Those are close enough prices that it would make it hard to choose! I would like to have a Zeiss or Swarovski,I think Zeiss,Swarovski and Leupold are all great scopes!

Don't get me wrong, I really do like Leupold scopes. I have a couple of them and I like them fine. It just surprises me that these guys keep acting like they are the best scope on the planet. That's just not true. Anyway, to each his own.

They aren't?Whoops my bad don't want to get anything started...just anew day and couldn't resist.

I'm with you, I swear by the Leupolds.

I am not at all loyal to any brand name.I am far too practical for that.I buy the product that I feel provides the best value for the dollar,or provides the best product with a reasonable price.At this point I don't feel that leupold does either.However it does appear that many people will pay top dollar for leupold scopes,even though they don't offer the top performance.

Thank you Stubblejumper. I completely agree with you. I heard for years that Leupold was the scope to have. A couple of years ago when I finally had the money to buy one, I put it atop my Winchester Model 70 270 and I took it to the range to sight it in. It's a VXIII 4.5-14 x 50 with a 30mm tube. I was not very impressed. It was hard to see the target at dusk. The next year I had purchased a Schmidt Bender Classic 3-12 x 50 and put it on a Savage 25-06. I had both rifles with me and shot the 270 first. The target was at 100 yards and had red dots about 1 inch in diameter. I was having trouble seeing the dots through the Leupold. I picked up the 25-06 with the SB and I could see my bullet holes in the target and it looked as bright as an hour earlier. There is no comparison between these two scopes. It is like putting a Tasco up against a Nikon. By the way, the Nikon Monarch Gold kicks the VX-III's butt! And it's cheaper!!!! So stop ranting and raving about the Leupold. It's not a piece of crap by any means, but it is definitely not the best scope for the money either. I've been very disappointed by mine. And don't use the word German and crap in the same sentence either. It just don't fit. I'll take fine German glass over anything. Who cares where it was made. What matters is how it was made and how much time, effort, and craftsmanship was put into the manufacturing process. I challenge anyone to show me a better scope than the Schmidt Bender. They've been proven the best and reviewed in many of the hunting magazines to be the best optics on the planet. Don't cry about them and put them down because they cost too much, just appreciate what they are and respect them. I am done.