Toughest Long Range Hunting Optic?

PredatorSlayer said:
What is the toughest long range rifle scope on the market? The one that can get the crap kicked out of it and never lose zero? The one that you would trust the hunt of a lifetime to? I know nothing is perfect, but if your life depended on this scope holding zero, what would it be?
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I have a couple Vortex Razors, dropped my gun out of a tree stand 15' off the ground, figured it was done for but didn't faze it in the slightest. $2500 but well worth it with their lifetime guarantee.
 
One scope that hasn't been mentioned in the Bushnell line. I haven't tested any of the scopes but over at the Hide Frank blew up a 6500 series scope. It got dented and was off at the first shot but soon went back to zero and tracked fine. GA Precision likes the newer series and runs them. I've ran a Leupold VariXIII LR Tactical on my PSS since 1991. I've not abused it but it has taken some bumps during training, probably close to 8-10k rounds through that rifle, tons of hours on bumpy roads and back country. Worked just fine. I wouldn't say the toughest scope out there. But it's a baseline "hunting" scope for me.
 
I have 2 x DMRs. I haven't abused them. Seem like tough scopes. There was a DMR that was for sale on the outdoor trader that had a dent in the tube (!!!) and it still held zero and tracked!!
 
FWIW this years Athlon sports Ballistic Best for Dec-Jan 2020 was.
top 3
NF NX8
Kahales K525i
Razor HD Gen II

sleeper that did well
Tract Toric UHD

middle of the pack
Leupold Mk 5HD
Bushnell Elite Tactical DMR II Pro

Bottom Two
Steiner Tx5i (surprised me)
Burris XTR II
 
PredatorSlayer said:
What is the toughest long range rifle scope on the market? The one that can get the crap kicked out of it and never lose zero? The one that you would trust the hunt of a lifetime to? I know nothing is perfect, but if your life depended on this scope holding zero, what would it be?
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U.S. Optics. I would argue they are as tough as nightforce and leupold put together, but it would be a two or three page argument no one would read. However, I will tell you that I have a U.S. Optics ER-25 that was mounted on a 16lb rifle and on a black bear hunt I used the rifle as sort of a walking stick as I was climbing over a small, wet, slippery cliff. I had about 3/4 of my body weight pulling down on the barrel when the butt of the rifle slipped. The side of the eyepiece hit the rock ledge with such force, the rock sheared a chunk of metal off! At the time of impact I'll bet that scope had upwards of 120lbs of force slamming it into the rock. After a short tumble, my gut dropped and I fully expected the ocular lense to be cracked and the scope to be bent, at least at the eyepiece... there was nothing wrong but a little metal missing. I shot the rifle on paper the next day fully expecting to have to re zero it. To my amazement, it didn't budge.

Now something has to be said about having good rings and a picatinny rail that was glass bedded to the action.

Do some research on the torture testing U.S. Optics scopes have been through and I think you'll be impressed. Besides they have some of the most accurate adjustments of any scopes out there. Precision rifle blog did an awesome series of tests on 20some scopes including the ER-25.

But.... if you buy a nightforce you can tell your buddies you have a nightforce and everyone at the range will drool a little. Not everyone knows about U.S. Optics
 
I have moved to NF for all my serous guns. Have two US Optics ER 25's. One works well on my 50 BMG but the one on my 338 LM went south on me, the recital failed to properly track. Have attempted to contact US Optics for repair to no avail. Neither of these scopes ever saw any rough treatment.
 
Tom Erickson said:
I have always been a leupold fan. But on my last rifle I went with a swarovski X5I 5-25 X56 so far I like it I haven't dropped it off a cliff or drove over it with my truck but it seems rock solid to me
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I too am a Leupold fan. But.... About 12 years ago I put a Nikon Monarch 3x15 on my .270win. On a horseback hunt we had the pack horse slip and fall on rocks, sliding down the hill we were on. My rifle was in a scabbard between the horse and the rocks. Cracked the stock but the scope held zero and to this day still tracks fine. Sorry to see Nikon leave the arena.
 
emp1953 said:
I too am a Leupold fan. But.... About 12 years ago I put a Nikon Monarch 3x15 on my .270win. On a horseback hunt we had the pack horse slip and fall on rocks, sliding down the hill we were on. My rifle was in a scabbard between the horse and the rocks. Cracked the stock but the scope held zero and to this day still tracks fine. Sorry to see Nikon leave the arena.
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Nikon are tough as nails. I too am an old Leupold 2.5x8 fan. I've watched friends send back Leupolds and get good service. But it is better to hold up in the field. I especially like the Nikon black powder and shotgun models with 5" eye relief. They sit on my heavier rifles, 500 AccRelNyati, 416 Rigby loaded over 6000ft#. They hold up. Now they sit on our light guns like 338wm & 270W, too. Clear, holding zero, reliably rugged, 5 inch eye-relief. (And I didn't even mention the price points.)
 
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