# Scope Recomendations



## Whiskey River (Sep 19, 2017)

I am looking for a new scope in the $200 to $300 range for a 30-06.  I have had a $100 Bushnell on the rifle for the last 20 years and I am looking for an upgrade.  The scope does no appear to be functioning as accurately as it used to and its time for an upgrade.  Due to budget concerns, I think $300 is about as high as I would go.  Most of my shooting will be for 50-100 yard shots on white tail.  I do enjoy having the option to take a longer shot if the opportunity arises, but in reality they are uncommon.

What has worked well for you?  Seeking your recommendations.  I would say low light, clarity, and zero drift are my priorities.

Thanks in advance,


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## Hankus (Sep 19, 2017)

Leupold


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## oatmeal1 (Sep 19, 2017)

Imho a nikon prostaff is hard to beat for the money.


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## marknga (Sep 19, 2017)

Redfield.
Great value.


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## BeerThirty (Sep 19, 2017)

Check out Vortex.  In your range a Diamondback will work great.  They are the hottest new scope manufacturer out there and have the best no-questions-asked lifetime warranty.


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## Whiskey River (Sep 19, 2017)

A couple more questions - 40mm vs 44mm vs 50mm?  I do like the thought of being able to see better in low light.  For those with a 50mm, do you find it cumbersome to carry to the stand?  Is the extra distance from the barrel when using a 50mm uncomfortable to align your eye?

What's the best place in the metro area to see some of these in person?


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## killerv (Sep 20, 2017)

Whiskey River said:


> A couple more questions - 40mm vs 44mm vs 50mm?  I do like the thought of being able to see better in low light.  For those with a 50mm, do you find it cumbersome to carry to the stand?  Is the extra distance from the barrel when using a 50mm uncomfortable to align your eye?
> 
> What's the best place in the metro area to see some of these in person?



There are many 40mm scopes in the price range you mentioned that do more than well in low light..and in fact could still have you shooting past legal hours if you wanted. Not that I'm advocating that...just trying to say that 50mm aren't necessary. More weight and they are mounted further from the barrel.

You can pickup a leupold vx-3i 3.5-10x40 with a little searching for about 300. That's a first class hunting scope.


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## transfixer (Sep 20, 2017)

Whiskey River said:


> A couple more questions - 40mm vs 44mm vs 50mm?  I do like the thought of being able to see better in low light.  For those with a 50mm, do you find it cumbersome to carry to the stand?  Is the extra distance from the barrel when using a 50mm uncomfortable to align your eye?
> 
> What's the best place in the metro area to see some of these in person?



Scopes seemed to have improved in recent years a lot,  I used to only look to Leupold for a high quality scope that was still in my price range,  now there are two or three other manufacturers that virtually match or exceed the brightness and clarity of Leupold,  

   The 50mm objectives will usually require high rings,  which can mess with your cheek weld,  some don't care about that, some do,    I used to have a VariXIII 4x14.5x50 Leupold on a heavy brl .308 , but never did like the fact that I couldn't get a solid cheek weld,  finally swapped to a 44mm scope which let me mount it low and close to the barrel and it feels much better to me,   one thing to consider,  look at the 30mm tube scopes,  you can stay with a 40-44mm obj and still get more light to your eye than you can with a 50mm and a 1inch tube.


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## Whiskey River (Sep 22, 2017)

Gentlemen,

Thanks to all for your input.  In terms of new scopes that serve what I am looking for and fall in the price range, I think I'm going to go with one of the Nikon Prostaffs, Possible a Prostaff 7 2.5 x 10 x 42, looked at this scope at Cabelas and it seems to fit the bill.  

In terms of used scopes, where do you find good + safe deals?  I also wanted to investigate whether I can get a higher grade scope used for the same price range (200-300).  Perhaps a used Leupold VX-3i should also be in the running.

Your comments above have been very helpful + appreciated!


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## BeerThirty (Sep 22, 2017)

http://www.opticsplanet.com/


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## model88_308 (Sep 22, 2017)

Whiskey River said:


> Gentlemen,
> 
> Thanks to all for your input.  In terms of new scopes that serve what I am looking for and fall in the price range, I think I'm going to go with one of the Nikon Prostaffs, Possible a Prostaff 7 2.5 x 10 x 42, looked at this scope at Cabelas and it seems to fit the bill.
> 
> ...



While I've not owned a Leupold VX3i, I do own VX3 and VX2 and see very little(no?) difference in low light comparisons. I also own a couple Diamondback HPs in 2-8x32 and 3-12x42 and Nikon Monarchs and I'd probably choose the VX2 over them as well. Look on Ebay and Amazon for the lowest prices as new and see what you can do. 

Best of luck with whichever you find works best for _you._


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## marknga (Sep 22, 2017)

BeerThirty said:


> http://www.opticsplanet.com/



X2 
check them out


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## rvick (Sep 22, 2017)

oatmeal1 said:


> Imho a nikon prostaff is hard to beat for the money.



      This....


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## Hillbilly stalker (Sep 22, 2017)

Bought my pro staff from Natchez, it was a refurbished one. Great deal, looks and performs like a new one. Check hem out.


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## Wooly Bugger (Jan 6, 2018)

Leupold: over rated and popular only because people keep getting what “their daddy had and his daddy...” step out of the Leupold “popular girl” drudgery and try Zeiss, Nikon, Vortex. Also, try different than Leupold mounts, they are nothing but junk! Any scope mount company that states on their instructions “ you have the ability to shim or grind” should be avoided like the plague! DNZ and Talley make awesome mounts, they are machined from a solid piece of aluminum and their tolerances are spot on, mount them, place your scope in, no ring turning or fiddle farting, no fuss no muss. It’s time to leave the prom queen behind and go for the quality wall flowers that get over looked cuz “daddy didn’t use those. I have a Schmidt &Bender that blows anything Leupold could dream of, but, as far as a $300 scope try Nikon or Zeiss, a lot of talk about “light gathering”, if you are hunting where it’s that dark that you need to rely on your scope to see your target clearly, that’s just plain dangerous


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## DannyW (Jan 24, 2018)

Regarding 40MM vs 50MM...IMO the quality of glass and construction have more to do with clarity and light gathering than the size of the objective lens.

I do think Zeiss and Swarovski make the best scopes, but with a $300 budget they aren't really a choice. Personally, I like the Leupold scopes equally as well as Nikon and Vortex. And their warranty is bulletproof.

True story...a buddy of mine accidently knocked his gun off the bench at the range. The gun fell 3 feet onto a concrete pad, landed on the scope, and bent it into the approximate shape of a banana pepper.

He called Leupold customer service and truthfully told them what happened. He asked what the charge would be to repair the scope. They replied "zero...we cover the scope for life, regardless of how the damage occurred". He sent in the scope and they sent him a new one.

Now that's customer service.

I know people hate the site but I have bought (and sold) several scopes on eBay...and now, the end of hunting season, is the best time to do it. I do a lot of business on eBay, both as a buyer and seller, and I can assure you that eBay now protects buyers with a vengeance...you can get your money back on anything as long as you request it within 14 days. And if the seller won't take it back, eBay will freeze the funds in their account.

I have experienced this first hand.


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