Sub $400 scope

Joined
Oct 30, 2023
Needing a scope for cva 35 whelen. Primary use would be iowa whitetail in open ag fields. Will also use this setup for diy/otc mule deer/elk hunts- not chasing monster wall hangers. In either case shots will be less then 300 yards. Most important qualities would be low light glass quality followed by usable reticle in all lighting conditions. Open to other suggestions as well. Any info on the following options:
Sightron stac 3-16x42 sfp duplex non illuminated
Arken epl4 4-16x44 ffp illuminated
Vortex viper pst 2.5-10x44 sfp ebr-1 illuminated
Primary Arms 4-14x44 ffp arc-2 illuminated


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Nightforce SHV 3-10
Trijicon Credo 2.5-15
Maven RS1.2 2.5-15
SWFA 3-15

All are superb aiming devices
 
How about the trijicon Huron? I have been looking at replacing an old Nikon and I am considering it. The 3-9 is around $330 and the 3-12 is around $450. I haven’t had the chance to look through one but they seem to get pretty good reviews online.
 
How about the trijicon Huron? I have been looking at replacing an old Nikon and I am considering it. The 3-9 is around $330 and the 3-12 is around $450. I haven’t had the chance to look through one but they seem to get pretty good reviews online.

Eye relief is on the tight side. I wear glasses and the 35 whelen has above avg recoil.


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My Trijicon Huron seems to have descent eye relief. Not a problem on a lighter 308 (and previously on a lighter 30-06).
 
Eye relief is on the tight side. I wear glasses and the 35 whelen has above avg recoil.


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But it’ll hold zero and be reliable while none of the scopes you listed have a high probability of that. A fixed power SWFA is the only other one I’m aware of in your price point you listed. Go read the scope evaluation sub forum and you’ll learn everything you need to know from a factual standpoint.
 
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I just bought a Huron 3-9 for my daughter’s 243 at eurooptic for $299. great scope for the $$. No problem with eye relief.
 
On sale Trijicon Huron or Burris fullfield (I have a fullfield that has done very right by me). Or be ready to pounce and maybe bump the budget a bit when a used SWFA 6x hits the classifieds if you want something to dial.
 
So is the Huron eye relief specs listed incorrectly because it is listed at 2.7” that’s an 1” shorter then most scopes?


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A 3-9 leupold, burris, trijicon, why try to reinvent the wheel. Freedom CDS, fullfield, huron, all of those will work.

Of the ones you suggested the only one I like is the pst 2.5-10x44 had one for years on an AR10 without any problems.
 
The 3-15x44 Optika 5 I just listed seems to fit your budget and needs. It's a nice scope, it just ended up being the odd man out on my rifle shuffling.
 
So is the Huron eye relief specs listed incorrectly because it is listed at 2.7” that’s an 1” shorter then most scopes?


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I believe it is listed incorrectly and that is why it's heavily discounted. I compared the Huron in question to a SWFA 3-9, and an accupoint 3-9, and could not tell a difference in eye relief.

I mounted mine on a 308 and have no concerns. There's a few threads here on the Huron 3-9 scope and I have yet to see anyone who has purchased one regret it or suggest the eye relief is too short. Many people buy a second one.
 
Nightforce SHV 3-10
Trijicon Credo 2.5-15
Maven RS1.2 2.5-15
SWFA 3-15

All are superb aiming devices
Did you try the SWFA 3-15 in low light? My eyes arent what they used to be but i thought it was horrible and sold it due to the reticle being so faint and unusable (for me).
 
I would agree with the Burris Fullfield. Is anyone dialing with the Huron or is it not really designed for that?
 
Did you try the SWFA 3-15 in low light? My eyes arent what they used to be but i thought it was horrible and sold it due to the reticle being so faint and unusable (for me).
Never owned the 3-15, but I have multiple fixed powers in different powers, which use the same tier of glass as the 3-15, including 12x powers. Never a complaint of glass quality, low light performance, or reticle visibility for me. It’s about on par optically with my former optic of choice, the Leupold VX3i. But it’s a better aiming device by a huge margin than the VX3i was.
 
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Trijicon huron is my go to budget scope. I don’t know if they’re built to the same standards as the more expensive models but they’ve been good so far.
 
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