Scope Requirements

[postoak]

Does any scope actually come with glass lenses? Even a $50 scope will have glass lenses and will be optically clear enough for 100 yard use, and rugged enough to last for years, too, given normal use.

 

[Ray B]

Does any scope actually come with glass lenses? Even a $50 scope will have glass lenses and will be optically clear enough for 100 yard use, and rugged enough to last for years, too, given normal use.

To a degree they all work- it's just to what degree you want them to work. there are areas of rating for a scope: optical clarity, optical flatness, mechanical durability, mechanical repeatability as well as other features such as variable power, percentage of light that makes it through the scope, eye relief and field of view for a given power. there are used scopes that can be obtained for $50- older production externally adjustable fixed power scopes that if in good condition will give outstanding service far and above the price, but I suspect that a new $50 internally adjustable scope with questionable optics will be a disappointment, generally at the most inopportune time.

 

[Dwight Beagle]

rugged enough to last for years, too, given normal use.

I don’t believe that to be true. There are many $50.00 scopes that fail under light use, such as the first time they are used.

It also seems like most of the animals I shoot are crepuscular and that’s when the deficiency of $50.00 scopes stands out, in low light.

 

[Von S.]

Oh yeah!

Slap a 50$ scope on a 460 and see how many rounds it stays together.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Oh yeah!

Slap a 50$ scope on a 460 and see how many rounds it stays together.

Probably get the same results with a $200 scope. Was shooting at the muzzleloader range, a hunter sits down beside me with a CVA BPS ML, 50 caliber. Scope is a Bushnell of some stripe, brand new. One shot, the reticle is at a 45 degree angle. Shooting session over. Like anything else, buy once, cry once.

 

[postoak]

In my young, poor days, I used Tasco and Simmons scopes and they never failed and were more than clear enough for the deer hunting I was doing back then. I'm not recommending anybody buy one of those though.

To me, the advantage to buying a more expensive scope is the repeatability of the adjustments. I use a $450 Meopta on my plains game rifle and am very happy with it.

 

[IvW]

Do not use inferior scopes on rifles intended for serious hunting. Rather spend more and get one that has good hunting reviews and excellent after sales service. The last thing you need is a scope going tits up on a expensive safari. A cheap reliable rifle is one thing but a cheap unreliable scope on a reliable rifle is quite another...

 

[rookhawk]

What Do We Require in a Scope.

1. PRICE (We all have a budget. It might be $400 or $4,000 but we have one).
2. Durability (If it can't be depended on to hold zero and stay together nothing else matters).
3. Eye Relief (If we can't shoot it without getting cut does the rest really matter?)
4. Clarity (If you can't see to precisely place your shots might as well use irons).
5. Light Gathering (I personally see this as a bit over rated. If I can see what I need to see when I need to see it
it's good enough).

My problem is 4 and 5 seem to get way to much attention when the bigger priorities like 2 and 3 seem to get little attention.

Other application specific requirements may certainly be needed but those are my first 5 in order.

I like your list. I might add and amend:

6.) Straight tubed so that it sits low for fast target acquisition and no parallax
7.) That it goes down to a low power for clarity and light gathering in low light
8.) That it accompanies and is compatible with LOW rings. (e.g. even my Leica 2.5-10x50mm fits in LOW rings)
9.) Coatings that assist with low light conditions...any $50 junk works at noon on a sunny day.
10.) Unsurpassed warranty. (Swarovski/Leupold being the two best in this column)

And my own #11: That it exists used for a reasonable price. I believe $2800 scopes are worth 2800x more than cheapo scopes. Thus, I need to find them lightly used on eBay for $800-$1200 max...and I do. And since there is an amazing warranty on what I buy and since there is no risk with reliability, I buy used optics.

Greatest all purpose scope ever made? Swarovski EE (Extended Eye Relief) #4 reticle Z6 1-6x24mm. If more affluent, a new 1-8x24 Z6i EE is absolute perfection for hunting inside of 350 yards which is where 100% of my hunting occurs.

 

[IvW]

I like your list. I might add and amend:

6.) Straight tubed so that it sits low for fast target acquisition and no parallax
7.) That it goes down to a low power for clarity and light gathering in low light
8.) That it accompanies and is compatible with LOW rings. (e.g. even my Leica 2.5-10x50mm fits in LOW rings)
9.) Coatings that assist with low light conditions...any $50 junk works at noon on a sunny day.
10.) Unsurpassed warranty. (Swarovski/Leupold being the two best in this column)

And my own #11: That it exists used for a reasonable price. I believe $2800 scopes are worth 2800x more than cheapo scopes. Thus, I need to find them lightly used on eBay for $800-$1200 max...and I do. And since there is an amazing warranty on what I buy and since there is no risk with reliability, I buy used optics.

Greatest all purpose scope ever made? Swarovski EE (Extended Eye Relief) #4 reticle Z6 1-6x24mm. If more affluent, a new 1-8x24 Z6i EE is absolute perfection for hunting inside of 350 yards which is where 100% of my hunting occurs.

+5 very good advice!

 

[BeeMaa]

crepuscular

Yep, made me look that one up.

 

[Dwight Beagle]

I’ve been a voracious reader since the day I learned to read. You pick up some words along the way.

 

[BeeMaa]

I’ve been a voracious reader since the day I learned to read. You pick up some words along the way.

Tell you what, you keep shooting them at me and I'll keep looking them up...deal?
And I read too...books with pictures.

Cheers.

 

[JakeH]

Scopes are one of the few areas in this world where you truly get what you pay for, with very few exceptions. I’ve got three primary hunting rifles, a Steyr .270, a Savage .243, and a Marlin .22. They wear, in order, a Zeiss Conquest, a Burris Fullfield II, and a Simmons .22 Mag.

The only one I’m not planning on upgrading is the Steyr. The Burris on my .243 is a fine little scope but can not hold a candle to the clarity of my Zeiss, though I will say that it’s a fairly rugged budget option and has pulled duty on slug guns and black powder rifles as well as my .243. The Simmons is a basic x4 scope on a cheap squirrel hunting semi auto and honestly I’ll be upgrading the whole thing once money allows.

You can find dependable scopes in almost any price range, but they need to be suited to the job they’re being used for. I wouldn’t dare put that Simmons on a rifle I shoot often like my .270 or on my blackpowder rifle because it would be destroyed. But for relatively low volume and low recoil, it handles what I need it to do.

Dependable, clear, inexpensive. You can pick two out of the three.

 

[Art Lambart II]

Lots of Sage advice in this thread. I've always said "accurate rifles deserve good glass" but it sound like I need to change that to "Good glass deserves an accurate rifle". Maybe its time I buy a high quality piece of glass and just move it from rifle to rifle as needed.

 

[Von S.]

Squire Postoak,

Yes there are some men here who have been to Africa and other places many times. They have spent a Kings handsome on a hunt of a lifetime overseas.

These guys may be buying expensive stuff, but they are also buying peace of mind.

Is there anyone who heads to Africa to pay $25,000 in fees to miss or wound and never recover?

And should anyone ever find themselves in a situation where they find that they are tapping a turret screw with a coin to get it to move, put down the coin and shout, " bad boy", or girl as the case may be, and stop all such foolishness immediately, take off the offending scope and go out and get another one cause that one can not be trusted.

There are many nice guys here who go after big game around the world . They spend bou coup bucks on trips and always seem to come home with something good. If you don't know what to get for a scope ,ask them.

One other thing! Don't buy a boat to trailer around with until you have a truck to pull it with.

 

[Dwight Beagle]

Tell you what, you keep shooting them at me and I'll keep looking them up...deal?
And I read too...books with pictures.

Cheers.

I debated erasing my post because of the way it might be taken. When I went to do it, it was too late. My apology for coming across with a superior attitude if it was taken as such. I truly did not mean to.

 

[Shootist43]

What are everyone's thoughts about old K-4 Weaver scopes built in El Paso Texas? I normally hunt in deep woods, until recently 100 yards was a LONG shot. Now my longest available shot is 200 yds. but I've never seen a deer in that shooting lane at that distance. I read somewhere that if the old K 4(s) were made today, that they would be well over $800 and that was several years ago. I buy them on eBay for $50 to $100, mount them on Weaver rings and hunt. I have yet to have a problem with them not holding zero on rifles up to and including a 338 Win. Mag. I'm sure I give up a couple of minutes at dawn and dusk but that's about it. BTW I have a lot of Leupold scopes, a couple of Nikons, several old Redfields, 1 Kahles and a Sworo. None of those have let me down either.

After this post I expect I'll have to duck to keep my head from being beat in, so go ahead I have broad shoulders.

 

[Dr Ray]

Personally these days I believe the glass is okay to excellent. My experience is that it’s not the scope that’s the problem it’s the fact that the scope is not sighted in properly and/or the shooter hasn’t practised enough AND doesn’t know the trajectory.

 

[Dr Ray]

What are everyone's thoughts about old K-4 Weaver scopes built in El Paso Texas? I normally hunt in deep woods, until recently 100 yards was a LONG shot. Now my longest available shot is 200 yds. but I've never seen a deer in that shooting lane at that distance. I read somewhere that if the old K 4(s) were made today, that they would be well over $800 and that was several years ago. I buy them on eBay for $50 to $100, mount them on Weaver rings and hunt. I have yet to have a problem with them not holding zero on rifles up to and including a 338 Win. Mag. I'm sure I give up a couple of minutes at dawn and dusk but that's about it. BTW I have a lot of Leupold scopes, a couple of Nikons, several old Redfields, 1 Kahles and a Sworo. None of those have let me down either.

After this post I expect I'll have to duck to keep my head from being beat in, so go ahead I have broad shoulders.

I used one (4 power fixed) on a 30/06 for years without the slightest of problems.
These days I would suggest that the weaver scope is ok but not brilliant. However there’s nothing wrong with it. In fact I had a number if weaver scopes - variable as well as the fixed 4 power.
They never let me down.

 

[Shootist43]

That is my point Doc., those old Weavers much like my old Swedish Mausers just keep on keeping on (slang for they WORK.)