Help me buy a scope...

[Jpsmith1]

I got so much great advice here in the conversation about SFP vs FFP scopes that I figure you guys could help me spend some money.

Looking for a rifle scope

Must be:
>SFP
>low end power 2-3x high end up to 15x but I'd shoot a 3x9 and be perfectly happy with it.
>Pretty basic reticle. Duplex or a simple BDC. I do not want a "Christmas Tree" in my field of view

I'd LIKE:
Capped turrets (elevation only is fine)
30mm tube
44mm or larger objective

I think this part will be the biggest stumbling block. I'd like to keep it under $500. I could find a couple bucks for exactly the right scope but 500 is a really solid price point.

Use case. As outlined in the linked thread. Eastern wood lot whitetail and black bear hunting with dreams of elk somewhere. It'll live on an R700 7MM Mag that I already have and plan to put in a KRG Bravo lefty or Rokstock. I like the KRG for shooting but I don't think I want to deal with magazines so I'm leaning Rokstock and keep the BDL bottom metal.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Trijicon 3-9x40 AccuPoint. $598 from EuroOptic, but maybe Jake can hook you up if you call him?

Less than that if you a veteran or First Responder. Are you?

 

[Sponge]

I do think Qs suggestion would be best for that price point if durability and zero retention are also top priorities.

I hunt similar stuff to you, mostly swamps, timber, pine thickets, with the occasional bean field or food plot. Similar western aspirations.

I could be talked into selling my credo 2.5-15 x 42. Aside from being a bit chonky it works great in that application. Illumination at the lowest setting is great for that last half hour in the thick stuff. I would want more than $500 though.
I would replace it with a SWFA 3-9 until my S2H scope came in.

 

[naked wombats]

Do you prefer mil or moa?

 

[BVGAB]

Adding in to see suggestions.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Do you prefer mil or moa?

My brain is 'wired' MOA but I am open.

 

[naked wombats]

If drop test approved isnt a hard and fast requirement, many of the euro scopes like meopta or zeiss conquest would be pretty much exactly what you are looking for. The cabelas instinct euro scopes were rebadged meopta/zeiss models.

I have a meopta meostar R2 2-12x50 that checks all those boxes with an illuminated red dot BDC reticle. Insane light gathering and clarity as well. They also had a 3-15 version.

New they were about double your budget, but could probably find one used pretty close to your stated price range that would do you well.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

GPO SPECTRA 4x 2.5-10x44 - G4 on sale, reduced from $599.99 to only $349.99 with a simple German #4 reticle. I think this is what you're looking for, however, as a long standing supporting vendor of this forum it is our pleasure to assist you with different options, special pricing as well as answer any questions for may have.
Please give us a call, 516-217-1000, to discuss this.
Thank you
Doug

 

[Macintosh]

Trijicon huron or accupoint. 3-9x40 or 2.5-10x56, or find a NF SHV 3-10 (likely the most $ of these and maybe out of budget). Pick your poison, they are exactly what you specified, pricing is right in there. 3-9 Huron is easily in your budget, the other trijicons only slightly above.

The only exception is the 30mm tube. 2.5-10 is 30mm, the 3-9’s are 1”. Whats the rationale for specifying 30mm?

Eta: reading your previous post, you are (or were) overthinking this, and I dont think im out on a limb saying that if someone is giving you advice on a western hunting and long-range focused forum (which most certainly this is), there’s decent odds their experience doesnt overlap much with yours, or at least the prioritization may be very different. A scope that blends ideal eastern use with ideal long range use is hard to find, and aside from swfa isnt going to be in your price range. You arent shooting past point blank range though, so why confuse things?. All the add-ons people are talking about in the other thread are irrelevant or even handicaps or needless potential failure points at point blank range, including higher magnification. Get a 3-9 or 2.5-10x 2fp scope with a duplex or german#4 reticle, zero your gun at 100 yards so the center of your group is a measured 1” high, and you’ll be within an inch -ish out to beyond your maximum range. People get their knickers in a twist here over mpbr zeros, but with a minimal offset like that it inarguably works incredibly well. Moa vs mil is also irrelevant if you arent ever dialing and its a duplex reticle. Aim at deer, shoot at deer, go get deer. End of story. Dont overthink it, dont agonize over it. A trijicon huron 3-9 is $460 at eurooptic. A accupoint 2.5-10x56 is $700, but if you call eurooptic maybe they can ease the pain a bit. Buy one, put it in good rings, and dont look back.