Rifle scope Opinions..

[LET EM GROW]

I'm looking to purchase a decent scope this winter/spring for my 6.5 CM .. the budget is around 300$ +- a few. What is everyone's opinions on brands and models? I own several Nikon(Prostaffs, and Buckmaster) and recently a Leupold Rifleman, and both brands seem to be of good quality. I was considering possibly a Vortex Crossfire II for this gun. I want good glass for Long range shooting, and possibly night time hunting with the Red light. And will come back to Zero each time..

No BDC reticles. Either standard Duplex or Mil-Dot. 

Preferably available through Amazon, since gift cards will be incorporated, Thanks. 

[bugsNbows]

There are tons of good options. How long is your long range? Do you want to twist dials? When you say no BDC, does that include "Christmas tree"  reticles as well? Good glass / coatings always trump magnification. I'd suggest checking out the Meopta line. Meopro is in the stated price range. Many of the lower level stuff is made in China. Don't know if that bothers you or not (it does me). Another solid choice would be the "Super Chicken" (LOL) scopes sold by S.W.F.A. 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I have 4 Crossfires on hunting rifles. Great scope for the money in my opinion BUT I would not go that route if I wanted a long range rig. Honestly it just isn't clear at long range. I have looked through the Vipers and they are. I have also heard the Diamond backs are much more crisp at long distance than the crossfires. It would be outside you budget but I LOVED my Leupold VX (can't remember if it was a 2 or 3)  in 6.5-20x50 on a bull barreled 22-250. It was crystal clear at 500 and I could see the dew come off the chucks in the morning when I hit them. 

[Gencountyzeek]

Vortex diamondback tatical, 4-12x40. Not sure if you want more magnification. Im saving for vortex strike eagle 3-18x44 for my 6.5 grendel.

[TreeGuy]

Gonna be tough to find something in the middle of long range and night hunting.... Guess it depends on how far your gonna shoot and how often you want to night hunt.

I have a vortex hog hunter on my yote rig. I absolutely love it. I also do some distance shooting to 400yards. Just plinking the gong but the glass is able to get me there. By no means is it a distance setup but it gets the job done. I prob set the gong at that range maybe twice last year.... But hunted dogs prob 10+ times.

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[chas0218]

1 hour ago, LET EM GROW said:

I'm looking to purchase a decent scope this winter/spring for my 6.5 CM .. the budget is around 300$ +- a few. What is everyone's opinions on brands and models? I own several Nikon(Prostaffs, and Buckmaster) and recently a Leupold Rifleman, and both brands seem to be of good quality. I was considering possibly a Vortex Crossfire II for this gun. I want good glass for Long range shooting, and possibly night time hunting with the Red light. And will come back to Zero each time..

No BDC reticles. Either standard Duplex or Mil-Dot. 

Preferably available through Amazon, since gift cards will be incorporated, Thanks. 

I like redfield scopes as well as the brands you listed, if you are planning on doing some night shooting my buddy bought a 56mm trijicon and loves it. The only drawback you are going to have is the size of the glass on the rifle, anything over 40mm is overkill for a daytime hunting scope. With all of my 40mm objective scopes I can see way past legal hunting light and still aren't a pain to walk through brush. The bigger objective scopes would be a big hindrance when it came to maneuverability in the field.

Edited February 5, 2018 by chas0218

[dbHunterNY]

buddy of mine just got a Accu**** something scope for his 6.5 creedmoor setup. it was cheaper but he said it box tested well and held zero. he installed a washer or something for a zero reset.  honestly you don't need much for dials if it's a scope with MOA or mildots. better off not spinning knobs with a budget scope anyway.  i'd go with the vortex diamondback already mentioned. it's got everything you want for $300.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

1 hour ago, chas0218 said:

 The only drawback you are going to have is the size of the glass on the rifle, anything over 40mm is overkill for a daytime hunting scope. With all of my 40mm objective scopes I can see way past legal hunting light and still aren't a pain to walk through brush. The bigger objective scopes would be a big hindrance when it came to maneuverability in the field.

Not necessarily overkill. If you evaluate the exit pupil size and the magnification you anticipate using the scope at you can get better efficiency at times with a larger objective.  The higher the magnification the larger the objective required to get closer to transmission efficiency. 

For me I have about no luck getting a scope to line up properly in low rings. Add the Monte Carlo stock on to my 700 and becasue of the width of my cheeks,  it is high rings or nothing. Since I am bringing up center line that far going up to a 50mm meant nothing.  As far as being a maneuverability hindrance, you are basically talking a 3/16" radius difference between a 40mm and a 50mm.  You really think a 3/8" overall width on the objective would cause maneuverability issues?

[LET EM GROW]

I wanted to test the waters and spin dials with this setup. It would be a first for me, and that is the intentions here with this gun.. Also, would not be shooting this a lot, only once in a great while. The christmas tree reticle or other long range reticles would be good, i just don't want the "bubbles" on this setup. Id rather have clarity for longer ranges, Ill take good glass over high power as well. I like the vortex with 30mm+ tubes.. 

Distance wise would be 4-500 yards to start. As i haven't shot that far yet, and eventually as my skills hopefully get better i can push the range out further. And if need be pick up a better scope down the road.. . I dont have any other access to property with much further distances than 500ish right now.. 

Im just on somewhat of a budget, and just getting excited to shoot this gun.. lol 

Can always put this scope on another gun as funds become more available and i can pick up something better.

[dbHunterNY]

sounds like you're going to need a 20MOA base too if you're starting at 4-500.

[LET EM GROW]

2 hours ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

I have 4 Crossfires on hunting rifles. Great scope for the money in my opinion BUT I would not go that route if I wanted a long range rig. Honestly it just isn't clear at long range. I have looked through the Vipers and they are. I have also heard the Diamond backs are much more crisp at long distance than the crossfires. It would be outside you budget but I LOVED my Leupold VX (can't remember if it was a 2 or 3)  in 6.5-20x50 on a bull barreled 22-250. It was crystal clear at 500 and I could see the dew come off the chucks in the morning when I hit them. 

Some day i would like to have a VX 2 or 3 or similar but the kids consume my moneys now. Aren"t the Crossfires more than the Diamondbacks? I was considering a Crossfire II in 4-16x44 or equivalent in Nikon.  

[LET EM GROW]

1 hour ago, TreeGuy said:

Gonna be tough to find something in the middle of long range and night hunting.... Guess it depends on how far your gonna shoot and how often you want to night hunt.

I have a vortex hog hunter on my yote rig. I absolutely love it. I also do some distance shooting to 400yards. Just plinking the gong but the glass is able to get me there. By no means is it a distance setup but it gets the job done. I prob set the gong at that range maybe twice last year.... But hunted dogs prob 10+ times.

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I plan to have another setup for coyotes next year. Using my step sons 243 with leupold Rifleman 4-12x40 Is a nice setup for after dark. How clear is the your Hog Hunter after dark, with a red light? I like that Crossfire range of scopes for a coyote gun if there optics are clear enough in low light.. and ranges would be 3-400 max 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

4 minutes ago, LET EM GROW said:

Some day i would like to have a VX 2 or 3 or similar but the kids consume my moneys now. Aren"t the Crossfires more than the Diamondbacks? I was considering a Crossfire II in 4-16x44 or equivalent in Nikon.  

Crossfires are their current lowest model I believe. 

Copperheads (discontinued I think)

Crossfires

Diamondbacks

Vipers

Golden Eagle 

Razor

 

[TreeGuy]

I plan to have another setup for coyotes next year. Using my step sons 243 with leupold Rifleman 4-12x40 Is a nice setup for after dark. How clear is the your Hog Hunter after dark, with a red light? I like that Crossfire range of scopes for a coyote gun if there optics are clear enough in low light.. and ranges would be 3-400 max 

Amazing. Crystal clear and I can identify as far as my kill light will reach. Illuminated dot is also a giant plus for me. Some nights with no snow make it hard to pickup crosshairs especially if target is moving... The reddot is perfect, I keep it on half power and have basically forgotten about crosshairs. Not sure where Ur located but if you wanted to give it a test run, lmk.

The other big factor is the budget. The hoghunter is under budget for you and I think you would be satisfied within a 500yard range for distance. Finding a real nice piece for distance is gonna cost big bucks, to do it right. As far as objective size, the bell is big but I definitely think the positives outweigh the negatives.

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[chas0218]

3 hours ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

Not necessarily overkill. If you evaluate the exit pupil size and the magnification you anticipate using the scope at you can get better efficiency at times with a larger objective.  The higher the magnification the larger the objective required to get closer to transmission efficiency. 

For me I have about no luck getting a scope to line up properly in low rings. Add the Monte Carlo stock on to my 700 and becasue of the width of my cheeks,  it is high rings or nothing. Since I am bringing up center line that far going up to a 50mm meant nothing.  As far as being a maneuverability hindrance, you are basically talking a 3/16" radius difference between a 40mm and a 50mm.  You really think a 3/8" overall width on the objective would cause maneuverability issues?

It really depends on the gun some can get away with shorter scope rings and larger objectives, but yes I find the added weight and a taller more top heavy gun a hindrance.

If you are going turrets you will want something a little closer to the $400+ range. The lower end turret setups don't hold zero nearly as well.

Edited February 5, 2018 by chas0218

[WNYBuckHunter]

Vortex Viper series gets my vote. I hunt with a 2.5-10X40 Viper HS on my Remmy 700 both day and night and it works fine. When I get done with my dedicated varmint rifle, I will go with a 44 or 50 mm objective, as it will be used for night hunting, and that extra does make a difference. Well, thats if I dont end up going with one of the ATN night vision scopes.

Keep your eyes open for a used Vortex if budget is an issue. The lifetime warranty is fully transferrable, so if theres anything wrong with it, send it back and Vortex will give you a new one.

[LET EM GROW]

Just talked to a friend, who's buddy is selling a vortex viper 6-20x44 for a very good price, hardly used. Just waiting to hear back. 

[LET EM GROW]

22 minutes ago, WNYBuckHunter said:

Vortex Viper series gets my vote. I hunt with a 2.5-10X40 Viper HS on my Remmy 700 both day and night and it works fine. When I get done with my dedicated varmint rifle, I will go with a 44 or 50 mm objective, as it will be used for night hunting, and that extra does make a difference. Well, thats if I dont end up going with one of the ATN night vision scopes.

Keep your eyes open for a used Vortex if budget is an issue. The lifetime warranty is fully transferrable, so if theres anything wrong with it, send it back and Vortex will give you a new one.

I considered one of the ATN setups also. But I'd rather hear the pros and cons from someone who has used them the same way id use it. before i buy one lol

[LET EM GROW]

57 minutes ago, TreeGuy said:

Amazing. Crystal clear and I can identify as far as my kill light will reach. Illuminated dot is also a giant plus for me. Some nights with no snow make it hard to pickup crosshairs especially if target is moving... The reddot is perfect, I keep it on half power and have basically forgotten about crosshairs. Not sure where Ur located but if you wanted to give it a test run, lmk.

The other big factor is the budget. The hoghunter is under budget for you and I think you would be satisfied within a 500yard range for distance. Finding a real nice piece for distance is gonna cost big bucks, to do it right. As far as objective size, the bell is big but I definitely think the positives outweigh the negatives.

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If this deal fall through on the used one, i will be considering something like yours. its in my budget as you said, im not sure how id like the illuminated dot. is it something you can turn on or off as needed?

[WNYBuckHunter]

1 hour ago, LET EM GROW said:

I considered one of the ATN setups also. But I'd rather hear the pros and cons from someone who has used them the same way id use it. before i buy one lol

If you do some google searching, you can find places that rent them out. Try before you buy.

[WNYBuckHunter]

1 hour ago, LET EM GROW said:

If this deal fall through on the used one, i will be considering something like yours. its in my budget as you said, im not sure how id like the illuminated dot. is it something you can turn on or off as needed?

I can speak for the Vortex illuminated reticles. They are great, yes you can turn it off, you can also change the intensity for various light conditions. One tip, do not get the same color reticle as your kill light is. If you use white light at night, green or red, but if you use a red light, get a green reticle or vice versa.

[Chef]

I can speak for the Vortex illuminated reticles. They are great, yes you can turn it off, you can also change the intensity for various light conditions. One tip, do not get the same color reticle as your kill light is. If you use white light at night, green or red, but if you use a red light, get a green reticle or vice versa.

Yea i made that mistake but only because Red was the only option for the viper pst in ffp


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[TreeGuy]

I have the red light and reticle. Never had an issue distinguishing the two. I'm not saying the green wouldn't be better, just no issue for me.

 

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[LET EM GROW]

The used vortex viper deal is on, I intend to meet the guy this weekend or next when he is in town again. Even for next years coyote setup i will indeed keep this vortex with illuminated reticles in mind. After getting back out after yotes last weekend for the first time in quite awhile and connecting, I'm totally hooked again. Between 4 of us we took 4 coyotes , 3 greys and a red

[bugsNbows]

If the deal fails or if you don’t like the Vortex, check the Bushnell line. Their 3500 series in a 4-12x40 with the 600 DOA reticle would be a good choice. It can be had for around $250. There is the next step up with the 4500 series. The glass is pretty darn good.