What is the best scope on the market PERIOD?

I will say I was suprised he (zac smith) didn't try a Hensholdt a March or a IOR.I have never seen any of them but after Three nights and days on internet studying optics they look very high end.To the night force fans,GREAT scopes Built not more than 60 miles from where I live, Orofino Idaho.And I am a proud owner of a A R 50 with a 5.5-22x56 night force and LOVE IT,not for this project.But maybe if .264 shoots as planed I may put a 3.5 -15 nsx on it.:cool:
 
i have mark4s, nightforce,uso and S&Bs. i have used all of these and there is no doubt that S&B has the best glass. thats if money is no object. if you are looking for a great scope for the money buy a nightforce. if you want the best that ive ever seen its schmit and bender i actually bought 2 this week because they are that good.

good luck
 
I will pass on some words of wisdom from a mentor who is to say the least a accomplished bench rest shooter. We were looking at a rifle my gunsmith built me and he commented on the barrel fluting. I asked if he has any fluted barrels, he replied no. If you don't have weight issues why the extra cost? he said. "Does it make you shoot any better?"

He runs NF as I do. Just because you can afford it doesn't mean you need it. Words I live by.



Brent
 
I had a nightforce nxs 5.5-22x56 and I don't think it can be beat (for the $$$) The only thing I didn't care for was only 10moa/revolution......Rich
 
I will pass on some words of wisdom from a mentor who is to say the least a accomplished bench rest shooter. We were looking at a rifle my gunsmith built me and he commented on the barrel fluting. I asked if he has any fluted barrels, he replied no. If you don't have weight issues why the extra cost? he said. "Does it make you shoot any better?"

He runs NF as I do. Just because you can afford it doesn't mean you need it. Words I live by.



Brent

brent
im not trying to start a ****ing match here but if your asking will a better scope help you shoot better id say YES. a fluting job wont for the most part change the accuracy of a gun but a scope that allows you to see the target clearer and on worse conditions in my opinion is a better scope.

other words to live by- You get what you pay for.

fellas im not trying to bash nightforce as i have 5 of them. this post is about which scope is the best on the market. i personally run Nightforce on my f class and multiple hunting rifles. when we all buy things we ask our selves quality, service and price. no one here has gottan the best quality with the best sevice for the lowest price. we have to give one of them up. so IMO the nightfore is good quality, good service for a good price. that being said the s&B in my opinion is the highest quality, highest service for the worst price its a trade off.

as for all of you guys that are thinking S&B are so much compare them to nightforce. if you take a F1 3.5x15x50 mil/mil zero stop and first focal priced at 2290. then take a S&B 4-16x50pmII laoded with mil/mil , zerostop and first focal priced at 2450(bought a brand new one last week for 2450). thats not even 200 bucks so yes schmitt and bender scopes are worth the money. If you havent looked through one you might want to.
 
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Zak has an article on the hensoldt, posted after he wrote the review. He liked it too :D.
One question, since we're talking $4k scopes, why not the Zeiss diarange? A lot of the advantages of the first focal plane scopes disappear if you have the exact range at the press of a button.
 
tjonh2001 you won't start a ****ing match with me. My point is if you can't tell the difference is it really worth it? Can I tell the difference between a US optics, SB and NF. No I can't that is why I stick with NF. If I thought a better scope would increase my shooting trust me I would already have them. Everybodies eyes react differently to the magnification, lens correction and coatings.

Here is how I look at it. I can spend $500 for something that will serve me well or spend $1500 for something that I will more than likely use only 50% of its ability. I my mind the extra $1000 is wasted. The key is to get something you won't have to get rid of in the future.

As far as the fluting goes I was trying to make a statement on how my mentor thinks. You look at his rifles he sets the world records with they are pretty basic setups. No extras just what he needs.


Brent
 
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I agree with the scope comments---I have them all and have compared in like controlled conditions side by side so that is my evaluation above. Fluting will slightly increase the cooling ability of the barrel and will not if done correctly have any negative bearing on accuracy if done correctly. My mentor and smith btw is a HOF shooter and one of the best builders that exist and he flutes all of his tubes including the one when he shot himself into the HOF. So there always two sides to every story as they say.

Tubes that have won matches for me, won state championships, set range records all were fluted FWIW.
 
Boss Hoss you are correct there is always two sides. Couldn't tell you if he is in the hall of fame most of the time he won't say anything about his accomplishments. That is why when he walks into a room everybody want s to talk to him. All I know is everybody(longrange guru's) said the 6mm can't win at 1000yds. and you have to build the rifle at optimum weight. I guess their is always more than one way to skin a cat.

tjonh2001, I sure hope you don't get what you pay for. Or else I better pickup the pace!!!!

Brent
 
I've had half a dozen Night Force scopes, probably that many USO's, three S&B PM II 5-25x56 and 3 Zeiss V/VM scopes over the last 15 years. Due to financial constraints and the hunting opportunities (Boss Hoss won't invite me anywhere), I'm down to one scope; a Hensoldt 6-24x72. I have to say that the Zeiss glass is the best (I had the V/VM version of the 6-24x72)...but not by much when you put it up against S&B. I think the scope I have now is the best scope I've used. I haven't checked the tracking, I haven't checked to see if 10 clicks really is 1 mil, I haven't checked the return to zero...but based on my limited experience with Zeiss and especially Hensoldt, I don't expect to be disappointed.
 
You know guy's I appreciate all your comments,thats why I ask was to get what thoughts you had.Im not wealthy I just have a bad habit of buying a say $99 scope and working my way to the best so I end up spending three or four times as much as I should have.I just found a steal of a deal on a mark 4,I bought it but I still plan in the next week or two to buy a high end scope,and with all your help and advice I belive it was narrowed down to S&B-Hensholdt-or uso possibly a premier.I think this has been a great thread so far.
THANKS!! Wayne.

P.S Nightforce scopes are very good.
 
I am looking to buy a new scope for my new custom .264 win mag.I want the best money can buy period! I was thinking S&B or a premier? I would like somewhere in the neighborhood of a 5.5 or 6-25 for power. money is no object to a point $4000 or less,but if there is a scope out there just as good without the fancy name for less$ well ok but quailty is my main concern..........100yds to 1200 yds and back to EXACT ZERO everytime!!! any suguestions from you big dogs out there would be great.:cool:

OK... back to the original post... which doesn't quite match the thread title.

Everyone comes at this question with their own unique priorities and wants.

This is Long Range Hunting and I assume this scope is for hunting unless otherwise stated. When I think of hunting, it includes a lot of rugged terrain and differing, sometimes extreme weather and enviromental conditions. Maybe that's not everyone's idea of hunting, but it is mine. I have fallen hard, twice now, on my scope in as many years in the field. Most recently, walking down a FS road with boiler plate ice covered over by about 1/2' of fresh snow. My feet went out and up from under me and I landed square on my rifle and scope (slung across my back) which landed on the hard as concrete, ice cover road.

If we were asking what the best LR paper target scope is, I would only be reading this thread and not posting in it. I would put a lot higher emphasis on glass quality and resolution than for a hunting scope. Interestingly enough, NF claims its scopes are used on more winning competive shooting rifles than any other scope, and I dont see that being disputed. For a hunting scope, you need enough resolution to shoot game at whatever distance you want to shoot it at and the longest recorded sniper kill was with a NF 5.5-22x50 at 2430 m, which is maybe about 2700 yds? That's far enough for me and I feel that I can easily use that scope set on 5.5x to hold on a deer size animal out to 1500 yds if I needed to.

I've read one member's assessment of Loopy glass being equal to NF glass and I'll have to take him at his word based on his experience. But sitting here in from of my monitor I have read many other reports that NF glass is superior to Loopy glass. I have only once or twice looked through a Loopy in the store, and not next to a NF. I have also read a whole lot more cases of Loopys being sent in for repairs than NF. Good CS is great, but I would rather not deal with CS at all. What I can say about NF glass is that it is excellent. I can count 30 cal bullet holes on a paper target at 427 yds on with my 5.5-22x50 NXS set on 22x. How far can one see 30 cal bullet holes with a Loopy, or a Zeiss or a high end Zeiss or a USO or a S&B, etc.? I can also see well past "legal shooting hours" with my NF and fairly good on 5.5x in good moonlight. If my hunting included hunting lions in moonlight, well then I would probably pick the S&B. If we're talking dark night conditions, it's time to break out the NV scopes.

I consider NF to be the starting rung in the high end scopes and for hunting purposes, the possible superiority of the glass of the other high end scopes is not needed - but if that's what turns you on, then go ahead and lay down the $$$.

Of higher prority to me than the very best glass is function and ruggedness. Back to zero everytime, even after you fall off your horse.

What scope tracks better than a NF? And what scope will track better than a NF 10 or 20 years after purchase and hunting?

What scope is as, or more rugged than a NF?

What scope can stand up to as much, or more recoil forces than a NF?

What scope can endure as much, or more enviromental extremes than a NF?

Yup, I'm a NF fan :)

In the end... to each his own.
 
I'm a NF fan also, have two. One would not track well enough for competition (12-42x); returned it to them and had it back in about 10 days, no charge, not even for the return postage. But the NF scopes are very heavy.

I also have a March 10-60. Custom made in Japan, great scope. They are now producing hunting scopes. They are extremely clear and hold POI very well. Knock on them is very expensive and warranty limited to 5 years to original buyer. Could almost buy two NF's for price of one March.
 
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