Which scope???

[skeeter 7MM]

One of my hunting partners just bought a 7mm and needs a scope to top it, currently he has it to these:


Top choices:
Nikon Gold 30mm
Leupold VX III
Zeiss Conquest

Bottom choices are:
Bushnell Elite 4200
Leupold VX II

Which would you choose(or other) and why?
I suggested he take a look at a Swarovski AV but they run 1,500 and his absolute max is 1000(CDN). Also any canucks know either online or sporting goods shop that mail/phone order and sell upper end scopes at decent prices? (He's got info from Wholesale, Russell and SIR - just wondering if their may be others.)

Thanks for your input.

[liquidorange]

VXIII GETS MY VOTE!!!!

[trailer]

Skeeter, as I"™ve posted before the Nikon Gold has caught my attention especially when I brought the scope home and compared it to the 2 Leupold scopes I have. The Nikon is allot brighter and clearer but it does also weigh more. The Nikon also seems to be a little more bulky then the Leupolds.
If your friend has any intentions on getting a Leupold scope I would suggest for him to check with the U.S. prices. Even with the exchange he can still save some money. I"™m not sure on ordering a scope but I know that when I went to the states I must have about $150 on a Leupold VX-II´

[wnogood]

Zeiss! You won't be dissapointed. None of the other brands you mentioned even offer a top of the line scope. At least Zeiss knows how to make some top end glass.

[Stump_MN_Hunter]

I bought a Zeiss Conquest 3x9x40 for my 30.06 and I couldn't be any happier with this scope. One thing that I really like about it is that it's got a fixed eye relief. No matter if you have it on 3 or 9, eye relief is the same. It surprisingly gathers a ton of light in early morning and late afternoon/evening also. To my knowledge there are 3 different reticles to pick from with this model. Another reason I bought it was because it was a bit cheaper than the comparable model from the Leupold VXIII line. I got it for around $400. I spent a fare amount of time comparing the VXIII and the Conquest and I thought the Conquest was clearer and easier to pickup objects on. I went with 2 of my buddies and even though they weren't in the market to pickup a scope, they said their next one would be a Conquest. Just my thoughts. Good luck.

[marty1028]

I have had great luck with may Leupold vari-x II and III. I don't think there is anything wrong with the vx-II or III.

[skeeter 7MM]

Thanks for the replies guys, keep them coming.


Trailer, he mentioned how impressed he was with the Nikon Gold in quality. Only problem is he witnessed my headaches with owning a Monarch previously so he is very apprehensive with regards to durability and CS in term of Nikon products. Have you had any concerns or owned this scope through a hunting season?? You can not mail order from the US scopes or any optics to my knowledge, however it is possible to bring them back with you as you stated or person to person sale(like ebay), which unfortunately doesn't look like an option for the timeframe he has in mind. Most scopes are cheaper even with convert to CDN but if you have to factor in duty & gst they get pretty close at that point..which would be the case buying from an individual off ebay.

Stump thanks for your input with regards to leupold and the zeiss side by side. Last year I compared the Conquest with my vari x III at the local range and notice some difference, however in a limited comparison with the VX III I noticed a norrowing of that margin(again it was a limited in store situation). The nikon has 4" of fixed eye relief, which is one thing he really likes.

wnogood, none of the scopes listed can be considered top of the line and I don't agree buying a entry level scope of a manufacturer that makes high end optics makes it the automatic choice as the best solution. IMO the top 3 fair pretty equal in class level(apples to apples if you will), some have options that may or may not be the difference in helping make your decision depending on personal preferences or objectives. Personally I have not had a problem with Leupold Vari X III scope in any fashion and as such have no problems recommending them as a very decent optic to top your rifle with, having said that they certainly aren't the only one and I know their are much better ones available as well but as anything they come with a price tag that not all of us can justify! I appreciate your reply as I am trying to get other info other than what he has with our group, can be a bit biased )!

I merelythought I'd posted here to get additional information from other hunters to help aid him in the process. We all have access to the data sheets to do a paper comparision but it is real life situations that we don't know and want. What does constant eye relief really mean to the guy who leaves his scope set at 6 power 99% of the time while hunting? Is the euro glass much better than ***an glass when you factor it is in their low end vs the other manufacturer's high end or is it getting more equal? Does the light transmission posted really mean anything to hunters or is it a % that makes us think we are getting more? As examples of milling through the information we have access to and how it translates to field use. Only way to know this I feel is collecting information from guys who have tried the product in the field and can attest to why the scope or features are or maybe a benefit.

Thanks again

[RPL]

I have never owned a Zeiss rifle scope so I can't honestly comment on them. However, I do own five Leupolds. Four Vari X lll's and one VX ll. I personally wouldn't consider anything else. Also, their warranty is the best around.
I'm sure that your friend would be very pleased with the new VX III.

[trailer]

Skeeter,this is my first Nikon scope so I can"™t comment on the CS. I haven"™t had any problems with it and unfortunately I haven"™t had the opportunity to use the Nikon Gold yet but I guarantee you that if I do have a problems with the scope or CS, it will be posted.

I have phoned Cabela"™s and as far as they know, scopes can be ordered and have been ordered by mail order in the past to Canada. So I was told. They said there was nothing special in ordering scope compared to anything else.

People are under the misconception that bringing items over the border have to pay duty, this is not so if the product is made in North America (Mexico included) because of the free trade. I do know that it applies to scopes made in the states such as the Leupold brand. If the products are made overseas then an additional 7% would be added to the gst and pst depending where you would cross the border. Meaning no pst. would be applied if you were going into Alberta. I hope I was able to help in some way

[Cyrus]

Ditto what Trailer said about duty.
I rarely pay duty on any of the stuff I get from Cabela's. If it's made in North America you don't pay duty.
I'd seriously check out Cabela's. I don't know what shipping would be but for a scope I can't see it being that much.