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Backcountry 3-15x optic?

This is the segment that's not got a lot of love, lpvo got all the love 5 to 10 years ago and prs big boys got all the last 5 years.

Love the shv 3-10 but can't get illumination and parallax adjustment. Gives up 5x top end.

Leupod vx5/6. Love em, but I don't dial them. Some appear to track but man the turrets feel is very 2006 stoney point knob....

Vortex lht felt like a nikon buckmaster with fancy glass. Lht hd update made me feel bad for making fun of the feel of the 2006 stoney point knobs. Never could warm to it.

Had high hopes the hd 2-10 would up the leupod mpvo ante... with a spec sheet that must have been a dod contract that nobody asked for.

H6 steiner looked good, but I'm getting gun shy being an early adopter. Saw them showing up as refurbished on natchez and midway before the design was even a year old...

Leaves the nxs.... lord love it. It's been a stable workhorse since my hairline was full length my stomach flat and we hadn't started texting on flip phones yet....

Wish I had some strong optimism or feelings on a scope in this segment, might have to revisit the trijicon....
 
I don't know why the hate on Leupold scopes... I have a few VX5HD's and VX6HD's and they perform flawlessly.

Having said that, I still will trust NO scope except a Nightforce NXS, NX8 or ATACR for dialing and long shots (beyond 300yds) at game I have a lot of respect for such as ungulates, bears etc. They perform flawlessly every single time with no excuses ever and they're hell for rugged. Nuff said.....

I choose lightweight rifles with properly bedded light stocks and fluted custom barrels to save weight and then use whatever scopes I want based on what I ideally want with no need to trim weight there.

Just one man's opinion backed up by more years than I care to admit spent going the wrong directions on rifles and optics.
 
I didn't offer any opinions on alternative scope early on but can say the Credo HX 2.5-15x42 excels with great illumination, power range and proven mil spec ruggedness. Dropped my 300PRC off a horse out of the scabbard and killed my elk two days later. 5,000 miles and remote wilderness hunt later fired at the same target as before the trip and was cutting the same hole.
 
I have a 5 and 6 leupold. Tracking test and return zero has been where it should be. I did drop my 6 a few times. No issue with zero but it affected something inside and leupold had to replace the guts. I did the same with my nxs and bent the turret post and it had to be fixed too. For the hunter the leupolds offer a light scope that is not as durable as a tactical but that is the compromise in weight. I have killed a pile of yotes and wolves with that vx6 in the medium to long range distances. Lots in the 600-800 arena. Awesome glass, light weight, feature rich, and clearly it does just fine tracking to hit those small targets at long range. Having said that, I am not a leupold fanatic but I have very little reason to hate on them. In fact as a brand and model the mark 5 is the most used scope in prs currently. They must work. I really have to wonder if people who bag on them even owned one.
 
BrentM said:
I have a 5 and 6 leupold. Tracking test and return zero has been where it should be. I did drop my 6 a few times. No issue with zero but it affected something inside and leupold had to replace the guts. I did the same with my nxs and bent the turret post and it had to be fixed too. For the hunter the leupolds offer a light scope that is not as durable as a tactical but that is the compromise in weight. I have killed a pile of yotes and wolves with that vx6 in the medium to long range distances. Lots in the 600-800 arena. Awesome glass, light weight, feature rich, and clearly it does just fine tracking to hit those small targets at long range. Having said that, I am not a leupold fanatic but I have very little reason to hate on them. In fact as a brand and model the mark 5 is the most used scope in prs currently. They must work. I really have to wonder if people who bag on them even owned one.
Click to expand...
Lots of people use the PRS comment. I'd be interested to see how many shooters check and/or adjust zero before every match.

Just because they are used a lot in competition doesn't mean they track or hold zero properly. Competitive shooters get heavy discounts on scopes. It's great advertising for the manufacturer.
 
Mike D Texas said:
Lots of people use the PRS comment. I'd be interested to see how many shooters check and/or adjust zero before every match.

Just because they are used a lot in competition doesn't mean they track or hold zero properly. Competitive shooters get heavy discounts on scopes. It's great advertising for the manufacturer.
Click to expand...
Or they just work?
 
wilkup said:
Ever since this past hunting season I've been considering a new optic and very seriously about the Steiner H6Xi 2.5-15x while it was on sale ($1199) at the end of last year but decided it didn't quite check all my boxes.
I've always loved Leupold glass and also really like the newer locking turrets they offer on the VX5HD line of optics.
I've also heard excellent things about the Vortex Razor LHT line of optics over the years.
They each have their pros and cons but I think one of them may land on my next hunting rifle.
To those that have or have had…
- How does glass clarity compare?
- How do they compare in low light?
- How reliable do they track?

It's winter and I always start thinking about how to build a better mousetrap this time of year. I missed an opportunity with my 6-24x cuz the bear was just too close to see what I was aiming at last season and I realized the only time I've ever hit that higher end magnification is during load development. 15x seems like plenty of power to see at the ranges I hunt or plan to hunt in the future.
Click to expand...
I'm intrigued by the Steiner.
 
comfisherman said:
This is the segment that's not got a lot of love, lpvo got all the love 5 to 10 years ago and prs big boys got all the last 5 years.

Love the shv 3-10 but can't get illumination and parallax adjustment. Gives up 5x top end.

Leupod vx5/6. Love em, but I don't dial them. Some appear to track but man the turrets feel is very 2006 stoney point knob....

Vortex lht felt like a nikon buckmaster with fancy glass. Lht hd update made me feel bad for making fun of the feel of the 2006 stoney point knobs. Never could warm to it.

Had high hopes the hd 2-10 would up the leupod mpvo ante... with a spec sheet that must have been a dod contract that nobody asked for.

H6 steiner looked good, but I'm getting gun shy being an early adopter. Saw them showing up as refurbished on natchez and midway before the design was even a year old...

Leaves the nxs.... lord love it. It's been a stable workhorse since my hairline was full length my stomach flat and we hadn't started texting on flip phones yet....

Wish I had some strong optimism or feelings on a scope in this segment, might have to revisit the trijicon....
Click to expand...
Been perusing the Trijicon site and (re)discovered the Credo 2-10x36 FFP. Reminds me of the NXS 2.5-10x32 I used to drool over back in the day. If that had a parallax dial I would stop my search and just buy it.
 
grouse said:
I have one! Great optic. For 10x do you think it's really needed?
Click to expand...
I dunno… how far out have you stretched it? It'd be going on a hunting rifle I also like stretching out rock hunting in the spring to get back into the swing of things. I'm sure no parallax for hunting would be ok inside 400 yards but it's out further I wonder about.
 

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