upgrade from 3-9 Zeiss

I have a 3-9x40 Conquest on my smokeless muzzleloader build. I love the clarity and performance at dusk but I am thinking about moving that scope to a different rifle and upgrading to a scope with more magnification. Lots of good choices out there in the $500 range. I do not want to go backwards in glass quality. Needs to handle recoil!. I want something in the 4-16 power range. A few I have looked at online are the weaver super slams, vortex hs, Bushnell elites, Leopold vx3 and vxr.

Any suggestions that fit this bill?

I would go with any of these Grasshopper, especially the demo or open box ones.

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/v...viperhs4-16x50

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/v...perhs4-16x50lr

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/v...perhs4-16x44lr

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/v...viperhs4-16x44

Your Bud

Dean

Thanks dean. Those demo prices sure are tempting!! I've almost ordered a Viper HS on my last two builds but the reticle being so thin makes me worry they wont work in the woods. I have Leopold's varmint hunters reticle in my 22-250 and its my favorite scope in the prairie but its absolutely worthless with any trees or brush around. Am I just being paranoid about the vipers reticle?

Any other thoughts?

I would seriously consider the new Leupold VX-2 in 4-12x40 CDS or 6-18x40 CDS. I can't see any real difference in glass clarity verses the Leupold VX-3 models. Certainly as good as the Leupold VX-R. I currently use the upgraded Leupold VX-2 with CDS on a Savage 10ML-II 50 CAL. No guessing on hold over. Just dial in the yardage out to 400 yrds and shoot. The scope is light, compact and has a proven track record for tough with a no nonsense warranty. It should be the perfect scope for a .45 cal smokeless pole.

Well Dean you might be on to something. me and the boy killed a few hours at Cabelas this afternoon and I finally was able to see and play with a viper HS in real life. Turns out they are real and are not just an internet myth Lol. I looked at the 4-16x44 with the bdc. I gotta say I walked away pretty impressed. I dont think the bdc would be to thin in the woods. Sure had a solid feel to it as well.

I have a viper hs-t mil/mil scope. The mil dot reticle is plenty thick enough for the woods.

I really like the vx3's though.

Hey if it is on they internet it must be true, I hate to say it but I told you so, LOL
Why do people say I hate to say it but I told you so, that is full of it, I know for a fact people Love to say I told you so, LOL

Dean

Quote:

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Originally Posted by scope eye

Hey if it is on they internet it must be true, I hate to say it but I told you so, LOL
Why do people say I hate to say it but I told you so, that is full of it, I know for a fact people Love to say I told you so, LOL

Dean

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Told ya so, so it must be so.

Hey Mossy, this is my take, I find Vortex scopes to be the savage arms of optics, they are excellent value for the money IE: crossfire = Stevens 200 or Axis, Vipers = 110-116,

Dean

I am becoming more and more Savage/Stevens loyal as the years go by but I'm beginning to realize I'm a bit flaky as far as my optics loyalties go. I have a VX3, VX2.,Bushnell 4200, Conquest, Vortex SPARC, handful of Simmons and some take off Bushnells. I guess there is to many good choices to stick to one brand.

Since you mentioned the Weaver Super Slam, I'll be the first to say that I love mine. If these scopes were marketed a little better, and maybe had a better name, I think they'd be tremendously popular. For a mid-range hunting scope, you'd be hard pressed to do better, especially if you catch them on one of the frequent sales that Natchez runs. I like the pop-up, resettable turrets a lot. Also the wide magnification range, and the EBX reticle works great with my .308 out to farther than I'll ever shoot at a deer. Lotsa fun at the range shooting steel at distance though. One complaint- they don't come with any scope covers. IMHO, a scope in this price range should come with a good set of bikini covers at least. I use the covers from a Burris that I have and they fit perfectly. Edge clarity could be a little better, but that could easily be due to my crappy eyesight too. That's really my only gripe though; otherwise excellent. I've used Leupolds, Burris, Bushnell, and various others, and this is the only one that will go on any future hunting rifle builds for me.
http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm...eticle%20Matte

A real-world view, albeit taken with a cell phone, on a rainy dreary day. The picture really doesn't do the scope justice as far as resolution though. I posted it more so you could get a realistic idea of the reticle on an animal, in this case a deer of about 60-70#, at about 80 yards on 15X. The deer is still with us, BTW. I'll visit him again in a few years hopefully. :-)http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/11/eguhaje5.jpg

That is a really cool pic! I do like the idea of the etched reticle on the weaver.

Thanks. The shading on the right edge of the scope view is totally due to the position of the cell phone camera, not the scope. It's very hard to hold the rifle steady, keep the sometimes moving animal in the crosshairs, and hold the phone in PRECISELY the right spot to get a decent pic. That was the best of about four attempts.

Yeah you did good. I've tried countless times to get a pic of a prairie dog through my Leupold with a varmint hunters reticle with no luck.

Since you already have a Conquest I'd suggest you look at the HD5 scopes by Zeiss.
Yes, they do cost more, and while I like my Zeiss Conquest 3-9 x 40 on my 30-06 I love my Zeiss HD5 on my .338 Win Mag. I'll be buying another one for my 6.5 x 285. The optical quality blew me away the first time I looked through it at dusk.