Leupold, Vortex, or Sightron

I am looking to upgrade my current scope which is a Leupold vx-2 4-12×50. It will mostly be used shooting off a bench at paper from 100 to 600 yards. It will also be used for whitetail hunting occasionally. My max that I would like to spend is around $800. I have been looking at the Leupold vx-3 6.5-20x, Vortex HST, PST 6-24x, and Sightron SIII 6-24x. I prefer MOA over Mil. How do these three compare and what are the pros and cons of each one. I would really appreciate any advice. I'm also open to other options that fit that criteria also. Thank you!

Of those scopes,I'd choose the Sightron SIII with the Vortex as the second choice. Leupold doesn't even come up on my radar when it comes to scopes,their tracking has always sucked.

The Vortex has a lot more bells and whistles,but the glass and tracking is better in the Sightron. I have 5 Sightron scopes,and they track just as well as my $2k - $3k scopes.

You might want to look at the Athlon Midas and Ares scopes also. They are very good scopes,and in your price range. I have a Midas BTR and Cronus,the Midas is really close to the Sightron SIII and has a better reticle,and the Cronus hangs right with my high end scopes giving up very little to them.

Another vote for the Sightron SIII series.

For me, which Sightron would depend on how accurate the rifle was. For my rifles that shoot well I prefer a 1/8 MOA click adjustment and at least 27x on the high end. 24x is not enough anymore for my old eyes. The 8-32x or a 10-50x Sightrons are generally what I put on long distance metal ringers / paper punchers that might also see some long range predator / varmint hunting use. There are not many choices out there with 1/8 MOA clicks but Sightron offers the best for the money from my experience. I wish they would offer the option of 1/8 MOA clicks on the 8-32x, like their 10-60x Models 25010 and 25018, with the MOA-2 or MOA-H reticles. To get a ranging reticle and 1/8 MOA you have to go with the 10-50x. I rarely need over 32x and the 8-32x56mm is brighter at 32x than the 10-50x60mm is at 32x, plus it costs less.

Of the ones mentioned.....Sightron. Before you decide, take a look at Athlon. I just got my first one and absolutely love it. Tracks wonderfully, bright and clear. No pin cushion effect at high power.

Sightron. I've owned the Vortex scopes you mentioned. Hs and pst both failed and were sent back to vortex for warranty. I now own 4 sightron sIII and no vortex

I have only had one sightron, and it was really nice. Personally I would wait for a sale and get a Burris XTR2 5-25. I just picked up one for $630 a month ago, a 4-20 for $820 in June, a 3-15 a year ago for $640... The XTR2's are just fantastic.

Leupold.

I have sightron and leupold
You cant go wrong with any mentioned
I personally like the Leupold vx3i 6.5 x 25 TMOA with the sightron 6x24 running right with it
Jack

At the price point and if going to be dialing a lot of dope, stay away from Leupold. The Sightron is your best bet but I would be another to suggest looking at Athlon scopes.
My Athlon tracks perfectly and always returns to zero.

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Leopold vx3i deal from eBay. With coupon they have been $230 from time to time.

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Originally Posted by zeroforhire

Leopold vx3i deal from eBay. With coupon they have been $230 from time to time.

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Careful, because there are counterfeits on eBay. Gunprodeals has some pretty good prices on Leupolds. I have a few Leupolds. I have 2 or 3 VX-3s in 6.5-20X40 with the adjustable objective on the front. Very nice scopes IMO, for what I paid for them. All I see for sale now is the VX-3I EFR model in that configuration. I have a VX-3 EFR of that type. Also, a very fine scope.......IMHO.

I have looked through a few Vortex scopes. They don't appear as crisp as my VX-3s. I have not looked through one lately though. I have no experience with Sightron, but rarely have I seen anything negative on them. Vortex has a bang up warranty though.

shooting off a bench... from 100 to 600 yards..... whitetail hunting occasionally...... around $800.

I have a rifle for the exact same purpose, I chose the Leupold VX-5HD 3x15x44 Impact 29.

I've got a Leupold VX-3 6.5-20 and love it. But I'd have to say I think I like my Sightrons more. I've got an S-Tac and 2 SIII's. Optics are extremely clear and tracking is great. I also really like their MOA reticles. No experience with Vortex as I don't own any. I've come close to buying one several times and always went another direction. They seem nice and have some nice features and a great warranty. But hearing about that warranty so much is what concerns me. I always hear so many stories about how they failed and had to be sent back. The warranty sounds great, but sounds like a lot of them get sent back too.

I sure do like my Vortex scopes !!!

Actually the scope you now have isn't what some of us might describe as total junk. lol
Assuming it dosent have the type adjustments you can dial with, the good folks at Leupold can change for you.
I have several old VX2s in the 3x9 configuration on a few of my guns that I picked up for about $200.
Say like on a 30/06 or a 223 just used as a truck gun.
Leupold will install a new dial type elevation turret for about $100 in several styles.
Both windage and elevation would be maybe $150.
As for the parralex adjustment, it really dosent matter much anyway if you don't move your face location on the stock from shot to shot.
If your goal is to set a new benchrest record, then thats a different situation than what your describing.
Many don't use the knob properly anyway, and just use it to clear up the focus, which dosent necessarily cure the parralex.
Certainly the power is enough to do what your talking about and even more, especially for hunting.
Even if you end up buying another scope, its not like you wasted your money, and you will have more education to go on.