Any reason not to go with Weaver?

[mastiffhound]

A friend from work asked about getting a scope in the $200-$300 range for his only AR, he said he'd rather stay at the lower end. He has 4 kids so I understand but I tried to get him up to $300 as some decent stuff is available. He wants it for plinking and coyote hunting. I told him most any Leupold would be nice, he's had some time behind my 1.5-4x20 and 3-9x40 Mark AR Mod 1s and loved them. He said they are too high priced though. I offered him my 4-12x40 Vortex DB that I replaced with a Viper HS-T on my .308 but he said he doesn't like the weight either. He did like the price though, a 5th of Makers Mark. I also said what about the Weaver 3-10x40 mil/mil from Midway, he liked it but it's heavy and the upper end of his budget. He also mentioned the Burris 2-7x35 Fullfield E1, it's fairly light and and closer to his price range. I told him that the Redfield Revolution scopes were made by Leupold and seemed decent from what most people reported so he's interested.

After looking around we found these scopes that he was mostly OK with the price and weight:

Leupold 1-4x20 VX-1 Hog Scope- 8.1 oz (crazy light), USA made, and $229.95 at SWFA

Burris 2-7x35 Fullfield E1 Scope- 12 oz, made in the Philippines, and $198.95 at SWFA

Vortex 4-12x40 Diamondback Scope- 14.6 oz, made in the Philippines, a 5th of Makers Mark for me

Weaver 2-10x38 Classic V Scope- 11 oz (very light), made in Japan, $204.95 at SWFA

Redfield 3-9x40 Revolution Scope- 12.6 oz, USA made, $209.95 at SWFA

I have experience with Leupold, Redfield, and Vortex. I have none with Burris and the only Weaver I own is an old 60's or 70's 4x so that doesn't count. The Weaver still works fine and I haven't seen it fog up but it might not be an accurate representation of current quality. The Weaver is first on his list for magnification, weight, and cost. He really likes the Leupold for the insanely light weight but is unsure if the magnification would be too low. The Vortex and Redfield are tied for third because of the very cheap price on the Vortex and the overall stats for the Redfield. The Burris is last because neither of us know anybody that has them although the stats are pretty much middle ground when magnification, weight and price are considered. All claim to have lifetime warranties, something I told him he could need buying more "budget friendly" optics.

So, any reason to not go with the Weaver? Does anybody have a scope in this price range, weight range, and has a lifetime warranty that they would recommend? I'd really like to get him to go a little higher but again, his wife dictates what he can spend. Sometimes I'm glad that I'm not married anymore. As always, thanks for the help guys.

[GH41]

Have you thought about the Nikon ProStaf series. 3x9 is under $200 at Wallmart. They are pretty good scopes for the $$.

[JiminAZ]

Is he a group shooter or just a true plinker? Wondering what ranges and accuracy levels he's going to be wanting to shoot at.

Answers to these questions may help resolve the magnification range question.

Unfortunately no personal experience with Weaver, although I do know some guys who have used their higher magnification scopes for budget benchrest setups and are happy with them.

[mastiffhound]

Is he a group shooter or just a true plinker? Wondering what ranges and accuracy levels he's going to be wanting to shoot at.

Answers to these questions may help resolve the magnification range question.

Unfortunately no personal experience with Weaver, although I do know some guys who have used their higher magnification scopes for budget benchrest setups and are happy with them.

He'll go out for 1" groups sometimes. He'll shoot up to 350 yards plinking. His only scope was a brand I'd never heard of from Walmart. He's actually got a couple coyotes with the irons but said it might of been luck. He's not going for benchrest champion or anything, he just wants a better sight picture so the animals he hunts are less likely to suffer.

[Hump66]

If he does go with a Weaver, here is one that's got a little more magnification and illumination for less than the one at Midway(if I found the same one).

http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/weav...234+4294950999

[mastiffhound]

[QUOTE=Hump66;1939294]If he does go with a Weaver, here is one that's got a little more magnification and illumination for less than the one at Midway(if I found the same one).

http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/weav...234+4294950999[/QUOTE

I had him check that one out but the weight was too high. I might have got him to go a little higher though. He's checking out the Redfield Revolution Tac 3-9x40, 12.6 oz $279.95 at SWFA.com. He's really thinking about the Leupold Mark AR Mod 1 in 3-9x40 with the mil reticle also but he's trying to find one for around $290-300, I told him unless Leupold has a sale he probably won't find that. Both look like the same scope (weight, length) but with different reticles. He is still liking the Weaver 2-10 though, the weight and price are hard for him to get past he said. I told him that the Leupold and Redfield scopes are very nice for the cost and he himself likes all of their stuff that I have. He's torn but he seems to be coming around, or maybe he got his wife to give in a little.

[turnburglar]

Might owe primary arms a look, as that price range is who they cater too. Their 1-6 should be out soon, and I like the reticle alot.

[SomeOtherGuy]

I have an old (c. 2000) version of that Weaver scope, and it's pretty good optically, especially considering the price. I haven't tried out its tracking or zero retention. Most Weaver scopes are made in Japan (excluding the "Kaspa" series and maybe others) and are fairly well made, and often excellent values. Be aware that their lifetime warranty is only to the first owner, so your buddy should keep his receipt. Weaver and Burris would be my two first choices if limited to that price range.

FYI, I briefly owned a Redfield Battlezone, with the MOA-hash reticle and turrets that were supposed to let you dial in for different distances. It was not tracking at all in some very simple testing - you could dial in 2-3 MOA of adjustment with hardly any reticle movement, then another little bit would cause a big jump, like the erector tube was catching on something. No good. It had good glass for a $200 scope, but without tracking it's just a small, awkward telescope. Be aware that while the "Revolution" series is assembled in the US, all other Redfield scopes are entirely foreign made. (As is everything else in the under-$200 price range.)

[mastiffhound]

I have an old (c. 2000) version of that Weaver scope, and it's pretty good optically, especially considering the price. I haven't tried out its tracking or zero retention. Most Weaver scopes are made in Japan (excluding the "Kaspa" series and maybe others) and are fairly well made, and often excellent values. Be aware that their lifetime warranty is only to the first owner, so your buddy should keep his receipt. Weaver and Burris would be my two first choices if limited to that price range.

FYI, I briefly owned a Redfield Battlezone, with the MOA-hash reticle and turrets that were supposed to let you dial in for different distances. It was not tracking at all in some very simple testing - you could dial in 2-3 MOA of adjustment with hardly any reticle movement, then another little bit would cause a big jump, like the erector tube was catching on something. No good. It had good glass for a $200 scope, but without tracking it's just a small, awkward telescope. Be aware that while the "Revolution" series is assembled in the US, all other Redfield scopes are entirely foreign made. (As is everything else in the under-$200 price range.)

He looked at Primary Arms but everything they make is heavier than every other scope in the magnification range he's looking at, or is mil-moa, and none have a warranty past 3 years. They make some decent stuff even if it's a little on the heavy side. One of his first thoughts was the 4-14 FFP Mil/Mil they make but the 3 year warranty was a deal breaker.

I have a Battlefield also but it's on a Savage .243 with a medium weight barrel I use for hunting. I've never tried a box test but it sighted in easily enough. The clicks were right on when I was sighting it in and it hasn't lost zero. This is of course a sample of one. Made in the Philippines doesn't scream quality but it's an under $200 scope (I picked mine up on sale at the LGS for $174.99) so I expect some hit or miss. It does have one problem, in certain light the reticle will turn a goldish color. I can live with it though, if I smash it up with a fall from the tree stand I won't be too unhappy. This is why I suggested the Revolution, it's a VX-1 in Redfield clothing from the looks and specs.

He's still thinking about the Weaver, the Mark AR Mod1, and the Redfield. We'll be going to the LGS this weekend so he can compare them side by side. I told him that he'd get a better idea of which will work best for him that way.

[mastiffhound]

Today we checked out the Mark AR Mod 1, Redfield Revolution Tac, and the Weaver Classic V. Although he thought the Weaver and Redfield were nice he liked the Mark AR most plus it comes with a free set of rings. He actually found this exact package at Buds gun shop: http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...+3-9X40+WR+MDT. It looks like the right scope and lists it as the mildot reticle. His wife has given in but she put him at a strict limit of $350, that is including shipping. So, is Buds okay to deal with and order from?