scope decision

[model 12 toby]

trying to decide between vortex PST viper. Weaver tactical. Burris m tac and swfa? Just shoot steel and big game. want to spend around 700 or so. Please vote.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Of those 3, I'd go with the Vortex Viper PST.

But also don't forget about the Zeiss Conquest 6.5-20x50 with target turrets and a Mil-Dot reticle.

 

[bruce_ventura]

Before I vote, I would need to know what type of hunting environment you're in (terrain, weather, etc) and at what range you target shoot and hunt.

 

[model 12 toby]

500 or less. Adirondack mountains. Colorado elk possibly.

 

[7MAGNUM]

I sure like the 4-16 PST on my 7RUM very clear and there warrantee is pretty rock solid

 

[DeerHunter101]

I like my Vortex PST.

 

[bruce_ventura]

500 or less. Adirondack mountains. Colorado elk possibly.

Hmm. As I recall, pretty tall and dense forest in the Adirondacks. I'm thinking there will be lots of shadow to deal with when shooting across valleys. Unless the deer are usually found standing out in the open, I recommend a high contrast scope for that environment.

The SWFA SS would be my last choice. The fixed magnification models I've had experience with had low contrast. The image was hazy like I was looking through thin fog. While I can't condemn every one of the SWFA non-HD scopes, until I could test a specific model I would rely on my general experience with those scopes.

The Viper PST is always popular, but not my first choice for this application either. Granted, those scopes have great features that are hard to pass up. While the contrast is not low, it's not high either. The problem I've seen is a drop in contrast at high magnification when the sun is in a bad position, like facing the sun in the morning or afternoon hours, and looking into shadow. The Razors are much better in this regard. I usually get flamed when I post this issue about PSTs. Oh well. YMMV.

The Weaver Tactical is a decent choice. Decent all around performance and a good value.

The Burris MTAC is also worth consideration. It uses a mil/mil system with the G2B mildot reticle. The contrast of both the 4.5-14X and the 6.5-20X scopes is above average, which is to say pretty good for that price range. Not in the same category as a Zeiss Conquest or a Swarovski Z3 of course, but still good and a lot less money. You have to be OK with an adjustable objective instead of side focus. For that matter you could look at the Burris C4 and E1 scopes as well – as far as I can tell the optics are the same as in the MTAC line.

From the point of view of resolution, all of the above scopes have simple doublet objectives and will have similar resolution in the center of the field of view, if the reticles are centered. When the elevation or windage is increased beyond about 20 MOA, the image on all these scopes will start to lose resolution. The resolution will become noticeable beyond about 30 MOA of adjustment. That should not be a problem for ranges up to 500 yds if the barrel is installed straight (hit or miss on production rifles).

 

[model 12 toby]

Does conquest have a lot of adjustment? Hmmm. Wonder which one of those I should get?