Rifle scope

[Gwtaylor]

In your opinion what is the best scope to place on top of a Browning X-bolt 243.
I'm looking at under $400.

 

[redblood]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Leupold-VX-3-2- ... 35cfb50203

 

[W.Seay]

Zeiss conquest 3x9x40 with talley lightweight ring/bases!!

 

[280longshot]

You shall receive many opinions on this one.:smile:

 

[deerhunter10]

zeiss or leupold for me.

 

[UTGrad]

Zeiss Conquest or if you can still find one a Bushnell Elite 4200

 

[DonW]

Vortex- best customer service and warranty going right now, and the glass is good. You can literally slam the car door on one and they will replace it... dont ask how I know.
The mid and upper level Nikons are probably the most underrated glass on the market, very clear and bright.
I like Burris, and they are made locally me to me, so those go on the list too.


Just n case you wonder who owns who these days...
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/200 ... ptik-gmbh/

 

[wsm]

I have a Nikon monarch on my model 70 fwt. and it is awesome also like the vortex line of scopes.

 

[feldmutze]

Look for a used Leupold Var-X III, 3.5 x 10 or 4.5 x 14

 

[Winchester]

For that price a Leupold will get the nod!

 

[knightrider]

leupold and redfields for me and my crew

 

[Bulldog25]

Leupold Rifleman 3-9x40. Have one on my 308 and it's real clear and crisp with great eye relief. Great deal for under $200. Checked out the Var-X II and it was no where near as clear and didn't have the same relief as the Rifleman.

 

[JoeDeer]

i have a Nikon Buckmaster 3-9x40 on my .308 and it is nice havnt had any issues

i borrowed a gun for my son that has a leupold vxII i believe and it sits on a browning a bolt 7mm/08 and it is awesome...

i just bought a model 7 7mm/08 and that is what i am putting on my new gun

 

[Winchester]

Leupold Rifleman 3-9x40. Have one on my 308 and it's real clear and crisp with great eye relief. Great deal for under $200. Checked out the Var-X II and it was no where near as clear and didn't have the same relief as the Rifleman.

Are you serious! The Rifleman is Leupolds entry level scope made to be sold at Walmart, which is a decent scope for the price. Moving on up to a VxII is like daylight and dark, much better glass, much better scope all around! That's why it cost about twice as much as their entry level Rifleman!

 

[Headhunter]

I love leupold but like Winchester the rifleman is junk.

 

[DonW]

The lower end leupolds are not near the scopes they once were.

I picked my last scope up from optics planet and they made me a solid deal.

For under 400 bucks the pickings are thin if you want solid value, good clear glass, and repeatability. Brightness is hard to really distinguish in a brightly lot retail store, and you definitely can't tell if the clicks actually mean anything.
When I buy a scope the first thing I do is take it out at dusk and check to see if it's as bright and clear as I expect. Then I mount it, level it, and do a box test at the 100 yard range. If it doesn't pass, it goes back.
It is also worthwhile to use a cant indicator as it's pretty easy to think your holding level when your not, and it makes a difference in POI.

 

[redblood]

Leupold Rifleman 3-9x40. Have one on my 308 and it's real clear and crisp with great eye relief. Great deal for under $200. Checked out the Var-X II and it was no where near as clear and didn't have the same relief as the Rifleman.

Are you serious! The Rifleman is Leupolds entry level scope made to be sold at Walmart, which is a decent scope for the price. Moving on up to a VxII is like daylight and dark, much better glass, much better scope all around! That's why it cost about twice as much as their entry level Rifleman!

but the vx3 is the cadillac of the leupold line and a huge jump over the vx2

 

[woodchuckc]

I have Nikon Monarchs on most of my rifles, but I recently bought a Minox ZA5 to put on a 7mm08 and I have to say it is a really nice scope for the money (I think I paid a little over $300 for it). I don't have a Zeiss to compare it to, but if my Nikons ever break I will most likely replace them with Minox scopes.

 

[JeepKuntry]

i have a Nikon Buckmaster 3-9x40 on my .308 and it is nice havnt had any issues

i borrowed a gun for my son that has a leupold vxII i believe and it sits on a browning a bolt 7mm/08 and it is awesome...

i just bought a model 7 7mm/08 and that is what i am putting on my new gun

My ML is topped with a Rifleman, my .270 with vxII. IMO the vxII is a lot better. I don't put the two in the same league!

 

[Bulldog25]

Leupold Rifleman 3-9x40. Have one on my 308 and it's real clear and crisp with great eye relief. Great deal for under $200. Checked out the Var-X II and it was no where near as clear and didn't have the same relief as the Rifleman.

Are you serious! The Rifleman is Leupolds entry level scope made to be sold at Walmart, which is a decent scope for the price. Moving on up to a VxII is like daylight and dark, much better glass, much better scope all around! That's why it cost about twice as much as their entry level Rifleman!

I was all for getting the VX II since it was only $20-30 more when I got mine but was a lot less clear and didn't have as much eye relief. For the money the Rifleman does the job.

 

[volunteer1]

I personally have 3 leupolds on 2 rifles and my tc omega. Nikons on the other rifles. Both are good scopes. I really like my leupolds.

 

[Gwtaylor]

What is the difference between VX2 & VX3?

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

What is the difference between VX2 & VX3?

There is a big jump in quality from the VX-@ to the VX-3

 

[Tims]

Go with the Ziess Conquest 3-9x40 and never look
back. There's a reason why leupold is the most traded
scope around.

 

[Vermin93]

What is the difference between VX2 & VX3?

"The new VX-2 lacks several key features of the VX-3. The VX-3 has the Xtended Twilight Lens System which improves performance in low light conditions. The VX-2 does not. The VX-3 has the improved DiamondCoat 2 anti-scratch coating. The VX-2 has the original DiamondCoat coating. The VX-3 has the Twin Bias Spring Erector system. The VX-2 has a Single Bias Spring Erector. This is a big difference. The Twin Bias Spring Erector is the "muscle" of the VX-3 that protects the scope internals from the wear and tear of recoil. The VX-3 has cryogenically treated adjustment screws for added durability. The VX-2 does not. The VX-3 has a better fast focus eyepiece than the VX-2."

The Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 that some people are recommending is no longer manufactured. It used to be available new for $400, and it was arguably the best $400 scope on the market. There are still a few new ones available online, but they are going for around $550. If you look around you might find a used one for under $400. The new Zeiss Terra line of scopes has replaced some of the Conquest models that were discontinued, including the Conquest 3-9x40. The Terra is Zeiss' new entry level line of scopes. Zeiss made some cost reductions to the Conquest to come up with the Terra line. Basically, the Terra has a few less features than the Conquest, although the optical performance is supposed to be about the same. The Conquest was assembled in the USA and the Terra is assembled in Japan. Zeiss had to do this to remain competitive. They couldn't afford to keep making and selling the Conquest 3-9x40 for only $400. You can get the new Zeiss Terra 3-9x42 for around $400 or a 4-12x42 for around $450. They also make the Terra in 2-7x32 for around $350, which would be great for a compact rifle. Zeiss still makes the Conquest in several variations, including a 3-9x50 for $550.

New Zeiss Terra Rifle Scopes

 

[Winchester]

What is the difference between VX2 & VX3?

"The new VX-2 lacks several key features of the VX-3. The VX-3 has the Xtended Twilight Lens System which improves performance in low light conditions. The VX-2 does not. The VX-3 has the improved DiamondCoat 2 anti-scratch coating. The VX-2 has the original DiamondCoat coating. The VX-3 has the Twin Bias Spring Erector system. The VX-2 has a Single Bias Spring Erector. This is a big difference. The Twin Bias Spring Erector is the "muscle" of the VX-3 that protects the scope internals from the wear and tear of recoil. The VX-3 has cryogenically treated adjustment screws for added durability. The VX-2 does not. The VX-3 has a better fast focus eyepiece than the VX-2."

The Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 that some people are recommending is no longer manufactured. It used to be available new for $400, and it was arguably the best $400 scope on the market. There are still a few new ones available online, but they are going for around $550. If you look around you might find a used one for under $400. The new Zeiss Terra line of scopes has replaced some of the Conquest models that were discontinued, including the Conquest 3-9x40. The Terra is Zeiss' new entry level line of scopes. Zeiss made some cost reductions to the Conquest to come up with the Terra line. Basically, the Terra has a few less features than the Conquest, although the optical performance is supposed to be about the same. The Conquest was assembled in the USA and the Terra is assembled in Japan. Zeiss had to do this to remain competitive. They couldn't afford to keep making and selling the Conquest 3-9x40 for only $400. You can get the new Zeiss Terra 3-9x42 for around $400 or a 4-12x42 for around $450. They also make the Terra in 2-7x32 for around $350, which would be great for a compact rifle. Zeiss still makes the Conquest in several variations, including a 3-9x50 for $550.

New Zeiss Terra Rifle Scopes

There you have it, good info, and about the same drop once again going down to the Rifleman.

 

[Bulldog25]

Leupold Rifleman 3-9x40. Have one on my 308 and it's real clear and crisp with great eye relief. Great deal for under $200. Checked out the Var-X II and it was no where near as clear and didn't have the same relief as the Rifleman.

Are you serious! The Rifleman is Leupolds entry level scope made to be sold at Walmart, which is a decent scope for the price. Moving on up to a VxII is like daylight and dark, much better glass, much better scope all around! That's why it cost about twice as much as their entry level Rifleman!

I was all for getting the VX II since it was only $20-30 more when I got mine but was a lot less clear and didn't have as much eye relief. For the money the Rifleman does the job.

Also I wouldn't consider any Leupold an "entry level" scope. I would consider scopes that are under $100 "entry level". I know that there are better scopes out there but for the price the rifleman does the job and from my experience the rifleman was clearer than the VX II. And the price difference was $199 and $229. So if price is any indicator the VX II isn't really that much better.

 

[Winchester]

Where did you find a VXII for $229 Are you sure your not comparing it to the older style Vari XII Leupold scopes? Cheapest VXII Im aware of starts at $299 but I also haven't priced them recently either?
And the Rifleman is definitely Leupolds entry level scope and its labeled as so.

 

[Bulldog25]

Where did you find a VXII for $229 Are you sure your not comparing it to the older style Vari XII Leupold scopes? Cheapest VXII Im aware of starts at $299 but I also haven't priced them recently either?
And the Rifleman is definitely Leupolds entry level scope and its labeled as so.

The Var X II is what I had in my original post. But actually I'm all messed up. It was the VX I. And it's $229.

 

[Vermin93]

The VX-I and VX-II scopes were both updated in early 2012 because they were very long in the tooth and had fallen far behind the competition. The updated versions are now called the VX-1 and the VX-2. The current VX-2 is much improved over the VX-II that was sold up until 2012. The technology that's built into the Rifleman simply doesn't allow it to perform as well as the new VX-2. It's just not possible.

Also, the Vari-X II, Vari-X III and VX-III are obsolete scopes that are no longer made. Leupold hasn't made a Vari-X anything in a long time.

I have noticed that the older Vari-X line of Leupold scopes have a nostalgia about them with older hunters. Apparently they were the bees knees back in the day and had a reputation for toughness and reliability. However, optically and mechanically they are pretty inferior to the current versions from Leupold which incorporate several technology improvements that have been developed over the years. Some people will still pay a pretty good price for old Vari-X scopes, though. I guess it's the nostalgia factor.

The old Vari-X II was improved over a decade ago and renamed the VX-II. The VX-II was improved in 2012 and renamed the VX-2.