Best scope under $300?

[WildRose]

I'm going to buy a new scope for a .22, any opinions on which scope is best for under $300 with a max power of 12-16x? Buckmaster, vx-1, fullfield, or anything else?

For a .22 I'd say go to Ebay and look at used VXI leupolds, M-8 Fixed power Leupolds, and old K-6 original weavers from the sixties and seventies.

 

[liltank]

There are several scopes on that price range that would work. My first choice would be the 4-12 Vortex Diamondback. We sell them for less than $300. $269 if I remember right.

The Bushnell Elite would be another great choice. But Vortex wins in the customer service and warranty dept.

My .02

How does the Diamondback compare to the crossfire?

Tank

 

[chucknbach]

Burris 4.5x14 32mm Timberline $200 if you don't mind the bulk go with the fullfield II 42mm

I'm kinda mad. My brother and I tested our scopes last night at low light levels. I have a Nikon Monarch 4x16 42mm he has a Burris fullfield II 4.5x14 42mm and I had to concede his was brighter and cross hairs were more clear. Now I'm trying to justify the 100 plus dollars more I spent on mine. I have the 32mm Timberline and is a good scope.

 

[winmag]

Burris 4.5x14 32mm Timberline $200 if you don't mind the bulk go with the fullfield II 42mm

I'm kinda mad. My brother and I tested our scopes last night at low light levels. I have a Nikon Monarch 4x16 42mm he has a Burris fullfield II 4.5x14 42mm and I had to concede his was brighter and cross hairs were more clear. Now I'm trying to justify the 100 plus dollars more I spent on mine. I have the 32mm Timberline and is a good scope.

+1 for Burris.
Look, I'm a Leupold fan thru & thru for more reasons than I can list, but with all that said, 1 of my main go to rifles wears a Burris ffll 4.5-14x 42 A/O b-plex, & its nutts on with my 270 wsm 140gr load. Very good scope for the $, & I've never seen one more rugged. (ive seen it in horse wrecks, & tumbled on rocks)
I also have a Nikon 2-7x32 on my custom 10/22.
In a perfect world, I'd find a Leupold on craigslist for cheap, send it to the custom shop for mods, & be done, but if your buying new, with a self imposed $300 Limmit, look hard at Burris.

 

[FAL Shot]

chucknbach is right about the 4.5-14x32 Burris Timberline at $220. It is what sits on my CZ 452 .22LR. The ballistic reticle and higher mag is what makes it better than the Leupold 3-9x33 VXII EFR scope at $399, if you need longer ranging capability. In low light, drop the mag to 9X and it will be at least as bright as the Leupold at 9X. The small eyebell allows use on CZ rifles without really high rings. It clears the bolt and the objective is still close to the barrel. The 1/8 MOA adjustments really lets you achieve a true zero, and that zero holds with a death grip.