What do you guys/gals use or spend on optics in the field?

Zen Ray makes a good product at a good price point. Good find wackjack. Where did you pick that pair up? I can't find a dealer in my area

good quality is important. "good quality" does not mean it has to be expensive or name brand either.

As least amount as possible! Got better things to spend my cash on.

GReat Bino's!

I paid 165 dollars on Leopold 7x35 binos in 1981. They are still good binos. I have had Leopold scopes and Redfields. I see no difference. I bought a Redfield 2x7 widefield ( an oval scope in 1983. It is junk now though. Blurry and won;t hold zero, it was 79 dollars in 1983. I buy Redfield Revolution scopes now. I'm quite certain there is little difference between Redfield and the Eora peein scopes. Some say ya get what ya pay for. True, sometimes. Many times though ya pay for fancy names too. Many times fancy names have fancy prices cause they had quailty. Then slowly the quality goes down cause the name is trusted as quality when it's really ho hum optics with fancy names. What is the best scope?? No one here knows. It takes thousands of rounds to find out. I doubt New Redfields will outlast my scope I bought in 1983, maybe it will though. I think if we really knew the best scope out there we might be surprised. As for the O.P. Ya can tell your buddy I can buy a scope for 150 bucks and I will shoot as good as his set up. Clarity is a big buzz word in optics. I can't tell any difference. I can tell ya ever scope I ever had drifted once in a while. My 6x18 Leopold drifts 1-2" @ 200 yds now and then and I think they all do.

That might be top dollar for big box factory rifles, but I mentioned quite a few brands where 1300 dollars wouldn't get you a factory rifle at all and those aren't custom shop options.

Those really are not factory rifles.......Dakota for sure is pretty much all by a craftsman. Same goes with Blaser and Weatherby. Weatherby has the Vanguard for their cheap line.

Spend what you want........no hair off my rump.

If I can't get closer then 100 yards to an elk.....forget about it. Not sure how all those hunters do it with a bow.

That might be top dollar for big box factory rifles, but I mentioned quite a few brands where 1300 dollars wouldn't get you a factory rifle at all and those aren't custom shop options.

As far as the 12 gauge is concerned, it would take an elk down easily, but probably not at the distances you encounter an elk. I don't know too many folks who shoot their slug gun accurately at 200 yards. For some, it's questionable at 100 yards.

That is pretty much top dollar for factory rifles. You can always spend more but then you are talking hand crafted specialty weapons.

Same goes with glass.

I look at it this way.......if you spend $1300 on a rifle....take care of it in ten years that rifle will still be worth $1300.....buy a $350 scope to put on it........wouldn't be worth $50 in ten years......spend money on a quality scope and most likely you will get your money back in 10 years.

Spend what you like........I never said you could not kill deer with a $50 scope....you can. But like this last gun season when dad had a hard time seeing through some fog in the morning.........I did not problem with the better quality stuff. Binos and scope.

So are you saying a 12ga would not work for elk?

I guess I don't think spending 1300 on a rifle is top dollar. Blaser, Dakota, Upper end Sakos, Upper end Weatherbys, Cooper, etc. all make rifles that are much more than 1300. The A7 is supposed to be a mid priced rifle. X bolts, Wood stocked Remingtons, M70's, etc. are all around or over a thousand bucks.

I don't think I would take a 12 gauge slug gun to Colorado for elk either so that is a moot point as well.

Optics are like everything else, if you are going to use them a lot and in tougher than normal conditions, spend as much as you can or feel the need to. The longer you plan to have those binocs pushed against your face the more important it is for them to be of higher quality. Higher quality usually means more money. All I know is I have never had issues with my better optics but I have with some of the cheap stuff. I don't like to take chances when hunting so for me a $400 pair of binocs are all I need at this point. I have several scopes from Simmons to a Leupold Mark 4. I usually grab the Leupold!

Double the price of your rifle? Who's came up with that one? I have a 1300 dollar Sako. Spend 2600 on a scope? I think not.

Well that is up to you........you'll spend top dollar on the rifle but not optics? Why spend all that money on the rifle then....a 12ga slug gun will do the same I'm sure.

Besides Bucky I do not think anyone said you cannot shoot deer with less expensive optics.......iron sights will work. When you glass all day.......better optics put less strain on your eyes. Like Ditto posted....when you are staring at thick stuff all day and can barely see movement in it let alone a deer.......the high end stuff can get you better opportunities......not saying the cheap will not get you by.

The MeatPole is filled! Called it early this year,12Ring with his harvested 1 with the bow and 3 gun season with cheap optics Total of 8 deer on MeatPole for 2012.cheap junk bows,cheap junk scopes ans binos.

FYI no scopes "gather" light, they only allow it to go through the lenses. Better ones allow more of it to pass through but none of them actually gather any light.

The MeatPole is filling up

always got a story to one up some body elses.