best bang for your buck reliable, dialable, hunting scope

[452b264]

I have three Zeiss V4 s and none of them have given me any issues.

 

[doverpack12]

I like something with 14-18X and capped or locking turrets. I've had my turrets turn unintentionally, seen it happen to others and watched animals missed because of it.

Tract Toric are nice scopes and fit your criteria, I have a NF SHV that I made a cap for out of a pill bottle bottom (would have to find a deal on this one), those are the 2 I have firsthand experience with that I would recommend. Stay away from Vortex and Leupold, I have no issues with SWFAs other than I prefer more magnification, they work great and are reliable.

 

[Joshuajosh]

Hi @Joshuajosh, welcome to the Slide.

Form's advice above is good advice. He's not trying to hassle you; he's trying to steer you away from crap and to something that works.

Scopes from brands like Leupold, Zeiss, and Vortex have a lot of marketing behind them, but usually have fundamental construction issues.

The 'but my brand x scope has been fine' posts often reference a sample of one, and limited testing.

Form has samples of dozens, and a well-documented series of reliability tests.

The SWFAs don't have fancy marketing - they don't need it, as they're not sold through dealers, and they have a hard time keeping up with demand as it is.

They also don't have a lot of features you don't need.

What they do have is reliability, which, if you're expecting to make ethical kills at 500, you need.

After a reliable scope, it's rock solid scope mounting, then training and practice. Check out Form's posts about each of these also.

Use the money you saved on the scope to invest in ammo.

Stick around - lots of knowledgeable people here, who'll be happy to help. Just be aware that there'll also be a broad range of opinions, confirmation bias, and purchase justification.

Read enough to get a sense of where everyone is coming from, what experience they have, what level of (repeatable) skill they have, and how they test their gear.

I'm relatively new to all this too ... but through judicious reading here, and training, I took the now-almost-hackneyed 'Rockslide Special' - Tikka 223, SWFA 3-9 in Sportmatch mounts, and 77gr ammo - and recently came second in a local club match. Granted, it was only to 200 m, and not a particularly high level of competitor - but it was mostly people who'd been shooting for years, and thought they knew what they were doing.

Point being: this combination works ... but it's the time training that matters.

Thank you ! Very well said and I appreciate it ...

 

[rclouse79]

I was just blowing up rocks at 600 yards with my athlon midas tac. I like it so far.

 

[GMB54-120]

Sightron SIII

Tougher than woodpecker lips and gets great reviews for tracking. About $850 and 22-24oz.

Just a FYI, Sightron is owned by Kenko Intl. Same company that makes/made some of the SWFA SS scopes. They make good stuff and dont out source assembly to 3rd parties. All the SIII and STAC line or above are a made at factories they own. You could also get a S-TAC 4-20x50 FFP for under $700 or 3-16x42 FFP for about $550 but the glass quality wont be as nice. It will be tough though and nice click turrets.

 

[Joshuajosh]

Hi @Joshuajosh, welcome to the Slide.

Form's advice above is good advice. He's not trying to hassle you; he's trying to steer you away from crap and to something that works.

Scopes from brands like Leupold, Zeiss, and Vortex have a lot of marketing behind them, but usually have fundamental construction issues.

The 'but my brand x scope has been fine' posts often reference a sample of one, and limited testing.

Form has samples of dozens, and a well-documented series of reliability tests.

The SWFAs don't have fancy marketing - they don't need it, as they're not sold through dealers, and they have a hard time keeping up with demand as it is.

They also don't have a lot of features you don't need.

What they do have is reliability, which, if you're expecting to make ethical kills at 500, you need.

After a reliable scope, it's rock solid scope mounting, then training and practice. Check out Form's posts about each of these also.

Use the money you saved on the scope to invest in ammo.

Stick around - lots of knowledgeable people here, who'll be happy to help. Just be aware that there'll also be a broad range of opinions, confirmation bias, and purchase justification.

Read enough to get a sense of where everyone is coming from, what experience they have, what level of (repeatable) skill they have, and how they test their gear.

I'm relatively new to all this too ... but through judicious reading here, and training, I took the now-almost-hackneyed 'Rockslide Special' - Tikka 223, SWFA 3-9 in Sportmatch mounts, and 77gr ammo - and recently came second in a local club match. Granted, it was only to 200 m, and not a particularly high level of competitor - but it was mostly people who'd been shooting for years, and thought they knew what they were doing.

Point being: this combination works ... but it's the time training that matters.

I was just curious as to why he said a swfa 3-9 is better than a nxs .... I have not heard that before .... and also so is trijicon just shit then? I see a good mag range and it has parallax adjustment and illumination and I have heard nothing bad about glass untill now

 

[Formidilosus]

I was just curious as to why he said a swfa 3-9 is better than a nxs .... I have not heard that before .... and also so is trijicon just shit then? I see a good mag range and it has parallax adjustment and illumination and I have heard nothing bad about glass untill now

SWFA 3-9x is a better general purpose 0-600 yard optic than the NF NXS 2.5-10x because of FFP and a better reticle. I get NXS’s for free, I pay for SWFA...

I never mentioned glass. People that talk glass have no clue what scopes do. Anymore it’s pretty much akin to talking about how clear the windshield is on a new vehicle. Second focal plane is a compromise that has no upside when compared to a good FFP.

 

[Joshuajosh]

SWFA 3-9x is a better general purpose 0-600 yard optic than the NF NXS 2.5-10x because of FFP and a better reticle. I get NXS’s for free, I pay for SWFA...

I never mentioned glass. People that talk glass have no clue what scopes do. Anymore it’s pretty much akin to talking about how clear the windshield is on a new vehicle. Second focal plane is a compromise that has no upside when compared to a good FFP.

I’ve never looked at a swfa ffp but I have looked at shv f1 and other ffp scopes and I don’t like how fine a lot of the reticle are at minimum power for low light and hunting

 

[CApighunter]

I’ve never looked at a swfa ffp but I have looked at shv f1 and other ffp scopes and I don’t like how fine a lot of the reticle are at minimum power for low light and hunting

There’s a reason you keep hearing the same scopes come up, NF, Bushy LRTS/LRHS, and SWFA. Because they work. Honestly dude, get the 3-9 SWFA and a zero stop shim kit. It’s the easy button answer for what you want, and you could basically get 3 of them for what one NXS costs. I’ll make the same offer as Form, if you don’t like it I’ll buy it off you.

 

[Harvey_NW]

There's more telling someone what to buy going on than opinionating with justification..

In my personal experience I prefer more than 9x for 500yd+ shots, and let's face it, no one sticks to their limit. If a guy buys a scope to shoot 500 he's going to want to know how that sucker shoots at 1,000 but he'd probably like more magnification and down the rabbit hole he goes. I also don't prefer FFP in a hunting scope because I don't hunt with people that use angular measurements, I don't have a reticle in my spotting scope, and I don't like the reticle change between magnifications for throw up shots on low power. I find it can be situationally useless, or actually impeding for hunting.

So the criteria for ME was:
I don't NEED any more than 16x to shoot extended range and still be able to spot impacts.
Simple reticle. Easy to measure, not clouded to spot shots.
Lightweight.
Quality glass. Magnification and clarity can be used to confirm it's the right buck instead of placemarks.
Sub $1K. I don't think it takes any more to get a repeatable scope with good glass.

I've been hunting for quite a while and this is what I've learned will best suit ME and why. YMMV.

 

[Joshuajosh]

There’s a reason you keep hearing the same scopes come up, NF, Bushy LRTS/LRHS, and SWFA. Because they work. Honestly dude, get the 3-9 SWFA and a zero stop shim kit. It’s the easy button answer for what you want, and you could basically get 3 of them for what one NXS costs. I’ll make the same offer as Form, if you don’t like it I’ll buy it off you.

There's more telling someone what to buy going on instead of opinionating with justification..

In my personal experience I prefer more than 9x for 500yd+ shots, and let's face it, no one sticks to their limit. If a guy buys a scope to shoot 500 he's going to want to know how that sucker shoots at 1,000 but he'd probably like more magnification and down the rabbit he goes. I also don't prefer FFP in a hunting scope because I don't hunt with people that use angular measurements, I don't have a reticle in my spotting scope, and I don't like the reticle change between magnifications for throw up shots on low power. I find it can be situationally useless, or actually impeding for hunting.

So the criteria for ME was:
I don't NEED any more than 16x to shoot extended range and still be able to spot impacts.
Simple reticle. Easy to measure, not clouded to spot shots.
Lightweight.
Quality glass. Magnification and clarity can be used to confirm it's the right buck instead of placemarks.
Sub $1K. I don't think it takes any more to get a repeatable scope with good glass.

I've been hunting for quite a while and this is what I've learned will best suit ME and why. YMMV.

What do you use ? Or what would you suggest for my situation ..... around $1k... 15 mag at the highest .... would like 2.5 or 3 on the low end.... durable and reliable, mil/mil and illuminated

 

[GMB54-120]

Not gunna deny SWFA sells a nice product but when are they actually gunna be in stock again. I got tired of waiting on the 3-15x42. These things have been out of stock for 6 months or more.

 

[Harvey_NW]

What do you use ? Or what would you suggest for my situation ..... around $1k... 15 mag at the highest .... would like 2.5 or 3 on the low end.... durable and reliable, mil/mil and illuminated

I posted the link to the Zeiss V4 4-16x50 I recently ordered from Red Hawk Rifles with the ZMOAi-1 reticle. I landed on that because it fit the criteria, and my reloading mentor has multiple that have never had issues and I've actually got to handle and use myself, so it was a pretty easy decision.

 

[Harvey_NW]

Oh, and I prefer MOA. I understand both, but MOA is what I started with because most low end hunting scopes that everyone has experience with are in MOA so it's just what I know and easier for me to understand.

 

[Joshuajosh]

Oh, and I prefer MOA. I understand both, but MOA is what I started with because most low end hunting scopes that everyone has experience with are in MOA so it's just what I know and easier for me to understand.

I just learned how to use mils and I get how moa works but prefer mils

 

[CApighunter]

What do you use ? Or what would you suggest for my situation ..... around $1k... 15 mag at the highest .... would like 2.5 or 3 on the low end.... durable and reliable, mil/mil and illuminated

Used LRTSi will be the closest to those requirements but they’re tough to find.

 

[Joshuajosh]

Used LRTSi will be the closest to those requirements but they’re tough to find.

I thought I had found one the other day here on rokslide but it was just a scammer .... would love to find one tho I know they are good .... the 4.5-18 is just a bit to much mag but the 3-12 would be perfect

 

[CApighunter]

I thought I had found one the other day here on rokslide but it was just a scammer .... would love to find one tho I know they are good .... the 4.5-18 is just a bit to much mag but the 3-12 would be perfect

My recommendation for the 3-9 SWFA stands though. Or preorder the new LRHS2 from GAP.

 

[GMB54-120]

Check locally for the Razor HD LHT 3-15. Its right around a grand for all three models. They have 2 in MRAD. A 42mm and a 50mm obj. You can probably find them for close to the same price as online atm. $1000-1050 even at Cabelas.

Optics - Riflescopes - Razor

vortexoptics.com

 

[cburgin72]

Don't forget to call CameraLand. They won't steer you wrong and will get you the best scope for your money. I did this and have been very happy with the scope they recommended based on what I planned to use it for and also based on the things I wanted in my scope.