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$300 Rilfe Scopes

OhHeyThereBen

OhHeyThereBen

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Joined
Dec 19, 2017
Messages
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Location
West Central WI
I'm planning on purchasing a Savage 12fv as soon as I can find a good deal on one and am wondering if you all have any recommendations on less expensive rifle scopes. I'm planning on this being more of a toy for reloading/long(ish) range shooting but can't really get into a $500-$1000 piece of glass for the top right now. I know you can get some pretty decent glass for around $300 so I'm hoping for a bit of insight from you guys.

Requirements:
1. Be easy and able to adjust for elevation.
2. Have a MOA or MIL reticle.
3. Factory warranty.
4. Minimum of a 10x top end magnification.

A few of my thoughts:

I myself am a big fan of Leupold and saw that the VX-Freedom has a nice reticle. My 20 year old VX-1 has been excellent and wouldn't hesitate with a lower-end Leupold. I also know that there's a lot of Leupold fans on here.

Another brand that has a bunch of quality lower-end scopes is Vortex. I'd probably be looking at something in the Diamondback line unless I could find a good sale somewhere.

Bushnell engage? I haven't had a chance to look through them at all yet.

Any other brand/model recommendations are appreciated. I do realize I'm not going to get amazing glass for this price, but functionality is to be considered.

p.s. I can't believe that I spelled rifle incorrectly in the title. It can't be updated so apologies to all you fellow OCD people.
 
I have had good luck with $300-$400 Nikon Monarch 3's (but the ED Monarch 5s are noticeably better but are more $400-$500), but also like my Leupolds in that range.
 
I prefer the 10x SWFA, Super Sniper scope to all others. Good glass, built like a tank and retail for 300. I just bought another one on their notorious Black Friday sale, for 259 including rings, level and a couple other goodies. Their other scopes are great, but some cost a bit more. The Nikon m tac scopes are a bit more, but not much and are getting a decent rep from what I have read.
 
sbhooper said:
I prefer the 10x SWFA, Super Sniper scope to all others. Good glass, built like a tank and retail for 300. I just bought another one on their notorious Black Friday sale, for 259 including rings, level and a couple other goodies. Their other scopes are great, but some cost a bit more. The Nikon m tac scopes are a bit more, but not much and are getting a decent rep from what I have read.
Click to expand...
+1

Even if you don't spin turrets, this is the best value in a hunting scope to me. ymmv
 
Apparently the freedom line has the LR windplex reticle. The elevation hashmarks on the LR are at staggered moa to line up with typical rifle trajectories so you just need to remember what yardage they are zero at.
 
Those SWFAs seem to be a great value for a target gun. That may be the way to go with a rings/shade/bubble deal right now for $260. I can't find anything bad about them except for that they're called the "Super Sniper." Anyone else have insight on them?

Additionally, if you guys had a fixed power scope for being a "super sniper," would you go 10x or 12x?

I'd still rather have Leupold... but I haven't found anything bad about these so far. Great warranty and apparently good glass.
 
OhHeyThereBen said:
Those SWFAs seem to be a great value for a target gun. That may be the way to go with a rings/shade/bubble deal right now for $260. I can't find anything bad about them except for that they're called the "Super Sniper." Anyone else have insight on them?

Additionally, if you guys had a fixed power scope for being a "super sniper," would you go 10x or 12x?

I'd still rather have Leupold... but I haven't found anything bad about these so far. Great warranty and apparently good glass.
Click to expand...
Just call them "SS" and it helps. :)
I'd go 10x every time, I've got 3 at the moment--one on a 6.5C CTR, one on a youth .243 T3, and one that's going on a 22lr. 12x is a tweener to me, and more than I care for in a fixed, just my opinion. I have no problem hunting with 10x in all conditions and shooting long on steel. The rings are mediocre at best, but hey they're free!
 
If I read your first post correctly and you're thinking primarily target/range use, take a look at the Athlon Midas Tac. https://athlonoptics.com/product/midas-tac-6-24x50-mil/ It is above your price goal, but by checking around it can be found well below their stated MSRP. Opinions and preferences vary widely, but for PRS style shooting I prefer first-focal-plane (FFP) scopes and enough zoom to see where impacts are at on targets. Vortex has a new Diamondback Tactical that's more in your price range and FFP, but I don't think it has zero stop on the turret. I've seen the Diamondback around $335 on recent sales. http://vortexoptics.com/product/vor...-24x50 FFP-riflescope_with_ebr-2c_moa-reticle
 
fishing4sanity said:
If I read your first post correctly and you're thinking primarily target/range use, take a look at the Athlon Midas Tac. https://athlonoptics.com/product/midas-tac-6-24x50-mil/ It is above your price goal, but by checking around it can be found well below their stated MSRP. Opinions and preferences vary widely, but for PRS style shooting I prefer first-focal-plane (FFP) scopes and enough zoom to see where impacts are at on targets. Vortex has a new Diamondback Tactical that's more in your price range and FFP, but I don't think it has zero stop on the turret. I've seen the Diamondback around $335 on recent sales. http://vortexoptics.com/product/vor...-24x50 FFP-riflescope_with_ebr-2c_moa-reticle
Click to expand...

I forgot about Athlon. I'll look into those now. I'm a little worried by what I've heard about the durability of the scope knobs on the Vortex with a bunch of dialing. But they do have nice glass for the price and you can buy it from a store.
 
Cabelas has the 12FV in 204 ruger on sale for $350 right now. But I got one in 6.5cm last year for $229 after rebates. It's my most accurate rifle but very heavy.

I wouldn't hesitate to put a VX-1, VX-2, or VX-3 on it. I prefer something in the 3.5-14x range. Cabelas also has a Mark AR 3-9x for $299 right now. It's a good scope and has the Firedot which I like. The 3.5-10x VX3i is a step up and only $320.

That would be my choice.
 
Anyone run into any problems with dialing in elevation with their Leupold/Vortex/Nikon etc? From what I'm seeing, the benefit of the SWFA is the dead nuts reliable tracking. But I'm fairly new to this stuff so insight is appreciated.
 
My monarch 5s tracking and holding is spot on, but I don’t dial in the field. Same for my son’s Monarch 3s. My Leupold has solid hold but haven’t done any serious dial tracking with it so can’t tell on that, other than the dialing feels a little soft/plasticy.
 
With Leupold, no. But if you browse around the internet I'm sure you'll find people who are convinced leupold is now worse than BSA.

I also have a SS 10x on a varmint rig (I like it) but would only use the 6x if I were to put one on a hunting rig.
 
Thanks guys. I think I'm going to go with the SWFA 10x. This is mostly going to be a range rig with possibly some bean field whitetail hunting in its future depending on how that goes. Where I hunt I rarely shoot over 200 yards and will still stick with the old Model 70 '06 because it's my first true love. But shooting tiny groups at longer ranges sounds like a fun thing to try to figure out.
 
OhHeyThereBen said:
Thanks guys. I think I'm going to go with the SWFA 10x. This is mostly going to be a range rig with possibly some bean field whitetail hunting in its future depending on how that goes. Where I hunt I rarely shoot over 200 yards and will still stick with the old Model 70 '06 because it's my first true love. But shooting tiny groups at longer ranges sounds like a fun thing to try to figure out.
Click to expand...

You can buy zero stop inserts for the SWFA SS scopes on ebay
 
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