Tough Scope options. SHV? ATACR? LRHS? Veracity?

[Cactus kid]

I am looking for opinions on rugged and reliable scope options. It seems almost all reviews on scopes place optical clarity at the top of the list of priorities and I think it should be one of the last things that should be considered.

I am in the market for a new scope where the ability to hold a zero, even if it is has taken a tumble down a mountain or thrown from a horse, that I know will be dead on if something happens on a hunt. As far as features, FFP, reliable tracking, and magnification over 12x. I don't care very much about weight.

The SHV f1 series would fit the bill quite well, but I know they are the budget like of Nightforce and do not know if they can survive the same torture test as the more expensive ATACR series.

ATACR look awesome, but they are quite spendy. If I don't have to spend this much on a 100% reliable scope then id rather not, but I am not opposed to it.

Ive heard good reviews on the bushnell elite series. I do not know how rugged they are in terms of ability to hold a zero.

Any thoughts on the burris veracity?

Any imput would be great, Ive searched on all these scopes and just cant dig up any first hand evidence how they perform should the worst happen.

 

[Kotaman]

I've got two SHV's and two ATACR's. You are right in thinking the ATACR is AWESOME. With that said, I have total confidence in the SHV's as well and feel they are 100% reliable. I prefer the big, flat turret on the ATACR to the small covered turret of the SHV. It all comes down to what you are willing to spend for the features you want. I don't have any experience with the other two scopes you are asking about, but they seem to get good reviews as well.

 

[HellsCanyon]

Only thing I don’t like about the veracity is once the zero stop is set you’re limited to 1 revolution on dial up. The Bushy LRTS has better glass than the SHV and is made in Japan and is holding up great on an 8.5 lb 338 of mine.

Obviously the ATACR is more $ than any of those options.

Mike


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[robie]

I have the veracity and really like the scope. But I don't have a enough experience with scopes to tell you it is as good as X or better or worse than any other scope.

I've dialed with it out to 500 and back to 200 (my zero) and don't seem to have an issue.

Mike can you comment on the tracking of the Veracity and quality of the optics compared to the SHV or Bushnell?

 

[HellsCanyon]

I have the veracity and really like the scope. But I don't have a enough experience with scopes to tell you it is as good as X or better or worse than any other scope.

I've dialed with it out to 500 and back to 200 (my zero) and don't seem to have an issue.

Mike can you comment on the tracking of the Veracity and quality of the optics compared to the SHV or Bushnell?

I've yet to have either of these scopes NOT track which is nice. I've ran more SHV's through on customer rifles than the other two though. I really like the LRTS Bushy. Simple well designed reticle, seems extremely reliable so far, and the FDE just goes great with burnt bronze cerakote
The Veracity is a nice scope, I just can't deal with one revolution on the elevation knob after setting zero stop. Barely gets some calibers to 1K yards if they don't have a 30+ MOA base.

Mike

 

[PowellSixO]

Last year on a coues hunt here in AZ, my friends SHV sh!t the bed in the middle of our hunt. He missed 2 really nice bucks because of it. He ended up using my rifle to fill his tag on the last day. As for a robust scope, I'd have to say look at the Burris XTR II. The glass is not quite as clear as the SHV or the GEN 2 PST, but the scope itself seems to be much better built. I'm very pleased with the GEN 2 PST, but my XTR II seems to be a more robust scope.

 

[Cactus kid]

I've yet to have either of these scopes NOT track which is nice. I've ran more SHV's through on customer rifles than the other two though. I really like the LRTS Bushy. Simple well designed reticle, seems extremely reliable so far, and the FDE just goes great with burnt bronze cerakote
The Veracity is a nice scope, I just can't deal with one revolution on the elevation knob after setting zero stop. Barely gets some calibers to 1K yards if they don't have a 30+ MOA base.

Mike

any experience on how well any of these scopes hold a zero after taking a beating?

 

[Ndbowhunter]

Mines been flogged on just a wee bit.

It's now seen 1000+ firing solutions in the last few days sitting top my 22lr (waiting on truck parts in pinedale)

Taking 500 plus 300 win mag rounds on a superlite

Spun up over 1000 times on my 223

250 rounds of 7mm-08

Been on a few hunts now. Ridden ontop my ar in the truck bed.. Tracks right, holds zero.

 

[Cactus kid]

Mines been flogged on just a wee bit.

It's now seen 1000+ firing solutions in the last few days sitting top my 22lr (waiting on truck parts in pinedale)

Taking 500 plus 300 win mag rounds on a superlite

Spun up over 1000 times on my 223

250 rounds of 7mm-08

Been on a few hunts now. Ridden ontop my ar in the truck bed.. Tracks right, holds zero.

Which scope do you have?

 

[Ndbowhunter]

Bushy lrhs 3-12

After Jordan and formid really recommended them I made the switch after running the swfa 3-15 previous..

The marketplace is full of heavy, well tracking,high mag scopes.. nightforce isn't ur only option.

Mid weight and mid mag that'll dial right every time?? Not so much.

I've tried to move on from the bushy but it just holds a niche in the market that's yet to be filled.

If ur between pinedale Wyoming and the upper peninsula ur welcome to get behind it over the next two weeks

 

[TheCougar]

I have the SHV and the LRHS. Both are good scopes and I recommend them. The LRHS has more bells and whistles and better glass, but I feel like the SHV is built like a tank. If durability is your #1 concern, I would recommend a NF unless the eye relief is an issue for you, which it may be on a lightweight magnum rifle. I saw a video on the interwebs where a guy used a NF scope to hammer a nail into a 2x4 and threw and kicked it all over the place, then remounted it an it held zero. That pretty much sold me on NF.

 

[Cactus kid]

Bushy lrhs 3-12

After Jordan and formid really recommended them I made the switch after running the swfa 3-15 previous..

The marketplace is full of heavy, well tracking,high mag scopes.. nightforce isn't ur only option.

Mid weight and mid mag that'll dial right every time?? Not so much.

I've tried to move on from the bushy but it just holds a niche in the market that's yet to be filled.

If ur between pinedale Wyoming and the upper peninsula ur welcome to get behind it over the next two weeks

That is really reassuring on the LRHS. I don't live near wyoming, I live in Fort Worth, Texas.

 

[Cactus kid]

I have the SHV and the LRHS. Both are good scopes and I recommend them. The LRHS has more bells and whistles and better glass, but I feel like the SHV is built like a tank. If durability is your #1 concern, I would recommend a NF unless the eye relief is an issue for you, which it may be on a lightweight magnum rifle. I saw a video on the interwebs where a guy used a NF scope to hammer a nail into a 2x4 and threw and kicked it all over the place, then remounted it an it held zero. That pretty much sold me on NF.

Do you know if that was on an SHV scope? or only their top line scopes?

 

[skierhs]

I run the ATACR and the SHV both on hunting rigs i have. The ATACR is my go to choice for a scope i know is 100% true on tracking and will hold it's zero. i have never been in a hunting situation that i have ever been concerned about my shv loosing zero( and i have made some major falls/tumbles with it) but the ATACR just feels even more burely of a scope. You could probably kill your game by beating it to death with the ATACR and still keep zero after mounting it again but it is not a light scope. That being said i will carry a scope that i trust and know it will keep it's zero every hunt over one much lighter that i am questionable about the reliability. The torture test of the NF scope i think was a ATACR or maybe even a NXS but that was before they released the SHV line. At least the video i had seen.

 

[mt100gr.]

Last year on a coues hunt here in AZ, my friends SHV sh!t the bed in the middle of our hunt. He missed 2 really nice bucks because of it. He ended up using my rifle to fill his tag on the last day. As for a robust scope, I'd have to say look at the Burris XTR II. The glass is not quite as clear as the SHV or the GEN 2 PST, but the scope itself seems to be much better built. I'm very pleased with the GEN 2 PST, but my XTR II seems to be a more robust scope.

What were the symptoms leading up to and during said bed sh!tting?

Thanks

 

[Brightwhite]

For me it would kind of depend on the rifle and how I wanted to hunt with it. I played with and SHV F1 and really liked it...I liked it a lot, but it was long with tall turrets and don’t fit what I wanted to do with that particular rifle. The ATACR 4-16x42 F1 has to be a sweet scope (no personal experience with it). I am tempted to order one myself. So, if you want indestructible and absolute without a doubt hold zero, the answer based on my research stops at the ATACR. You cannot find anything bad on that scope but it’s heavy compared to other brands in comperable size and magnification.

So, buy one, of you don’t like it you can sell it to me in the classifieds...

 

[wind gypsy]

You cannot find anything bad on that scope

Google ATACR problems. nobody is perfect.

This was a common issue although not related to tracking or holding zero.
I have a nightforce atacr problem... | Sniper's Hide Forum

 

[Ndbowhunter]

Tibasaurus Rex of YouTube fame does a video where a guy buys an SHV to bring to one of his classes and it fails pretty quickly. Tracking issue/zero if I remember..

Besides one loudmouth from Alaska the internets pretty quiet about bushnell lrhs problems.

It's way long in the tooth scope design wise, but the swfa 5-20 is probably a sweet option for ya.

 

[Brightwhite]

Google ATACR problems. nobody is perfect.

This was a common issue although not related to tracking or holding zero.
I have a nightforce atacr problem... | Sniper's Hide Forum

Well I stand corrected, but yeah, doesn’t surprise me, there will be a given failure rate in every product...happens to the best of them.

 

[PowellSixO]

What were the symptoms leading up to and during said bed sh!tting?

Thanks

We had both of our rifles dialed in at 1000 yards prior to the hunt (10" groups or better). On the second day of the hunt we put a 95"ish 8 point to bed in a shady nook at just over 500 yards. We sat on him for 3 hours, waiting for him to get up for a shot (so we had plenty of time to range, get set up for the shot, adjust the turrets, and get calmed down). The buck stood for a perfect broadside shot, and he missed by a mile (3 feet left, and 3 feet high). I figured it was buck fever, and we continued on with the hunt. The next morning we hiked 3 miles back into some nasty cliffs, and spotted another buck at 300 yards bedded under a pile of rocks. He was bedded in the wide open. We got him rocked up on his bag, turrets adjusted, and miss again. This time it was high and right. This was a small 65-70" buck and we weren't too torn up about it. We stayed out all evening and glassed up another buck at like 2300 yards. I walked him in to 90 yards from this buck (watching him in the spotter and using a radio). He was prone, and the buck was bedded. This was a 90+ inch coues buck too by the way. Boom, miss again. From 2300 yards through a spotter, I couldn't really tell where he had hit. After making the 2 hour hike back in the dark, I was flustered to say the least. The next morning we shot his rifle in camp at 100 yards. We couldn't hit a paper plate at 100 yards, and 10 shots of ammo. At that point he was done with the hunt, and just wanted to go home. I talked him in to hunting that evening. So that evening we glassed up a small 3x3 (like 50 inches) at 611 yards. We doped the rifle, got rocked up, and he smoked it right through the lungs and heart with my rifle. He hasn't sent the scope into NF yet, so I honestly don't know what's wrong with the rifle, but I will share it once I find out.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing NF. The SHV seems like a nice budget minded scope to compete with the XTR II, LRHS, GEN 2 PST, and other rifle scopes in this price range. You are going to have problems with all of these scope manufactures, but after having owned or handled most of these scopes, I felt the NF was not the best or most robust of the group. Plus the eye relief on the NF was horrible in my opinion. Trust me I've done my fair share of scope hunting, and almost bought an SHV. If I had to rank the scopes I've personally handled I'd rank them as follows.......

1 GEN 2 PST 5-25x50 (better glass and reticle than the XTR, but not as robust feeling)
2-BURRIS XTR II 5-25x50 (not as clear of glass as the PST or SHV, but has the most robust feel to it, and the thickest main tube of the bunch)
3-NF SHV 5-20x56 (good clear glass, reticle seems good, eye relief sucks, and personally seen one fail in the field)
4-Leupold LRP 6.5-20x50 (decent glass, good eye relief, don't care for the reticle choices, and the magnification range is just odd)

I can't really rank the LRHS in this group, just because I only looked through one at the store, and have never personally shot one before. It might beat them all, but I can't give an honest assessment on that scope. The others I've owned, or shot on friends rifles. Not try to start a scope war, just my honest opinion.