New scope time

[Leveraction]

Evening all,

I’m looking for a new scope to sit on a 308 savage
my distance shots are max 300 yards, most being 50-150 yards
Vortex or Leupold .?

[huntingfamily]

Personally I would choose the Leupold for reliability.
They also have a great warranty that you will be less likely to need.

[358mag]

Personally I would choose the Leupold for reliability.
They also have a great warranty that you will be less likely to need.
You will never go wrong with a Leupold

[todbartell]

What's your budget? A Vortex Crossfire is half the price of an entry level Leupold

[250 sav]

You will never go wrong with a Leupold

Agree, I like 2x7 leupold on my 99 308

[jac]

I have 3 leupolds and been happy with all 3. My vortex product when back in for warranty

[madcalfe]

What's your budget? A Vortex Crossfire is half the price of an entry level Leupold
i wouldn't recommend any vortex lower than a viper. and even a viper is meh

[Redthies]

A Vortex Crossfire is half the price of an entry level Leupold

For a VERY good reason. Leupold over Vortex every time.

[wallz]

Be easier knowing your budget you wanted to spend.

But Leo over the vortex every time!

[madcalfe]

lol the only decent vortex is the razor AMG and that still doesn't have 100% tracking scores in the turrets and its 3500$

[338edgehunter]

Iv gone thru 2 vortex viper lht scopes there complete trash iv bought 2 leupold vx5hd 3-15 scopes to replace them and im impressed 1 is on a 6.5 prc the other is on a 8 pound 338 edge aka 300 ultra mag necked to 338 shooting 280 barns lrx at 2780 fps

[MOOSE MILK]

Leupold, excellent warranty, shot one for over 30 years. After many rounds from .338 she started giving me problems...brand new one sent to me in under two weeks.

[moosinaround]

I'd suggest leupold, the vx3 stuff is pretty awesome. Saying that though, I would not hesitate on buying another crossfire II, they have never let me down yet! moosin

[Leveraction]

Budget being $600-$1000

[huntingfamily]

Budget being $600-$1000

Easy decision then...
Leupold VX-3i or the new VX-3 HD

[downsouth204]

Swarovski Z3

[Downwindtracker2]

Just like everybody when asked what cartridge for his first rifle will get 30-06, so it will be when asked what brand of 'scope the answer is almost always Leupold. So it was when I asked about 3-9 s. I haven't payed any attention to scope reviews for the last few years, the only answer I got was Leupold. Back when I was much more involved there were under the radar gems. Before Tasco, yes that is right, got bought out by Bushnell, their top of the line was a great scope. Weaver Gran Slam scopes were also first rate, easily a better scope than the VX-3 which was Leupold top line in those days.

Scope design is a compromise. Cost versus profit . When you see made in China, one automatically gets suspicious, with good reason. BTW, the best glass comes from China, they, unlike the Europeans, can use lead. Optic law says if you got a great eye box you have small field of view. As the power goes up, the requirement for more precession goes up, it multiplies . Precession, no matter where it comes from costs money. To get a 10x binos with the same level of clarity as a $500 7x you have to pay twice as much. Clarity is more important than power. Solid internals will jack up the weight, makes sense doesn't it. The same goes for tubes, one famous brand gets the rep for using aluminum foil for tubes. Doesn't work well.

A rep for great warranty service should raise a huge red flag. Scopes shouldn't need warranty unless they bounce along a river bottom or drop off a quad. Done both. Even then the very best don't. I can't afford those brands. One of the problems here is most weekend warriors don't know their rifle and it's load . If a 1" rifle shoots a 3" group. Off comes that scope and it goes to Ontario or Alberta. It takes 3 weeks to go to Alberta and back, but it takes 3 months to go to Ontario and back.

Scope designers work with a life expectancy . If the weekend warrior uses one box of shells a year, and if he doesn't even know if the scope goes for a chit. He is going to sing it's praises. When Leupold brought out the then new VX-2 2-7 , my hunting partner bought a couple. Light and compact with good optics . At the deal he got less than half the price of a VX-3 2.5x8. It was too good to be true, two boxes of 50 bullets and they were done. He warrantied them, then sold them.

I have Leupolds and Bushnells.

Sightron (sp) don't get any praise for their great warranty, nor any complaints, that in it's self should tell you something.

[Ride Red]

I have many Leupolds so I’m a little biased, but you can’t go wrong. And, I’ve never had a warranty either.

[Firstblood]

Leupold, all my scopes except one rimfire are leupold and its a vortex. Every brags about the great warranty of vortex replacing broken scopes, people brag about the quality of leupold scopes.

[Downwindtracker2]

I got sucked big time. $200. Early in the journey I bought a used Bushnell Scopechief. This was the top of the line scope in it's day. This is the scope that taught me about group size and changing point of aim. It went in twice to get tightened up . It ended up on the Canoe rifle where it went for a swim. The cross hairs ended up on the bottom of the tube. So for the third trip east it came back with a new cheap line Bushnell as well. When Bushnell took over Bauch&Laumb (sp) they picked up the Balvar line. Without a doubt the toughest variable out there then. It continued as the 4000 series. They were built like a tank and weighted like a tank. I have three of the 2.5-10x40s. They also made a another tank, a 1.5x6 4200. . I bought one used, it had lived on a 375 H7H . I found it to be loose. It got sent in. Bushnell 4 trips, of that the Scopechief was 3 of them

Leupold score isn't really any better. 2 trips but one was a bad new scope, a VariX-111 2.5x8. When Leupold went to the VX-3, I got a couple on close out from the states. Leupold s in the states are affordable. From the get go, that was bum scope. It cost me a minor fortune in bullets and powder trying to get a load. Any time something costs me money, I get annoyed. The other trip was VX-3 3.5-10 that bounced off the quad.

Bushnell doesn't sell the Japanese made 4200s anymore, so I can't recommend them. What they sell now is Chinese and Korean.

But what said in an earlier post are simple logic.

[wallz]

I just received a Primary Arms GLX. Great reviews, and metal turrets with metal inerds for the click sound. Glass looks decent. I am just awaiting the rifle chassis to get some range time with it, but by all accounts it looks like it will be decent.

Right in the $1000 range.

[Imdone]

We have 3 - 308 wins.

All have 2x7 Leupold VX 2 s one is 40 years old. Never an issue.

Your 99 in 308 is a great bush gun, tight quarters on 2 power. Extend that shot to 300 yards, 7 power.

The 2x7 are great for sooooo many purposes.

[Downwindtracker2]

You don't have a VX-2, you have the preceding model, the VariX-II . No clicks, single coating. The VX-2 has only been around for a much shorter time. It was when Leupold brought out the VX-2 with the 1/4 MOA clicks and the multi coating lenses that my buddy bought them. Maybe they have beefed them up by now ? They certainly needed it. Come to think about it, I have one from that batch, I should it check out. But the same economic laws apply to other brands . I'm not just picking on Leupold. I have a VariX- III that is almost forty years old. I bought it from Tennessee Valley Shooters for $180, less than half the Canadian price at the time. Leupolds in Canada are bit of a rip off, Bushnells were the same or even a bit cheaper in Canada. The 2.5-8 is a little milky compared to more recent scopes, but it's been on a couple of 30-06s with high shot counts and last time I checked, was still solid.

[AllDay]

Some people I have spoken to that shoot A LOT tell me that the turrets in leupolds will eventually wear out. NF or SWFA are scopes have been recommended to me by this group as they state that the leupold turrets will fail eventually if you shoot enough. I have a vx5-hd and love it so far though. I do not shoot a ton though.

[Downwindtracker2]

If you are going on a once in a lifetime hunt, you want one of those brands, not Leupold or even Bushnell 4200.

[huntingfamily]

We have 3 - 308 wins.

All have 2x7 Leupold VX 2 s one is 40 years old. Never an issue.

Your 99 in 308 is a great bush gun, tight quarters on 2 power. Extend that shot to 300 yards, 7 power.

The 2x7 are great for sooooo many purposes.

Great choice!

[Tred]

I can't speak for Leopold, but I have never had any issued with my (3) Vortex Viper 3-9 X 40mm. They do what I need and I don't feel the need to baby it like I would a $2000 scope (not that I'm rough with them).

My one fault for it is that the eye relief is . . . lackluster. Not a big issue on my bolt guns; however due to where the scopes tend to sit on a savage 99 ; to save on words the eye relief made the scope almost useless when mounted to a Savage 99 (in my case at least)

Still really like the scope on my other rifles, but for a Savage 99 it is was a no go for me.

I assumed a Savage 99 if it is a savage Axis or 111 then perfectly acceptable scopes.

[Leveraction]

I ended up going with a Burris, 4.5x14x42

[.330 Dakota]

​Leupold...........................

[TyTy]

I have 3 of the Redfield ‘Revolution’ scopes. Last I heard they are owned by Leupold and manufactured in Oregon. So far really great for the price point. They have been great scopes for $300-400. I think their ‘Revenge’ line is manufactured in Asia, stay away from that one.

[Downwindtracker2]

On 24hrCampfire I asked about a "Good and Affordable 3x9" I got three or four pages of Burris Full Field II . It was unanimous except for one poster who said Leupold.However, the next poster said he asked for good. Unfortunately, it's a discontinued model. It was made in the Philippines, the replacement Fullfield IV is made in China. Burris tends to be pricier in Canada than the States as well. When faced with a double requirement , I found a couple of NOS Bushnells, a #3500 and a #4200 . Good Japanese glass. Leupold has sold off Redfield, so it's on the NR list now. Vortex was thoroughly condemned.

The replacement model for the Bushnell 3000 series is a Chinese made Prime. At the same price as the Japanese.

Good luck.

[RyoTHC]

I’m a vortex guy as well, but I wouldn’t even consider anything below the viper lines and for best results stick to the razors.

I run 2-10 and 3-15 razors from their hunting line and love them.. 3 .308s and 3 razors and I’ve never been let down, all wore vipers prior but needed an upgrade, though I had zero issues with the prior scopes just felt wrong to have a “cheap” scope on an expensive rifle.

if vortex still made the 2-10s.. that was probably their best scope dollar for value.

[Downwindtracker2]

At the price point we can afford, the scopes are made in outside factories and firms like Vortec and Bushnell only import. That factory in the Philippines, I think it might have been the same one Japanese owned one, did good work. Bushnell, Nikon, Burris and Vortex all had scopes made in the Philippines .

We all can see how good multicoat on the glass is, but it's the erector assemble, elevation and windage, that we can't see that is critical. If your point of impact strays, that's the piece that's gone for a chit.

You can over tighten rings , a torque screw driver is needed on some brands of scopes. I use Burris Signature rings with the plastic inserts. It saves the lapping of rings and you can correct for misplaced holes with various thicknesses. I've even used them to get a cant for long distances in target shooting.

[joshbazz]

I have bought and sold, then bought and sold repeatedly a lot of the recommendations here: Vortex Viper, Leupolds, Burris, Japanese glass Bushnell, and B&L Balvar. The glass on the Balvar, as well as the fit and finish, were amazing and I almost wish I kept it. But I went hunting in the rain and the lack of "rain coatings" that even cheaper brands and models have turned me off - but dang, that glass was beautiful. My first scope was a Vortex Viper 3-9, which I sold on my first gun, but bought another because I really think it's one of the best scopes you can buy for $300 used in new condition. The glass is very clear, and the eye relief is "ok"; minimum acceptable for a 30-06. I also have a Leupold fx-3 fixed 6 which is amazing glass, which I got for not much more than the Viper...score!

I wouldn't invest any money into anything less than a Leupold VX-1, which go for about $275 used in great condition, I bought one used with ring marks for $220. Didn't love the glass, so sold it.

When buying a Leupold, just be very careful of the model versions, lot's of people, buyers and sellers, screw them up (calling a scope a VX-2, when it is a VX-II), which changes both the features AND value of the scopes. Lots of confusion with the capital "i" and number "1" (one).

Variax-III, VX-II, and VX-1 are basically the same, and a 3-9x40 go for around $200-300 used.
VX-III and VX-2 are similar, and run about $350-500 for a used 3-9, however you'll see guys posting VX-III's at VX-3 prices over $600+.

For reference:
https://i.imgur.com/n6IdlGwh.jpg

[Downwindtracker2]

I'll pass on another note, I going to say gem but I can't say for sure, a poster said he picks up Vari-X III 2.5x8s but leaves the VX-3 alone, also the old fixed M model but leaving the newer FX alone.

[joshbazz]

I'll pass on another note, I going to say gem but I can't say for sure, a poster said he picks up Vari-X III 2.5x8s but leaves the VX-3 alone, also the old fixed M model but leaving the newer FX alone.

I've read mixed reviews on the vx-3 as well, at least when they first came out. I did try a 70's Leupold m8 fixed 4, but I really wasn't impressed with the glass. I had a similar aged bushnell 4x with Bausch & Lomb glass that I thought looked clearer and more pleasing to the eye. The Leupold had way better eye relief though.

As for newer fx Leupold, I have the fx-3 6x42 and it is amazing: glass looks sweet, lots of eye relief, light. Lots to love.

[Hugh Mann]

I just mounted a Vortex Viper HS 3-9x40 on my 308 with the exact same range goals in mind. Excellent as the closer ranges, and while I haven't yet shot past 100, the optic is plenty good to use to 300.

[Downwindtracker2]

7x.8x,9x,10x. They all can pick up game farther than I can judge wind drift.