Thanks Trailer and Cyrus I was not aware canadians can even order scopes from cabelas through mail order and I certainly wasn't aware that duty wouldn't be required. I guess I am a bit confused on the whole issue as I understood it duty is to paid on items bought or brought in outside of canada, unless they fall within the allotted amount allowed dependant on the travellers duration of stay. Obviously mail order would not fall within the context of this and I assumed duty would be required on the item(s) for the amount purchased upon receiving them here in canada. I know I had to pay duty when we came back from texas last year b/c we were over our allotted amount on the goods we brought back with us and all the items were US made, damn customs searched our bags and determined we were above the 300 dollar amount indicated, so I had to anti up duty plus applicable taxes to take the additional items home..like I said I assumed this would be the case with mail order.

I will relay the information to him as we both thought it was not an option, thanks again.

Skeeter,

I personally think that the list of 3 top end scopes that he/you have chose are all really good. One thing you might want to think about with Nikon's 30mm tube, is that it won't gather the same amount of light a 40mm scope would. I'm sure you are already aware of that. When we all buy a scope we want it to be clear, good warranty, gather as much light as possible and easy to use in the field. I personally think that a 40mm would be better and you wouldn't run into any ring problems with a 40mm versus a 30mm like you would if you were thinking about getting a 50mm scope. I'm almost 100% sure that the Conquest has a lifetime warranty as does the Leupold. Not sure on the Nikon. I didn't do too much digging to find specs on the Nikon, but here are the specs on the Conquest....4" fixed eye relief(same as your Nikon)...12.9" long...13 oz..FOV@100 yards 33.9-11. I'm certainly not trying to sway you one way or another, but just to let you know how pleased I am with my Conquest. Good luck.

Stump, the 30mm refers to the tube diameter of the Nikon not objective. The zeiss has the standard 1" tube like most NA models. He is looking at the 44mm in Zeiss and 50mm in the other manufacturers for objective size. In which the conquest with a 44mm has 3.5" of fixed eye relief, nikon has 4" and the loopy is variable dependant on the power setting. All the scopes listed come with lifetime warranty, in fact I think most do now a days. The real difference with the warranty is if a problem arised how is that handled!
You don't have to worry about swaying me with your response that is the kind of thing I was looking for to pass on to him, ultimately it will be his choice not mine.

Thanks again

Huh, have you looked thru a Nikon Gold series scope ?

Skeeter, I have just purchased a $600 Zeiss conquest 4.5-14x44mm with the side paralax adj. for my Sako 75 and would stack that up to my Kahles any day. It is an awesome value.

Sorry I paid $1500 for the Kahles a few years ago(pre conquest )

I also have a VariX III in near size and it is no comparison- crosshairs are also much better.

For a long range rig like the 7MM it would be perfect- no need for the outrageous top of the line Euro's

As you can tell Skeeter...I'm not all that in tune with scopes and what I know about them. Good luck to your buddy. It took me 4 months of research and hee-hawing back and forth before I finally pulled the trigger on which one to get. It's a tough decision for sure.

Trailer and Cyrus, I pulled this off the cabela's website in regards to canadian shipping/order info:

" All orders must be paid in U.S. funds by international money order or by credit card. Exchange rates are automatically calculated on credit card orders.
Duties and taxes will be pre-paid and a $3.50 broker fee will be assessed per order.
Additional shipping charges may be required on oversized items. "

I have sent an email to cabelas CS and will let you know when I hear back the scoop on any restriction on ordering and duty.

Stump, no big deal I never explained it either in previous posts! Thanks again for your honest input!

Oldelkhunter the nikon gold is that impressive? Personally I haven't got my hands on one as no stores in the area carry this model yet. However my partner has & is leaning that way at this point! Would you recommend this scope over the others listed, all things being considered?

Thanks swamp, not to many around here have seen or use the conquest....YET!

I bought a new Zeiss Conquest 4.5X14 back in January to put on a new 300 Ultra Mag. I have used it on a few exotic hunts since then and love it. The optics are crystal clear and it is very bright. The only thing I do not like about it is that it does not have a TDS reticle for longer ranges.

Of the ones offered, I would go with the VXIII. No if ands or buts.

i was talking to a salesman at gander mountain this past weekend and he said he loved his zeiss but the leupold was faster at the target. he told me his zeiss doesnt get focused as fast when you throw it up to your eye. dont know which model but i guess it always comes down to the one your eye fits best.