Quilly

i agree with PaJack...

a gun is good as it's optics. even if i would buy a cheaper gun like a savage or remington that cost less than $600.00 i would still spend $300.00 atleast for good quality mounts, rings and a scope to match that rifle.
i have found out it is worth the extra $$$ and your groups will show if you do your part.

TN_Hunter

bigcountry is one of the few that uses his scope like I do. If you start cranking around on those tascos, cheap bushnells, simmons, BSA'S, etc.... I can almost guarantee it will not return to zero every time. I use Leupolds and have no problems starting at 100yds and walking mine all the way out to 1000 yards, and back to 100yards.
In the days before affordable laser rangefinders, I could see tha arguement for cheaper optics, but if you are gonna play at longer ranges, you better get a good scope!

ELKampMaster

Leupold Vari II is my minimum. The 3x9 is right at $200 and they sell a ton of them. The more elk hunters I talk to, the one thread in common is that while they may not agree on caliber, they do tend to agree on scopes, Leupold -- there is too much at stake when it comes showtime!

EKM

Good judgment comes from bad experience! Half of elk hunting is knowing what NOT to do!

MR300WM

On a differant board there is a thread going about having to tap the Leupolds after making adjustments. These are long range shooters so after thye Leupolds get a little age on them they do give a little trouble. These people did not say that the scopes would not return to orignal zero but you might want to give the scope a tap to make sure that everything moved.

Turd Fergusen

A $100 gun will kill just like a $1000.00 gun. Optics make the difference. Spend your money on opticts. Another thing to do is take your rings to a machine shop & have them lapped, believe me this can & will make a difference.MR300, I think the reason you have to tap a Leupold(which is what I shoot)is because of the tightness of the springs.Trashcos,Simmons,Bsa's are IMO junk.They are suited for mild recoiling rifles,put them on a mag(which I shoot 7mm.)& they will not stand up to it.After tapping a Leupold it hits & stays constant,I have one that has been atop a 7mm.for 23 years,the only time it moves is when I move it.Bushnell, & Nikon make less expensive scopes which I think are better than Trashcos,Simmons,& BSA's. Optics make it happen that is where your money should be spent.

WV Hunter

I agree with most of the others. The optics make the gun...period.
Camp...if you are looking for a good scope at a reasonable price...look at the Leupold VXII. Probably the best scope for the $. Nikon's are very nice also...and reasonable. You can spend a ton of money on optics, but you don't neccesarily have to. I would say that you could get a very nice scope for $200-$300. Just do yourself a favor, and don't go cheap. You will eventually upgrade, so you might as well do it now. Most people that claim that there is no difference in a high quality and a low quality scope...(ie: a tasco, simmons, etc...vs leupold, nikon, etc). It's obvious that those folks have never owned a high quality scope. It's night and day. Good luck

Quilly

ELKampMaster...

where are you getting VX II's for that price? mine cost me $285.00

Turd Fergusen

Quilly, I can get the VariX II for $229.00. Another point,ever notice how people always say "I looked at both & it was just as clear as the Leupold" or "I could'nt tell the difference between it & the Leupold". Everyone compares them to Leupold for one simple reason...Leupold is the high standard in the industry.

kodiakhuntmaster

Spend alot on the rifle, spend only what you have to for a scope. When you get the money, you can upgrade the scope, and your rifle will still be top of the line.

Would a remington 710 with a 700 dollar leupold scope be as good of a gun as a browning or tikka with a 60 dollar bushnell scope?

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