Need a good scope for my deer rifle

[Fodderwing]

These scope threads are never different than caliber wars and dick measuring contest lol. Dude wants a $3-400 scope.

Then he needs to go shopping at the Burris store. Best mid-priced scopes available.

Yes, I own multiple Burris products.

 

[gejshooter]

Then he needs to go shopping at the Burris store. Best mid-priced scopes available.

Yes, I own multiple Burris products.

Thanks. Do you have a specific Burris model in mind? What are your thoughts about an illuminated reticle?

 

[gejshooter]

You can't afford not to get this scope
https://www.eurooptic.com/vortex-viper-pst-6-24x50-ffp-riflescope-with-ebr-2c-reticle-moa-pst-43127-new.aspx?omnisendContactID=6381370ae19b67001b471bd0&utm_campaign=campaign:+VORTEX+CLOSEOUTS:+Optics+Starting+at+$109.99!+(659c252cbb83b81a7b

Thanks. Please tell me more about it, and why you think I shouldn't pass up what appears to be a great deal.

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

I was a "good enough" scope guy till I got a leopold. From now on any serious hunting rifle will have one. 3x9 firedot. Love it.

 

[Fodderwing]

Thanks. Do you have a specific Burris model in mind? What are your thoughts about an illuminated reticle?

I very much enjoy illuminated reticles and have multiple Trijicon Accupoints. The Accupoints do not require batteries.

In your price range, I would look at something in this group, Burris Fullfield IV.

Scope & Sight Selector | Burris Optics

www.burrisoptics.com

 

[Bamaboy19]

Here's your deal!

Vortex Strike Eagle 4-24x50 with EBR-4 MRAD Riflescope Kit SE-1628

Vortex Strike Eagle 4-24x50 with EBR-4 MRAD Riflescope SE-1628 at EuroOptic!

www.eurooptic.com

I prefer the DNZ reaper one piece mounts, I have them on both mine.
Here are silver, but black is a few bucks cheaper;

DNZ Products LLC Howa 1500 30mm Scope Tube Mount Up to 30% Off and Coupon Available w/ Free Shipping — 12 models

Shop DNZ Products LLC Howa 1500 30mm Scope Tube Mount | Up to 30% Off 4.8 Star Rating on 12 Reviews for DNZ Products LLC Howa 1500 30mm Scope Tube Mount Coupon Available...

www.opticsplanet.com

 

[boatbum101]

I'd check around all the gun & fishing shops around . Used to be a whole lot more trading around . Check pawn shops too & don't forget gunsmiths . With $ 400 cash money & a discerning eye , no tellin what you might stir up . Bit of work but it'll pay off . Sometimes you'll find items taken in trade , when faced with a serious cash offer find their true value . You can price something for any amount you wish , but in reality it's only worth what someone's willing to pay . And this young man is why we call it huntin'...........
P.S. If you go to Euro Optic check out the Trijicon Huron 3-9x40 1" tube # 2700006 , $ 300 free shiping , aint illuminated but good glass for the money . MSRP on these was $ 700 .

 

[gejshooter]

I'd check around all the gun & fishing shops around . Used to be a whole lot more trading around . Check pawn shops too & don't forget gunsmiths . With $ 400 cash money & a discerning eye , no tellin what you might stir up . Bit of work but it'll pay off . Sometimes you'll find items taken in trade , when faced with a serious cash offer find their true value . You can price something for any amount you wish , but in reality it's only worth what someone's willing to pay . And this young man is why we call it huntin'...........
P.S. If you go to Euro Optic check out the Trijicon Huron 3-9x40 1" tube # 2700006 , $ 300 free shiping , aint illuminated but good glass for the money . MSRP on these was $ 700 .

Thanks for the thorough response.

 

[SLTW]

I’m a scope snob. You need to be in the $1000 (MSRP) range before you get anything worth a damn.

With that being said I’ve been impressed with arkens. The EPL4, SH4 II, and EP5 have done well with what my brothers and I do with them. We used an SH4 II at mammoth sniper challenge and beat on it all weekend and it performed. We dialed about a 100 firing solutions through the weekend and they were all dead on. We had one stage where we had to swap rifles and I had several hits from 300 to 900 yards. Glass is ok. It’s ok enough to see a white IPSC at 900 yards pretty easily. The EP5 center glass is super clear and the image is HUGE, but there is significant edge chromatic aberration when you go past 20x. If you’re staring at the center of the crosshairs no biggie, but if you look at the entire image you’ll see purplish haze around the rim of the scope.

Not a fan of luepold. Their internals are not reliable and I have had 2 fail. For vortex I would not trust anything by them until you get into the PRS strike eagles 3-18 and 5-25 and up. The PST GENII is great but that’s a $900 at your local retailer scope.

I love bushnell products and currently shoot the XRS3 and DMR3.

 

[gejshooter]

I’m a scope snob. You need to be in the $1000 (MSRP) range before you get anything worth a damn.

With that being said I’ve been impressed with arkens. The EPL4, SH4 II, and EP5 have done well with what my brothers and I do with them. We used an SH4 II at mammoth sniper challenge and beat on it all weekend and it performed. We dialed about a 100 firing solutions through the weekend and they were all dead on. We had one stage where we had to swap rifles and I had several hits from 300 to 900 yards. Glass is ok. It’s ok enough to see a white IPSC at 900 yards pretty easily. The EP5 center glass is super clear and the image is HUGE, but there is significant edge chromatic aberration when you go past 20x. If you’re staring at the center of the crosshairs no biggie, but if you look at the entire image you’ll see purplish haze around the rim of the scope.

Not a fan of luepold. Their internals are not reliable and I have had 2 fail. For vortex I would not trust anything by them until you get into the PRS strike eagles 3-18 and 5-25 and up. The PST GENII is great but that’s a $900 at your local retailer scope.

I love bushnell products and currently shoot the XRS3 and DMR3.

Although I do want to be appreciative of all the people that are responding, I truly think most people are not reading my original post. My longest shot will be 300 yards. Most shots are 150 yards. I’m not going to take this gun to the range to find out how accurate it is. I’m going to sight it in at a maximum of 200 yards and take it deer hunting in South Mississippi. Are you saying that I can’t get a scope to do this for less than $1000? I find that hard to believe.

 

[SLTW]

Although I do want to be appreciative of all the people that are responding, I truly think most people are not reading my original post. My longest shot will be 300 yards. Most shots are 150 yards. I’m not going to take this gun to the range to find out how accurate it is. I’m going to sight it in at a maximum of 200 yards and take it deer hunting in South Mississippi. Are you saying that I can’t get a scope to do this for less than $1000? I find that hard to believe.

A reliable one…yes. One that will hold zero if you bump it hard, in heat, or cold, rain, snow, hail, years of checking zero or shooting a lot under recoil. When a scope fails it sucks. You lose faith in the entire system just not the scope.

Arkens are only like $400 so they meet your criteria. My one complaint is that even though they are an American company out of Texas, they are manufactured in China.

I find it strange in the comp world we hold scopes to this impossible standard, but when shooting at living breathing targets the same shooters will say ahhh any scope will do (not you OP, people I’ve shot with).

I liked Nikon, the monarchs were nice, but unfortunately they no longer make scopes and have a zero warranty on any legacy models.

 

[SLTW]

There’s also SWFA!! Their scopes are tough as hell and cheap. I guess I’m shooting myself in the foot here. But SWFAs are awesome. They’ve been having huge sales too.

 

[gejshooter]

A reliable one…yes. One that will hold zero if you bump it hard, in heat, or cold, rain, snow, hail, years of checking zero or shooting a lot under recoil. When a scope fails it sucks. You lose faith in the entire system just not the scope.

Arkens are only like $400 so they meet your criteria. My one complaint is that even though they are an American company out of Texas, they are manufactured in China.

I find it strange in the comp world we hold scopes to this impossible standard, but when shooting at living breathing targets the same shooters will say ahhh any scope will do (not you OP, people I’ve shot with).

I liked Nikon, the monarchs were nice, but unfortunately they no longer make scopes and have a zero warranty on any legacy models.

Thanks again for continuing to respond. So to confirm, you’re saying that I cannot get a reliable scope for less than $1000. Is that correct?

 

[gejshooter]

Thanks again for continuing to respond. So to confirm, you’re saying that I cannot get a reliable scope for less than $1000. Is that correct?

What about the thousands of hunters who have used inexpensive scopes over the years and still killed deer? Hunters that use Redfield and Bushnell. 3x9x40. No illuminated reticle. I’m not sure you are accepting what I’m asking for. I hunted with a Redfield wide angle for a few years. Then upgraded to a Tasco Bighorn for several years. Eventually, I got a good deal on a vortex viper when Cabela’s went out of business. None of these scopes cost me more than $200 and they all did fine for many years.

 

[SLTW]

Thanks again for continuing to respond. So to confirm, you’re saying that I cannot get a reliable scope for less than $1000. Is that correct?

Clearly not since I did recommend arken, $250-$600ish, and SWFA again $200-$600ish as solid scopes. Let me rephrase the majority of quality scopes will be in the $1000 range. I dont want to discourage anyone from shooting or discourage their equipment. Ive just seen enough scopes fail that my assessment is when you get into the $1000 category you'll have better reliability.

I had the objective lens of a vortex diamondback tactical fall out shooting ($300) scope. Ive seen canted reticles, mush turrets, fogged up lens, scopes that even though they zeroed they would not track reliably.

I will stand by my statement about luepold though. The only scope by luepold I would trust is their MK5.

 

[SLTW]

What about the thousands of hunters who have used inexpensive scopes over the years and still killed deer? Hunters that use Redfield and Bushnell. 3x9x40. No illuminated reticle. I’m not sure you are accepting what I’m asking for. I hunted with a Redfield wide angle for a few years. Then upgraded to a Tasco Bighorn for several years. Eventually, I got a good deal on a vortex viper when Cabela’s went out of business. None of these scopes cost me more than $200 and they all did fine for many years.

I am accepting. You do what you want. I am providing my opinion on what ive seen. (there's no hostility in my post, sorry if my above statement sounds hostile).

 

[gejshooter]

I am accepting. You do what you want. I am providing my opinion on what ive seen. (there's no hostility in my post, sorry if my above statement sounds hostile).

It definitely does not sound hostile. I’ve asked this question on a few other forums, and gotten mostly the same answer. $1000 and up for a good scope. But it seems like every shooter that recommends it takes their gun to the range and shoots 800 yards and they want all kinds of fancy adjustments. I just want to shoot white tails at about 200 yards or less. Maybe 300 yards every 10 years. I’ve had too many scopes at $200 that met my needs. But I haven’t bought a scope in many years and I am looking for insights on good scopes that are available now. I recently asked questions about guns before deciding on the Howa 1500 308. I got lots of good responses about a broad range of available guns anywhere from $400-$1000. But surprisingly, the majority of people are saying that scopes have to be $1000 or more to be any good at all.

 

[SLTW]

It definitely does not sound hostile. I’ve asked this question on a few other forums, and gotten mostly the same answer. $1000 and up for a good scope. But it seems like every shooter that recommends it takes their gun to the range and shoots 800 yards and they want all kinds of fancy adjustments. I just want to shoot white tails at about 200 yards or less. Maybe 300 yards every 10 years. I’ve had too many scopes at $200 that met my needs. But I haven’t bought a scope in many years and I am looking for insights on good scopes that are available now. I recently asked questions about guns before deciding on the Howa 1500 308. I got lots of good responses about a broad range of available guns anywhere from $400-$1000. But surprisingly, the majority of people are saying that scopes have to be $1000 or more to be any good at all.

yeah it sucks in the scope market. Usually what happens is the top teir scopes have all these amazing features. The features are not difficult to manufacture but what is, is the reliability of those features. Prime example is an illuminated reticle. A lot of the cheaper scopes have an illum reticle and there are two main complaints associated with them. 1. not daylight bright, and 2. at evening time when it counts it washes out the reticle. Thats one example.

If you can find a super simple, featureless scope, then more than likely it will be cheap and reliable. An example of this is the SWFA fixed power series scope. You can get a 6x with a really nice reticle (for 300 yard hold overs) for $200. The 3-15x42 can be on sale for $400 but its MSRP is about $600. Arken scopes are reliable, tough, and feature rich, but again the illum sucks and the glass quality is meh. I would sacrifice glass quality for a nice reticle (which arken has) and for a tough scope, with reliable and repeatable turrets.

If you are going to set it (zero it at 100 or 200 yards) and forget it, then your priorities need to be toughness with regards to shock absorption, glass quality, and nice reticle for hold overs.

Am I over thinking this? you betcha. Do I pretend youre going on a -30 elk hunt in the mountains of colorado and need a badass scope? 100%. Do I secretly wish everyone was into PRS and shot past 1000 yards every weekend? of course.

lol.

 

[Welldoya]

I don’t know about the scopes put out in the last several years but I’ve used Tasco, Bushnell, Nikon and Leupold with great success. All older scopes.
How good does a scope have to be for most hunters?
So, you might get 2 minutes more shooting time out of a $3,000 scope vs a $300 scope but is it worth it? Not to me.
Might even be fun to give the deer a sporting chance.

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

Who needs scopes??