JagMagMan

Does anyone know of a good site that has tested scopes? I'm not only interested in light transmission, but customer service, and toughness testing too! I know that some dealers like Midway have reviews, but I am looking for a site that has good, unbiased testing! Magazines, even NRA mags, rarely give you a bad review, after all, on the very next page theres a paid advertizement for the scope they just did an article on!

North Texan

If there is, I don't know about it. I also feel like most magazines push their advertiser's products.

CamoCop

x2 i would like to know of a site like this aswell

CamoCop

i know you get what you pay for when it comes to optics but i can not afford to shell out $400+ on a scope like some people. so i have to look for the best bang for the buck. so far i have a Swift on my Weatherby .300 mag and a Pentax on my T/C .25-06. both of these scopes were not terribly expensive and have been good to me. the Swift i have been using for approximately 5 years and it has not failed me. it works well in low light, it's clear and has held zero on the .300. my newest purchase Pentax has also been good but i have not had it long. i just put it on the rifle a few weeks ago. the Pentax is even clearer and brighter than the Swift. the Swift is a 4-12x50mm and the Pentax is a 4-12x40mm. i looked through the Pentax in the dead of night out across a field. there was a street light approximately 1/2 mile away. if i could have seen the reticle (cross hairs), i would have been able to seen good enough to shoot at 10:00 p.m. it has impressed the hell out of me for being a $250 scope. if it continues to hold zero and holds up without any "fogging" issues in the field, i would consider it one of my best hunting purchases. the Swift is also a good scope and hasn't given me a lick of problems.

okcmco

Check out the following sitea
www.outdoorlife.com. Go to the field tested gear icon and look up info on scopes over the last 5 years. They do a true comparison of different items (incl scopes)
Also check out the Guns and shooting online mag
www.chuckhawks.com/index2.guns.htm

aLSO CHECK OUT MIDWAY USA, RIFLESCOPES.COM, CABELAS, AND BINOCULARS.com. When you are looking at a scope, you can click on a button that says reviews/write reviews. These are from users and buyers so they are not scientific. But you can get some good info

stubblejumper

Since the outdoor life test does notcompare scopes of the same magnification and objective lens size,it really doesn't provide a good comparison.

JagMagMan

Thanks! I did look at the Chuckhawks page. It sounded like pretty good info. Their page makes one think a 2X8 is the way to go, but with my old eyes I was thinking more magnification!
As for the 2X8, the gun I am going to be using it on is a Win. M-70 Lightweight .308. It is comparable in size to the Rem model 7, so the 2X8 might be more reasonable than a 4X12 or 4X14.
Just looking at Bass Pro, the only 2X8 offered is a Leupy, so theres not much choice, not that the Leupy's would be bad!
Thoughts?????????????

North Texan

I've always thought the same thing. It's like they start off saying, "Today, we're going to be comparing apples to oranges......." Then they go through the testing procedures and all and say, "The apple is the clear winner.[brags about apple] However, the orange....[brags about orange, making sure to point out a few more negatives]."

All the objectivity in the world still doesn't fix the problem: they are comparing apples to oranges.

skeeter 7MM

For biggame I personally think 3x9 or 10 x 40is perfectly suited for 90% of the hunting most do. I have had no problems shooting animals in close at 3 or 3.5 power and equally at distance at 9 or 10. I see absolutely no reason why a 2x8 would be more beneficial than a 3x9!

As far as which one the best way is for you to goto a shop and test them side by side in both light and low light conditions for yourself. Ask the clerk to accompanmy you and the scopes outside for this comparison as in store does nothing to simulate real life. This way it will be baised based only on your opinion!!

NoKnees

Riflescopes.com (SWFA) has a forum and I can't say I ever got bad advice over there.