Scope quality

[r29l20]

At what price range do you start to get to the point of diminishing returns? Realistic gains in performance. Glass quality, quality control, tubes, turrets, seals, coatings on glass, finishes, ext. Are there real world advantages to spend 2,000 dollars for a scope. I don't want to over spend, but don't want to under spend eather. I want what everyone wants, a good quality, clear & sharp, dependable scope. But I don't want to have to sleep on the couch. I'm looking for a variable, 18-24 max power. AO. fine cross hair. Any suggestions would be highly appreciated. Thanks all. :)

[dcloco]

Regardless of brand, first and foremost, the manufacturer must state the lenses are "fully multi coated" - which means, both sides, of both lenses have more than one coating on each side of the lenses. You might be surprised, but there is some low cost scopes that have this and some medium to high price optics that do not.

Adjustments - I am ok with 1/4 moa or 1/8 moa. 1/4 is faster when you are dialing up and down for varying yardages on paper or varminting.

Etched reticle is the best. Reticle is actually etched into the lense.

I LOOK for "Japan" made Tasco and Bushnells at gunshows. Neither brand is made with Japan glass any more. When you find one, buy it. These are GOOD glass. There is a 6-24x44 Tasco that rides on a 22/250 of mine.

I prefer Leupold. I try to buy 6.5-20x50 LR, LRT or with M1 turrets, and prefer the Multicoat 4 lens coating. Used, these run $650 to $950. Usually in the $800 range. Once in a great while, you can find a Mark 4 model in the 850-950 range.

Nightforce are great scopes, but heavy. S & B, IOR.....don't think you can go wrong, but the price starts at $2500 and goes UP!

[dcloco]

Forgot to mention another item, OFTEN overlooked.

Amount of travel in elevation and windage.


In my opinion, the standard of the ultimate scope is the Leupold Mark 4, 16x50. Fully multi coated lenses, variety of reticles, M1 turrets, adjustable focus eyepiece (rear focus - huge plus!!!!), 30 mm tube, lightweight, and 150 MOA of adjustment.

I am not aware of any other scope that has all of the features that this scope does.

Bottom line, you may have to sacrifice one of the features for the amount of money available......unfortunately.

[rez187]

depends on whats its intended use is. mk4 the ultimate? i think not if and if you can get one that will track correctly it is an ok scope.

[Senderofan]

I have to agree fully with the statement " Depends on what its intended use is?" I've been extremely pleased with the couple of Nikon Buckmaster's and a Redfield I have on my rimfire rifles...these are $200-300 scopes. In the magnification you list....I'm very happy with a Vortex Viper and Bushnell Elite 4200..$400-500 range...and up from there my Sightron SIII, NightForce NXS, IOR and Premier Heritage. It is really unfair to compare a Buckmaster or Viper to that of the NF,IOR or Premier...apples and oranges really. You really do see differences throughout the scope when you get to the NF and above. The quality of glass is noticeable, turrets with more positive clicks and zero stops...even the robustness of the whole scope. Whether this is important to you...enough to spend 3,4 or 5x as much....that's really a personal decision.

My recommendation is to try and network with guys at a local club or range....see if there are guys with scopes ranging from modestly priced to the ultra premium. See if you can look through them and adjust the turrets. Everyone's eye is different and this can affect your decision as well.

There's a bunch of excellent choices in mid range priced scopes...as an example...the Vortex Viper on the lower end and Sightron SIII or Leupold VX-3 towards the upper middle.

Good Luck....This is something we all face from time to time. If you can look through the various scopes you'll be able to decide which is more pleasing to your eye and to experience the controls of each.

Wayne

P.S.

If you're mainly punching paper at longer ranges....I think the NightForce BR 8-32x is a very strong deal...for @ $1K.

[r29l20]

Been looking on line, and found a Mueller 8.5-25x50 Eraticator. Anybody know if their any good?

[dcloco]

depends on whats its intended use is. mk4 the ultimate? i think not if and if you can get one that will track correctly it is an ok scope.


All of the qualities play a part....you only picked one. ....and it is just as important as the rest.

If it tracks correctly...great....but if you cannot see what you are trying to dial to, don't matter if you can track.


Dollar for dollar - you cannot beat the qualities of the 16x50 MARK 4. There are NO scopes under $1800 that have 150 MOA adjustment with like quality glass, construction, rear focus, etc, etc, etc.....AND a REAL lifetime warranty.

[leather5to1]

Been looking on line, and found a Mueller 8.5-25x50 Eraticator. Anybody know if their any good?


my favorite scope, excellent for the money, you won't be dissappointed
As far as good glass, everybody's eyes are different. My father doesn't have bad eyes but he always had problems with looking through a scope for over 20 seconds. After that everything would get blurry, he always had leupolds and the like. I mounted a zeiss on his gun and he almost cried. He can now look through the scope indefinitely, doesn't bother his eye anymore plus the coating lets you shoot into the sun without any glare.

[jpdown]

Check out the Sightron SIIB Big Sky scope line up and reviews. Great glass, excellent tracking and adjustment range. I would compare against the Bushnell 4500, Leupold VX-3, and Vortex Viper and Nikon Monarch in this very competative mid price range.

[barrel-nut]

In my opinion, you can get a good quality, very serviceable scope for "normal" use, (not life-or-death, military or police type stuff, nor serious competition-type stuff), but something that will not disappoint you at the range or in the occasional casual competition with your buddies, for around $500 or less. I have a Weaver T-36, which is very good for these purposes, with the exception that it is very sensitive to mirage, as are all scopes in this power range, and that the fine reticle is definitely not suitable for any sort of hunting that I do (mostly deer). By the way, using a lower powered scope does not make mirage go away; it just makes it less noticeable.
For a good deal on a variable, check out this:
http://www.natchezss.com/Optics.cfm?contentID=productDetail&brand=WE&prodID=WE800352&prodTitle=Weaver%204-20X50%20Super%20Slam%20Riflescope%20Side%20Focus%2 0Fine-X%20Reticle%20Matte
I have this scope in Weaver's Nitrex line, which by all indications is the same scope with different branding. I also have the Weaver super slam 3-15X with the EBX reticle, and it is very good also, although the EBX reticle is definitely more of a hunting-style reticle. It is much thicker than the fine-X, and also has holdover markings. Both are etched reticles, and both scopes are Japanese-made (not chinese junk). These have side focus and pop-up turrets for quick adjustments; they lock in place when you pop them back down. They are very clear and have lifetime warranties through Weaver. I'm not sure if the Nitrex line is still being produced, but the Super Slam line is, and it is identical. To top it off, Natchez offers a $50 rebate which brings the price on the 4-20X50 Super Slam with fine X-dot reticle down to $359. You will have to wait several months for the rebate, but it will come.
I don't think you will do better than this in this price range. Again, the only downside to this particular reticle is that it is, as it is labeled, fine; you probably won't want to try hunting with it as it all but disappears on a busy background. But for range use, or any other application where you want a precise aiming point, it is great. Also, these scopes have limited elevation and windage adjustments, as do most all scopes in this price range. If you plan to do any longer range shooting, especially 600 yds and beyond, a 20 MOA base is necessary. Weaver and EGW make good, affordable aluminum Picatinny-style 20MOA rails for about $40. The Burris Extreme tactical type rings are good as well. If you get this combo, buy the low rings, even though this is a 50mm scope. The rail gives you extra height, so high rings are not necessary. I have these on most of my rifles, and they give you the extra elevation needed to reach out to longer yardages. I shoot mine at 600 yds with a .308, but have not gone longer than that. I don't know if you could reach 1000 yds with this setup or not.
You can definitely buy better scopes, in both quality and features, but you will pay a lot more for them. Unless you are an F-class or 1000-yard benchrest shooter, or you just demand the best that money can buy, I think this is overkill for the average shooter on a budget.

[BoilerUP]

All depends on what you want to do and how much you want to spend...not everybody can afford a Schmidt & Bender PMII for $3000, or even a Bushnell Tactical or Viper PST in the $800-900 range.

I'd think an Elite 4200 6-24x50 or Monarch 5-20x44 (among other suggestions) would be prefect for what the OP says he's looking for...and can probably be had used in the $300-400 range. Excellent glass, great warranty, and proven value.

I recently sold my Elite 4200 8-32x40 that was on my 12FV .223 and mounted a Buckmaster 6-18x40 in its place. The 4200 was definitely the "better" scope of the two, but for what my desires were, the Buckmaster meets them at $100 lower price.