Optic preference

[gramps73]

All but 1 have Leupold the other one is a Huskemaw..

[max158]

Night force G7

[Kevlak]

I have a Nikon, a redfield, and two luepolds on my rifles. Love all 3 companies. Currently looking at a Nikon monarch right now.

Kevin

[Wanchuk]

Originally Posted by qwert

and that is the biggest problem with Nightforce, once you have one you are ruined for anything of lesser quality.

Good Luck, YMMV.

I hear that, the only thing I wish is they weren't so darn expensive. But if you want the best you'll pay for it.

[schreyer]

Have two night force's of my own. Had a couple of zeiss hd5's. But I'm sticking with the NF brand.

[propliner]

Just picked up a Veracity from Burris and WOW, it puts pretty much everything else I have to shame, dollar for dollar. FFP, zero stop, 30mm tube, incredible glass, wonderful BDC varmint reticle, sunshade, caps. This scope is a diamond in the rough, and I'm a Leupy fan. Anyone looking for a VX-3? I might have a couple for sale in the near future...

[MadMarty911]

I usually stay away from Leupold. Good enough scopes but for the same price point I can find better choices. It's kind of like buying anything Sony 20 years ago from Sears.....

[gtr]

Originally Posted by MadMarty911

I usually stay away from Leupold. Good enough scopes but for the same price point I can find better choices. It's kind of like buying anything Sony 20 years ago from Sears.....

You must have got heat stroke today. LOL.

[MadMarty911]

Originally Posted by gtr

You must have got heat stroke today. LOL.

Ha! Just my opinion

[Quinn]

It's funny how people try a brand and think that's the best there is..

All this NF talk has me giggling.

If you think that's the case, why not step it up to to better scopes? Oh yea, cost.

So you are comparing cheaper scopes with more expensive ones and thinking they are the king's ****. Well, compare them to the next price range and they become rather "meh".

S&B, March, Premier, USO, Kahles, Razor Gen 2, etc. They'll make your dinky NF look like a paperweight.

Compare the NF with a Vortex Razor Gen 1 or 2 and the difference fades away, often in favour of the Vortex. That being said, the Razor is equivalent of the NSX price, as well as the Gen 2 similar to the ATACR.

Apples to apples people...

[Groundhogger]

For target work~can't really comment I guess, as the only target shooting I do (centerfire) is load testing...and scope-zeroing when req. I currently have a ViperHS and a Leupold VX-3 on my main varmint rigs (the Leupold is new, and my first)...a Vortex Diamondback on one of my .22s...and a few vintage Bushnell AO Banners with Japanese glass. Those Banners are a real steal, and have nice optics...but I wouldn't trust an older scope like that in bad weather, or on an important hunt. Not saying they wouldn't last, but I'll never test them that way.

I find the "what's the best scope" discussions interesting, because I've personally learned that what is "perfect" today, rarely is a few years down the road. I think that's a function of age, time, budget, maturity...whatever. Less than 10 years ago, you'd have had a hard time convincing me a scope needs to cost more than $150. Now, having been exposed to some of the best, it's funny how priorities/opinions change. I spent a few days with a friend's Swaro binoculars last year shooting gophers...and while my first 3 cars (combined) didn't cost as much as those...it almost hurt passing them back at the end of the shoot. Like watching HD TV compared to even my ViperHS~which I would have considered to be pretty good glass.

Anyhow, I'll likely never spend $1,000+ on a scope that will sit on a rifle that takes a dozen shots a year...but...on rifles I shoot all the time...I try to buy the best I can afford. Even if it's on a .22.

[rugatika]

Mostly leupolds but I have to say the bushnell 3200 elite scopes were some of the best value scopes out there when they were being sold. I'm not sure what they've been replaced with,

Knowing the budget is important. If you can swing it do a side by side comparison of preferred models. You get what you pay for.

[BigChevy]

I have never had a problem with Leupolds, they make a great scope and I love the CDS system on my 270wsm.

I use Nightforce on my custom 7mm and will be sticking with Nightforce in the future.

[elkhunter11]

The only defective scopes that I have had were two Leupold Vari X-II scopes that took both hands and a great deal of effort to turn the magnification ring, a Tasco that I received on a rifle that I bought that changed the point of impact when the magnification was adjusted, and a Simmons that suffered a broken crosshairs due to recoil. A couple of my scopes were damaged is falls or horse wrecks, but those were hardly the result of defective workmanship.

[oldgutpile]

Most of my rifles have Swarovski scopes. I have a few schmidt benders, a couple of Kahles, a Zeiss, a Meopta or two, and one lone Leupold.
In-store comparisons will not do justice to a quality scope. You need to see them under extreme low-light conditions to really the see the advantage of a quality glass! If you get a chance, ask to look through a few scopes at sunset while you're out at the range, just before dark.

[murfee.218]

My hunting rifles have Leupolds, the varmit rifles have Leupolds or Bausch & Lombs and the rimfires have Bushnell 3200s. Never had a problem with a Leupold.

[Kurt505]

My all time favorite hunting scope so far is the Leupold VX6 2-12x42 with a German #4 reticle. I like it better than my Zeiss HD5 or my other VX6 3-18x44 or even my Swarovski Z5 3.5x18x44 for hunting, but I like the higher magnification for load development.

I would trade my Zeiss HD5 3-15x42 rapid z 800 for a VX6 2-12x42 German #4, or even just a plex any day.

[HowSwedeItIs]

I've never had a scope for purely target shooting but I have a Swarovski Z3 3-10x42 on my model 70 that I just love. The BRX/BRH reticle made holdover a no brainer, and I found that even hunting at dusk I could see really well. It's my first real investment in nice glass (still entry level) so I can't compare it to the NF or S&B's, but it sure does the trick for me

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by qwert

and that is the biggest problem with Nightforce, once you have one you are ruined for anything of lesser quality.

Good Luck, YMMV.

I have owned Nightforce, and if they ever start selling scopes that weigh a pound or less, I may buy another one some day. In the meantime, Swarovski, Kahles and Zeiss offer great optics that weigh considerably less.