Rifle Scopes Best FFP MIL 30mm tube precision optic for <$800

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LJT88

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Minuteman
    • Jul 16, 2019
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    #1
    Im in need of a scope for my first precision rifle. As much as I'd like to throw down on a Mk5,ATACR, or S&B Im afraid this is going to have to be pretty budget minded. I already have some Badger 30mm rings so that's why Im asking about 30mm optics. Primary uses are going to be shooting steel. I would like to get into comps when time allows. $800 would be the very upper end of my price range right now unfortunately. Are the Leupold Mk 4's still a solid option in todays market? At what price point do they become viable? Midway has them on sale right now at $700. If there is a 34mm tube option like the Burris XTR 2 that is a better choice I can always sell the rings I have.

    Scopes I'm tossing around....

    Vortex PST Viper Gen 2

    Bushnell LRTS

    Athlon Ares BTR

    Leupold Mk 4
     
    #4
    LJT88 said:
    Im in need of a scope for my first precision rifle. As much as I'd like to throw down on a Mk5,ATACR, or S&B Im afraid this is going to have to be pretty budget minded. I already have some Badger 30mm rings so that's why Im asking about 30mm optics. Primary uses are going to be shooting steel. I would like to get into comps when time allows. $800 would be the very upper end of my price range right now unfortunately. Are the Leupold Mk 4's still a solid option in todays market? At what price point do they become viable? Midway has them on sale right now at $700. If there is a 34mm tube option like the Burris XTR 2 that is a better choice I can always sell the rings I have.

    Scopes I'm tossing around....

    Vortex PST Viper Gen 2

    Bushnell LRTS

    Athlon Ares BTR

    Leupold Mk 4
    Click to expand...

    I’ve owned several vipers gen 1 and gen 2 that I could just never fall in love with. I bought a LRTS from Cameraland NY That has been great so far.
     
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    #5
    LJT88 said:
    Im in need of a scope for my first precision rifle. As much as I'd like to throw down on a Mk5,ATACR, or S&B Im afraid this is going to have to be pretty budget minded. I already have some Badger 30mm rings so that's why Im asking about 30mm optics. Primary uses are going to be shooting steel. I would like to get into comps when time allows. $800 would be the very upper end of my price range right now unfortunately. Are the Leupold Mk 4's still a solid option in todays market? At what price point do they become viable? Midway has them on sale right now at $700. If there is a 34mm tube option like the Burris XTR 2 that is a better choice I can always sell the rings I have.

    Scopes I'm tossing around....

    Vortex PST Viper Gen 2

    Bushnell LRTS

    Athlon Ares BTR

    Leupold Mk 4
    Click to expand...
    Viper PST Gen 2 or Bushy LTRS. They both punch above their weight and you'll be very happy with either.
     
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    #6
    Leupold Mark 4 is not a bad scope by any means but there are far better options available now.

    i had a Mark 4 4.5-14 which I sold as the Vortex HST 4-16 I had was a better scope.
    The PST Gen 2 is a huge improvement over the HST, so comparing the PST to the MK 4 the Vortex is a much much better scope IMO.
     
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    #7
    SonoranPrecision said:
    Bushnell LRTS hands down. CamerlandNY has the 4.5-18 model for a crazy deal (call them for the special price). You won’t be disappointed.
    Click to expand...
    It would be our pleasure to assist you and discuss options. Please give a call, 516-217-1000, when you have a few minutes
    Be well
    Doug
     
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    #8
    clcustom1911 said:
    Viper PST Gen 2 or Bushy LTRS. They both punch above their weight and you'll be very happy with either.
    Click to expand...

    The other day I had the chance to get behind a friend’s 3-15 pst gen2 while he got behind my lrts 3-12. The first thing out of his mouth was “Wow! This thing is really clear!” At the same moment I was thinking that the image quality of the pst2 looked a little fuzzy/noticeably less sharp. Just my experience though.
     
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    #9
    I would take a hard look at the new Burris RT6 Long Range. It's exactly what you are looking for, a budget minded competition scope.

    They have a 5-25×56 in a 30mm tube, FFP, capped windage, SCR competition grid reticle, 25 yard parallax, integrated throw lever, lightweight and compact. This will probably sell for <$700.

    RT Long Range Riflescopes | Burris Optics

    www.burrisoptics.com www.burrisoptics.com
     
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    #13
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    #14
    rcmigpilot said:
    AA Optics has refurb PST IIs for $675


    Or you might consider an Athlon Midas TAC, I have both the PST II and the MIdas, hard to go wrong with either

    www.opticsplanet.com

    Athlon Optics Midas TAC HD 6-24x50mm APLR4 Rifle Scope

    Shop Athlon Optics Midas TAC HD 6-24x50mm APLR4 Rifle Scope | 4.8 Star Rating on 12 Reviews for Athlon Optics Midas TAC HD 6-24x50mm APLR4 Rifle Scope + Free Shipping over...
    www.opticsplanet.com www.opticsplanet.com
    Click to expand...
    Agreed. Midas tac has some great glass for the money. And the pst has had a decent track record also.
     
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    #17
    I bought the 3-12 LRTS and the Steiner P4Xi 4-16 from Cameraland this year. Both are very good scopes for your price range. I run the LRTS on my SPRish build and the Steiner on my 700. I’ve only shot both out to 300 but I’m completely satisfied with both scopes. If I were in your shoes I would get the Steiner or the LRHS from Cameraland. I’d like to buy the LRHS to keep for another build but I gotta sell my Gen1 PST first
     
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    #19
    If Dougs price of the LTRS is near the $750 range GAP was blowing LHRS's out for a couple years ago, it's a ton of scope for the $ really nice glass, though I'm not a huge fan of the G3 reticle. There are some really good deals on the PST Gen 2's as well, $675 for a refurbished 2C is a steal, there are some 7C's in the $850 range at various vendors. The one big difference I noticed with the older 2C vs the 7C is on the 7C the whole tree reticle is illuminated, with the 2C only the main elevation/windage crosshairs illuminate. Also the open reticle of the 2C vs the dot of the 7C, I've been tempted to sell off a couple of my 2C's to upgrade to the 7C since it's what my Gen 2 Razors have.

    Power wise I'm a 5-25x whore, I really like having the 25x option for doing zeroing/paper shooting even though I never usually dial it up that high elsewhere.
     
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    #22
    Be careful of adding to many options to your list. I did this and it took me forever to make a decision. I would watch for the new scopes being dropped at SHOT or NRA then wait for the to be reviewed here. That just turns into waiting forever and not shooting. Go check some of these options out if you have a place close to home that carries the brands you like. If not roll the dice and pick one. Sell it if you don’t like it and buy something better.
     
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    #26
    The details appear unclear to me right now. The specs say the RT-25 parallaxes down to 25y, but the photo of the scope shows 15y when you zoom in.

    Either way, this could be an interesting .22 optic!
     
    #27
    Basher said:
    The details appear unclear to me right now. The specs say the RT-25 parallaxes down to 25y, but the photo of the scope shows 15y when you zoom in.

    Either way, this could be an interesting .22 optic!
    Click to expand...

    I've heard it's actually 15 and the website is a typo.

    But I stick to what the website is saying to be safe. My official stance is it's "at least" 25 yards. ;)

    Those are some great features on that scope. I know Burris doesnt get much love on the Hide, but from first hand accounts of the glass quality combined with those features and price, this is going to be a solid sub $1k optic.
     
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    #28
    Take a look at the reticles available for the scopes that you are interested in or being recommended. It played a large part in the decision on my second scope. I have a PST Gen II 5-25 with the EBR-2C reticle on my Tikka T3X CTR 6.5cm which I regularly shoot out to 1000yds. I just built a Tikka T1X .22lr and in deciding on the scope for it I ended up with the Athlon Midas Tac 6-24 with the APRS3 reticle. It's a similar style reticle as the EBR-2C though there are differences, but for the price I was willing to try it out on the 22.
     
    #29
    Hopefully not a thread derail, but what is the general consensus between buying a used scope vs refurb?

    I’m asking because the refurb PST listed above is a better deal than any used one I’ve seen.
     
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    #30
    It really isn't a big deal with a company like Vortex. Say it shits the bed three months down the road, just send it in. They may give you a new replacement.

    More than likely though, it'll work just fine and you won't ever notice any issues with it.
     
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    #31
    Buying a refurb or used to me the big issue is what warranty is left, if any. In the case of these I think they state that the lifetime VIP warranty Vortex offers still applies, so if you ever had an issue it would be covered.

    Whenever buying used/refurb it's important to note the warranty, there might be no warranty, or very little. A few years ago Cabelas was selling Leica refurbished HD-b binocs for a good discount, but when you got into the documentation you found out that the warranty was 90 days instead of the normal 5 years, something Cabelas "forgot" to mention on their product page. Some companies don't allow for the transfer of warranties so once you're the second owner you have zero warranty, and some will take care of you even without a warranty but that's a gamble.

    Warranty is a big deal for me because I have the WORST luck buying stuff, I swear companies should pay me to buy their stuff as QA to get the lemons off the market.
     
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    #41
    I would definitely go with the vortex pst gen 2 my brother inlaw has one and the glass is awesome makes me wonder why I spend so much money on so called higher end optics
     
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