Scope choice help for new rifle

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ghott

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Hey guys - long time lurker, first time poster looking for some scope help. I'm a noob and I've been reading for several days. There are just so many choices :(

Recently purchased a Winchester Model 70 in 300 win mag and looking for some nice glass for it in the < $1000 range (not retail, but actual purchase price).

Use: hunting anything from white tail deer to elk and big horn. Ranges from 125yds to 500yds.
I know the caliber will go further, but I'm not confident in my ability beyond that distance quite yet.

Most important features in a scope for me are:
- Quality glass, good warranty, proven brand/product
- Reliable and repeatable external turret adjustment and tracking w/zero stop
- Durable - i.e. shock proof, water proof, and fog proof
- FFP reticle
- 50mm+ objective
- 30mm+ tube
- Min magnification in the 3 - 5 range
- Max magnification of 14 (don't really need anything more than this IMO?)
- Less than $1k out the door

Doesn't really matter if its MRAD or MOA - as long as the turret and reticle are in the same unit of measurement
Don't need illuminated reticle or anything like that

The scopes I'm currently considering after my initial research:
- Athlon Optics Ares BTR Gen II 2.5-15x50mm
- Meopta MeoPro Optika 3-18x50mm
- Meopta MeoPro Optika6 3-18x56mm (do I need a 56mm tho?)
- Nikon BLACK FX1000 4-16x50
- Vortex Viper HS LR 6-24x50 (min magnification is kinda high)
- Leupold VX-3i LRP 6.5-20x50mm (min magnification high here too)
- Leupold VX-3i LRP 4.5-14x50mm

Not gonna lie, the cheaper ones in my list above appeal to my wallet, but I don't want to cheap out on glass and regret it.

Any opinions on the above lineup? Any others I should consider?
Thanks for any and all help!
 
Last edited:
Stuck on FFP? Most all my suggestions for western hunting scopes meeting your demands are sfp. Don't want to waist your time suggesting something you don't want.
 
Burris Veracity 3x15x50
Nightforce SHV 3X10X42
Leupold 3x15x50 with Boone & Crockett reticle

All 3 of the above are better than the Vortex HSLR. I have the 6x24x50 Vortex and it is a good scope, but I would prefer any of the 3 above over it for hunting. 6x is to much for short range target acquisition.

My 2 personal favorites that I own are the Burris veracity and a Leupold VX6 2-12 boone and Crockett reticle.
 
SWFA although the obj is 44mm and then the NF SHV. That's all I can think of.
 
Most important features in a scope for me are:
- Quality glass, good warranty, proven brand/product
- Reliable and repeatable external turret adjustment and tracking w/zero stop
- Durable - i.e. shock proof, water proof, and fog proof
- FFP reticle
- 50mm+ objective
- 30mm+ tube
- Min magnification in the 3 - 5 range
- Max magnification of 14 (don't really need anything more than this IMO?)
- Less than $1k out the door
Click to expand...

- Any scope in the range of $600 to around $1500 will have similar glass and all of them will be very nice.
- Only the top end scopes will have absolutely reliable turrets and tracking. Most will be very reasonable and good enough for most shooters but they wont be as good as the high end scopes.
- Just about any scope $600 or higher will be shock proof, water proof, and fog proof. Some will be more reliable than others, I think that Sig Sauer and Vortex would be the class of scopes that I would recommend at a minimum. Personally, as much as I like Leupolds I wouldn't recommend them for durability compared to the higher end scopes. US Optics, Nighforce, even Vortex are better scopes in regards to being able to handle rough use.
- FFP is my preference but that's a personal choice. I think FFP is easier to work with.
- In my opinion you don't need a 50mm objective and it's just going to increase the weight of the scope for no good reason. 50mm objectives are nice to have for a target scope but for a hunting rifle I don't like going larger than 44mm, especially since newer glass and lens design really has improved light gathering ability. Objective size isn't really the determining factor in regards to light gathering, the number of lenses and their finish are the real factors that control light transmission.
- I'd rather have a 34mm tube so that I can have more elevation but a 30mm is fine too.
- I prefer magnification in the 3 - 12 or 4 - 16 range. 4 is a little high for those that expect to shoot at 100 yards or less but if you expect most of your shots to be over 100 yards then 4 is fine for the minimum.
- I like 14 as a max magnification but you can always turn a 16 power down a bit. 16 is nice for those 4 to 5 hundred yard shots though.
- Sig Sauer is making good scopes for under $1000 but stick with their highest end models. I like the Vortex Viper HS scope a lot, I have one on a Kimber .308 and it works like a charm.
 
Thanks guys, really appreciate the input! I'll be doing more reading and research on the scopes mentioned as well as calling Doug on Monday. Thanks again!
 
I would look at the leupold vx5hd and the new vortex razor lht. minus the ffp these two scopes fit your everything really well for you.
 
Leupold VX5 3x15x44 with CDS. Excellant hunting scope in your price range without excessive weight. Has 30mm tube & side focus. I own 3 of them & they are my favorite big game scope.
 
ghott said:
Hey guys - long time lurker, first time poster looking for some scope help. I'm a noob and I've been reading for several days. There are just so many choices :(

Recently purchased a Winchester Model 70 in 300 win mag and looking for some nice glass for it in the < $1000 range (not retail, but actual purchase price).

Use: hunting anything from white tail deer to elk and big horn. Ranges from 125yds to 500yds.
I know the caliber will go further, but I'm not confident in my ability beyond that distance quite yet.

Most important features in a scope for me are:
- Quality glass, good warranty, proven brand/product
- Reliable and repeatable external turret adjustment and tracking w/zero stop
- Durable - i.e. shock proof, water proof, and fog proof
- FFP reticle
- 50mm+ objective
- 30mm+ tube
- Min magnification in the 3 - 5 range
- Max magnification of 14 (don't really need anything more than this IMO?)
- Less than $1k out the door

Doesn't really matter if its MRAD or MOA - as long as the turret and reticle are in the same unit of measurement
Don't need illuminated reticle or anything like that

The scopes I'm currently considering after my initial research:
- Athlon Optics Ares BTR Gen II 2.5-15x50mm
- Meopta MeoPro Optika 3-18x50mm
- Meopta MeoPro Optika6 3-18x56mm (do I need a 56mm tho?)
- Nikon BLACK FX1000 4-16x50
- Vortex Viper HS LR 6-24x50 (min magnification is kinda high)
- Leupold VX-3i LRP 6.5-20x50mm (min magnification high here too)
- Leupold VX-3i LRP 4.5-14x50mm

Not gonna lie, the cheaper ones in my list above appeal to my wallet, but I don't want to cheap out on glass and regret it.

Any opinions on the above lineup? Any others I should consider?
Thanks for any and all help!
Click to expand...
Leopold 3x15x5o red dot cds at 1000.oo or vortex 4x16x44 hslr
 
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