Hi folks,

I am looking for a scope. 3x9 is more than good enough. An even less powerful scope would be fine for me. I understand that 3x9 is the most widely produced so I suspect that is what I'll end up with but it is certainly not necessary for my purposes.

What I want out of my scope is durability. I'd like to be able to strap it to a 30mm hughes chain gun, fire a 300 round burst and let it eat that recoil, then leave it in a mud puddle for a week, beat it against a tree a few times and mount it on a rifle and have it still work as advertised.

ummm...ok, that may be asking a bit too much but I think you can see where this is going. I want the same thing from my scope that I like in my guns, simple reliable, durable.

Oh, and I'm quite poor (school teacher ya know). Price is certainly a consideration (300 - 350 bucks?).

Forgive me if this is a ridiculous request. I know almost nothing (I know the basics of optics but nothing about what is available and at what price).

Thanks very much to anyone with some advice/comments.

Good luck.If abused enough,any scope can fail.I don't abuse my equipment,but my scopes do get exposed to rough conditions.I have owned many different scopes,and the only ones that ever failed were tasco and simmons.My leupold vx/varix,elite 3000/3200/4000/4200,and zeiss conquests have all proven to be very durable and dependable,and all are in your price range.Of those scopes,I find the conquest to offer the best optics and the elites to offer the most quality for a lower price.

IMO, the Leupold top end scopes (not the Rifleman or VXI) are quite durable. This is true particularily in the smaller sized, lower powered units ... like the VXIII 2.5 - 8 X 36 for example. More often than not, the smaller, lighter scopes hold up better than the large diameter objective scopes with lots of variable power or adjustible objectives. You may even consider a fixed power rather than a variable (less to go wrong you know). A 4X is sufficient for many typical hunting applications.

Another very good (and less expensive option to the VXIII's or VX7 Leuppy's) are the Bushnell Elite 4200's. I've found them to be bright, tough and a good value. John Barsness (shooting guru, gun looney, smith, optical wizzard and writer for Rifle mag) rates the Bushnell 4200's as one of his all time favorites for toughness and shootability on the big recoiling calibers. I'd sure take his word over a non-expert such as myself. Anyway, that's my $.02. Figure out what you want and then price check on the many websites out there for some good deals right now. I'd check SWFA, Optics Planet, Optics Spot, Natchez, Midway, Bear Basin Outfitters, etc. Good luck in you quest.

I have been hearing alot of good reviewsin regards to the Bushnell Elite 4200. Theopticzone.com seems to have the best price on them. I hear that the Rainguard feature is great.

In my opinion,there about 4 brands that will fill both your requirements of beoing dependable and reasonably priced. Leupold,Burris,with weaver and nikon being tied for 3rd place. I'm sure some models within these lines will satisfy you.