Budget rifle scope for beginner

[skywalkr]

Try shooting something other than at incremental even ranges. Drive grade stakes in the ground at random distances and staple paper plates on them. Resist the urge for a “bullseye” too. The center of the center is the center.

Range, hold, shoot. Dial if you like. One shot per plate.

It’ll humble ya a little......

This is an awesome idea, I’m definitely going to do this for my practice. What a great way to see how you’d do in a more typical hunting situation (without the adrenaline spike of course)

 

[JFK]

Get a Leupold 3x9. It may be that they aren’t the best for dialing.....I wouldn’t know since I don’t dial. Sighted my scope (VXII) in a couple years ago with my hunting load and haven’t touched the scope since. Shoots 1.5” high at 100yds every time. I do check my zero every time before hunting and it’s always on.

I don’t ever shoot at game on 9X but what’s nice is having the low 3X power. You can get on target very fast at 3X then bring your scope up to the magnification you want, which is normally 6X for shots in the 100-250yd range.

 

[Rich M]

Fvck all that leupold, Weaver, vortex junk..

Shit works till it don’t, then ur walking back to the rig empty handed wondering why you didn’t go with simple, reliable, super chicken 6x for 300$

Life gives ya ez buttons. Press it.

I hate to be overly dogmatic, just witnessed and experienced the joys of turrets that don’t track, and wandering zeroes... and a lot of times it ends up not how it’s a supposed to. Dissapointing

And to be fair fixed 6 power scopes have a lot wider field of view then comparable variable power scopes at same mag range. Couple that with a generous eye box, and the swfa 6x is a damn good scope at any price range let alone 300$ (260$ used)

I've got 40 season under my belt - never had Leupold or Vortex not function as it was supposed to at the range or in the field. Had a $1400 Leica malfunction, never a Leupold or Vortex.

Once you leave the brand names with irrefutable warranties, things often happen.

The EZ Button is a variable Leupold or Vortex. Can go to about any store with outdoor stuff in them and look, feel, touch, look thru, etc. If he's gonna be dialing, I'd go with a dialing scope tho.

I do often have my scope on 6x for 100-200 yard shots on game. Would prefer 3 or 4x for 0-150 yards. Crank it up there for over 300.

Don't take this as an attack on the quoted post - just diff in opinion and experience. Been shooting variable scopes since 1978 and still have that scope, still works, holds zero etc.

 

[Mark86]

Fvck all that leupold, Weaver, vortex junk..

Shit works till it don’t, then ur walking back to the rig empty handed wondering why you didn’t go with simple, reliable, super chicken 6x for 300$

Life gives ya ez buttons. Press it.

I hate to be overly dogmatic, just witnessed and experienced the joys of turrets that don’t track, and wandering zeroes... and a lot of times it ends up not how it’s a supposed to. Dissapointing

And to be fair fixed 6 power scopes have a lot wider field of view then comparable variable power scopes at same mag range. Couple that with a generous eye box, and the swfa 6x is a damn good scope at any price range let alone 300$ (260$ used)

Preach! Keep it simple especially when you have a limited budget. The more doohickeys on a cheap scope the worse everything you mentioned will be


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[Ndbowhunter]

At some point I'm barking up the wrong tree here but here goes.

If your experiences in life span a significant enough points to be compiled into a "dataset" and the conclusion to be had is that cheap variable scope are good to go, I'm not here to say otherwise. Have at it.


but if ur gonna ask my opinion, and is what essentially the OP has done....

Being completely pragmatic: Scopes for a mountain/western hunter require ability to hold zero and track and return to zero. Period.

Hunting scenarios within that environment will dictate to you the ability to subtend elevation and windage corrections at some point.

If that means the scope weighs 20oz so be it. A fixed 6 with a huge eyebox is very advantageous to crunched, leaning, awkward shooting positions you may encounter.

A 6x has a large enough FOV that very close shots are doable and 6x with practice can place shots accurately at very long distances. Running a shot timer, the difference between a 6x and a lpvo set at 3x on 25 yard targets.. there isn't statistical difference.

And the swfa 6x I own had had thousands of firing solutions put into it and has never skipped a beat. And I find it hard to believe it's an outlier in its performance.

Literally just today had a 1300$ scope quit tracking correctly (didn't pay that, but that's what amazon has it listed for, bushnell elite tactical 1-6.5 with a btr reticle) And I shoulda known better.

Dialed in 2 mils and it went 2.4, then did the leupold dance where you go past where you wanna go, then come back and it did what it was supposed to do. Will send it back for warranty, and then trip it down the road.

Good luck OP, test ur stuff gain confidence then fill the freezer

 

[Newtosavage]

I think some people forgot that the OP asked about "budget" scopes. LOL

 

[bdan68]

I think some people forgot that the OP asked about "budget" scopes. LOL

Yeah. He said he wanted to spend $200. And for $200 nowadays you can get a pretty good scope. Maybe not one that is reliable in dialing in your elevation with every shot. But who needs that? In 40 years of hunting I've never done that. Sight it in 3 inches high at 100 yards and memorize your drop out to 400 yards or so.

 

[Ndbowhunter]

It's a bit disingenuous to claim altruistic intentions, but if the OP can't scratch another hundred for a real scope, pm me I got some gear you can probably hustle to get to that mark.

The roads that were spent in the golden hue of gleaned internet beta, trodding inthe glow using the lightest scopes, with no consent to the functionality of equipment: Those roads are littered with wounded animals, a few trophies by any standards. I am not exempt.

Shattered legs, empty packs, and spirits as deep as the marianas trench

Life's a cruel mistress, our triumphs inflate the self righteous state, and eclipse the lessons we should have learned from our failures. But sometime on that downward trend in the Dunning Kruger effect scale we replace bravado with training and skillsets and shit starts trending upwards

if we take a good hard look in the mirror we soon realize that the goal is the shift the baseline not the arete, the outlier, the success...

to get better at intersecting point of aim with point of impact.. that takes a foundation of skills, equipment, and experience.

 

[Rich M]

https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/vortex-viper-3-9x40.119020/

This is a great scope for $230.
I've got the 2-7x32 version - works great but I don't dial my scopes - so can't opine on that.

 

[Newtosavage]

Ndbowhunter, I'm not sure where you've been hunting, what you've been reading or what you've been drinking, but we clearly live in two different worlds. Simple fixed power and moderately priced variables have been responsible for more cleanly harvested game than every high-end "dialed" scope combined, and that will remain to be true for as long as either of us are alive. If someone told me to pick one scope for the rest of my days, without a doubt it would be either a 4x or 6x fixed power, without "dials" depending on whether I was hunting East or West. If I had to pick just one, it would be a 4x fixed. Just today I was shooting fist-sized groups at 300 yards with a fixed 3x scope, more than good enough for 95% of hunting shots taken and the other 5% are going to take marginal shots no matter the scope or distance.

 

[Ndbowhunter]

Don’t drink anything but high quality h20 and coffee.

I’m the retard that wounded the animals. Whimsical prose doesn’t do a lot of favours to straightforward points.

Not super big on throwing around numbers, but if we use 2.5” plus or minus from bore... a lot more then 5% of my animals have been shot beyond PBR. And once the aimpoint starts creeping past animals back, and windage starts moving beyond a few inches it’s sure nice to have the ability to correctly hold.. not WAG

That’s the beauty of the super chicken, fixed ******... aka swfa 6x.. it’s a great all rounder.

 

[Ndbowhunter]

I do disagree with marginal past 300..

Funny enough most of my missed game and missed range shots were between 2-300... close enough to lull you into complacency but still kill you on basic marksmanship fundamentals being not applied.


A few of my kiwi mates have killed animals in the thousands. a few have gone back to simple leupold 4x, wood stocks and the like out of nostalgia, i’m Sure the blood lust has been satiated.. but the guys still humpin mountains, still hard charging it.. a lot of them run the sightron s3 3-10 with a mil dot. And Plastic tip high bc bullets, carbon stocks, and cuben tents.

We can go round and round with this, but at some point, the points been made and we can agree to disagree.

 

[Rich M]

ND - I think we'd have fun around a campfire.

 

[howl]

I have a Chinese-best 1.5-6x40 that has been moved around from a slug gun, muzzleloader, and a couple centerfire rifles. It has accounted for several heads of game. I've run it at 300 on an AR. It has never lost zero. Zeroing it has never been a special problem, though I do use the one-shot method with a vise on cheap scopes. I think I paid about $60 for it over ten years ago.

It currently resides on my wife's lightweight 6.5G AR. I suggested she upgrade when I first mounted it on there. She likes it and isn't changing considering that rig is three for three on one shot kills. Eventually something she wants to shoot will not be visible through it in very low light, but until then I expect it will continue to serve well.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Fvck all that leupold, Weaver, vortex junk..

Shit works till it don’t, then ur walking back to the rig empty handed wondering why you didn’t go with simple, reliable, super chicken 6x for 300$

Life gives ya ez buttons. Press it.

I hate to be overly dogmatic, just witnessed and experienced the joys of turrets that don’t track, and wandering zeroes... and a lot of times it ends up not how it’s a supposed to. Dissapointing

And to be fair fixed 6 power scopes have a lot wider field of view then comparable variable power scopes at same mag range. Couple that with a generous eye box, and the swfa 6x is a damn good scope at any price range let alone 300$ (260$ used)

I just wanted to take a second to point out that when you swear up a storm while talking about rifle scopes and calling it a 6x fixed f@$&er and stuff like you sound like a crude try hard who’s trying to talk and act like that jerk on the 24hourcampfire forums. It’s very off putting and for a family man who seems to be fairly intelligent it’s incredibly unbecoming of you.

I’m not offended or anything but you are doing yourself a disservice by talking that way while other adults are having a rational conversation based on our personal experiences.

 

[Thinkingman]

Thanks for the replies, it seems like there's a few good options that I'll have to look into. What are your guys thoughts on the 3-9 vs 4-12 magnification?

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Burris FF E1 is an easy choice over Leupold.
Much better glass and construction.
I wouldn’t own a hunting scope that wouldn’t go down to 3x. The field of view gets narrow quickly as you increase power.

 

[280twoeighty]

For most and most situations a 2-7 or 3-9 is plenty of scope. I would agree with several the 4x or 6x fixed has done well for many. I would not try to do 4-12 in your budget. Cannot get there.
I would also not go the cheap Vortex route that was recommended.

I like Leupold. The older Vari -x II or newer VX-2 is good glass. Has a long history or performance that cannot be denied.
The Nikon Prostaff is a good performer on a budget and is a surprisingly clear and bright glass. I have a few others I like as well. But not in the $200 range.

Good luck.

 

[deerkiller]

I'm not a fan of Leupold but the new Freedom line has considerably better glass than the VX-1 and marginally better than the VX-2 IMO. They are fantastic at the price point. The 3-9x40 can be had for $167 on eBay from a reputable seller:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Leupold-VX...Upage8J:sc:USPSPriority!36310!US!-1:rk:5:pf:0

be cautious buying Leupolds on ebay - IF the price appears too good to be true it IS ! Counterfeits abound - I spoke in person with a tech at Leupold, he said they're everywhere and Leupold isn't the ONLY one China is counterfeiting - They are trying to stop it but it's rampant - On ebay it is hard to "counterfeit" a preowned scope - IMO that's the way to go, buy used and take or send it to Leupold for a "go through", you are out shipping, often time just one way

 

[tdhanses]

If I was the OP I would get the Athlon Midas Cameralandny has a smoking deal on and move to ammo decisions.

https://cameralandny.com/shop/Athlo...9f98-0135-0380-00163ecd2826?variation=1622675

 

[JWP58]

I just looked up the 6x SWFA milquad out of curiosity. I wasn't familiar with that scope, and I like fixed 6x for a lot of open hunting scenarios. The first thing I look at on a scope is the weight. I don't see the point in buying or building a lightweight hunting rifle, only to put a unnecessarily heavy scope on it. The SWFA might be a great scope, but at over 20 oz., there's no way I'll ever buy one.

Leupold makes a great fixed 6x scope that is available with their LR (long range) reticle. It weighs only 10 oz. - half the weight of the SWFA. Weaver also makes a very good 6x38 fixed power that is also only 10 oz. I've owned two of those and they are exceptionally bright and sharp and have very good (albeit only duplex) reticles in them.

A couple of oz's is worth not being a p.o.s. Believe it or not, a swfa topped tikka is still under 8lbs.