$500 rifle scope. Best bang for your buck?

[alexnelon]

WTF do you do with your hunting rifles?

I only have 1 hunting rifle. I mostly use it to kill animals.

 

[UnckleBob]

View attachment 961567I only have 1 hunting rifle. I mostly use it to kill animals.

That isn't a $500 scope. At $500, people have to make compromises.

 

[MuleyFever]

I would look for a used credo - 4-16x50 or 2.5-15x42

When you see one for $500 please let me know.

 

[Hnthrdr]

When you see one for $500 please let me know.

You can get Hurons, 2.5-10 or 3-9’s in that range

 

[Rock’N Tacos]

@MuleyFever I know…A few years ago europtic had them on clearance and the 4-16 was close to that I think.

 

[Laelkhunter]

Just wondering since I am truly unfamiliar with the SWFA (but they are highly regarded for their quality), IF you have a problem with one, does SWFA service and repair them scopes, or do they send them out to an outside repair station? I am interested in trying one and am curious about their warranty/service. They are highly recommended here and elsewhere and it's hard to find any negative reviews on them.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Just wondering since I am truly unfamiliar with the SWFA (but they are highly regarded for their quality), IF you have a problem with one, does SWFA service and repair them scopes, or do they send them out to an outside repair station? I am interested in trying one and am curious about their warranty/service. They are highly recommended here and elsewhere and it's hard to find any negative reviews on them.

I’m afraid I cannot answer that question. I’ve never had cause to have one serviced or repaired. I recommend calling them up and asking them.

 

[Laelkhunter]

I’m afraid I cannot answer that question. I’ve never had cause to have one serviced or repaired. I recommend calling them up and asking them.

Thanks, I guess it comes down to "The best warranty is the one you don't have to use". Sounds like SWFA might fit into that category.

 

[goalie]

Thanks, I guess it comes down to "The best warranty is the one you don't have to use". Sounds like SWFA might fit into that category.

While they're tough, I had one on my 50BMG with no issues, there are posts on here of people waiting in excess of a year for warranty replacement scopes.

Hopefully those days are over now that gen 2 is here.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

While they're tough, I had one on my 50BMG with no issues, there are posts on here of people waiting in excess of a year for warranty replacement scopes.

Hopefully those days are over now that gen 2 is here.

I would not count on it for the 6x. I bet that if one of those broke, you would wait months for a replacement.

I had one mounted on a rifle get knocked off the bench and land on concrete (about a 42” fall with a 10# setup). It scuffed up the turrets a bit, but still holds zero and tracks.

I have a 12x I took off another rifle. I keep it around for testing out new rifles and as an emergency backup, but I never expect I will have to use it.

 

[Kurts86]

Just wondering since I am truly unfamiliar with the SWFA (but they are highly regarded for their quality), IF you have a problem with one, does SWFA service and repair them scopes, or do they send them out to an outside repair station? I am interested in trying one and am curious about their warranty/service. They are highly recommended here and elsewhere and it's hard to find any negative reviews on them.

SWFA repairs can be a big problem depending on what they have in stock as replacement. They are a distributor sourcing scopes elsewhere with modest repair capability.

Remember they went 2+ years without a 3-9 in stock and you just get store credit for something that’s available or sit on store credit. That is honestly a big concern for SWFA if you are a 1 rifle guy truly on a budget.

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

Ah yes, the brutal destructive power of a .223 gas gun on a covered flat range with padded barricades...

That's how people use guns ,and if it holds up to the way they use it then how it stands up to intentional abuse doesn't really matter.

 

[TimberHunter]

That's how people use guns ,and if it holds up to the way they use it then how it stands up to intentional abuse doesn't really matter.

Couldn’t disagree more. What happens when the rifle setup is accidentally knocked over by someone walking by and falls to the ground? Or aggressively smacked against a barrier during 3 gun match? Or falls from leaning up against a truck?

A scopes first job is to maintain zero, dial correctly and RTZ. I can’t understand why people will defend scopes that work for them most of the time but are questionable when anything like a drop/fall happens. It is people making compromises when that compromise isn’t necessary

The main point is if the scope you want to use hasn’t been proven in a drop/fall environment, that’s on you. But don’t steer newbies wrong and suggest they buy the same scope just because you (not Fartrell I’m talking to others) want to validate your scope choice


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JGRaider]

Couldn’t disagree more. What happens when the rifle setup is accidentally knocked over by someone walking by and falls to the ground? Or aggressively smacked against a barrier during 3 gun match? Or falls from leaning up against a truck?

A scopes first job is to maintain zero, dial correctly and RTZ. I can’t understand why people will defend scopes that work for them most of the time but are questionable when anything like a drop/fall happens. It is people making compromises when that compromise isn’t necessary

The main point is if the scope you want to use hasn’t been proven in a drop/fall environment, that’s on you. But don’t steer newbies wrong and suggest they buy the same scope just because you (not Fartrell I’m talking to others) want to validate your scope choice


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If your rifle is "knocked over", falls, etc and you don't re-check zero before firing at a game animal then you're (not you specifically) an inexperience clown, no matter what brand of scope you're using.

 

[goalie]

I'm not going to ignore years of trouble free use in a scope with an amazing feature set because of someone's purposefully dropping it multiple times causing a loss of zero.




The scuba squad patch was for running in ridiculous pouring rain, with a fall on a muddy hill. Stayed zero'd.

 

[Shootinsurveyor]

Burris XTR2 is the best for a dialing scope right now for around 500. I always look for lightly used higher tier scope than one that is priced new at 500.

 

[rdramsey8]

Burris XTR2 is the best for a dialing scope right now for around 500. I always look for lightly used higher tier scope than one that is priced new at 500.

I just picked one of these up. I figured I’d rather run a scope with old tech significantly discounted rather than sift through new current tech $500 scopes

 

[TimberHunter]

I'm not going to ignore years of trouble free use in a scope with an amazing feature set because of someone's purposefully dropping it multiple times causing a loss of zero.

View attachment 961937
View attachment 961938
View attachment 961939
The scuba squad patch was for running in ridiculous pouring rain, with a fall on a muddy hill. Stayed zero'd.

They’re missing the clown face paint


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rdramsey8]

I'm not going to ignore years of trouble free use in a scope with an amazing feature set because of someone's purposefully dropping it multiple times causing a loss of zero.

View attachment 961937
View attachment 961938
View attachment 961939
The scuba squad patch was for running in ridiculous pouring rain, with a fall on a muddy hill. Stayed zero'd.

I think the point some guys are making here is that you never know when you might drop or knock over your rifle. When options are available, why not buy a product that has proven to be durable and reliable. I was at the range the other day and talked to a guy who was checking zero after missing a bull on a pack trip. He said his horse bumped his rifle into a tree while in his scabbard.

 

[hibernation]

If your rifle is "knocked over", falls, etc and you don't re-check zero before firing at a game animal then you're (not you specifically) an inexperience clown, no matter what brand of scope you're using.

Maybe for a huge fall, but what about the little impacts that just happen in bad terrain on a lot of western hunts? You slip on a steep slope, you and your rifle fall with enough force to go "ow" and rub your shoulder. Are you really stopping a hunt, hiking out, and checking zero after that? If that happens while you're closing distance on an animal, are you really just walking away?

If my rifle falls off the back of a truck onto a gravel road, yeah, for sure I'm checking it. But I don't think it's crazy to value zero retention that you can count on for the regular bumps that can happen in mountain hunts.