Suggestions for a scope...


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alex30808

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Picked up a nice Remington 700 chambered in 30-06 this evening. It has a BSA scope on it that has a dent in the optics retaining ring/sun shade (looks like it took a bounce) so new glass is in order....what do you suggest and why....keep the price under $250.

Main thing I am looking for is multipurpose...mil-dot reticle. Shots as close as 30 yards and as far way as 400+.
Preferring a matte black finish...no stainless, camo, or high gloss


The rifle is in excellent shape. I cleaned, bore sited and zeroed this rifle for the guy I got it from just last year...He's not shot it since. I've already broken it down and cleaned and lubed it. He also gave me the hand loads I made for him back with the firearm.

Thanks for your thoughts and opinions.

Alex
 
I am not going to give you suggestions on what to get but rather the brands to now stay away from. BSA, Tasco, Simmons, Bushnell, NC Star, and any other scope made in China and less than $150. I have seen more bad scopes from the above list than just about any other brand. I personally, in the last year, have had a Tasco World Class, and a Simmons Deerfield, that I bought new, that would not zero, and the cross hairs are loose in the Simmons.

My hunting buddy caught some BSA scopes on sale, and bought 5 of them. One he put on a 250 savage, another on a 308, and the cross hairs fell out of them before he got them zeroed. He put the third on a 22mag and a couple months later it went bad. The other two sat in his gun safe for a couple years. He had a 22mag that he was going to sell and was going to put one of those BSA scopes on it, take it to a gun show and trade it off. When he looked through the first one, it had fogged up, and the second one the cross hairs had fallen out of sitting on the shelf.

As long as you spend around $200 or more chances are you will get a good scope. I like the Redfields, and Weavers, and some of the more expensive CenterPoints.

Best wishes,

Joe
 
My last purchase was a Nikon. It's on my 338 Win. Mag. and has stood up well. I personally find the mil. dot. and other similar systems distracting. To each his own!

Steve
 
Have a look at the Redfield line if you aren't familiar with them. A few years back, Leupold purchased the rights to the Redfield name and subsequently brought the Redfield brand back to life.

Redfield scopes are all manufactured in Oregon at Leupold's factory and come with an excellent lifetime warranty. The optic quality, in my opinion, is excellent for the cost of ownership and I've been very pleased with the one I own.

They don't have a "mil-dot" option, but they do offer the "Accu-range" reticle, which is their version of the bullet drop compensator.

http://redfield.com/riflescopes/
 
Leupold. Made in American and they have a lifetime warranty. I am the 3rd owner of an older Leupold that I had to send it for repairs. They fixed it for free even though the damage was obviously from one of the previous owners. They stand behind their product.
 
slightly off topic here, but brand is relevant... i think i mentioned here somewhere that of my own fault, responsibility, and free will, i dropped a pair of $100 nikon binos off my treestand. they did fine for about 14'... at the 15th foot, they met the ground and broke... i sent them in for repair. they wanted $10 for a part, and $12 for shipping... i got them back the other day... not the same set... they sent me an entirely new set of binos! i was impressed. so, maybe nikon's an option for you too... (i'm still sticking with leupold).
 
I just bought a Minox 3-9-x40 with the BDC reticle for a .223. It is, unfortunately, out of the price range you mention. I also looked at the following:

Redfield
Leupold
Burris

The Redfield has a lifetime warranty, is in your price bracket, and the glass was bright and the focus sharp. I went with the Minox because it was a bit better but the difference was minimal. Given your range of shots I would go for a variable from 1.75-6, 2-7, or 3-9. 6x is plenty for 400 yards on deer sized animals. If your shooting coyotes or varmints in general the 9x end is pretty nice. Any of these ranges give you suffcient magnifcation for precise shot placement at the highest power and work well at short ranges on the low end.

I don't care much for the mil dot reticle in a hunting scope as they are difficult for me to see in low light conditions or against dark backgrounds but my experience is limited to one scope. The scopes I looked at have BDC marks for a couple of distances but I probably won't use them.
 
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Sorry Alex, but I cannot recommend any scope under $250.

I would much rather have a $250 firearm and a $800 scope than the other way around. When you hunt in the desert southwest you learn the importance of glass over firearm. I have more invested in my glass than I do in my firearms, and I'm not cheap on my firearms either.

Biker
 
Stoneshaper said:
I am not going to give you suggestions on what to get but rather the brands to now stay away from. BSA, Tasco, Simmons, Bushnell, NC Star, and any other scope made in China and less than $150. I have seen more bad scopes from the above list than just about any other brand. I personally, in the last year, have had a Tasco World Class, and a Simmons Deerfield, that I bought new, that would not zero, and the cross hairs are loose in the Simmons.

My hunting buddy caught some BSA scopes on sale, and bought 5 of them. One he put on a 250 savage, another on a 308, and the cross hairs fell out of them before he got them zeroed. He put the third on a 22mag and a couple months later it went bad. The other two sat in his gun safe for a couple years. He had a 22mag that he was going to sell and was going to put one of those BSA scopes on it, take it to a gun show and trade it off. When he looked through the first one, it had fogged up, and the second one the cross hairs had fallen out of sitting on the shelf.

As long as you spend around $200 or more chances are you will get a good scope. I like the Redfields, and Weavers, and some of the more expensive CenterPoints.

Best wishes,

Joe
Click to expand...

No disrespect intended but my .22 savage with a mounted Bushnell scope will shoot sub 1/2" all day at 100 yards....... the scope was under 100 bucks.

Granted it is only a plinkin rifle for the 100 yard range but you cant discount 1/2" groups at 100 yards with a .22 using bulk ammo. For a hunting gun of course I want better glass but the blanket statement you made about them all being junk is completely inaccurate. I have posted targets in a different thread for reference. Perhaps I have the only good Bushnell ever made, if so I am glad to have it on my rifle.......
 
alex30808 said:
Picked up a nice Remington 700 chambered in 30-06 this evening. It has a BSA scope on it that has a dent in the optics retaining ring/sun shade (looks like it took a bounce) so new glass is in order....what do you suggest and why....keep the price under $250.

Main thing I am looking for is multipurpose...mil-dot reticle. Shots as close as 30 yards and as far way as 400+.
Preferring a matte black finish...no stainless, camo, or high gloss


The rifle is in excellent shape. I cleaned, bore sited and zeroed this rifle for the guy I got it from just last year...He's not shot it since. I've already broken it down and cleaned and lubed it. He also gave me the hand loads I made for him back with the firearm.

Thanks for your thoughts and opinions.

Alex
Click to expand...


There are some great scopes out there and available for the shots you describe, the problem is your budget. No offense meant, but you are not going to get optics that are clear enough to see well enough at 400+ yds for under $250 unless you find someone giving away a used one. Leupold, Nikon, Grey Bull are all brands I can vouch for. A scope that will be clear at that range is going to cost you a minimum of $750-$1,200 depending on how crazy you go.

My general rule of thumb is your optics are going to cost at minimum what your rifle costs, usually more. If it was me I would keep saving and before next deer season you can have the scope you want and you won't be disappointed that you wasted $200 on one that wouldn't perform for you. Or rethink how important shots past 250 yds are.
 
Burris, Leupold, or Nikon. Good quality optics for the money. I have all 3 and am equally pleased with the performance.

As for the range, do you have a place to practice 400yd shots? This will help you build confidence in your rifle, sights, and you as a shooter.

Good luck in the search.
 
I agree with all of you in the idea of putting just as much money (often times more) into the optic as the firearm,....and typically I would...but this time...mama said "uh...NO" so as most married men know (15 years plus)...that means "Uh...NO!!!" We at the same time know that if mama ain't happy....ain't no body happy....thus the reason for the given price range.

I did mention a 400 yard shot...that would be in the absolute most extreme situation on a power line, over bait with the game warden holding the spot light...LOL...and as you'll also remember I stated as close as 30 yards. Here where I'm located in Ga and given the hunting land I've got access to...my typical average shot will be no more than 75-100 yards with the typical average "long shot" being 150-200 yards.
 
Take a look at the Redfields. Got one myself recently and for the money it's a pretty nice scope. It's one heck of an upgrade from the low end Bushnell that was on there before.

Mine's on a Marlin 336 so I got the 2-7 power version, which I really like a lot. I actually usually keep it set on 2x as that's as much as it really needs.
 
Ahnkochee said:
Amen to Nikon, awesome optics for the buck. ;)
Click to expand...

Optics are OK but unless things have changed, their warranty sucks. I had one of their scopes a few years ago that had a problem (I've forgotten what is was) and Nikon offered to "repair" it for more $ than I paid for it new. I won't even buy their cameras now.
 
Carbonmated said:
No disrespect intended but my .22 savage with a mounted Bushnell scope will shoot sub 1/2" all day at 100 yards....... the scope was under 100 bucks.
Click to expand...

I fully understand and they will do fine on a .22LR or even a 22Mag, but I have seen very few hold to to the recoil of most 30 cal rifles, and being on an elk hunt 100 miles from civilization is not the place to have a scope fail on your trusty 30-06.

Best wishes,

Joe
 
alex30808 said:
I agree with all of you in the idea of putting just as much money (often times more) into the optic as the firearm,....and typically I would...but this time...mama said "uh...NO" so as most married men know (15 years plus)...that means "Uh...NO!!!" We at the same time know that if mama ain't happy....ain't no body happy....thus the reason for the given price range.

I did mention a 400 yard shot...that would be in the absolute most extreme situation on a power line, over bait with the game warden holding the spot light...LOL...and as you'll also remember I stated as close as 30 yards. Here where I'm located in Ga and given the hunting land I've got access to...my typical average shot will be no more than 75-100 yards with the typical average "long shot" being 150-200 yards.
Click to expand...

I have had good luck with the old Summons 44 nag scopes. They were 6.5-20*44mm. Mil dot and were around $200. They were discontinued though. Might find a good used one, or check your local fun show. Find someone upgrading and pick up a high end scope for a big discount. Optics Planet often has big clearance sales as well as Natchez Shooter Supply.

Sent using Tapatalk by a can & string
 
Purdey said:
Optics are OK but unless things have changed, their warranty sucks. I had one of their scopes a few years ago that had a problem (I've forgotten what is was) and Nikon offered to "repair" it for more $ than I paid for it new. I won't even buy their cameras now.
Click to expand...

I've never had a Nikon scope go bad but good to know, thanks. ;)
 
I am really leaning towards the Redfield and Leupold brands...but that's about like getting a ford or mazda...both made by the same folks...just different price ranges
 
Leupold fan here as well. I try to spend as much on the optics as.I do on the gun. Optics seem to be one of those thing that you get what you pay for. That being said Burris makes a good little 3x9 with mill dot for about $100 I have one on a .22 seems well made.
 
alex30808 said:
I agree with all of you in the idea of putting just as much money (often times more) into the optic as the firearm,....and typically I would...but this time...mama said "uh...NO" so as most married men know (15 years plus)...that means "Uh...NO!!!" We at the same time know that if mama ain't happy....ain't no body happy....thus the reason for the given price range.

I did mention a 400 yard shot...that would be in the absolute most extreme situation on a power line, over bait with the game warden holding the spot light...LOL...and as you'll also remember I stated as close as 30 yards. Here where I'm located in Ga and given the hunting land I've got access to...my typical average shot will be no more than 75-100 yards with the typical average "long shot" being 150-200 yards.
Click to expand...

I have had good luck with the old Summons 44 nag scopes. They were 6.5-20*44mm. Mil dot and were around $200. They were discontinued though. Might find a good used one, or check your local fun show. Find someone upgrading and pick up a high end scope for a big discount. Optics Planet often has big clearance sales as well as Natchez Shooter Supply.

Sent using Tapatalk by a can & string
 
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