scopes.....3x9x40

pass-thru · Dec 24, 2009

I know a lot of guys like to buy scopes for the toy factor.

But....as a deer hunting tool...isn't the 3x9x40 optimal? 3x mag allows fast target acquistion. Surely nobody takes shots at whitetails that would ever require more than 9x. And 40mm keeps the scope lighter, less issues with parellex, and longer life span.

So why do so many deer hunters buy scopes that are more expensive but ultimately less practical?

Model70Man · Dec 25, 2009

pass-thru said:
So why do so many deer hunters buy scopes that are more expensive but ultimately less practical?

Many people buy more expensive scopes, IMO, because they are buying quality. Once you hunt with a quality scope it sort of ruins you. You don't want to hunt with a lesser quality scope once you have experienced some really good optics. Any $100 scope is practical for hunting, but what is the quality like?
A practical car would be a Honda Civic. It gets the job done. But once you drive a Porsche, you realize what you have been missing.

I agree, the Zeiss Conquest is the best practical scope made. You get superior quality mechanically and optically at a more than reasonable price. I'd opt for the 2.5-8x32 though.

statelineRUT · Dec 25, 2009

I have 3-9's on all of my hunting rifles both deer and predator. I always leave my power setting on 3. And to be honest, I never really remember changing that setting either over the past 8 years or so. The main reason I get the 9 power is for paper shooting to be honest. I hunt heavy thick stuff and maybe the occasional 150 yard field. For me the ideal hunting scope would be a 2-7 power. Better eye relief and larger field of view as well.

pass-thru · Dec 25, 2009

Model70Man said:
I agree, the Zeiss Conquest is the best practical scope made. You get superior quality mechanically and optically at a more than reasonable price. I'd opt for the 2.5-8x32 though.

I wasn't referring to the additional price of a quality make/glass, rather the additional expense of wider objective lens and higher power range, which double the price of any brand....when used for deer hunting. I agree it's a good idea to buy a good quality brand.

statelineRUT · Dec 25, 2009

I think a lot of people think that you need to spend as much on the scope as you did on the rifle. I have never thought like that, but I also have three kids and a mortgage, LOL. I have always stayed around that $200 range on optics and have always been very satisfied with the results in the field. I am sure that the higher dollar scopes are clearer than my Elite 3200 and Lupy VX-I, but I sure cant see that I need any more than I am already getting in my current optics.