Help with scope options for 30-06 under $500ish??

[Bravo 4]

Falcon Menace 4-14x44 Tactical 30mm Riflescope | SWFA
I've had one of these for about 6 years (on a 7 RemMag and then a 18" .308) and it hasn't let me down. Mine tracks truer than the last 3 Leupold MK4s I've owned.

Or (not exactly what you are looking for):
Vortex Optics Viper Rifle Scope 30mm Tube 6.5-20x 44mm Side Focus

 

[gohring3006]

Falcon Menace 4-14x44 Tactical 30mm Riflescope | SWFA
I've had one of these for about 6 years (on a 7 RemMag and then a 18" .308) and it hasn't let me down. Mine tracks truer than the last 3 Leupold MK4s I've owned.

Or (not exactly what you are looking for):
Vortex Optics Viper Rifle Scope 30mm Tube 6.5-20x 44mm Side Focus

I have some spin offs of the Falcon. One is a Primary Arms 4-14xFFP and two are the BSA 4-14x44ffp that Midway sells. They all track very good, and are setup the right way with matching turrets and reticle. Primary Arms claims its not the same scope as the Falcon, but the BSA comes with the same reticle and comes in the same type of box with the same packing as the Falcon. All in all they are very good scopes for the money, I own three so far, and will be buying more. I have one on a 300 Weatherby, it's been on there for about 300 rounds so far with no problems at all.


Ps. I contacted BSA about these scopes handling the recoil of my 300 and 7 mag.
They told me those particular scopes will handle it just fine, and if I have any trouble at all any time in the future, to contact them and they will get it fixed or send me a new one. That's good enough for me..

 

[Waynzee]

You said you would be doing some timber hunting also with your rig. So, all the scopes mentioned here are good but I would keep in mind that hunting in the woods doesn't require more than 4x and most places 3x is plenty for the woods where shoots are under 100 yards.

 

[hawk45]

Try taking out one of your existing rigs and shooting on 4x at several distances, long and short. Then 8x, 10x and 14x. You may be surprised how little magnification you need to be accurate. Lower power usually means less weight too, which is always a good thing. Hunting magnification and target magnification are two different things in my book.

 

[nateisw]

Just got my hands on a Bushnell Elite 4500 2.5-10X40. It has a second focal plane duplex reticle (although I believe others might be available), and capped turrets. I will be posting a review of it within the next couple weeks side-by-side with the Meopta Moepro 3.5-10X40. For around $450 it seems pretty solid and Bushnell's warranty has really stepped up lately (probably in response to Vortex). It seems to be a really decent all-around scope for short to medium range.

 

[Rich Coyle]

Bushnell's warranty has really stepped up lately (probably in response to Vortex).

I preferred the old one. You had a full year to return it for a full refund if you found something better.

 

[Waynzee]

Just my 2 cents. I just picked up a Vortex Viper 3x9x40. I was checking out the reviews between the Burris and the Vortex and found better reviews on the Vortex.

 

[Bbear]

Tagging

 

[codyadams]

It seems like everything were looking at is being compared to the vortex viper HS-T or PST 4-16, so this may be the winner...though the SWFA has some good options too. Bushnell has some good scopes, but a scope from bushnell with all the features of the HS-T costs more. The nikon are also a close one too...I know that after doing more shopping and research though, we have found some options for my dad's 35 Wheelen Improved and we are looking at some replacements for the 6-18 bushnell banner atop his 6.5x55, that was put on after the rifle was finished because he couldn't wait to shoot it, and it was just never upgraded. There are certainly some good scopes that can be had in this price range