thanks, Kirk

 

[ShootnMathews]

I'm curious to see your review of the scope you purchased. So please let us know how it goes.

There's a lot of Nikon haters here but I'm not one of them. They are above average in clarity for their price in my opinion and I am well pleased with them on the ones I have. I only have one on a gun that's a 500 yards gun and it does great. The other nikons of mine are all on sub 300 yard guns that are just hunting guns and I can't be more pleased. Hold zero, very clear, and kill what every I put the crosshairs on.

Now for my long range guns I use other stuff. Not saying a high powered Nikon won't do long range. I just prefer other stuff way out there.