Help a novice pick a scope

[SDHNTR]

It sure kills game though, and has been for decades. Most game animals are killed under 300 yards, a fact that escapes most of the LR crowd. Make no mistake, LR shooting is great fun, just a tad overblown for the every day hunter.

No disagreement here.

 

[Thinkingman]

My experience with Leupold is not based on first-hand experience, it's based on the number of threads I've read that end with '...and instead of fixing it, Leupold sent me a new one!'.
That's enough reason for me to spend my dollars and risk my hunt with another brand.

 

[JFK]

Leupold is certainly an option. I ran one for years. Never missed an animal because of that scope. However, in hindsight, I was always checking zero, always finding that it wasn’t quite where I left it, and the thing just didn’t adjust in real time. 0% chance I’d dial with it, but it was “good enough” as a set and forget type scope.

NF shv rides on my main gun now and shooting has become more fun. It adjusts accurately, no wondering zero, and it has allowed me to better spend my range time practicing versus tinkering.

 

[intunegp]

OP, it appears the "mine works fine" crowd has already infiltrated, but I'd advise you to keep anecdotal evidence out of your decision making process.

People on this forum have dedicated lots of time and money to testing scopes for reliability and durability. Every time a popular scope doesn't perform, people come out of the woodwork with stories about how many thousand animals they've killed with those scopes. I've killed deer and elk with a $50 Simmons scope from Wally World, but that doesn't mean I'd recommend someone else try it or buy another one for myself just because it worked for me in the past.

A scope's job is to be an aiming device. While it is probably true that any scope you buy from a brand name you've heard before will perform good enough to hit a deer or elk at 300 yards, there are only a few that have shown themselves to truly hold zero and repeat that zero over long term use.

Buy a Nightforce, Trijicon, or SWFA and know that your scope is going to do what you're trusting it to do.

 

[Formidilosus]

Good try Form, but you whiffed. I grew up in the "West", and have hunted there for 50+ years, wide open to semi wide open country. Not the Rocky Mtn West exclusively, but nevertheless, the West.

I specifically wrote the Rocky Mountain west. I don’t care where you grew up.

I've killed over 400 big game animals, guided to at least 200 more. I've enough experience to know what works, what doesn't, and don't have to rely on the internet to decide for me. It's a blessing, not a curse.

Neat. What’s your point? Has a single person wrote in a thread that you need to change scopes?

The outdoor sport optics industry caters to everyone, not the Western US by a long shot.

Again, what’s your point? This isn’t an outdoor optics industry forum. It is dedicated- primarily, to backpack mountain hunting, and backpack mountain hunting needs. Context matters.

BTW, your deer feeder comment is lame, not factual, and bogus with regards to me, but good try anyway.

Show me where I said it has anything to do with you?

Once again, "demonstrably", by you and those who take your word as gospel. I believe you do lots of good work, but I don't subscribe to that theory.

Who takes it as gospel? Can you post who does that?

The vast, vast majority of hunters I guided showed up with Swaro binos, and Leupy scopes....probably 80% of them, and they could buy whatever they wanted, and hunted all over the world with that gear. We never had a scope go tits up, ever.

No? Never had a scope go tits up? Never had one that needed to be adjusted even a click or two when they came in to hunt and check zero? Never had a single miss where the scope maybe lost zero?

Didn’t you and a buddy have two scope fail catastrophically causing you to shoot a buck to pieces?

Just curious why you don't post on 24HCF anymore? Keep up the good work!

Because it doesn’t fit what I focus on or care about. The members do not, by and large, have the same goals nor do they do the same tasks- backpack, mountain hunting and shooting. Quite frankly what is posted on 24HR is about 80% fud lore nonsense with little or no desire to have a technical or rational discussion about anything.

 

[JGRaider]

Scopes going tits up.....I was referring to client's/hunters scopes while on a hunt, not mine. I've had a VX3 and a Swaro scope lose erectors and got sent in to be fixed. Neither resulted in misses on game animals, but I did gut shoot a big 190" mule deer with that Swaro, at 200 yards, twice. My two buddies had 2 more 1" Swaro's do the same thing. To generically claim most all, the vast majority, etc of these specific scopes suck is categorically ridiculous though.

I will always take personal experience over internet lore though, just as you do. The fact is the average hunter will never come close to the number of rounds you claim to shoot, or the beatings you inflict on gear tested in their hunting lifetime. That needs to be considered as well.

Thanks for clarifying the 24HCF subject. I was just curious why you bailed.

 

[Formidilosus]

Scopes going tits up.....I was referring to client's/hunters scopes while on a hunt, not mine. I've had a VX3 and a Swaro scope lose erectors and got sent in to be fixed. Neither resulted in misses on game animals, but I did gut shoot a big 190" mule deer with that Swaro, at 200 yards, twice. My two buddies had 2 more 1" Swaro's do the same thing. To generically claim most all, the vast majority, etc of these specific scopes suck is categorically ridiculous though.

It’s not ridiculous if their failures can be repeated on demand and shown categorically why they failed to begin with. That Swaro model of scope is one of the worst/least reliable scopes ever made by them, and that is saying something because Swarovski doesn’t make robust scopes at all. Why wouldn’t someone want that information before making a purchase?

It is is simply that people can choose less reliable, more likely to have a problem for no benefit whatsoever ever; or they can choose more reliable, less likely to fail with no, or nearly no con.

I will always take personal experience over internet lore though, just as you do. The fact is the average hunter will never come close to the number of rounds you claim to shoot, or the beatings you inflict on gear tested in their hunting lifetime. That needs to be considered as well.

How is less information about use better than getting more information about use, regardless of one’s use case.

 

[JGRaider]

I've killed a few hundred animals with Leupy scopes, and a couple of friends have killed a few thousand inches of mule deer with Leupy's, so the "results" can't be performed repeatedly, evidently. You'd have to admit if a guy has used "brand x" repeatedly, successfully for years, why shouldn't he rely on his own personal use over someone he doesn't know on the internet?

As far as perpetually dialing scopes? I'm all ears as to what you have to say on the matter. I also rely on Hodnett and a fellow who's pretty good, last name Tubb. I've been hunting whitetails in the TX Panhandle for 25 years, so I see those guys occasionally.

 

[jake.messenger]

For low light, a larger objective lens is important, but even more so is the tube diameter. Burris makes a good value scope in your price range. I have one of their Tactical series scopes on my 7 mag and am very happy with it. I'll link it below. Happy hunting!

Burris Xtreme Tactical 4-20x50 mm Rifle Scope, 34 mm Tube, First Focal Plane (FFP), Color: Black, Tube Diameter: 34 mm, Up to 42% Off w/ Free S&H — 2 models

Shop Burris Xtreme Tactical 4-20x50 mm Rifle Scope, 34 mm Tube, First Focal Plane (FFP) | Up to 42% Off 5 Star Rating on 12 Reviews for Burris Xtreme Tactical 4-20x50 mm Rifle...

www.opticsplanet.com

 

[Formidilosus]

I've killed a few hundred animals with Leupy scopes, and a couple of friends have killed a few thousand inches of mule deer with Leupy's, so the "results" can't be performed repeatedly, evidently. You'd have to admit if a guy has used "brand x" repeatedly, successfully for years, why shouldn't he rely on his own personal use over someone he doesn't know on the internet?

Again- why are you constantly bringing “you” into it. I have not, nor have I seen anyone suggest to you that you should be shooting some other scopes. Intelligence is also hallmarked by the ability to learn from others. More data is better than less.

Shooting a few thousand inches of mule deer isn’t data on anything scope related. You bring up the amount of antler inches you have as if it means anything about the technical workings of a scope- it doesn’t. It also doesn’t lend credence to whether a scope works or not- there are plenty of people who have killed thousands of inches of antlers with Swaro A series scopes as well. That in no way changes the reality that they are fragile, weak aiming devices that have catastrophically failed quite a few people.

If you want to use your thousands of inches of antlers as proof that you know how to hunt TX Panhandle deer- great. It may have some validity in that context. It doesn’t in discussions about aiming devices. If on the other hand you were seeing and measuring hundreds of Leupold scopes a year, checking zero on them constantly, and using them hard, and reporting the findings- that would have merit in a discussion about scopes.

 

[LuvsFixedBlades]

SHV or Credo will work great for you OP. For mounting, grab a Murphy precision picatinny rail, and NF ultralight rings, then follow the correct procedure https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/scope-mounting-to-maintain-zero.78482/

Thanks for the mounting tips!

 

[LuvsFixedBlades]

The posts on this thread have been very illuminating and helpful for me. I would never have guessed the results of what you all have said, or found the other scope threads you've directed me to.

I just ordered the Nightforce SHV in 3-10x 42mm. Merry Christmas to me.

There are so many guys saying how durable it is and how well it holds zero in addition to being clear. I'm often in rugged country and pretty talented at breaking things, so durability and reliability are high on the list of considerations.

I really appreciate you all posting and helping me out. I feel good about the choice and can move on with mounting it and putting some rounds downrange.

Thanks again!

 

[sndmn11]

The posts on this thread have been very illuminating and helpful for me. I would never have guessed the results of what you all have said, or found the other scope threads you've directed me to.

I just ordered the Nightforce SHV in 3-10x 42mm. Merry Christmas to me.

There are so many guys saying how durable it is and how well it holds zero in addition to being clear. I'm often in rugged country and pretty talented at breaking things, so durability and reliability are high on the list of considerations.

I really appreciate you all posting and helping me out. I feel good about the choice and can move on with mounting it and putting some rounds downrange.

Thanks again!

good choice

 

[nobody]

Leupold is certainly an option. I ran one for years. Never missed an animal because of that scope. However, in hindsight, I was always checking zero, always finding that it wasn’t quite where I left it, and the thing just didn’t adjust in real time.

This mirrors my Gold Ring experience. Which sucks, because they have one of the best form factors and eye boxes available for a general purpose western hunting scope in their VX5 line.

 

[270quest]

A vote for the Zeiss V4...3-12X OR 4-16X...Great optics and mechanically sound. I am a Zeiss V4 fan, so they usually get my vote in the sub 1k category.

The 3-10X42 SHV is another good option...Had one for a while and it performed as expected. Only issue with that scope can be mounting lenght on the tube if your not using a pic rail setup - its a little short.