Help me decide which scope to buy. Zeiss Nikon or Leupold

[texasaggiebowhunter]

I am going to bass pro this weekend to take the plunge and buy a new scope for my new .300 wby. I have been studying scopes since last December and I have narrowed it down to these three. I know there is alot of bad bull going on about the VX-III. So for what I am shooting what do you all recommend for me. Like anyone else I want the best quality optics, great in all types of light, especially low. Going to be my versatile gun, for west Texas whitetails all the way up to elk and muleys this fall in Colorago. So help me decide. Dollar range of $500-$700.

Zeiss Conquest
Leupold VX-III
Nikon Monarch Gold

[Highpower]

I'd put my money on the 'Made in the USA' Leupold VXIII.

Even though I am ticked at Leupold right now, I still want a scope with the best eye relief for a 300Wby. Hard to beat leupold in that catigory.

[Solitary Man]

I've got a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 on my .300 Weatherby and so far it's held up perfectly to 3 hunting seasons and about 750 rounds of ammo fired through this rifle. Optically it's better than any Leupold I've ever owned, including the new VX III.

And another thing, Zeiss service is as good as any. I had a 4.5-14x44 Conquest on a rifle that I dropped on the pavement. The scope got banged up pretty good, so I sent it to Zeiss's service center to see if they could do anything. Well, they did something alright, they sent me a brand new replacement at no cost to me and it was on my doorstep in just over a week.

So, if you can't tell already, the Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 gets my vote.

[stubblejumper]

I'd put my money on the 'Made in the USA' Leupold VXIII.

I still want a scope with the best eye relief for a 300Wby

I would buy the made in the USA 3x9x40 ziess conquest which offers a full 4" of eye relief at all power settings.This is more than the leupolds at the highest powers.The conquest also offers better quality lenses and coatings which result in a brighter scope in low light.

[trailer]

As I stated before, I have the 1.5-6 x 42mm Nikon Gold and it is allot brighter and clearer the the 2 Leupold scopes with 50mm obj. lens I have. I"™ve had friends tell me the same thing when comparing them side by side. I"™m not saying that Leupold brand is a bad product just that there is quite a noticeable difference in the optics. The eye relief is also a constant 4"� at different powers. I would consider the Ziess Conquest. Good luck....

Stubble, not exactly for all.

CONQUEST 3.5-10x50 MC
Technical Data Magnification 3.5x-10x
Objective (mm) 50
Tube diameter (inches) 1
Field of view (feet at 100 yards) 35.1-11.6
Parallax (yards) 100
Twilight Factor 9.9-22.36
Exit pupil (mm) 11.4-4.7
Eye relief (inches) 3.34
Length (inches) 17.6
Weight (ounces) 17.63
MOA 1/4
Windage/Elevation Adj (inches) 66
Diopter Adj +2/-3

Product Specifications Leupold 3.5-10X50mm VXIII
Actual Magnification: 3.3(3.5x) 9.50(10x)
Length (in): 12.2
Eyepiece Length (in): 3.2
Objective Length (in): 3.9
Objective Diameter (in): 2.3
Eyepiece Diameter (in): 1.6
Tube Diameter: 1.0in
Weight: 15.1 oz. / 428.1 grams
Eye Relief (in): 4.4(3.5x) 3.5(10x)
Eye Relief (mm): 113(3.5x) 91(10x)
Obj. Lens Diameter: 2.0in / 50mm
Max. Adjustment @ 100 yds (in): 51
Max. Adjustment @ 100 m (cm): 142
FOV @ 100 yds (ft): 29.8(3.5x) 11.0(10x)
FOV @ 100 m (m): 9.9(3.5x) 3.7(10x)

[oldelkhunter]

Out of the Zeiss lineup I would go with a 3-9x40 or 3.5-10x44 take your pick, still shaking my head at why they needed to bring out 50 and 56mm scopes. Nikon gold is a tremendous scope but the lightest(1.5-6x42) is 17 ounces and that weight goes up to about 24-25 in the higher powers and not to mention the 30mm tube. Not extra weight I need to lug around all day.

[Superpig]

For years I was an avid Leupold fan. I have switched over on the last two scopes I bought to the Bushnell 4200 series. I believe these scopes to be equal to all the Leupold's I have owned in the past. I have performed the box test on both Bushnell's with a 257 Roberts and a 280 Remington. These are accurate rifles and the Bushnell's adjustments were dead on the money. Also, at dawn and dusk I believe the Bushnell to brighter than my Leupold's one is an 2.5X8X36 & the other a 3.5X10X50. The Leupold does however have more eye relief than the Bushnell 4200 series.

To give a direct answer to your question I think all of the scopes you mentioned will give you years of trouble service. My cousin shoots a 338 Rem. Ultra. Mag. and has had a Zeiss Conquest 3-9X40 Mounted on it for two years with no problems. I have two friends that are Nikon fans and would own nothing else. Leupold has years of a strong reputation for service work and field reliability.

Look through each scope and handle them all. Choose the one that impresses you the most. I think optically speaking that all are very close to each other and everyone will have their own opinion as too which is the best.

[Handles]

The VX III just won Outdoor Life's annual "best hunting scope" award. It beat out both a nikon and zeiss (although I'm not sure which models).

I've had nothing but many years of excellent quality from Leupold, and I've never had to say "I wish I would have bought brand X". Their customer service is also second to none IMO.