I see Swaro has a new line coming out that has 6x magnification range and it doesn't look like it cost them much in terms of weight or eye relief. It might be a contender for the best scope. Hows a 2-12 sound?

However I always thought that choosing optics was a little like looking for good wine. Each gun and application requires a carefull balance of size weight, magnification, clarity, brightness durability and other specialized features like adjustable AO, illuminated reticle or target turrets. These criteria are unique to each of us.

For exampleif I were setting up a rem model 7 in 308 I might go for a 1.5x6x40( looking for brightness and low magnification for the close dark woods I hunt) and the next guy might choose a 2.5x8x32 (for its compact size and better high end magnification because he carries his rifle in a more open area)

Coupled with this that few of us can do a top end Zeiss or Swaro on every rifle in the safe. So we try to choose the best scope for what we do at a price that we can afford for that particular application.

As for me my choices change from time to time. Some of this is price driven. Right now its a great time to buy Monarchs as they seem to be heavily discounted. 6 months ago the mostscope for the under 250 range probably was a Burris Fullfield II. At $400 the Conquest is a strong contender.. It just depends upon what its worth to you and what features you like in a scope.