Best scope in for budget of $300

[375rifleman]

Hello everyone, what's the best 1st focal plane for $300 and under ? I'm looking to put a scope on my brand new mossberg patriot 30-06. I want to be able to slip the scale or whatever it's called when you pull up the turret and slip it back to zero after it's sighted in at 100 yards. Where I hunt most ranges are relatively close so a straight 10 power might be too much magnification,but also have ranges that extend out to 1000 yards. Thanks in advance for any thoughts, opinions, or answers.

 

[gohring3006]

Hello everyone, what's the best 1st focal plane for $300 and under ? I'm looking to put a scope on my brand new mossberg patriot 30-06. I want to be able to slip the scale or whatever it's called when you pull up the turret and slip it back to zero after it's sighted in at 100 yards. Where I hunt most ranges are relatively close so a straight 10 power might be too much magnification,but also have ranges that extend out to 1000 yards. Thanks in advance for any thoughts, opinions, or answers.

There are some cheap Chinese Front focal plane scopes out there for about $300.00.
I have two that are the BSA mil mil 4-14x44. They actually track pretty good and the glass is on par with my SWFA 10x.
The other FFP scopes in that price range are also from China and the scope bodies are of the same design. I am pretty certain they all come out of the same factory in China. BSA Tactical Mil-Mil Rifle Scope 30mm Tube 4-14x 44mm Side Focus 1/10
Primary Arms and Athlon Optics all market a scope very similar to this one.


If you could do with out the FFP, you could do a little better in quality with a optic coming out of Japan that's rumored to be made by the same people who make the SWFA SS fixed scopes.http://www.midwayusa.com/product/59...mm-1-10-mil-adjustments-mil-dot-reticle-matte
Check out the reviews for both of these scopes.... I have both and the Weaver is a little better quality. Mainly the turrets index better, but for the most part, they both track spot on and are clear as clear can get for $300.00.

 

[SansSouci]

I have a VX-2 3-9X40 and I use it on my 270 win. its been a great scope, very good visibility and clarity for what you pay for. Also tough as nails, we where walking over some very wet rocks last season and I slipped and the rifle landed directly on a rock scraping the eye piece and literally shaving some metal off, scope still held its zero and have never fogged up since. the only change I would make if I had to do it again is get the 4-12 version...

^^^This^^^

 

[ssssnake529]

I would tend to agree with the Primary Arms FFP 4-14 recommendation. I really like the FFP for hunting as your holdovers are the same regardless of magnification.

This one:

https://www.apexgunparts.com/rifle-scope-4-14x44mm-acss-r-grid-reticle.html

I don't think I would trust that Leupold to have good tracking and return to zero.
I would buy a Primary Arms 4-14 FFP before the model you are looking at. Or if you want just a really good hunting scope with accurate/repeatable turrets the Weaver Super Slam 2-10. I have one on a short barreled .338 ultra mag and shoot it out to 800 often.

 

[reachingout]

The SWFA Super Sniper is the best bet for under 300.00 budget long(ish) range scope. Past 10X you really need apochromatic glass or the clarity of your image really begins to suffer!

 

[375rifleman]

Thanks for everyones input, I actually haven't actually looked at rifle scopes in awhile I was leaning towards the swfa straight 10 or the primary arms 4-14x44 ffp before. However I was recently looking at the athlon rifle scopes (2.5-15x50 (MIL))but they run for around $800 so I started looking at the swfa 3-15x42 but they run for around $700 both of which are more than I'd like to spend. I just want absolute tracking reliability and consistency which is an awful lot to ask out of a budget scope. Should I go back to the swfa straight 10 or the primary arms 4-14x44 ffp? I would just worry about the primary arms tracking ability since the swfa is supposedly rated to be able to handle the 50 BMG I don't worry about it as much especially since I'm putting it on a 30-06 which is miniscule in comparison maybe the primary arms 4-14x44 ffp would be fine I just dont really know the adhustment range of the primary arms 4-14x44 ffp.Thanks in advance for any thoughts, opinions, or answers.

 

[KurtB]

Well since you have waited so long, wait until the Black Friday sale at Swfa, buy the 10x for about $270 and use it a while. If you don't like it, a lot of folks would buy it for $250 and your out the price of a pizza. They are very reliable scopes as has been mentioned.

 

[BW64]

What Kurt said. I have 2. One on a 6.5 Savage that I use for hunting & the parallax is fine all the way down to 25 yards. Now the glass is not Nightforce but it's better than expected for $300!!

BW

 

[PackersFanboy]

Athlon Talos BTR & Vortex Diamondback Tactical have both. Really like the Vortex way better turrets both will have no issue out to 1000. Both have trade offs with weight and add features. Really nice to have these options years ago stuck paying hundreds more get close to these sub $300.

 

[milkie62]

Wait for the Nikon Prostaff 5 to go on sale at Midway,Natchezz etc. Great scope IMO for the money. I have shot pennies edgewise @100 yds with this scope from a Caldwell rest though.

 

[CaptnC]

...how hard it would be to shoot a game animal at 20 yards using a 10x scope...

Well I can tell you the game at 20 yards knows no difference. I was hunting an area the I set up just to get a long range shot...a truck size hole through the brush to a feeder...just overy 300 yards. I'm very limited to what I can see coming out and opening weekend of deer season here in Texas had a nice buck walk right into my scope. He was less than 50 yards away and I had the scope on 16 power.

It would have been very easy to have hammered him right there. The image was blurred but it wouldn't made a difference at that range.

Because of that incident I cut a deal on a used scope here a couple days later...SWFA SS 16X...

 

[Savage Fan]

Athlon Talos BTR is $299.99 first focal plane.

 

[CaptnC]

I did a head to head range test this past Saturday between the 4x16 Millet ($269) and the fixed 16x SWFA ($299)...I was shooting out to 600 yards and it was a dead heat...no clear winner which surprised me. I have two Millet and one SWFA. But I really thought the SWFA would walk away with it...it didnt. Just have to wait and see how well the Millet holds up!

Low end Vortex don't have etched glass...huge deal breaker for me...I have a Bushnell with wire (forgot to check that before I bought it) and so far it has held up ok, but it will soon be replaced with something that has etched glass!