Are high dollar scopes worth it?

[BasinSniper]

....for hunting rifles?

I need to top off a remmy 700 with a 3-9 size scope, interested in hearing some pros and cons of going with a nikon prostaff/burris fullfield vs. a zeiss conquest/leupold 3 or similiar.....

 

[k0k0m0]

i love my zeiss

 

[topgunz1]

Nikon/Burris seem to be pretty quality to me, if that is your bottom choice your already in the right mind.

 

[Richard in LA]

I'd step up to a Nikon buckmaster. They have better light transmission than the pro-staff, and are not that much more $$.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

Yes.

 

[Ben Segrest]

There are lots of things that make one scope better than another. Clarity, light transmission, toughness, precision, repeatability, range of adjustment. . . This one is way out of the price range you're looking in, but it's still pretty amazing to watch.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88ewpwPTA6Q"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88ewpwPTA6Q[/ame]

This one may be a bit more than you want to spend, but it's a damn good deal and I think it's a hell of a scope.

 

[craymo2]

I know a few Guys that only shoot Leupold Vari-X 3, and they buy them all off of Ebay for like $250-300 gently used. If there is a problem, just send it back to Leupold they will honor their lifetime Warranty with most likely a new scope

 

[kz45]

Yes, my buddys Night Force draws so much light that with a little moon you can hunt pretty much all night long, but I wouldn't advise that, and if needed you can use it like a club and beat them to death with it and not hurt it

 

[Ritten]

The simple answer.....yes, they're worth it. US Optics, Nightforce, Premier, S&B....they're all touted as some of the best scopes on the planet and can hold up to the type of abuse you see in the video (that's a US Optics). They are also guaranteed to track true, meaning when you dial 2.6 moa windeage or elevation, you GET 2.6 moa. They also use a much higher grade (i.e. expensive) of glass that is clearer and transmits more light. Now, whether you need that high quality of a scope for making 100yd shots and less in most hunting scenarios is entirely up to you and your pocketbook.

 

[Geardo]

The Conquest and VX-3 aren't highend scopes, just a midrange scope. The Nikon Buckmaster, VX-2, or Bushnell Elite 3200 is the lowest quality scope I would even think about having on a hunting rifle. I have so many hunting rifles that I can't afford to outfit them with a Swarovski, or Schmit&Bender, the Nikon Monarchs, VX-2's, and Pentax Lightseekers have all been great scopes.

 

[whbonney26]

High dollar scopes are worth it. I have a friend who shoots sniper competitions professionally and he has tried all the top scopes including S&B, US Optics, Nightforce, Premiere and many others and he said after using the Nightforce F1 scope he now uses that in all of his competitions. I think Nightforce makes some of the best scopes on the market but they are not really needed for general hunting.

A good Nikon scope such as the buckmaster or even the monarch would be a great scope for hunting. I love the prostaff scopes but I put them on my rim fire rifles. For the bigger calibers I like the Buckmasters or Monarch scopes. The Nikon line of scopes are very good and dependable scopes.

 

[oleheat]

Yes, they are worth it. Having said that, I have a hard time seeing the logic of putting a $1200 scope on a $750 dollar rifle.....Some will disagree, of course- but that's just me.

I personally have nothing more than Leupold VX-Is on all my deer rifles (4), and have never had any problems with them. In fact, on my Browning BAR II in .30-06, I haven't had to adjust that scope since 1999- when I first bought the rifle/scope (I believe the VXI was called Vari-X I back then.) It has stayed dead on, and I've never missed a deer with that rifle. It has more than enough light-gathering properties for my use.
Having said that- everyone has to find what works for them. This happens to be what works for me.
If I were to ever want to move up a notch or two in the scope dept., rest assured that for me, it would be a Leupold.

 

[bayoupirate]

IMO it's possible to get a good enough scope for deer hunting for under $200.
You'll have to spend up to $600 to go to the next level of clarity, light transmission and features. To to to the top of the line, you'll have to drop at least $1000.

The Nikon Buckmaster scopes are great quality for price.

The Leupold VXIII is awesome scope, and you'll have to spend $1000 to beat it.

Go to store that will allow you to take a peek through the scopes side by side and you'll see the diference.

I totally agree with spending more on your scope than you did on the rifle.

Good luck,

Let us know what you end up buying.

 

[scubasteve]

I have Weavers on all my hunting guns. Never had a scope related problem in all those years. In fact, the scope on my 742 hasn't needed to be adjusted in the 5 years I've had it there and it doesn't get pampered.
Remember that looking at scopes in a flourescent lighted store isn't anything like natural light.

 

[dwr461]

My Dad uses nothing but Leupold on his hunting rifles. They're very nice. I use Burris. Both seem to hold up equally well and transmit enough light for me to make shots when it's legal to do so.

Dave

 

[CZowner07]

I would say they are worth it. We have a Swarovski 3-9, Swarovski 4-12, and a Leupold VXIII on our rifles. And a cheap Simmons on the muzzle loader. There is no comparison. When your hunting in the afternoon, you need every bit of extra lighht you can get,(during legal hours of course) and more expensive scopes will bring in more light than the cheaper scopes. Not only ligh transmititon, they are also tougher. I was walking down a hill and slipped. I hit the back end of my scope on a tree root and broke the part where you change the magnification. Took it to our lease to see if it was still on....it was dead on. Used it the rest of the hunting season. Sent it back to Swarovski, and they sent a brand new one and we only had to pay for shipping.

 

[Ben Segrest]

In contrast to what CZowner said, I've got a nikon buckmaster that used to be mounted on my .300 WSM. I was using the bow of a mudboat as a rest one day. I had the legs of my bipod adjusted for the angle of the bow (the boat was up on a ramp, I was shooting across it), but when I stood up and took the weight off of the bow, it rose up a few degrees and the rifle took a roll down into the boat. I went back to the camp and the gun had shifted poi by about 8" to the left at 83 yards (It's their "100 yard" target, but I ranged it with my rangefinder). I've got a leupy mark 4 on it now.

 

[BasinSniper]

edit...

looked at all the scopes today, think i will order a zeiss conquest...

any suggestions on base/rings?