Which things should i consider before buying a rifle scope?
Guns & Shooting
Rifle Scope
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In general, there are three types of sights:
I have had great experiences with Nikon and Vortex in the past (except the original Vortex Crossfire) and also Leupold (just had one sent in that was 20+ years old that finally had something internal knock loose, but was repaired under warranty).
While that was being repaired, I bought a Styrka S5 3-9x40 and was EXTREMELY impressed. One piece bell housing/main tube, crystal clear glass and what is probably the best warranty in the business. Lifetime, no-questions-asked warranty like the other big names, but once a year on Styrka's dime, you can send the scope in to have them clean, check over and replace anything that is not on the up-and-up. They pay shipping both ways and any parts that are needed. My scope also came with a nice neoprene scope cover instead of those stupid plastic caps with bungee cords and a nice lens cloth that folds into a neoprene cover for field use. Adjustment was true 1/4 MOA, solid clicks and has held zero through a few boxes of 165 gr. Superformance SST's. It was priced similar to comparable Nikon and Leupold scopes. The cleaning and reconditioning isn't something I intend to do every year, but I could see doing it once every 3-5 years, maybe a little more often if it is used a lot or is mounted atop one of the whiz-bang magnums that seem so popular nowadays...
As for features, I agree with the posts below. Determine how it will be used (hunting, target, caliber, shot distance, etc.), what you want to spend and then go to a place like Cabela's, Bass Pro, Gander, Sportsman's Warehouse, etc. that have a LOT of scopes and look through as many that are in your budget as possible before purchasing. Last November, I went on a mule deer hunt in Montana. The first three days of my trip it rained. All day. Then switched to snow. I shot my rifle the first day out there at 100, 200, 300 and 400 yards and on day 6 of my 10 day hunt shot my buck at 365 yards across a canyon using a Nikon 3-9x40 scope on top of a my Remington .30-06. Some guys bash Nikon scopes, but I have had very good luck with them. Buy the best scope you can afford and just as important...BUY A GOOD MOUNT! I switched all my high powered rifles to DNZ Game Reaper one-piece mounts and will never look back. The fewer pieces there are in the puzzle, the easier it goes together and stays there. Good luck!
Beg to differ Tim. Vortex and Nikon manufacture some cheaper and lower end scopes and binos for which Leupold makes no similar product. They also market some quality products which compete with Leupold. When you truly compare apples to apples, pricing becomes very comparable.
As stated, buy the best you can afford. Huge quality difference between low/high end product.
× What is it used for (hunting, target)
× Range of normal use(under 100 yards, over 100 yards)
× Caliber of rifle (rim fire, center fire, large bore).
× Glass quality, warranty, field of view, quality rings/mounting, cost, power (1×4, 3x9, 4x12...)
Just a few things to consider & think about.
Big Mac
Displaying 1 to 9 of 9 posts
