What budget not so long range scope?

[Bigeclipse]

All,
I have an old Bausch and lamb Elite 4200 2-10x42 scope on my light weight deer rifle which I will not take long range shots out of. Almost all shots would be 200 yards and under, however, I might take a 275-300 yard shot on this one field. I have two rifles I use. My Bausch and lamb has seen better days and does not seem to be holding zero anymore and the focus is pretty bad. Bausch and lamb is no more and I doubt Bushnell would warrantee it. So I am looking to replace it. My requirements would be in this order of importance:

1. Holds zero/durability
2. Cost (would like to stay under $300)
3. Low light capability (yes I know more expensive is where you gain here but maybe this means me buying a lower end 50mm bell instead of 40mm?)
4. Power....I would prefer something like 2-10x but I know 3-9 would be the cheapest route.
5. Reticle type (I would prefer having the extra hash marks for elevation but a traditional reticle is fine). Like I said almost all shots would be 200 yards so I could simply just point and shoot but there is the one field with 300 yard shots that I would normally bring my other rifle...it would be nice to have a ballistic reticle of some sort if I brought this rifle to that field.

I am not opposed to buying used but I do know some older higher end models might not be as good as newer lower end models with new coating technology...etc. I have heard the new Pro Staff 5s weren't too bad. I have also compared an older buckmaster to a monarch and really did not see a tremendous difference. Leupolds are great but seem to be expensive.

 

[gusd]

If I were you I would look for a used Leupold VX-3 . I am sure you could find one that fits what you are looking for in your price range. They have a lifetime 100% guarantee so any problems with anything they will fix for free! I have 4 VX-3's and 2 VX-6's . In the 15 years that I have owned some of theses I have only had to send 1 back for a tracking issue it is a 3.5-10x50 that I bought used.

 

[270DT]

I have a Bushnell Elite 3200 4-12x40mm AO and a Nikon Monarch Titanium 3.3-10x44mm AO that I am going to sell. PM me if you are interested. Both scopes are 99% and in your price range.

 

[hawk45]

Leupold Mark AR Mod1 3-9x40 and Redfield Revolution (standard) or TAC. The Redfield is basically just the MARK AR Mod1 with different reticles. I think the glass is on par with the VX-2 line. The Mark AR has a few different reticles, but is in Mils, and the Redfield has a ballistic reticle, duplex and the TAC version has a 2 MOA hashes. All of them are under $300 and come with lifetime Leupold warranty. I have one of the Redfield 2-7 Revolutions with the ballistic plex and it's a real nice scope for the sub $200 I paid. Perfect for my 30-30 lever gun under 300 yds.

 

[kyron]

SWFA SS

The 6X42 is $299. It is a rock solid scope. You can get it set up in mils or moa

Or if you really want variable the 3-15X42 is a little over your budget at $450 in mils only.

 

[SansSouci]

Good Morning, Bigeclipse,

Sounds like you're in quite a scope bind.

When you think scopes, think quality. There are two primary countries that build quality scopes. Japan ain't far behind as long as we're talking high-quality Japanese scopes. The best glass is German. They're also most expensive. Whether they're worth a house down payment is subjective. America makes damned good scopes. Maybe not German quality, but damned close enough.

Keep in mind that we might look through our scopes for maybe 5 minutes a day. We'll glass for hours. Hence, big money ought go on binos. I've just returned from a Utah deer trip. I was after strictly antlers. I glassed a few small bucks. I never removed scope covers from my scope.

Always buy the best quality scope you can afford...within reason. I see no sense in dropping 3.5k on a German scope when a $500. Leupold would be more than good enough.

I have at least 1 Vari-X II 3x9x40. It's a great scope. My favorite scope is a Vari-X II 4x12x40. I have at least 4 Vari-X III & VX-3's that I absolutely love. I do not like big objectives. I like my scopes to sit as low as possible on my rifles. I can slide an oiled rag between the objective of my 4x12x40 and my rifle's barrel: just like I like it.

From my experience, most shots are well under 200 yards. Since you're looking for a 200 yard scope, my advice is to save another $150 and go with a Leupold VX-3 2.5x8x36. It's a damned durable scope with a lifetime guarantee. If it loses zero (It won't, but if it does ship it back to Leupold and it'll fix it sans charge.) Leupold will take care of you. Remember Leupold's lifetime guarantee.

Always go with a nitrogen filled scope. Look for durability. Ask as many hunters as possible scopes they like. Above all, you have to have complete faith in your scope's durability.

Finally, check OpticsPlanet.com | Hunting, Shooting & Tactical Gear. It will price match. I've bought maybe five Leupolds from that outfit.

You can spend thousands more on German optics. Would it be money wisely spent? Remember that you might look through your scope maybe 5 minutes a day.

Here's a guess: I've seen more Leupold scopes in hunting fields than all other combined.

A huge fallacy: scopes do not gather light. Scopes are not equipped with light gathering mechanisms. I have no idea how anything could gather light.

 

[kukusya]

Never use it but friends have good feeds back on it - weaver tactical grand slam

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/5...mm-1-10-mil-adjustments-mil-dot-reticle-matte

 

[hawk45]

I'll also add, that if you want to take a lot of durability issues out of the equation, especially when dealing with budget optics, go with a fixed power scope. Just make sure to get one with low enough power that you have good field of view (7x or less).. but 4x would probably be perfect.

 

[FEENIX]

SWFA SS

The 6X42 is $299. It is a rock solid scope. You can get it set up in mils or moa

Or if you really want variable the 3-15X42 is a little over your budget at $450 in mils only.

SWFAs are awesome scopes, esp. for the price.

Primary Arms >>> Shopping has quite a few offerings that meet your budget requirements. IIRC, gohring3006 has one similar and is very pleased with it. Hopefully, he'll chime in.

 

[WildRose]

On your budget I'd look on Ebay and here at the LRH classifieds for something along the lines of the Leupold VX3 or VX3i in 3.5-10x50 with a Mildot, Boone and Crockett or Varmint Hunter Reticle.

The large objective makes a big difference in low light capability. The more light you can gather and focus the better the performance is. Even if you aren't shooting before sunup or after sundown that can still be extremely important hunting in dense cover or on cloudy and foggy days or when the animals are just sticking to the shadows.

I'd definitely stick with variable power scopes as well with no more than 4.5x on the bottom end because you can easily find yourself suddenly needing to make a shot on an animal at 10-30yds and if your lowest power isn't low enough you won't be able to pick your desired point of aim and end up blowing the shot or blowing the chance to take one.

 

[KurtB]

SWFAs are awesome scopes, esp. for the price.

Primary Arms >>> Shopping has quite a few offerings that meet your budget requirements. IIRC, gohring3006 has one similar and is very pleased with it. Hopefully, he'll chime in.

Agreed and have a lot of experience with them. The SWFA 6x milquad is one heckuva scope. And Black Friday sale coming up will probably have them around $270 including rings.

 

[SansSouci]

The large objective makes a big difference in low light capability. The more light you can gather and focus the better the performance is. Even if you aren't shooting before sunup or after sundown that can still be extremely important hunting in dense cover or on cloudy and foggy days or when the animals are just sticking to the shadows.

Exactly how does a scope, or anything for that matter, gather light?

Light cannot be gathered or preserved.

 

[CoachChris]

I'll put in another vote for the SWFA SS 6 x 42. I've had one on a Savage BMag for 2.5yrs without a single problem. I'm far from gentle with this gun.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Exactly how does a scope, or anything for that matter, gather light?

Light cannot be gathered or preserved.

To quote Joe Dirt's dad...

"Hey...How exactly is a rainbow made? How exactly does the sun set? How exactly does a posi-trac reared on a Plymouth work? It just does..."

Matter can neither be created, nor destroyed, but it can change physical properties...

Scopes gather ambient light. That light passes through the objective lens and focuses on a point inside the rifle scope. The ocular lens magnifies the light from the focal point. When you look through the scope, the image you see is that light.

This may help you understand easier...