Best Value for Scope <$300?

[TMKSHOOTER]

I wish I had ditched my Leuplod's and gone Burris a long time ago. Besides a couple of M8 fixed 4's I only use the FFII 3-9 or an assortment of SWFA. The SWFA are just big and can make a rifle unbalanced and/or top heavy. Not every rifle needs a dialing scope.


I am really trying to fight the urge to get a Trijicon Accupoint. Is it worth 4X the Burris on a killing rifle for under 300 yds?

You won’t be disappointed with the accu-point, I’ve got the 3-9x40 with green dot and it’s been great so far. My next one is going to be a 56mm model for low light shooting. Primary arms has the 3-9x40 accupoint with green post reticle on for $499 get $20 off if you sign up for their mailing list. I’ve seen used ones sell north of that on eBay.

To answer the op for around 300 bucks the Swfa Ultralight is what I would choose.

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

it's the swfa fixed 6x. and nothing else comes close IMO unitl you almost double the budget.

The 6X that stays in a perpetual state of backorder?

 

[ResearchinStuff]

The 6X that stays in a perpetual state of backorder?

The mil were in stock for a couple months this fall, and the moa were in stock less than a week ago. The 3-9 is dramatically harder to find.

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

Hey guys. A friend has a 7mm bolt rifle which he needs a new scope for. He's on a pretty limited budget, topping out at $300. Maybe could be talked into spending a bit more for a great deal. He wants a variable, probably in the 2-10 or maybe 3-12 range. I figure this could be a good time to buy with Black Friday and holiday deals coming up. I've seen the Meopta Optika 2-10x42 available for a little over $300--does anyone have any experience with that scope? Or know of something in the price range that is better than the Meopta Optika? Any input is appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

I have an Optika 5 that is a good scope for the money. You can't go wrong with it. According to Doug at Cameraland the Burris Droptine is a Burris FF with some upgrades.

 

[RonSwanson]

Surprised there’s so much love for the Burris, I suppose I don’t get much use out of mine before I sold mine along with the rifle it was mounted on.

I am a big fan of the Japanese manufactured Bushnell Elite scopes. I had a 3-9x40 for many years that saw more abuse than most other scopes I’ve owned and it never fogged or lost zero. That includes it being mounted on a 7 mag for several years and a 10/22 that had to double as a canoe paddle at one point in its life.

 

[huntsman22]

SH4 GEN2 4-16X50mm FFP MIL VPR

www.arkenopticsusa.com

 

[MidGAHunter]

The SWFA 3-15x42 is on sale for under $500. If he can up his budget a little, that's the route I'd go. I own 2 and am considering adding a third at that price.

 

[Loper]

I had a couple of the MIP Nikon Buckmasters over the years and they are good optics and features for the money. I just could never get used to the circles for the BDC. AND Nikon is now out of the rifle scope business.

I sold the Nikon BDC I had for both of these reasons.

 

[Sled]

Well I am in the market for a $300 scope for a youth rifle. I have a Leupold Freedom 3-9 on another rifle and the glass is pretty clear. O shot that rifle the other day and I was happy with it. I am also considering the optika 5 you mentioned although it’s over 18oz for a 1 inch scope. So those are the 2 I am considering in the same boat.

I'd look at the Burris fullfield 3-9x40. It's light, inexpensive and more reliable than the Leupolds I've had. My son took his bull elk and moose with one this year and the scope held zero after some serious falls.

 

[rideold]

I'm pretty happy with my Burris fullfield. I know lots of folks criticize them but it seems like a simple, effective, bright scope to me. Nothing fancy.

 

[Newtosavage]

I'm pretty happy with my Burris fullfield. I know lots of folks criticize them but it seems like a simple, effective, bright scope to me. Nothing fancy.

Had my two FF II's at the range yesterday and next to me were a couple guys with big Athlon scopes. I asked how they liked them and they said they loved them. One was on a legit .308 Palma target gun. That guy asked me if I wanted to look through it so I said sure. I had to manage my reaction in front of him to not let on that my FF II, even at 9x, kicked that Athlon's butt. I was like "nice scope" then went back to my FF II's, even more impressed.

I kinda feel like the next time I see a good deal on new FF II's, I am going to buy 3 or 4. With the price of scopes these days, I'm sure I'll be kicking myself in 5 years otherwise.

 

[Thinkingman]

Lots of love for the Burris FFII from me, too.
My only issue was the eyepiece turning when you zoomed.
That was fixed with the Burris E1.
Great scopes, very bright and durable.
Easy choice over Leupold and Vortex.

 

[KenLee]

Lots of love for the Burris FFII from me, too.
My only issue was the eyepiece turning when you zoomed.
That was fixed with the Burris E1.
Great scopes, very bright and durable.
Easy choice over Leupold and Vortex.

Some E1 have the tiny reticle though

 

[Amos1693]

Burris makes a very nice scope especially on a budget price range

 

[Boarmaster]

I would buy a used scope that has a transferable lifetime warranty for that price.

 

[journeyman713]

Whoa... slow down on the Burris.
I picked one up last month - not so good here. Needs return already.

It was only sighted in, maybe 8 shots. There's some sort of defect with seal.
When looking trough it, a quarter of it is completely distorted.
It looks like an air bubble leaking into a clear gel.

 

[greenomics]

I'd buy a used VX-2 or similar from the classified page.

 

[Fallenspirit123]

bhphotovideo has the z plus fixed parallax variant of the Optika5 2-10x42 for sale at $199. Fantastic deal. I just bought the adjustable parallax z-plex reticle myself and I really like it.

 

[Motown]

Had my two FF II's at the range yesterday and next to me were a couple guys with big Athlon scopes. I asked how they liked them and they said they loved them. One was on a legit .308 Palma target gun. That guy asked me if I wanted to look through it so I said sure. I had to manage my reaction in front of him to not let on that my FF II, even at 9x, kicked that Athlon's butt. I was like "nice scope" then went back to my FF II's, even more impressed.

I kinda feel like the next time I see a good deal on new FF II's, I am going to buy 3 or 4. With the price of scopes these days, I'm sure I'll be kicking myself in 5 years otherwise.

I already did the same thing you are looking to do. A few months back when I heard they were doing away with the FF2 I found a bunch of 3-9’s for $119 a piece and grabbed 6 of them. I’ll slowly use them over the next few years and am glad I got them while I could.

 

[JustSomeGuy35]

I have the Burris FFII 3-9x40 and recently acquired the E1 3-9x50 off Amazon for $130. Between the 2 scopes, I think I like the E1 better because the eye piece doesn't rotate when adjusting magnification. I like the FFII reticle more though because it's bolder. As long as you don't care about using the BDC and wind holds, the E1 reticle is fine.

I mounted the E1 on my pest control AR using the Leupold 1" ar mount. It's got perfect clearance and sturdy. Midway is selling them for $60 right now which is a good deal. Threw on some Butler Creek caps and now I'm ready!