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Thread: What scopes should I look into? (Mostly hunting)

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    What scopes should I look into? (Mostly hunting)

    I am looking to get a scope for my do it all hunting rifle. The rifle is yet to be purchased but it will be something I hope will fill all my hunting needs as I get older and start going on big time hunts like elk, moose, bear, big horn sheep, etc. Since those types of hunts are a few years off I can build it out over time and figured I’d start with the scope since I have plenty of guns it can live on in the meantime.

    My optics knowledge is pretty basic so I am open to suggestions on all aspects. I have a Vortex PST 4-16 on my current hunting rifle and I like it but one thing I realized that I want on my next one is the ability to lock the turrets. I like being able to dial in my shots but I noticed that while hiking with my rifle slung across my back I have inadvertently spun my turrets before. If I’m going on a once in a lifetime hunt I don’t want to have to worry about that causing me to miss my shot and would rather just get something I can lock down. My only other thing that I know I want is for it to not be super heavy, I like a lot of the Razor HD II’s features but that thing is built like a tank and weighs as much too.

    I can’t imagine ever taking a shot beyond 300 yards on game so I don’t think I need much more magnification than the Vortex I currently have, I rarely shoot at 16x but it’s nice to have.

    Any suggestions on features, magnification, optics brand/model, etc? My budget is under $3k but just because it’s that high doesn’t mean I have to spend it needlessly.

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    What rifle in what caliber? If you are serious about shooting inside of 300 yds with a caliber heavy enough to take elk, moose and bear you're not not going to be dialing anything. To me expose turrets locking or not are a liability on a hunting rig.

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    Quote Originally Posted by skywalkrNCSU View Post
    I am looking to get a scope for my do it all hunting rifle. The rifle is yet to be purchased but it will be something I hope will fill all my hunting needs as I get older and start going on big time hunts like elk, moose, bear, big horn sheep, etc. Since those types of hunts are a few years off I can build it out over time and figured I’d start with the scope since I have plenty of guns it can live on in the meantime.
    Rifle scope quality and features are improving rapidly right now, and the purely electronic sights are going from military-only, to bleeding edge, to very practical within a few years or less. If you were shopping 3 years from now I'll bet a purely electronic (camera type) sight with daylight, night vision and maybe even thermal capability would be reliable in your price range. But as far as I know it's not available (in terms of reliability under $3k) today.

    Looking at purely optical/mechanical scopes, 6x or greater zoom range is somewhat available now but will be more common and better in a few years' time, along with steady improvements in illumination and glass quality. And maybe other companies will adopt some form of Bushnell's "Rainguard" coating (maybe it needs to go off-patent) which is valuable for using your scope when it's raining.

    Since you don't even own the rifle yet, my 2 cents is to sit tight. Buy a lower cost scope that works for your actual needs today.

    If you truly need the scope today, my suggestions would include:
    Bushnell LRHS 3-12x44 and 4.5-18x44
    NF ATACR 4-16x
    NF SHV F1 4-14x50
    Vortex Razor LH (1" tube, under 16oz) maybe 2-10x
    any of the higher end hunting scopes from Zeiss and Swarovski

    Some of those are low enough priced they could be your interim scope while saving your $3k for the best that's available in several years' time.

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    Quote Originally Posted by GH41 View Post
    What rifle in what caliber? If you are serious about shooting inside of 300 yds with a caliber heavy enough to take elk, moose and bear you're not not going to be dialing anything. To me expose turrets locking or not are a liability on a hunting rig.
    I was thinking 300 WM. You make a good point, I suppose my lack of hunting out west I just assumed the 300 yards thing. I’m sure it’s possible that an animal would be beyond that without being able to get closer. I suppose one reason I was going for turrets to dial in a shot is I could use the scope on other applications as well.

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    Quote Originally Posted by SomeOtherGuy View Post
    Rifle scope quality and features are improving rapidly right now, and the purely electronic sights are going from military-only, to bleeding edge, to very practical within a few years or less. If you were shopping 3 years from now I'll bet a purely electronic (camera type) sight with daylight, night vision and maybe even thermal capability would be reliable in your price range. But as far as I know it's not available (in terms of reliability under $3k) today.

    Looking at purely optical/mechanical scopes, 6x or greater zoom range is somewhat available now but will be more common and better in a few years' time, along with steady improvements in illumination and glass quality. And maybe other companies will adopt some form of Bushnell's "Rainguard" coating (maybe it needs to go off-patent) which is valuable for using your scope when it's raining.

    Since you don't even own the rifle yet, my 2 cents is to sit tight. Buy a lower cost scope that works for your actual needs today.

    If you truly need the scope today, my suggestions would include:
    Bushnell LRHS 3-12x44 and 4.5-18x44
    NF ATACR 4-16x
    NF SHV F1 4-14x50
    Vortex Razor LH (1" tube, under 16oz) maybe 2-10x
    any of the higher end hunting scopes from Zeiss and Swarovski

    Some of those are low enough priced they could be your interim scope while saving your $3k for the best that's available in several years' time.
    Thanks, that’s some good thoughts to think over. An interim scope might make the most sense because I have a couple guns that could use some upgraded glass anyways and I could pass my better ones down as any on your list would be an upgrade.

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    Quote Originally Posted by skywalkrNCSU View Post
    I was thinking 300 WM. You make a good point, I suppose my lack of hunting out west I just assumed the 300 yards thing. I’m sure it’s possible that an animal would be beyond that without being able to get closer. I suppose one reason I was going for turrets to dial in a shot is I could use the scope on other applications as well.
    It will be difficult to get within 300 yards of big horn sheep or pronghorn antelope.

    You're already planning on dialing, but just to reinforce that, your ballistics could vary a lot if you're doing some shooting at 1000ft (or less) above sea level in Texas vs. high elevation in the Rocky Mountains. By dialing you simply enter your altitude in the computer and this is compensated for. BDC reticles don't compensate for altitude.

    Quote Originally Posted by skywalkrNCSU View Post
    Thanks, that’s some good thoughts to think over. An interim scope might make the most sense because I have a couple guns that could use some upgraded glass anyways and I could pass my better ones down as any on your list would be an upgrade.
    For interim use, I've seen very good prices recently on the Zeiss Conquest HD5 (possibly about to be replaced) and the Razor LH (fairly new but apparently a slow seller). You can also find the LRHS for under $1000 if you put it in your Amazon cart and wait for their price fluctuations to benefit you.

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    NF 4-16 ATACR. Excellent glass. Great reticle options. Overall excellent optic.

    S&B 5-20 Ultrashort. These are on sale at MileHigh Shooting Supply and EuroOptic. Very small footprint, compact. Outstanding glass. Multiple excellent reticle options.

    Mile High has deeply discounted S&B 5-25 PMII on sale right now. This optic has been the standard bearer in its category for a long time. The downside (if you can even call it that) is that it tunnels a bit on 5x.

    EuroOptic also had the Hensoldt 4-16x on sale recently for around $2200. This optic has the best glass and eyebox of any higher magnification variable I’ve ever seen. I don’t see these on their website any longer; you probably need to call them.
    SLG Defense 07/02 FFL/SOT

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    Quote Originally Posted by skywalkrNCSU View Post
    I was thinking 300 WM. You make a good point, I suppose my lack of hunting out west I just assumed the 300 yards thing. I’m sure it’s possible that an animal would be beyond that without being able to get closer. I suppose one reason I was going for turrets to dial in a shot is I could use the scope on other applications as well.
    Sighted in at 250 the 300 WM with 180s are point and shoot to 300 on large game.

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    Quote Originally Posted by JoshNC View Post
    NF 4-16 ATACR. Excellent glass. Great reticle options. Overall excellent optic.

    S&B 5-20 Ultrashort. These are on sale at MileHigh Shooting Supply and EuroOptic. Very small footprint, compact. Outstanding glass. Multiple excellent reticle options.

    Mile High has deeply discounted S&B 5-25 PMII on sale right now. This optic has been the standard bearer in its category for a long time. The downside (if you can even call it that) is that it tunnels a bit on 5x.

    EuroOptic also had the Hensoldt 4-16x on sale recently for around $2200. This optic has the best glass and eyebox of any higher magnification variable I’ve ever seen. I don’t see these on their website any longer; you probably need to call them.
    Thanks for the suggestions, I’ll look into those

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