Need suggestions for a scope

Trophy · 06-02-2003, 09:55 PM

Looking for a 3-9x40 scope in $200-$300 price range. Let's hear some pros and cons on Leupold, Nikon and Bushnell.

[ 06-02-2003, 10:56 PM: Message edited by: Trophy ]

willametteriveroutlaw · 06-02-2003, 10:55 PM

Buy a Burris.
1) Same warranty as Leuopold.
2) they are very clear
3) Ballistic plex reticle on some models (very cool)
I hunt hard and have killed a Nikon (seals blew during the off season which cost me a buck. My leuoplod is at the factory right now beacuse I blew up the adjusting mechanism and lowerend bushnells all break on me.

SeanD · 06-03-2003, 02:44 AM

Leupold VX2 2-7x33 or 3-9x40. They are the lightest, most durable scope with the most eye relief for the money. Some of the other brands like burris (especially) may claim to have the same warranty as the leupold, but guys that send them in under warranty arent always thrilled about the hassle of the "liftime" warranty. The bushnell elite and the nikon monarch are the only other scopes i would consider in that price range, and they may be of simalar or even slightly better optical quality, but i still choose the leupold for my rifles. The criteria i use to measure a scopes quality includes more than optical quality, and when all the factors are considered, leupold is the best value, and the best scope.... in my opinion :smile:

Flatfish · 06-03-2003, 06:56 AM

I can't comment on Nikon or Bausch N Lomb as I have zero personal experience with them.

I have had anough with Leupold and Stevens to give them a mighty big thumbs up. Best bang for the buck IMHO.

I bought a Weaver several years ago that went TU on me last fall. After sending it back to Weaver ( they did nothing, then sent it back). And being ignored by the customer dis-service dept. Nobody returns calls there. I can say it was a fine scope...until it died. Then it becomes an expensive throw away.

Weaver could learn a lot about C.S. from Schwabbies and Leupold. Both companies make good products for the money. Not the best, but good enough for the non competitive user.

Save til you have enough for a Vari-X III 2.5-8. Great all around unit. Ebay for 300-350 or so. AND the customer service dept. will talk to you. What a bonus.

Mark and the dog.

Get Bit · 06-03-2003, 07:12 AM

I wouldn't count out the Weaver Series of scopes. I was looking at a Grandslam series 6x20. It has all the brightness and clarity of any of those you mentioned. Costs signifiganly less also. HAve a friend with several and he loves them. Just a thought.

Get Bit

Flatfish · 06-03-2003, 07:18 AM

GB,

Stan is the one who talked me out of a Leupold. Good Luck with him.

Mark and the gold ring dog.

id. painter · 06-03-2003, 07:46 AM

Leupold, all the way. Vari X three. 2.5- 8. Love the two i own. id. p.

bllelk · 06-03-2003, 07:58 AM

After buying a used handgun barrel with a Burris on it, I went all the way with Burris on my hand gun barrels and my long guns. Fell in some rocks, busted up the eye piece on one, sent it in, got a new one. No warranty papers no hassles. I used to think Leupold was the best. Burris' eye relief worked best for me and I'd definetely check them out. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Big Willie · 06-03-2003, 09:54 AM

Leupold...no question. The best in the biz and they are made in Beaverton.

In your price range check out the 'new' Vari-X II 3x9. They have some of the goodies that the III's have.

Flatfish · 06-03-2003, 03:14 PM

Weaver makes a product that is comparable to Leupold. The Weaver is less money. Good optics. Those I have dealt with have had better than average windage and elevation adjustments. Waterproof. Jeez, they are on the surface as good as a Leupold, and cheaper. How do they do that?....

I have come home from a hunt with a dead scope twice. Once was a Weaver. They did not follow thru with service after the sale. They did not return email or phone calls to the customer service dept. They did return my scope. Still not functional. No explanation was given as to why. No attempt has been made to warranty their product. I think I can tell you why Weaver optics appear to be the same value as Leupold, yet cost less. The difference in cost between the Weaver I bought and the Leupold I wanted was 50 dollars.

I now get to buy a Leupold above and beyond the cost of the Paperweight...er Weaver.

I know a fellow who came home from deer season with a story of dropping his rifle and the glass in the objective lens was destroyed in the accident. He finished the hunt with another rifle. Now he had ruined the scope. It was his fault. 450 is what he paid. And yet he was not to worried " Cause it is a Leupold and they have the best warranty in the business". They fixed it.

I wonder if he had bought a Weaver, if it would have been replaced. Weaver has a scope in their line that is close in optical quality and construction. The storefront cost is almost $400.00. I wonder what it would be worth on ebay with a missing piece of glass, and a poor/no warranty.

It would be hard to find solace in a moment like seeing glass spew from the front of your scope on opening day. With a Leupold, he could.

You will tell all of your friends, and some of your enemies about poor customer service.

Oh yeah, the owner of the establishment I bought the Weaver from ( he had to talk me out of the Leupold over 50 bucks)in response to me telling him about my experience with Weavers C.S. " Huh". Up til that day, I am quite sure I have spent better than 5000.00 in his shop. Not another penny.

I wonder what his margins on Weavers are. I would be willing to bet they are more profitable than Leupold.

Mark and the not affiliated in any way with Leupold and Stevens dog.

[ 06-03-2003, 04:18 PM: Message edited by: Flatfish ]

Trophy · 06-03-2003, 10:04 PM

Thanks, guys for your 2 cents.

After doing some research online and talking to a few 'experts', I settled on a Bushnell Elite 4200 2.5-10x50 scope. The RainGuard and FireFly reticle features, plus the lower price convinced me to buy it. The RainGuard and FireFly stuff really works and can be valuable assets when the conditions arise.

Now my follow up question!

Are Weaver scope rings and bases any good? Wal-Mart sells the set for about $13...I thought the rings and bases go for around $40-50?

chummer · 06-03-2003, 11:36 PM

My vote goes to Leupold, however, fisherman's marine or G.I. Joes has a burris 3x9 on sale for $169 right now.

willametteriveroutlaw · 06-03-2003, 11:37 PM

Leupold rings and bases are the only way to go.

SeanD · 06-04-2003, 03:43 AM

Weaver bases and rings are excellent. They are much better than the standard leupold rings and bases, or the same redfield style burris sells. The windage adjustment is the weak spot. I called leupold and they told me on my 300 win mag to use the cross slots or dual dovetails, the standards arent stout enough. The leupold dual dovetails are good, but from a structural perspective, the weaver cross slot is by design stronger. Which is why leupold sells prw and qrw rings and bases (the "w" stands for weaver) that share the same design as the weaver bases, as well as the MK4 tactical and benchrest bases, they are cross slot too. Warne also makes high end rings and bases that are interchangable with the weavers.

The weavers are cheap, very stout, and are detachable and repeatable. The main complaints with the weavers: they are ugly, they tend to scratch scope tubes, and they are hard to align the crosshairs because the scope tilts when you tighten it down. Weaver sells a new sure grip ring that eliminates the scope tilt problem. I use weavers on my rifles, and on my newest rifle i am using burris "ZEE" rings with the weaver bases because they look nicer, they are still inexpensive, and they are the same stout cross slot design.

Flatfish · 06-04-2003, 07:37 AM

The Weaver Bases should work fine. they aint sexy. But sexy is expensive(usually). They are alse sorta detatchable. Point of impact changes are usually minimal.

The Leupold bases put most of the stress on the front ring. I think it is called the redfield system.

Mark and the dog.

duck-boy · 06-04-2003, 07:04 PM

I own a couple of weaver scopes and have had good luck with them. I got them from Stan and my 2.5 to 10 is far better than my 3-9 leupold. All i can say is i fell down 2 years ago and really screwed my weaver up and Stan gave me an over the counter exchange for it and bore sighted my gun for free so...... i have no complaints so far. All my scopes are weaver or leupold so to each his own but i like the how much light the weavers pick up at dawn and dusk... my 2-cents worth.

duck-boy

Trophy · 06-04-2003, 07:35 PM

The reason I raised the question about the Weaver mounts was that they look and feel whimpy compared to the other $50 mounts. And I can see why the Weavers would be more prone to scratching the tubes, as SeanD mentioned.

But, it seems like they're acceptable mounts. Did anybody have a bad experience with them?

LIMIT LANDER · 06-04-2003, 09:08 PM

My own personal opinion , for what it is worth, i was in the same boat as you last year i hadent bought a scope in 10 years. so i went to the gun show and perchased a 2.5x7 zeiss for $250.00 it was 2 years old and in excellent shape. and is more solid than anything i have seen built brand new in the 400.00 price range. Ithink people make a big mistake buying scopes that have a real high magnafacation range. i have killed numerous Blacktail and a few M

LIMIT LANDER · 06-04-2003, 09:15 PM

My own personal opinion , for what it is worth, i was in the same boat as you last year i had not bought a scope in 10 years. so i went to the gun show and perchased a 2.5x7 zeiss for $250.00 it was 2 years old and in excellent shape. and is more solid than anything i have seen built brand new in the 400.00 price range. I think people make a big mistake buying scopes that have a real high magnafacation range. i have killed numerous Blacktail and a few Mule Deer, Elk, 2Bear. and i used a 2.5x7 or a 1.5x5 and i carried a great pair of Bonoculars.you hunt with your eyes not with your scope. thats why i put a big emphisis on a excellent pair of field glasses their a must!the guns i use are a 7mm mag and a 243.

Grantspastor · 06-06-2003, 11:01 PM

As with fishing reels, there are more good quality scopes to choose from these days. I still think that Leupold is the standard they all have to be judged by. When I lived in Alaska and shot larger calibers with hand loads...Leupold scopes are the only ones I could get that wouldn't be jarred off zero by recoil.

Killertraylor · 06-11-2003, 01:24 PM

I disagree with Limit Lander. The racks on animals I shoot are so small I need the the 14x on my 4.5-14 Leupold to see them!

I always carry excellent binos too, but sometimes you don't have enough time to use both so a good bright high powered scope is my preference. I like the Leupold Vari X III 4.5-14x50. The Bausch and Lomb Elite series scopes are a good value for the money, but I'm sold on Leupold.

[ 06-11-2003, 02:25 PM: Message edited by: Killertraylor ]

KingFisher85 · 06-11-2003, 03:51 PM

Bushnell-the newer scope, what a joke, everyone I have is busted. Now the older scopes, damn nice.

Leupold-The two I have and the one my grandpa has we have never had a problem with them. I know a few people that have had to take them in to get something done on them and had good things to say about there customer serves.
Love my Leupold scope base and rings!

Nikon-don't own one but have used them and like.

Burris-the next best thing I think. I have one, love it! Never had a problem with it.

Weaver-The only Weaver scope I have is an old T crosshairs one. But I do like there rings for 22s!

I have a redfield on my T/C 35 rem pistol and it's still up and running just fine!

Just my 2 or 3 cents!
Good luck on your new scope!

Fish Hawg · 06-13-2003, 05:32 PM

leupold is the olny thing i will buy, never had a problem w/ any of the ones i own compact 3-9-33 sliver 4.5-14 -50 and 3.5-10 -40 nor have any of my friends or family had trouble with thiers Leupold gets my Vote Just my $0.02 Good luck hunting

Scar Face · 06-17-2003, 09:34 PM

I only buy Leupolds now. A Simmons scope cost me a buck one time. It took about 3/4's of a turn and it was very stiff to get it zoomed up to 9 power. Those few seconds was all it took. A Leupold takes a 1/4 turn and it is zoomed to 9 power. I have several 3x9's Vari X II and like all of them. I've never had a problem with them. It would be nice to have the 4x12 now though. I can't afford the Vari X III's. They might be even nicer but I have to stay within budget.

For $200 dollars or a used on at $150, you can't go wrong.

ultralight · 06-18-2003, 03:54 PM

When comparing scopes, you gotta compare brands in the similar price range. It just doesn't make any sense to compare a $270 Leupold VX-II with a $100 Bushnell Trophy or Simmons Pro Hunter. I do like the Leupolds for their vaunted local warranty assurance, but I like the Bushnell Elite 3200 for about $70 less than the Leupold VX-II. Except you have to send it to midwest for the life-time warranty.

Check out THIS site for a rather comprehensive review.

SeanD · 06-18-2003, 04:41 PM

nothing wrong with a vx1. Its the same scope they used to call the varix2, and at $160-170 online, its a real bargin. If you compare the quality of optics to a bushnell 3200, the leupold (vx1/varix2) may lose out, but the optics are still pretty darn good on the vx1/varix2, and it is mounted on a LOT of rifles, with lots of happy customers. And it is just as tough and dependable with the same warranty as the more expensive leupolds, sounds like a bargin to me.

[ 06-18-2003, 05:43 PM: Message edited by: SeanD ]

HarpMan · 06-18-2003, 08:41 PM

Weavers MICRO TRACK windage and elevation system is the strongest and best in the business. Weaver, Simmons and Redfield are now owned by Meade Instruments the largest USA maker of telescopes. They will soon be giving the big L a run for the money.

SeanD · 06-18-2003, 10:12 PM

Not when you consider the warranty...

Try and get an old weaver or redfield fixed, they wont honor the old lifetime warranties any more. Bushnell is just as guilty, they bought tasco and wont honor the warranty on the old scopes, only the new ones. Some of these new scopes are really good, but what about the warranty?

ultralight · 06-18-2003, 10:29 PM

I must agree with SeanD on the warranty issue, although I think you're paying extra for the peace of mind. It should be illegal to not assume legal obligations when you acquire a company...I just don't know how they get away with it! :whazzup:

eggbouncer · 06-19-2003, 02:14 PM

BUSHNELL 4200 series best scopes made!