LAbushman

I own a B&L Elite 3000 3x9x50. I looked at many scopes in stores and even had couple of friends let me hunt and look through theirs. Leupold is a verg good scope, as well as others. The B&L seemed clearer than the Leupold and was about $50 - $75 cheaper. I have owned it for 5-6 years and it is a fine scope. You will find there are MANY scopes in your price range and the diffrences I found were very minimal and mostly subjective. THe only large difference I found was looking through a Zeiss and Pentex, but you are comparing scopes that cost $1000 and $850.

308TIKKA

I dont think you can go wrong with zeiss or leupold. I went with the zeiss conquest..it was brighter to my eyes and I liked the reticle better, the fast focus and it even comes with lens covers!!!!

hurricane_e

Thanks for the help. i looked at the article in outdoor life, they also have condensed version on their site. They did somewhat scientific tests, as best as you could expect, for several models. Alot of you guys are right on with your experienced opinions. The big winners in the magazine were weaver grand slam, bushnell 4200, and zeiss conquest. So great scopes at great prices is definitely possible. Thanks for the help

Bill the Dog

Hurricane,
I know you checked the Outdoor Life article. What didn' t get said in this forum is that they did the test two years in a row and the Weaver Grand Slam won both times. Based on past experience with Weaver and bouyed by these articles, I put a 4X10 Weaver GS on my 270 and went elk hunting with it. It' s a great outfit. It is really clear and works great in dim light, at least in my opinion. I haven' t been able to fog it up after hunting in rain, snow and fog. It was so good, that I bought a 1.5X5 Weaver GS and put it onto my Encore 50 cal muzzleloader. That works great also. I paid about $269 for the 4X10 and $249 for the 1.5X5 from www.bearbasin.com. I may have the $$ switched, but the numbers are fairly close.
Just like anything else, everyone will have their favorite gear. For me, I have no reason to put any other scope on my rifles. Your opinion may vary.

Bill the Dog

NorthJeff

" Serious optics for serious hunting"

I will hunt whitetails in 4 states again this year, Lord willing, and simply want the best. I have hunted with Simmons, Tasco(very briefly), Nikon, and Leupold. I just purchased a Swarovski A-line 3-10x42. I also use binoculars quite extensively for competitive archery, and have years of in-field experience with $300-400 Nikons, $400-600 Burris and Pentax, and $1200 to 1600 Ziess, Swarovski, and Lieca, over the past 10 years. I own at least one pair of binos in each category, with my favorite being the Swarovski 8x50 SLC(although I' d consider trading them for the 8.5x42 Swarovski EL' s). I' d also buy Liecas or Ziess, in the same optic, depending only upon price.

Every person has their favorite Brand, but in my experience, you definately get what you pay for. I haven' t seen much of a difference between brands of similar pricing, but I' m sure there may be some bargains in especially the mid-price ranges. Meaning, you may find a $300 Weaver that is somewhat equal to a $500 Leupold, but I don' t think you will find a $500 Leupold or any other brand that is equal to a $1200 Ziess or Swarovski.

Of all the brands and price ranges I' ve used, I can' t say that I ever seen an example that price was not and indication of overall quality, brightness, and clarity.

The difference may not even be that great. It may only mean an extra 5 minutes of shooting light across a 200 yard picked corn field during the last 5 minutes of legal shooting light. But when the big boy steps out, and you can' t see through a cheaper scope to make a humane or accurate shot, what' s a higher quality scope worth to you at that moment?? It has nothing to do with brands.

My 3-9x40 Nikon has served me well for 8 seasons. Last year I had an oppurtinitiy at a buck chasing a doe through the swamp in front of me, 5 minutes into legal shooting light. The doe passed at 80 yards, and presented a clear shot in a 10' window. When the buck passed, grunting, stopping, charging, and then stopping again, I could see antlers with the scope, but was it one of the 6 2.5 to 3.5 year old 8-points I had numerous photos of? or a yearling 5 point? I passed on him and vowed to have a better quality scope in my arsenal this year. The Nikon was good enough for 8 years, but in that moment, it wasn' t, and I didn' t harvest a buck in MI last year.

That' s the difference to me!

Jeff...U.P. of Michigan

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Raymond270

hurricane_e I had a Leopold Vari X II 50mm on my 270 that I gave to my nephew. I had that gun and scope five years and after I set it I never had to make another adjustment on it. It took a beating on the plane too you should of seen my case. I am getting ready to buy another new rifle a 270WSM I think, and also was think about getting another Leopold or maybe a Nikon Monarch.

LPD17

Weaver Grand Slam 3x10x40