Rifle scopes, price point of diminishing returns?

[Longtooth32]

Best scopes ever sold for the dollar for hunting were the Bushnell LRHS..I hate to say this as the value goes up by the day...I have bought them as cheap as $500 and as much as $1000 they are worth every penny..they track, glass is good, and love the G2 style reticle...about all I use now...until something better crosses my path.

I have to agree with you... I got a 4x18x44mm LRHSi with that Bushnell rebate...what a steal and it is really nice glass.

I really like the G2 style reticle...

 

[Longtooth32]

If you want an illuminated reticle...or a thinner non illuminated reticle...

Get one of these...

It sits on my 6.5 x 284...

https://www.bushnell.com/Products/Riflescopes/Elite-Tactical/DMRII-3-5-21x50/?sku=ET36215G

 

[TG-5150]

So what you're really advising is to take a "known" or proven scope. Take any brand, you can find a failure, but take any scope that's tracked repeatedly of any brand and you have a good scope.
I agree with using a known scope on a big hunt, or if you have time, put your scope it's paces.
I have my mark 4 on my 22lr at the moment, I've dialed it 62moa and it's tracked perfectly every time. I'm confident in it despite numerous reports of failed leupold tracking

 

[Capt RB]

The S&B Polar series 3-12, 4-16. Nothing brighter

 

[KY_Windage]

So what did you get? If I had thousands invested in the hunt, as you said, I would want a scope that is reknown for its tuffness and durability. That is NOT Leupold or any inexpensive scope. For me it would either be the biggest NF I could carry around (which would probably be the 2-10) or a Trijicon, probably a 2.5-12.5x42. There are other good ones (like your S&B) but they are pricey.

 

[Peddler 76]

Leica ERi 2.5-10 x 42 #4 reticle.

 

[sp6x6]

Thats funny Leupold has scopes that are $4500.Tell Jim Shockey there no good.I have a house and shop full of trophys taken with them,some B&C.More kills than any other scope I own.Some of them for the price point are very good,but there are others that are better I would say,but typical are more money as I favor zoom, and ffp,and like if they are lighter for my hunting set ups

 

[Aoudad shooter1975]

I like Leupold scopes...glass is clear, and everyone I "dialed" was true..I had a mark 6 I dialed the heck out of...no problems, I have a mark 5 I have been looking for a set up to put on...I've never been a nightforce fan--and yes I have seen 1 not track true...hey they repaired it...but it happened.

 

[KY_Windage]

Leupolds are great glass but they are keen on keeping their scopes lightweight, as a lot of hunters want that. However, it is a simple matter of physics -- you cannot build a VERY STOUT tube when you cut them as thin-walled as Leupold does to keep weight down. NF says **** the weight and builds their tubes much thicker, to provide maximum durability. You pay for that in weight, but sometimes the insurance is worth it, like on a multi-thousand dollar hunt. Sure the Leupold will probably hold up through many hunts, but it is not NEARLY as likely to hold up as a NF is.

NF has a video where they sight in a scope, take it off the rifle and pound the crap out of a wood bench with it, then put it back on. Amazingly, it shoots to the same spot. I'd like to see someone try that with a Leupold!

You periodically see threads in optics forums about Leupold's disappointing quality -- and they always have dozens of people complaining their Lupy wouldn't track right, didn't hold up, etc. You NEVER see a group of people complaining their NF had defects.

You wanna find out which scope is the most durable? Ask the guys shooting BMG's. They do not even bother to put anything other than NF on one of those, because they will quickly quit working.

Also, unless you are talking about Leupold's HD glass, there is no way a VX5 or 6 is as clear as an NXS. Even my Trijicons are sharper.

 

[sp6x6]

I packed a leupold for years hunting.Went upside down in a river,dented tube,broke rifle in half on a horse,one rides cliped to my off road jeep that has been air born.And in all that time had one that was my dads first fog up a bit ,fixed free 20 year old scope. I agree NF and others are tougher.But there where about 7 Leupolds in KO2M,and they are not shooting small stuff.Id love a 7-35x56 F1 ATCR,but with mounts it was going to be almost twice as much as the other scope I picked,and I dont think it is worth that,point of diminishing returns

 

[The Oregonian]

So what did you get? If I had thousands invested in the hunt, as you said, I would want a scope that is reknown for its tuffness and durability. That is NOT Leupold or any inexpensive scope. For me it would either be the biggest NF I could carry around (which would probably be the 2-10) or a Trijicon, probably a 2.5-12.5x42. There are other good ones (like your S&B) but they are pricey.

I took this same approach...grew up with Leupold 3-9x40 but once I started stretching it out and turning knobs I went with a NF ATACR. Leupold has great customer service but that does me no good in the field. I should be able to use my ATACR's forever.

 

[ophious]

You can have a scope that has the best glass in the world vs a scope that holds a zero and tracks well. At the end of the day, I'm going to choose the scope that holds a zero and tracks well. Ultimately I look at them as a safety feature. It should give you a really good understanding of where your projectile is going to land and more importantly, what is behind the intended target that could potentially be impacted.

 

[Rich Coyle]

You can have a scope that has the best glass in the world vs a scope that holds a zero and tracks well. At the end of the day, I'm going to choose the scope that holds a zero and tracks well. Ultimately I look at them as a safety feature. It should give you a really good understanding of where your projectile is going to land and more importantly, what is behind the intended target that could potentially be impacted.

Today we don't have to choose between tough and good glass.

 

[retegret]

So what did you get?

Ended up ordering a Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x44mm CDS-ZL2. Taking awhile to ship, so I don't have it yet to play with. In the mean time I've obtained another rifle. Thinking I'll bring my S&B on one of the new builds and the Leupold on the other. We'll see how it works out.

Is there some kind of testing group that tests and reviews scopes? It would seem there should be some way to quantify things like clarity, tracking (repeatability), durability, etc. It's frustrating to see a $xxx scope and a $x,xxx scope side by side that say they do the same thing, but no way for the consumer to know if 10x$ is really worth it.