Reliable tactical hunting scope under $1500, impossible or not?

[DartonJager]

It surprises me that with so many choices in scopes and at reasonable prices, you guys tend to pick all the old makes. There are some new kids on the block that really play big in the tactical market. For hunting there are the normal stalwarts plus a number of cheeky upstarts that produce very handy scopes. Broaden your horizons and you might be surprised at how well they perform.

There are a few reasons I tend to shy away from any new products or equipment especially from a new company and the more complex the piece of equipment is being offered from by optical standards, a very new company the less willing am I to be if you will, that companies "Bata Tester" as it has become known as. And if I have never ever heard of you before I consider you a "New kid On The Block" Now add in there is IMHO, no other piece of hunting equipment I will ever buy that is more important to my success as a hunter than my rifle scope and I hope you will see why my instincts compel me to buy only from well established optics manufacturers. If this scope was going to be used strictly for shooting other than hunting then I would be far more willing to give the "new kids on the optics block" a try. I also have been doing my absolute best to avoid at all costs buying products made in Communist China for years now ( I admit I do buy from CC but only if I have little other choice) and nearly all companies affordable tactical scopes costing under $600-$700 are made or assembled in China.

Please keep in mind I am hunting and target shooting with these optics and when it comes down to it they are NOT tools I will EVER use to help me earn a living but purely items I use for my hobbies. Granted my love of hunting and shooting is only less important to me than my family and my country, but at the end of the day they are purely and essentially items for my hobbies not my means to earn a living.

I also have a very specific list of must have requirements in a scope that I am going to be spending 2-2.5X more for than any pervious scope I have ever purchased and for any scope that meets the minimum of, to the majority of if not all those requirements, for it to cost only $400-$600 and not be on a close out AND an considerably older model featured in a discontinued by the manufacturer sale (like the Bushnell DMRII-i for nearly 50% off I just ordered) and will most certainly NOT be the "latest greatest with all the latest tactical scope and optical innovations it almost HAS to be made or assembled in China.

I realize and accept my scope dilemma is entirely self inflicted but I have set my standards and will not comprise on not buying from CC. I also know that nearly EVERY scope manufacturer today that sells lower end affordable optics all sell scopes made in Communist China, even Bushnell I know sells more made in China Scopes than scopes made in Japan like the DMRII-i I just ordered and the ANIB LRTS-i (another older discontinued scope model I am getting at a phenomenal price from a private seller) I am in the process of acquiring.

Neither one of these scopes I am buying could I have bought for anywhere near theses good of prices prior to them being discontinued by Bushnell. And neither one for that matter could I have afforded to buy let alone both if they were still selling at their pre-discontinued by the manufacturer close out prices. For people like me who wish to buy as good of scopes as they can afford buying older less than state of the art scopes now discontinued and being sold at 40-50% off their original price is a great way to get a lot of scope for a lot less money.
After researching tactical scopes in the sub $1.5k range about the only feature the DMRII-i and LRST-i do not have is HD or ED glass (something that was not on my 'must have list") and the fact that they both have 99% of every requirement on my must have list including NOT made in China I felt they were such an incredible bargain I have yet to find a match to let alone be bested.

What more can I ask for in a previously $1250-$1350 dollar tactical scope discounted to $725 than:
Excellent warranty from a very well established Giant in the optics and scope industry
Proven to be extremely durable and extremely reliable tactical scope
Both Turrets resettable to zero
34mm and 30mm main tubes
Rock solid and dirt simple to set and essentially tooless zero stop
Locking windage turrets
Side Parallax adjustment
Illuminated Mil reticles very well suited for hunting (at least I have been assured they are by those far more knowledgeable then myself)
Bushnell propriety EXO external lens coating that repels water, dirt, oil, dust and protects against scratches.
NOT made or assembled in communist China

I honestly feel for the type of reticle I want that is as close to a traditional cross hair type that is also illuminated, allows for quick range estimations , hold overs and hold off, (the G3-i reticle seams pretty close to perfect for me and my intended uses but that will have to be reserved for when I try it out) has an excellent reputation for durability and reliable dialing and return to zero, it's NOT made or assembled in CC, along with all the other features it has that I really wanted I just don't see how you can beat it for $725.
For MY purposes and for what I want to do with it I just don't see how any scope would have served me better that I could have afforded. Yes to be 100% honest there were other scopes I felt would served me better but they all were AT LEAST 2x-2.5x more expensive and most definitely out of my realm of affordability. The ones costing less either had RFP reticles or non illuminated FFP reticles I didn't want/like or were made/assembled in CC.

And yes I have no doubt within 24 hours after mounting one or both on my rifles I will stumble across a better not made in CC scope at a better deal. But at some point I had to stop looking and make a purchase as I have already been looking for way to long and had already changed my mind several times and realized a scope with the features I wanted and still be within my financial reach didn't exist so I had accept a few compromises and choose a scope that got as close to what I wanted that I could afford.
Time will tell if I have have accomplished that, or not.

 

[Tripodmvr7]

 

[Canhunter35]

I have a sightron stac I've accurately and repeatedly used 67moa of travel dialing the scope, I've taken it to matches, I've hunted with it, and it's one the cheapest 'tactical' scopes available. Saying that, if you're really worried about accurate dialing, there's a lot of Xmas tree reticles available, no dialing needed, just use the reticle which is plenty accurate for 600yd shots

 

[jsthntn247]

Steiner P4xi
Athlon Cronus
Tract Toric

 

[wasskeet]

I have a sightron stac I've accurately and repeatedly used 67moa of travel dialing the scope, I've taken it to matches, I've hunted with it, and it's one the cheapest 'tactical' scopes available. Saying that, if you're really worried about accurate dialing, there's a lot of Xmas tree reticles available, no dialing needed, just use the reticle which is plenty accurate for 600yd shots

I bought one of these for my first "tactical" style scope. I have not really give it a wringing out at long range yet, but for clarity, built quality, turret accuracy at 100 yds. and price - it is a pretty good piece for less than $500. Will it hold up as well as my old Burris or Leupold? We shall see.

 

[Hand Skills]

Bushnell did a few runs of the LRHS in MOA. I believe it went away by the time LRTS was released.



'ED' glass doesn't mean a lot. I have not found the LRHS/LRTS lacking by any means. That being said, there is an LRHS2 around the corner, boasting ED Prime glass - it will be interesting to see how much of an improvement is there.

 

[Tripodmvr7]

 

[Orange Dust]

Thanks Butterbean, I have heard so many good things about the FFP Illuminated G3 reticle for use hunting I am going to brake a decades old financial rule of mine and spend well beyond my budget (which I do so rarely it is HUGE for me to do) and acquire a LRTS-i for strictly hunting use and also am going to give FFP scopes a try after dismissing them when I first looked at them 5 years ago then two years ago, but those were all non-illuminated reticles and reticles designed for PRS or LE or LRS and not at all for hunting. These scopes have except for one thing absolutely everything else I want in a LR hunting scope.
It doesn't hurt I am getting both scopes with mounting systems combined for less $$$ than one VX6, V6, NF and way less than two V4's would've cost me and I am reasonably confident if I do not like them I can re-sell them and re-coup 90% or more of my money.

Butterbean is leading you in the right direction. I know Vortex has a strong following here. I have some. The Bushnell DMR's and LRTS are a great scope for hunting, IMO vastly superior to Vortex and I am including the Razor. The reason I feel this way is because of their coatings and something no one has talked about Eyebox. All the Vortexes I have had or played with have extremely tight eyeboxes. This is a deal killer for me on a hunting scope and why mine now sit on target rifles. Vortex's low light performance ain't exactly stellar either. And never look toward a setting sun with one. My main hunting rifle has a k525i. It is 3x better than the Vortex. It is not 3x better than the Bushnell. It costs north of $3200

 

[Rockfish Dave]

Just thought I'd add my .02:

Recently bought a 'Primary Arms PLx 1-8x24mm FFP Rifle Scope - Illuminated ACSS Griffin MIL' for my main hunting rifle. I have to say I am extremely pleased. For my area, I'm looking at 1-400 yard shots on feral hogs and white tail deer. It far exceeds my older SWFA 1-6x30mm FFP' in the same role.

The BROWNELLS - MATCH PRECISION OPTIC® (MPO) 3-18X50MM RIFLE SCOPE is another worthy option in this price range. Have spent some time behind a friends and it is another one that punches above it's price point. With just shy of 40 MILS of vertical adjustment, clear optics and a very user friendly reticule it's hard not to endorse it.

A nod also goes to the previously mentioned SWFA 5-20x50MM HD scope. Have had 2 of these and they both out performed their price point. Clarity varies from batch to batch in my experience. The first scope was phenomenal. While shooting on a paper target, I kept seeing something drift by my FOV after each shot. I zoomed out slightly and realized it was tufts of paper from the bullet impact... stunning clarity. The second was good, as good or slightly better than my Gen1 Razor, but not near the image of the first one. For heavy timber hunting the FOV was just too tight for my area and needs. Primarily hunting, and some target shooting.

I have recently ordered the Arkin SH4 4-16X50 GEN2 FFP MIL VPR Illuminated Reticle with Zero Stop - 34mm Tube for use on my 22lr training gun. With parallax adjustment down to 25 yards it should do well, but will not know for sure until I have some time behind it.

 

[Orange Dust]

To the OP: Never get behind a K525i, especially in poor conditions. Same for SB and TT. Do not do it, ever. They create a sickness that cannot be cured, only treated with insane amounts of cash. They are a drug stronger than Meth. Stay away. The first time you see bullet holes in a target 600yds away with the sun setting just above it, or counting the points on a buck in a beanfield well after legal shooting light it will blow you away and leave you with an addiction for which there is no cure. Trust me here this is the type of addiction divorces are made of.

 

[manitou]

They are as good and better than you hear about but for a hunting application, I would recommend the illuminated version. Not because it's illuminated, but because the reticles are a little heavier on the illuminated models, making them more visible in low light, even when you don't turn it on.

John

I could not locate any illuminated LRTS scopes left on the market, so I gambled and purchased that very FDE from Cameraland. I think it will be fine for my hunting needs. If I need a bit bigger reticle, I just crank up the power a little. Most of my Western shots are at 9x or above anyway. I have not tried it inside the timber close to dark yet, but have scoped from my porch against timber at dusk 340 yards away and can see the reticle.

 

[ChrisAU]

Anyone here beat on a Meopta Optika6 yet? SportOptics got some 3-18x50 MIL/MIL FFP models in this past week and I grabbed one. $680 shipped, and so far I'm really impressed with the glass, features, and quality feel. Won't be able to test it until I'm done with the rifle it's going on, but first impressions are really good and I haven't been able to find any bad about them.

 

[BEEMAN]

Anyone here beat on a Meopta Optika6 yet? SportOptics got some 3-18x50 MIL/MIL FFP models in this past week and I grabbed one. $680 shipped, and so far I'm really impressed with the glass, features, and quality feel. Won't be able to test it until I'm done with the rifle it's going on, but first impressions are really good and I haven't been able to find any bad about them.

Didn't beat on mine. But it failed before I got a load developed on my 25-284. Sent it back for a full refund. To bad as the glass seemed pretty good. Scope itself is a bit bulky and my Center aim dot was way to big. Haven't heard back as to what the problem was.

 

[ChrisAU]

Didn't beat on mine. But it failed before I got a load developed on my 25-284. Sent it back for a full refund. To bad as the glass seemed pretty good. Scope itself is a bit bulky and my Center aim dot was way to big. Haven't heard back as to what the problem was.

Which model was yours?