Scope Evaluation passed models?

[ramsdude47]

Is there anything else that “should work” for guys that aren’t pushing their equipment very hard? I just need something that won’t shift from driving Forest Service roads, maybe passes Level 2 (1x 36” drop) but not Level 3 (repeated 36” drops).

I could stomach the weight and cost of a SWFA/Trijicon if I absolutely have to, but really would rather find something a bit lighter and cheaper that is 95% as good.

 

[atmat]

Is there anything else that “should work” for guys that aren’t pushing their equipment very hard? I just need something that won’t shift from driving Forest Service roads, maybe passes Level 2 (1x 36” drop) but not Level 3 (repeated 36” drops).

I could stomach the weight and cost of a SWFA/Trijicon if I absolutely have to, but really would rather find something a bit lighter and cheaper that is 95% as good.

SWFA Ultralight
Trijicon Accupoint

 

[amassi]

Is there anything else that “should work” for guys that aren’t pushing their equipment very hard? I just need something that won’t shift from driving Forest Service roads, maybe passes Level 2 (1x 36” drop) but not Level 3 (repeated 36” drops).

I could stomach the weight and cost of a SWFA/Trijicon if I absolutely have to, but really would rather find something a bit lighter and cheaper that is 95% as good.

Meopta as well
I think the one demo’d lived quite a while


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ramsdude47]

Yea I would have been all over a Meopta already but dang are they heavy.

I find it hard to believe that there is (almost) nothing that works for light duty except for a dozen $1000+ scopes weighing over 25 oz.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Yea I would have been all over a Meopta already but dang are they heavy.

I find it hard to believe that there is (almost) nothing that works for light duty except for a dozen $1000+ scopes weighing over 25 oz.

They mentioned a couple ultralight Swfa and trijicon accupoint that are around 9-10oz and 275-500 bucks

 

[Tl15]

Yea I would have been all over a Meopta already but dang are they heavy.

I find it hard to believe that there is (almost) nothing that works for light duty except for a dozen $1000+ scopes weighing over 25 oz.

Nothing comes for free. BUT, don’t lose sight of how you ACTUALLY use your rifle. If it lives a plush life of truck to blind/stand and back to truck, the torture tests, because that’s really what they are for us normies, really don’t apply. If optics had to pass that series for folks to drop game, well, there’d be a lot more game running around. If you’re hiking and drop a rifle 3-4 feet and it lands with a solid thump to the scope, would you really not feel the need to send one down range at a tree/rock to know for certain it was still bang on? Would the internet seal of approval be enough to allay your fears on that mythical hunt of a lifetime? Even if you were 100% on the optic itself, would you bet the farm on those rings being rock solid too? Don’t forget, Form has had mounting systems throw a wrench in those tests before. If you can still answer yes, you’re a much richer man than me. That said, I have a Trijicon Credo HX because of the torture test results. It’s living on a Roam Red River Ultralight so I never have to worry about a drifting zero on a stupid light AR-10. $0.02

 

[atmat]

the torture tests, because that’s really what they are for us normies, really don’t apply

The issue isn’t even “drops” — the issue is that the same scopes that fail the drop tests also fail from riding in the back of trucks.

 

[ramsdude47]

I’m not concerned about the dropping part, I definitely wouldn’t take a shot at an animal without rechecking zero regardless of my setup.

But it sounds like anything that can’t pass at least Level 2 will eventually lose zero just from bumpy forest service roads.

I guess I will just have to suck it up and wait for the next Trijicon sale on EuroOptic and deal with 6-8 extra ounces.

 

[JGRaider]

I've had scopes "fail" this internet drop test that have worked for me for a few hundred animals including deer, aoudad sheep, Arican plains game, and hogs. These rifles primarily ride in ATV and UTV scabbards, various trucks, and high racked hunting rigs. They've also survived several trips to Africa and Mexico and passed the baggage handling gorillas with ease. Just because they've "failed" the internet test, doesn't mean they fail in actual use, especially (as mentioned above) for the average Joe hunter. Now I fully expect to see a barrage of non-average Joe hunters commenting on how much pounding their gear goes through.

You wanna base your scope purchase on a drop test knock yourself out. I take it with a grain of salt.

 

[ElPollo]

The issue isn’t even “drops” — the issue is that the same scopes that fail the drop tests also fail from riding in the back of trucks.

Agreed. The vibration from riding in vehicles seems to have been the biggest issue for me. And I’m not talking side by sides or 4 wheelers either. I’ve had a bunch of scopes lose zero just from riding in my backseat with my dog I n the truck during the quail season. Like 3-5” at 100. Quail season for me is hundreds of miles a month on wasboarded desert roads, crossing washes or arroyos, sand dunes and rocky ridges. It’s why oil companies in the Permian Basin have to replace their trucks every couple of years. I’ve lost zeros on Leupolds, Vortex, Nikons, and Primary Arms scopes in the last five years or so. Since I switched to the SWFA super chickens a few years ago, I haven’t lost zero once.

 

[atmat]

I've had scopes "fail" this internet drop test that have worked for me for a few hundred animals including deer, aoudad sheep, Arican plains game, and hogs. These rifles primarily ride in ATV and UTV scabbards, various trucks, and high racked hunting rigs. They've also survived several trips to Africa and Mexico and passed the baggage handling gorillas with ease. Just because they've "failed" the internet test, doesn't mean they fail in actual use, especially (as mentioned above) for the average Joe hunter. Now I fully expect to see a barrage of non-average Joe hunters commenting on how much pounding their gear goes through.

You wanna base your scope purchase on a drop test knock yourself out. I take it with a grain of salt.

You iterate this every time the topic comes up. I’m sure you have tons of experience and your Leupold’s (or whatever) are perfect.

But many of us have had “nice” scopes fail from truck rides enough times to not trust them.

 

[Tl15]

The issue isn’t even “drops” — the issue is that the same scopes that fail the drop tests also fail from riding in the back of trucks.

Again, this is where the real world data comes in. If scopes failed from a truck ride by the literal tens of thousands, because that’s the numbers we are talking across a nation of hunters, how did anyone ever kill an animal? I mean, to hear some on this board tell it, I shouldn’t be able to kill a whitetail past 200 with a non Trijicon or SWFA optic, right? Look at Leupold and Vortex. They failed miserably from basically a stiff breeze, but they’ve killed a heck of a lot of animals. Somehow this math isn’t adding up?

I’m not concerned about the dropping part, I definitely wouldn’t take a shot at an animal without rechecking zero regardless of my setup.

But it sounds like anything that can’t pass at least Level 2 will eventually lose zero just from bumpy forest service roads.

I guess I will just have to suck it up and wait for the next Trijicon sale on EuroOptic and deal with 6-8 extra ounces.

Ask yourself, have I, or anyone I know ever lost a zero or an animal to a bumpy road? If the answer is no….well…maybe the best conclusion is that YOUR use case just doesn’t push an optic to that point. Then you can count yourself lucky to embrace a much wider array of optics possibilities. Not everyone will have that use case, but you’re not them and don’t need to buy to solve their problem.
That said, I would NEVER buy another VX-Freedom again. I actually have had those fail from truck rides and I was not amused.

 

[JGRaider]

You iterate this every time the topic comes up. I’m sure you have tons of experience and your Leupold’s (or whatever) are perfect.

But many of us have had “nice” scopes fail from truck rides enough times to not trust them.

Congrats. You've heard it so very often, what else do I use successfully?

 

[JGRaider]

Again, this is where the real world data comes in. If scopes failed from a truck ride by the literal tens of thousands, because that’s the numbers we are talking across a nation of hunters, how did anyone ever kill an animal? I mean, to hear some on this board tell it, I shouldn’t be able to kill a whitetail past 200 with a non Trijicon or SWFA optic, right? Look at Leupold and Vortex. They failed miserably from basically a stiff breeze, but they’ve killed a heck of a lot of animals. Somehow this math isn’t adding up?

Ask yourself, have I, or anyone I know ever lost a zero or an animal to a bumpy road? If the answer is no….well…maybe the best conclusion is that YOUR use case just doesn’t push an optic to that point. Then you can count yourself lucky to embrace a much wider array of optics possibilities. Not everyone will have that use case, but you’re not them and don’t need to buy to solve their problem.
That said, I would NEVER buy another VX-Freedom again. I actually have had those fail from truck rides and I was not amused.

Right on. I guided over 160 hunters over the years and not once did this ever happen, but I love the internet stories though.

 

[atmat]

Again, this is where the real world data comes in…. Somehow this math isn’t adding up?

Most people shoot animals at close distances, where impact of errors are decreased. And when they do miss, they don’t speak of it or attribute it to human error.

Plus, you’re right, it’s a numbers game. Tons of Leu and Vortex sell, so some of those will definitely kill animals.

 

[atmat]

Congrats. You've heard it so very often, what else do I use successfully?

Not sure — I normally get bored and tune out halfway through the list of countries and animals.

 

[JGRaider]

Not sure — I normally get bored and tune out halfway through the list of countries and animals.

You have the attention span of a 4th grader then.

 

[atmat]

You have the attention span of a 4th grader then.

Eh. As a dad to three young children, I’ve just learned to tune out the repetitive gibberish that comes from that age group.

 

[JGRaider]

Most people shoot animals at close distances, where impact of errors are decreased. And when they do miss, they don’t speak of it or attribute it to human error.

Plus, you’re right, it’s a numbers game. Tons of Leu and Vortex sell, so some of those will definitely kill animals.

No, the vast majority of them kill animals, not some of them. Internet sniper just don't want to believe it, or come to grips that high BC bullets are the end all, be all of hunting bullets. You even admitted most animals are shot at close distances. I've known this, as you obviously have, for years and it hasn't changed.

 

[prm]

I now appreciate having scopes function as intended. I thought it was normal to require many shots to get a scope to settle on a zero. Wrong. I had a VX3 that lasted well over 1000 shots on a sharp recoiling rifle, and made quite a few trips. It did finally stop functioning. It took quite a bit if shooting to diagnose the scope was moving around internally. I had a Leupold fixed 6 with dials that seemed more random than anything. I really wished that scope was better as loved everything else about it. I’ve owned very few Vortex, but they have needed the warranty. I came back from an elk hunt and I do not recall the scope ever being dropped but it was off quite a bit. Why accept these things? I also know a guy with a Swaro that has possibly traveled more miles, and been on more hunts than 99.999% of scopes. It’s on a 300 RUM. He said he’s never had to adjust it, and he does check it. Unless you get large data samples you don’t truly know, and we don’t have that for scope durability.
I do not think the drop tests are gospel. I do think they begin to indicate which will likely have more or less issues. No scope or brand is 100%, but some sure seem a lot better than others. Buy what you want and either trust it, or test it to gain your trust, and go hunt.