Newbe.. Scopes

[Enzo]

I currently have a A Bolt in 300wsm and Boss , on top is a 3x9 leupold vx2 .The gun is very accurate . But do not feel i have the ability to shoot accurately past 500 yrds . Looking for suggestions on long range scopes that i should consider and which i should not .

 

[liltank]

Stick Leupold, Sightron, Vortex Viper, PST, & HS, Night Force.

Want to look for scopes with a 14x power range and higher. Depending on how small of a target you plan to shoot determines the amount of power you need to get there. I personally enjoy my Vortex Viper 6.5-20 power with a 44mm objective. Look for 44mm objective or higher. Welcome to LRH

 

[Slafav]

You will get more specific suggestions if you give us a price point and intended use. That being said, the above manufacturers are all good scope companies. If you have the budget, you can add Schmidt and Bender to the list as well. I personally own a Vortex Crossfire and it is a good scope for the money.

 

[bruce_ventura]

See my recent posts on assessing optical performance at the SHOT Show.
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f18/hawke-sidewinder-vs-vortex-viper-vs-falcon-menace-84839/

I can only comment on what I evaluated. I reserve the right to edit these lists after reviewing my notes from prior SHOT Shows. My list of medium mag scopes with good optical performance for their price points include:

Burris FF II and XTR, Bushnell 6500 and some Tactical models (3-12x44), Hawke Sidewinder and TAC, Leupold Mark 4, VX-3L and VX-6, Nightforce, Steiner, Zeiss Conquest and Vortex Razor.

At the high end, Swarovski, S&B, Zeiss and Kahles all have great optical performance.

I'm not favorably impressed with Meopta, Minox, Nikko Sterling, Nikon MXXX, P223 and Monarch, Pentax, Shepherd, Sightron SII and SIII, Vortex Viper PST & HS. The optical performance is average, at best, for their price points.

With the exception of Hawke, I haven't found any Chinese made scopes with acceptable optical performance and quality.

I don't see the need to buy a scope with average or marginal optical quality. There are plenty of good optical quality scopes out there. Pick one with the features you want and that you can afford.

When it comes to magnification, less is more. Veiling glare is a key discriminator in scope optical performance. Higher magnification scopes have higher glare, and also require larger objectives for the same brightness. The larger the objective, the more glare. Buy only as much magnification as you really need, and no more.

 

[Enzo]

budget is 800-1000 , I am new too turrets and they seem a little confusing to me . So i was thinking of a custom turret . I have seen some manufactures that offer this . I can provide accurate info. Thanks for the responses without the wise *** comments i have seen people recive on other forums. I am serious about the ability to shoot LR. TY

 

[liltank]

With that budget range, you can easily got to the Sightron SIII's, Luepy VX3, and I'm willing to bet you can find a Night Force used in that price range. Bushnell's Elite Series are good scopes. My cousin currently uses an Elite Tactical 4200. It was a first production model and if a very nice scope. Kind of wished I got one when he did, just wasn't in the budget. Might want to look at Weaver's new tactical line. They are getting some really good reviews for functionality and clarity.

 

[Sully2]

I currently have a A Bolt in 300wsm and Boss , on top is a 3x9 leupold vx2 .The gun is very accurate . But do not feel i have the ability to shoot accurately past 500 yrds . Looking for suggestions on long range scopes that i should consider and which i should not .

Zeiss Conquest 4.5 -14 power X 50. About $875

 

[bruce_ventura]

Zeiss Conquest 4.5 -14 power X 50. About $875

Good choice. Mag range is not too high. I evaluated that model last week at SHOT. Low glare and good correction of off-axis chromatic aberrations, especially considering the large objective. Clean sight picture.

 

[WildRose]

budget is 800-1000 , I am new too turrets and they seem a little confusing to me . So i was thinking of a custom turret . I have seen some manufactures that offer this . I can provide accurate info. Thanks for the responses without the wise *** comments i have seen people recive on other forums. I am serious about the ability to shoot LR. TY

With that budget Look at the classified section here, over at sniper's hide and sniper central for Mark IV Leupolds and Leupold VXII's.

They are tough as a brick great glass and the best warranty in the business and custom turretts are available for all.

You really don't need custom turrets though as long as you have target or tactical turrets.

You can learn to use one in about thirty minutes.

I really like the Zeiss Conquests in both the 44 and 50mm OBJ's as well but they have less adjustment which can be important at long range.

I have Zero MOA rails on all of my rifles and have zero problems getting to 1,000yds and beyond with the Leupold's and IOR's.

 

[Bman940]

Custom Turret's are quite handy Enzo. I want to suggest you take a look at Nikon's Monarch Series Scopes. The 4-16x50 would serve you very well and if you order the Custom Turret's you will have them in 10 working days.
Here's a pic of what you'll find on the order page.
http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd363/bman940/CustomTurretpage.png

 

[Enzo]

Your posts have all been very helpfull in eliminating some scopes . I have watched Best of the West on the outdoor channel and thats what got me motivated . I do belive nothing of what you hear, and half of what you see. That show i found too be nothing more than a infomercial selling there way over priced product. Was i right since no one recomended there product (huska somthing) ? I think i would like a custom turret , simplifies everything for me being a novice. If i can also save a few bucks that would be great too , herd alot of great reviews about the Vortex Viper with custom turret for under $700. Want too buy new too gun shy about used. Still a little confused about what too do for altitude since i hunt mainly at sea leval , but head out to CO. about every 3 years on pts and hunt at 7000ft , also temp and pressure . Thanks for all your help!!!!

 

[bruce_ventura]

...Still a little confused about what too do for altitude since i hunt mainly at sea leval , but head out to CO. about every 3 years on pts and hunt at 7000ft , also temp and pressure . Thanks for all your help!!!!

If you plan to hunt at just 0 ft and ~7,000 ft you can get two custom turrets, one for each altitude. Should be good out to ~400 yds or so, depending on the caliber. Beyond that, you need to correct for temp and pressure. Use a rangefinder that gives you an adjusted range for inclination, and you should be GTG.

 

[timmay]

Im glad to see you arent trying for those way overpriced scopes in the $2000 and up range.
You can find a scope that has very clear glass and built solid for WAY less than all these crazy high priced swarovski, S&B, Nightforce, uso etc etc.
At your price of under $1000 Id look at Sightron like another posted
You can also get some very good optics for way less, like $300-$500. Look at the Vortex diamondback series (something like $200-$300) and are just fine.
Dont let anybody tell you that you HAVE to have nightforce, S&B or some other way overpriced scope or you wont be able to hit anything. Most of those guys buy those just to say they have them and for the looks/bragging rights.
If you know your rifle you could set up next to a guy with a $4000 scope and hit the same 1000yd target with a $300 scope no problem

 

[Bman940]

Bruce is correct. One more reason I refer to Nikon's Spot On Ballistic Program. Click Atmospheric conditions and you can enter what ever you need to for correct calculations. Pretty cool Ballistic's Program.
To kind of echo Tim, Go someplace you can check out a number of scopes and since price really isn't an issue, find the one you think will work the best for you. It definitely might be worth checking into rangfinders as well.