Are there any reliable budget scopes?

[mattmann]

I LOVE my SWFA scope on my 6.5 Creed and its been bulletproof. I would call euro optics. They ALWAYS beat their advertised pricing for me. I think the more you buy, the better it gets lol.

 

[Cfriend]

I appreciate everyone's responses.

SWFA seems like a great brand but from what I can see, their SS model has a minimum of 10X fixed. Am I missing something? The ultralight looks decent, but has been out of stock, and I was a little concerned about eye relief.

Trijicon Huron on sale or used seems like a great choice. Although I've seen some negative comments about the relatively low eye relief. Is that a concern?

Would love to hear some more thoughts on the Burris Fullfield. Seem to be a generally respected company and they are well within my price range.

 

[RWT]

What’s wrong with a 3 or 5 x red dot prism scope? The good ones are $500. The primary arms appear to hold zero from the test I’ve seen on line. They have hold over reticle, just enough mag and operate with or without a battery

https://www.primaryarms.com/primary-arms-slx-3x32mm-gen-iii-prism-scope-with-acss-cqb-300blk-762x39mm-reticle

 

[sbaker0029]

The eye relief on my huron 2.5-10x40 is not a concern whatsoever. It's definitely better than the leupold vx3hd 4.5-12x40 I had.

 

[Wrangler13]

I’ve had good results with my Trijicon accupoints and credos. Look for a Huron.

 

[ThickPines]

Would love to hear some more thoughts on the Burris Fullfield. Seem to be a generally respected company and they are well within my price range.

Thread 'Burris FF 3-9x40mm Drop Eval Q&A'

Mar 3, 2024

See- https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/burris-ff-3-9x40mm-drop-eval.350011/

• Formidilosus
• Replies: 50
• Forum: Rifle Scope Field Evaluations

I hope I linked it correctly, but there is a drop test and discussion on it here.

 

[lawdogx]

SWFA seems like a great brand but from what I can see, their SS model has a minimum of 10X fixed. Am I missing something? The ultralight looks decent, but has been out of stock, and I was a little concerned about eye relief.

Not missing anything, the 6x are out of stock but due in soon. There’s a thread on that: https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/swfa-gen-2-fixed-6-when.401968/

Also, regarding reliability/durability, there’s a collection of scopes that have been extensively tested for zero retention. Before you buy a scope, it’s worth looking up to see how it performed: https://rokslide.com/forums/forums/rifle-scope-field-evaluations.133/

 

[peaches]

I have multiple swfa scopes but a 6x is near the bottom of my list for a 100 yd max black powder scope. No need to dial, and that reticle is not optimum for woods hunting no matter what people tell you.

Keep it simple. Buy a nice used fixed 4x scope from Weaver or older Leupold or get a Burris 3-9.

 

[nphunter]

most any scope will work at 100 yards on a MZ. Most that fail the drop tests are barely moving which will not make a difference between hit or miss at 100. Most really wouldn’t even matter at hunting ranges. Just because scope barely moves a couple tenths of a mil doesn’t mean it’s a bad scope, most people can’t shoot that well anyway.

I would look for a scope with an etched reticle since a light MZ kicks much more than most rifles a cheap wire reticle may break.

I use a globe and adjustable rear peep on my MZ and can shoot out to 300 accurately. IMO you are way better off in most situations with open sights at 100 yards and in. Way faster target acquisition and quicker shots, the next best thing would be a red dot with a little bit of magnification.

 

[Macintosh]

While I agree that a small error by itself isnt going to cause a miss, I dont think thats really the entire point. A .2 or .3mil error is more or less the equivalent of 1moa. I had three out of four scopes from “that popular brand that shall not be mentioned” fail, and all were wandering 2+ moa (so more like .6 or more mils). I also had an inexpensive scope from “that other popular brand” that also wandered a similar amount. So the actual error was fairly large, and you have to remember that whatever that error is, it’s IN ADDITION to all the other errors, ie how stable you are, etc. so all it does is take a mediocre shooter and make them worse.
In addition, in all cases the adjustments on the failed scopes werent consistent either, ie on an moa scope you’d move it 8 clicks and you were as-likely to get 1moa of impact-shift as you were 3moa, but very rarely would you actually get the correct poi movement. So zeroing was always a chore and took way longer and more ammo than it should have. This built-in inconsistency also made it harder to see other issues like mounting problems or my own skill. I chased my tail with this for years, when I would have been so much better off (and saved so much $ in ammo) in the long run with a scope that actually worked reliably. I cant say I ever missed an animal because of it, but I can say for sure that I have both missed and wounded animals where in hindsight I think it was a factor.

I do agree with those pushing irons. My eyesight has degraded enough that irons are hard for me now, and since I hunt in the east mostly, I like a little magnification at times to pick a hole that is twig-free, as there’s always brush that I cant see without some magnification and with the aid of the optics. But, if your eyes and your hunting conditions allow, irons are the most reliable option probably.

Heres another good option below, this’d be good on a ML and it’s also not so far outside the OP’s budget. https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/sightron-stac-1-6x24mm-sfp-field-eval.350590/

 

[rclouse79]

Swfa 6x for sure. I have one on my savage 220 and it is sweet.

 

[mtfallon]

I can't imagine wanting a fixed 6 power scope for whitetail hunting in new england or anywhere your avg shot is 15-75 yards 100 max. 1.5-3X on the low end will serve you much better.

 

[Ckat]

Getting hard to find, but the Weaver 4x Shotgun scope is a dreamy ML scope. Compact, excellent eye relief, and tough as nails!

 

[Macintosh]

I can't imagine wanting a fixed 6 power scope for whitetail hunting in new england or anywhere your avg shot is 15-75 yards 100 max. 1.5-3X on the low end will serve you much better.

For a stand or box blind hunter it probably is fine, but for a moving foot hunter I agree 100%.

 

[Arcticmanak]

Another vote for the Burris Fullfield II 3-9x40. I've had one on my 30-06 for years and it has performed perfectly, On a SE Alaska deer hunt with near constant rain for multiple consecutive days it never had an issue while a competitor's brand scope 5x higher cost gave out and fogged up. For a blue collar hunter that doesn't need all the bells, whistles and gadgetry, I don't think it can be beat.

The Sightron S1 is also a great option at that price point. I have one in 1.75-5x and it is a solid little unit with crisp, clear glass.

 

[cafemike]

Trij is a solid choice.
An all time discontinued favorite is from Vortex that is worth looking for used if the parameters work for you.
The Viper PST 2.5-10x32

• lightweight (18oz)
• FFP
• parallax adjustment
• illuminated
• Reliable

 

[Firehawk]

Burris Fullfield is a good little scope that won't break the bank. Tough and holds zero. FWIW that has been my experience anyway.

 

[JimIsland]

Used Accupoint 3-9x40. Clear glass and tough as nails

 

[nagibson1]

It likely wouldn’t pass a drop test but the Burris Fullfield II 4.5-14 I’ve had on several rifles that ride in vehicles and I bought used on here for $75 has been rock solid. Think I bought it in 2017 or so.

I bought one in 2-7 for 45-70 load development (run skinner rest of time) and a ULUL 223.

These have been some of the best zero holders for me. I think Form tested one and it did decent but not perfect.

 

[KenLee]

These have been some of the best zero holders for me. I think Form tested one and it did decent but not perfect.

I like that scope...except the eyepiece rotating with magnification changes. Gave me the heebie-jeebies