riflescopes

[kmg]

i am hopefully going to buy a new rig this fall. it will most likey be a Remington VTR or 700 sps varmint.(22.250 of course). I need your opinions, likes/dislikes on scopes. i would like to try to keep it under $400. Im going to hunt full moon nights as well as daytime, so clarity in low light is an absolute must, which is why im leaning towards a 50mm objective. Nikon monarchs blow the bank, but nikon buckmasters offers some cheaper ones. Also, Hawke Eclipse 30SF 4-16x50 looked pretty good for only $260. Vortex also has some options within my price range. What have you had good results with in low light/ full moon setups? Reticle is not an issue, since shots in low light will be under 300 yds and 22.250 is pancake flat. Bushnell? Any opinions welcome

[jaybic]

Hello,
Here are a few ideas for you.

1. Zeiss Conquest 3x9...............399.00(cabelas) great clarity for the money....as much as I hate to say it, its clearer that a few of my leupolds.

2. Leupold Vari x II in a 3x9.......for about 299.00 not as clear as the Zeiss but still a good quality scope for the money. I bet lots of fellas on here shoot either that one or the same thing in a 4x12(449.00.....spend the extra 50.00 if ya live out west IMHO).

3.Burris fullfield II in a 4.5x14...........299.00...ballistic reticle with extra "hold over" marks in it. some like them, some dont.

Hope this helps and happy hunting,

Jaybic

[bucksnbears]

good choices Jaybic. i'd also check out Redfield and Vortex

[leadbiscuit]

I've got 2 of the Fullfield 2 4-14x42's. I use to use them when I hunted at night and they worked pretty well for it. Adjustments get a little sticky in severe cold. Otherwise they've served me well. I've also got one in 3-9x40. It also worked well for night hunting on snow.

[RBoom]

Check out the Weaver Grand Slam and Super Slam lines. Excellent scopes for the money. Natchez has great prices on them and also rebate deals from Weaver.

[Coyotehunter]

for the money the Burris is a good option. I always go with the leupold 4x12x40 at low power it will gather as much light as the 50 mm objective will with out the added hieght.

[kmg]

Has anyone used the new leupold vx-R with firedot reticle? i thought the review in predator xtreme looked pretty good, although it is expensive. the firedot might be worth it in low light though. i like the fact that the reticle looks clean and "unclustered". im deciding between the vx-r 3-9x40 and Hawke Varmint sf. Anyone tried Hawke?

[barebackjack]

If your looking for good low light scopes, save a few extra bucks and move up to the next tier of models. Put the absolute best glass you can on it, your rifle is only as good as its sighting system allows it to be. Some of my rifles have more expensive scopes on them than what they cost.

The "cheap" models, although still very serviceable scopes many times, are "cheap" for reasons. They generally have poorer glass and coatings than than their higher end brothers.

Many of the $200 class "budget" scopes can leave a guy wanting in certain areas, one of which usually is lowlight viewing. I think if a guys going to do a lot of night hunting, he'd be much better served to step up to the $400 class glass.

That being said, theres a whole bunch of good scopes out there. Leupold and Nikon being two of my favorites. Vortex makes some great stuff, I love my vortex spotter and binocs, but their mid range rifle scopes are so so, great in daylight, but lacking in lowlight.

Someone mentioned the Leupold VXII in 4-12x40. Ive been using these in 6-18x40 for years and they are probably my favorite hunting scopes. If you have good night hunting conditions (full moon, good snow cover, clear skies) a 40mm on low power will do you just as well as a 50.

[Optimax90]

I know it ups the cost alot, but if your going to do alot of night hunting get something with a 30mm tube. I run 40mm odbjective but 30mm main tubes on everthing, gathers a ton of light!!

Unless your set on new, get a used one.... There are a ton of web pages out there with classified sections that will have ALOT of scopes for sale. You have to decide on what you want and how much you want to pay and watch the classifieds on a regular basis... I picked up a Mark 4 in 4.5x14x40 milldot 30mm main tube with M1's last month for $650.00!!!! not a scratch on it, perfect glass!!! There are a ton of vx-3's out there for a great deal, just got to look....

[bamahunter]

I jus't purchased a Hawke 4-12x50 Nite Eye this past weekend. Haven't got it mounted yet. When I do I will post back and let everyone what I think of it.