Originally Posted by
stangfish
Many of the scope manufactureres have low end and high end lines. I say this realizing that many people can't afford a high end or middle range scope. If your scope gets bumped, rides in a jeep or ATV and you want to be able to make good shot placement then the minimum is Bushnell Elite, Nikon Monarch, Sightron SII or SII Big Sky, Leupold VX3, Zeiss Conquest and others that can be had under 400. Years of field experience tell me that being cheap on optics is one of theose lessons you don't forget. I cant tell you haw many times I have seen missed or gut shot deer from a budget scope. It is just not worth it to not spend the 100-200 dollars more for something that has a meaningful warranty* and will give you 20 years of good service. 10 years ago some of the cheapest lines where made in Japan or USA and were good scopes. This is not true anymore. It makes no sense to put 99 dollar glass on a 500 dollar gun. I am glad to see that you are taking careful consideration on optics.
Two things not discussed very often when talking scopes concerns tightening torque and fixed power scopes. Some years back I talked to rep from one of the big scope makers while researching an article and here are the two things he told me that stuck in my feeble mind. One, most of the repairs they do are to scopes that have aluminum tubes and when mounted are way over torqued which distorts the tube and damages the internals. The second thing he said was that fixed power scopes are much more rugged and less likely to get damaged than variable power scope. This makes sense as there are many more delicate parts in a variable power scope that can sustain damage. I have two fixed power,steel tube 40+ yr old Weavers, a K-4 and a K-6. The K-4 sits on my most often used hunting rifle and the K-6 is used when working up loads. Neither one has ever caused a problem and are spot on. I hunt in the heavy woodlands of northern New England where the majority of shots are well under 100 yards. I definately do not need a variable power scope and those that I do have sit on rifles with the lowest power setting. My suggestion is that if you have hunting conditions that do not require more than 4X power for good shots then that is what you need. They are cheaper and more rugged. And if you hunt in shotgun territory only even 4X may be too much. So, evaluate your real needs and buy accordingly.
El Lobo