Optics question

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hugetacticles

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i currently have a Ruger m77 chambered in 7mm rem mag. It's got a Leupold Vari x2 2-7 on it. On the higher power my eye relief is only 2.75 inches which makes me a bit nervous. I'm looking at the vortex ha 2.5-10 with the duplex reticle. The thinngs I like about it are the 4 inches of eye relief, the 2.5 power on the lowest setting, and the turrets. I'm still not sure if I want a ffp or sfp I could go either way. I can get one of these new for a little over $300. My question is this. I'm new to optics and I'm wondering if there is something else in this price range that would be a more quality option?
 
What are you trying to get your rifle to do?

What kind of hunting do you plan on doing?

This will have a lot to do in what scope I would recommend.

You should also keep in mind that your optics are not the place to try to save money. Your scope is what is going to get that projectile where it needs to go. I would try to save up a little more cash and get something a little better.
 
It's primarily going to be a whitetail gun. Where I hunt most of my shots are 200 yards and in. I am taking it to Colorado next fall on and elk hunt and I plan to shoot a lot between now and then and be proficient out to 450. I've always had an interest in long range shooting so i would love to be able to shoot longer distances at targets but it's primarily a hunting rifle. What would be a suggestion you would have for something more quality that the viper? I have 3 kids under 4 so I'm trying to do this the most responsible way I can! Thanks for the reply and info!
 
new scopes have a ton of markup to go with that pretty box with all the pictures on it. the best money you will ever spend would be to search the classifieds for a used better quality scope and buy that. 300 bucks new will not buy you much quality - as in, slightly better than walmart quality.
600 bucks used will buy you a heck of a previous generation scope. 800 bucks used will get you in the range of former-alpha glass zeiss, kahles, R1/R2 meopta, SB etc. Just watch and wait.
New low end scopes with new coatings will not be as good as older high end scopes with previous gen coatings. case in point is the vastly overrated VX3i leupold.
 
Don't get to caught up in expensive scopes I have hunted for years and have never had a scope that cost more than $450 and never had a problem, not that I don't want an expensive scope but I'm in the same shoes you are. buying used could get you very nice glass for your budget tho if your patience. I prefer SFP for hunting.
 
For those ranges I have always had great luck with my Burris's. They fit the price range as well, especially if you watch sites like DVOR or optics planet.
I bought the Veracity 3-15x50 FFP and the Fullfield E1 4.5-14x42 SFP in a package for $580.
Both are very clear and have been used to take animals up to 400yds. The Fullfield was what I used last week to knock down a whitetail at 300.
 
Last edited:
Browning300 said:
Don't get to caught up in expensive scopes I have hunted for years and have never had a scope that cost more than $450 and never had a problem, not that I don't want an expensive scope but I'm in the same shoes you are. buying used could get you very nice glass for your budget tho if your patience. I prefer SFP for hunting.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I feel a little sheepish even asking questions like my original. I know that in the true long range game corners shouldn't be cut. I am just not at a place in my life I can spend $3,000 on a custom rig with decent optics. At this point I don't want that to stop me from getting out and enjoying hunting and shooting targets at longer distances than I've ever shot before. At some point I'll be able to spend $1,000 on the scope alone, just not today.
 
mwkelso said:
For those ranges I have always had great luck with my Burris's. They fit the price range as well, especially if you watch sites like DVOR or optics planet.
I bought the Veracity 3-15x50 FFP and the Fullfield E1 4.5-14x42 SFP in a package for $580.
Both are very clear and have been used to take animals up to 400yds. The Fullfield was what I used last week to knock down a whitetail at 300.
Click to expand...
Great to know, I always love to hear about first hand experience.
 
Scopes are like very thing else. At some point a small step up in performance becomes an exponential increase in price. They are all a compromise. None do it all. A true big bore will kill em all! I have replaced a dead $800 scope with a $300 one and it kills pigs just fine at night!
 
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