How did you decide on your scope?

[Trap]

Is there anyone that will make a custom reticle for your specific ballistics anymore? I see leupold custom shop is closed. My son and I have custom leupold reticle for 2 guns and it works great for us to just range and hold for longer shots. We can hold dead on 0-300 and then has smaller crosshairs for 400-1000. The elevation is perfect for the specific gun but obviously have to make wind adjustments. I can’t find anyone that does that anymore? I hope I’m not derailing this too much just spent an hour and thought be easier to ask on her. Quite a few knowledgeable members on this thread.

 

[freddyG]

I bet my retirement the failure rate for nightforce is the same as a high end leupold or vortex or Bushnell or Burris. They don’t sell as many scopes as the others, particularly leupold.

I would take this bet in an instant if we could get scope failure data from Leupold or vortex. They don’t provide that data for a reason. Nightforce does, and it’s much less than 1%.

 

[seand]

I would take this bet in an instant if we could get scope failure data from Leupold or vortex. They don’t provide that data for a reason. Nightforce does, and it’s much less than 1%.

Assuming the retirement account is healthy, and the offer is real ….

Could buy five NF, five Leupolds and a crate of ammo. Bunch of drop tests followed by ten shot groups, would show the results pretty clearly.

 

[isocyanate]

I’ll submit a few things:

The nx8 at anything over 25x is probably tough to use in low light. 8x internals are newer and less optimized than 4x or 5x. I’d look for a 4-16 or 3-12 for hunting. Resolution and clarity in low light will be better.

I’ve sent a bunch of rounds past 1000 just for funsies. 15-18x will do it on 1-2 moa size targets.

Japanese glass is fine, and will totally work. But if you can afford European….you should. (I’m a Schmidt bender fanboy).

 

[doc holiday13]

Rule of thumb for buying scopes is that they should cost as much, if not double, what you paid for the rifle. Don't cheap out on the scope rings either. The quality of the glass should be your concern. Go to a gun show and find scopes by all the big names and look through them thoroughly (swaro, S&B, nightforce, Leupold, steiner, Vortex) . For hunting, you shouldn't need anything beyond a ~15x magnification.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Every single one I’ve seen has lost zero multiple times. It’s more than a few.

Lol - like I said, you have never owned one and put it through the ringer. All hear say. The Mark5hds are legit and tough as hell.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Nope. Only a couple hundred thousand rounds using NX8’s, and only a few thousand with Mark 5’s because they all mechanically failed.

The NX8 isnt even in the same class as the Mark5hd. You are going to have to move up to the ATACR. I really like my NX8, but my Mark5hd is a way better scope.

No military contracts for the NX8, only ATACR.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

While it is not fashionable, I write down the mission statement for the rifle and scope. I then write a detailed list of requirements to meet that mission statement. It is broken down by rifle, scope, and ammo.

This whittles the list down of potential candidates. Then I look online, such as Rokslide. I then talk with trusted friends and mentors. I also look at any first hand experience on my side (good, bad, ugly). This usually gets the list pretty short.

My rifles wear a mix ranging from $200 scopes to $2-3K range. Not much sense putting a NF scope on a squirrel gun; also not much sense putting a Vortex Crossfire on a sheep gun.

 

[Trial153]

And I though arrow weight debates were contentious…

 

[cfdjay]

Answer these for yourself:

• What are you shooting (rifle, cartridge, animals, size of targets, etc)?
• How far are you shooting (max & average)?
• In what conditions?
• Weight goal?
• Any particular features that you are looking for?
• Price goal?
• How “serious” are you in getting into shooting?

Of course, scopes need to work mechanically, but in 2021 you don't have to chose between good mechanics or good “glass”. If you are shooting a lot and/or in varying conditions, “glass” will matter.

In terms of magnification range, 1x - 1.5x per 100 yards is a typical rule of thumb for practical/field shooting. I’m typically on 12x - 15x when shooting 1 - 1.5moa sized targets at 1,000 yards. High magnification ranges coupled with short scopes leads to finicky parallax, tight eyebox, distortion (which impacts reticle), dimming on high mag, etc etc. Look for about 5x magnification ranges (3-15, 4-20, etc).

If you are regularly shooting beyond about 300(ish) yards, go FFP. You’ll want your reticle to be correct on all magnifications.

Lightweight is typically the enemy of “durable” and “long range” in general. Figure 26 - 30 oz for most decent optics. A few are lighter, some are heavier. Rifles & optics are a poor place to save weight IMO.

Shooting is expensive. If you actually shoot a bunch, the price of a top tier $3k+ optic is pennies relative to ammo, time, gas, blah blah blah. Don’t set some arbitrary budget for your optic. Find the optic that is right, then save/budget to afford it. Having spent tens of thousands of dollars trying out scopes from Nikon, Bushnell, Leupold, Vortex, Nightforce, Kahles, Tangent Theta, and Zero Compromise, IME, you typically get what you pay for.

In terms of specific optics, there’s a lot of Nightforce and SWFA fanboys on this specific forum. For me, the SHV line is a pretty good $500 optic. Just so happens some folks overpay quite a bit for them. The NX8 line has way too many compromises IMO - hard pass. ATACR line is the only legitimate choice from NF, but again they’re generally over priced. I had the flagship SWFA 5-20 HD for a year. It’s an outdated scope, but good in the $800 range.

If you are on a budget, the Bushnell LRHS 2.0 is a decent sub $1,000 choice. Unilluminated Leupold Mk5 is good in the $1400 range. A used/demo ATACR is good in the $1800 range. If you go with Vortex, I’d only look at the Razor line or AMG. AMG is recently discontinued, but you can still find them used for $1800 or less. Used/demo Kahles in the $2500 range. And Tangent or ZCO in the $3500+ range. Obviously there’s way more options, but that’s very roughly how I currently break down the pricing tiers.

Expensive stuff won’t make up for lack of skill. BUT there is a strange mentality in shooting sports that tells new shooters they need to start with budget junk and somehow “earn” good gear. If you were starting to run, nobody would tell you to run 5k’s in flip flops before you “earn” good running shoes. Buy good shoes that fit up front. It’s not rocket science, buy a good optic up front.

Finally, be careful about what you read online. Lots of silliness, even/especially from forum self proclaimed ‘experts’ and reviewers. The only way to truly get experience and know what works for you is to spend the money and go use some optics. Look at the classifieds to know what sells, what sits, and what prices you can expect to get when you sell an optic.

Fantastic. Thanks for taking the time to reply. This is a HUGE help in corralling the many options.

 

[grappling_hook]

For me, the SHV line is a pretty good $500 optic. Just so happens some folks overpay quite a bit for them.

Where are they available for $500?

 

[BBob]

For me, the SHV line is a pretty good $500 optic. Just so happens some folks overpay quite a bit for them.

Yes please! Where do we buy $500 SHV’s???

 

[BBob]

That's the point

Ha! Probably why I don’t own one and probably never will.

 

[woods89]

The airlines weren't able to shake zero loose on my SHV this fall, which was worth the $750 (used) that I paid for it.

The Vortex that I took 2 years ago wasn't so fortunate......

 

[jeffpenland123]

i like the vortex viper 6.5-20x44 i have it on a 300 weatherby magnum recoil is no problem with this scope i have dropped the gun 3-5 times after i zeroed it did not come off zero i killed fouf deer with it you can get it in a mil dot retical or a bdc retical mine is mil dot its capped turrets so dont have to worry about a branch twisting the turret and you not noticing.and the vortex crossfire is good my uncle has it on a 30-06 his is a 3-9x 40 i shot it a few times it is a nice scopei also got one on my traditions nitrofire muzzleloader for christmas but mine was a 4-12x44 its a good scope all around its a v plex retical or bdc. both options are clear glass clear as any leupold i have seen both good scopes. but if you wanna find the best scope for you go on youtube and watch cycplops joe with rhea vids he has good tips on how to find one. this is my opinion do not take offence. the reason i say this is cause i hurt some people feeling on topic of powerbelts for muzzy.