Rifle Scopes Best optic aroumd 2k with mil discount

[317millhand]

Looking for a new scope geared toward hobbyist PRS/long range. Through the years I've owned most everything in the $3500 and under price tag. Always purchased used or paid full price. Was never aware of places like expertvoice or govx that offer veterans some hefty discounts. Fast forward to today, with so many options and so many big names offering discounts to veterans. I dont feel like I'll be shooting at an level that requires me to spend 4k on a new optic. Im sure they are fantastic, but prices are getting out of control. I've owned Kahles, NF ATACRS, vortex gen2 and gen 1 razors, schmidt, Leupold mk5, premier, and a wide variety. What I ended up settling with 5 years ago were Minox ZP5 scopes on my longrange rifles, and I still have a few. For my eyes, these are leaps and bounds above the atacrs and vortex stuff at the time. These could always be picked up in the classifieds for under 2k, and Minox even had a 50 percent off promo once.

So, now that I'm aware of all the fantastic patriotic companies that offer discounts to veterans. And all the new options and advancements, is there something new as good as the Minox in that 2k to 2.5k price range with the discount? Leupold and NF definately make some of the toughest and well regarded proucts, but not my preference for this application. I feel like there may be something newer, that has better glass. Maybe just go with what I know and pick up another Minox, but I got nervous when a company gets out of the game.

I've found the following to offer substantial discounts, either direct, through expertvoice, or gov x. I have never owned or tried the longrange optics from a few of these, but do notice they get great press.

Leupold
Nightforce
Vortex
Steiner (never owned )
Leica (never owned )
Burris
Zeiss (never owned)
Trijicon

 

[lonestar1845]

Gen3 Razor is what you're looking for.

 

[rothgyr]

What I ended up settling with 5 years ago were Minox ZP5 scopes on my longrange rifles, and I still have a few. For my eyes, these are leaps and bounds above the atacrs and vortex stuff at the time.

What specifically put the ZP5 leaps and bounds over the rest? Eyebox? Lack of aberration? Colors? Each of those listed manufacturer's top scopes are better at some things and worse at others than each other.

 

[jetjock07]

Zeiss S3 6-36. To me it’s nicer than Vortex and Leupold. If you can find a sell going on, it can be had for around 1850.

 

[317millhand]

What specifically put the ZP5 leaps and bounds over the rest? Eyebox? Lack of aberration? Colors? Each of those listed manufacturer's top scopes are better at some things and worse at others than each other.

My eyes aren't the best anymore, and the Minox seems to have a brighter and clearer image than The NF or Leupold. Minox is comparable to older S&Bs ive owned. Ibe never scientifically tested these scopes and don't have the data to back that up. Simply comparing them side by side at the range amd trying to make out small objects abd targets in darker/shaded wooded areas. I also love the MR4 reticle. Nit picky things I dont like about the NF are the rotating ocular and capped windage turret. If clarity was on par with the minox, I could live with the nit picky items. My experience is with the 4-16 and 5-25 ATACR. I hear the 7-35 may be better? I wish all had more FOV

 

[Glassaholic]

What specifically put the ZP5 leaps and bounds over the rest? Eyebox? Lack of aberration? Colors? Each of those listed manufacturer's top scopes are better at some things and worse at others than each other.

I would say yes, on all of those. The ZP5 uses essentially the same optical formula as the Tangent Theta. My ZP5 5-25's were very, very close to my Tangents with regard to optical quality. Where Minox shot themselves in the foot was with some QC issues, out of country warranty and then the 50% fiasco the OP mentions.

 

[Glassaholic]

My eyes aren't the best anymore, and the Minox seems to have a brighter image tha. The NG or Leupold. Minox is comparable to older S&Bs ive owned. Also love the MR4 reticle. Nit picky things I dont like about the NF are the rotating ocular and capped windage turret. If clarity was on par with the minox, I could live with the nit picky items. My experience is with the 4-16 and 5-25 ATACR. I hear the 7-35 may be better? I wish all had more FOV

The ATACR 4-16x42 and 7-35x56 are the best of the ATACR bunch IMO. With regard to FOV, the 7-35 has fairly narrow FOV at bottom mag but quickly picks that up. Most guys who shoot the 7-35 do so without the intention of using it at 7x, most use the Goldilocks zone somewhere in the 10-20x range and that's where these scopes excel and I think you'll find the FOV of the NF ATACR 7-35 to be as good or better than other scopes that don't have an ultra wide field eyepiece.

 

[317millhand]

If it's true the FOV patent will end soon, we may see even better options coming. Not sure if I have the patience to wait lol

 

[Glassaholic]

Zeiss S3 6-36. To me it’s nicer than Vortex and Leupold. If you can find a sell going on, it can be had for around 1850.

I would say the Vortex RG3 6-36, the Zeiss LRP S3 6-36 and the Element Theos 6-36 are all right there with regard to optical/mechanical quality, I just did a review of all three and each has their own nuanced features but all have excellent IQ that is close to ZP5, ZCO, TT and Schmidt

@gr8fuldoug from camerlandny.com is a great source for all three, give him a call and he can get you setup with excellent pricing

Rifle Scopes - Vortex RG3 6-36x56, Element Theos 6-36x56 and Zeiss LRP S3 6-36x56 Review

I will soon update the Hide with full review: Vortex Razor Gen III 6-36x56, Element Theos 6-36x56 and Zeiss LRP S3 6-36x56 Review Full review here https://opticsthoughts.com/?p=3217 TLDR Version FINAL THOUGHTS I have been impressed with Japanese OEM scopes for quite some time, but I must...

www.snipershide.com

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

What specifically put the ZP5 leaps and bounds over the rest? Eyebox? Lack of aberration? Colors? Each of those listed manufacturer's top scopes are better at some things and worse at others than each other.

The zp5 is better in every way performance wise. It's really a poor man's Tangent Theta. The problem is support is almost non existent and you will spend many months waiting on repairs. There is a reason places like CS optics no longer carry them. At one time they were the biggest dealer and their team shooters ran minox.

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

Looking for a new scope geared toward hobbyist PRS/long range. Through the years I've owned most everything in the $3500 and under price tag. Always purchased used or paid full price. Was never aware of places like expertvoice or govx that offer veterans some hefty discounts. Fast forward to today, with so many options and so many big names offering discounts to veterans. I dont feel like I'll be shooting at an level that requires me to spend 4k on a new optic. Im sure they are fantastic, but prices are getting out of control. I've owned Kahles, NF ATACRS, vortex gen2 and gen 1 vipers, schmidt, Leupold mk5, premier, and a wide variety. What I ended up settling with 5 years ago were Minox ZP5 scopes on my longrange rifles, and I still have a few. For my eyes, these are leaps and bounds above the atacrs and vortex stuff at the time. These could always be picked up in the classifieds for under 2k, and Minox even had a 50 percent off promo once.

So, now that I'm aware of all the fantastic patriotic companies that offer discounts to veterans. And all the new options and advancements, is there something new as good as the Minox in that 2k to 2.5k price range with the discount? Leupold and NF definately make some of the toughest and well regarded proucts, but not my preference for this application. I feel like there may be something newer, that has better glass. Maybe just go with what I know and pick up another Minox, but I got nervous when a company gets out of the game.

I've found the following to offer substantial discounts, either direct, through expertvoice, or gov x. I have never owned or tried the longrange optics from a few of these, but do notice they get great press.

Leupold
Nightforce
Vortex
Steiner (never owned )
Leica (never owned )
Burris
Zeiss (never owned)
Trijicon

If you can stretch your budget...you can get In to a used ZCO in high 2's, low 3's. That puts you in a class above anything else you are looking at.

 

[diggler1833]

As far as the .mil discounts go, it might not be a bad idea for the OP to message a few guys in here who obviously qualify. Posting prices where other dudes can't qualify has always seemed a little off to me.

@317millhand I think that for the money, the Zeiss S3 glass is very hard to beat (I still wouldn't run it on a hunting rig...that red coating blooms in your image when the sun is anywhere behind you). However, for image quality they aren't really behind the ATACR or G3 Razor at all.

I'm in the same market right now ($2K budget for a hobby target rifle). And while I have the S3, ATACR, and G3 Razor, I think I'm going to go a different route as well.

 

[Glassaholic]

(I still wouldn't run it on a hunting rig...that red coating blooms in your image when the sun is anywhere behind you).

Behind you or in front of you? Just want to be clear, is it sunlight hitting the ocular or the objective that you've found to be an issue?

 

[diggler1833]

Behind you or in front of you? Just want to be clear, is it sunlight hitting the ocular or the objective that you've found to be an issue?

Great question. I'm probably not wording it well.

***Not my images***, but this is exactly what I'm seeing in that last 60 minutes of daylight when the sun is at my 4-8 O'clock. Specifically, the red hue is washing out a lot of the image contrast. ***See behind the scope photos starting on post #2, 3, 4 etc...

Zeiss LRP S3 Glass SHOWDOWN vs MK5, Razor G2, Kahles, ZCO

Obviously the S3 is all the buzz. I was sent one to run through its paces, and think this thing is a really nice value with an absolutely absurd amount of elevation. They advertise 46mils or something, mine was well over 50 and tracked very well across the entire range. The glass is...

www.snipershide.com

 

[Softtail103]

Nightforce or Schmidt Bender PM ll with their war pedigree is hard to beat.

 

[Mike278th]

I have the Steiner T6xi 5-30 and the Vortex Razor G3 6-36. They're both good scopes, glass is very similar to my eye, with the Razor just slightly better if you've got them side by side. The turrets on the Razor are more definitive than the Steiner, but the eyebox seems more forgiving on the Steiner (and I really love the MSR2 reticle). Is the Vortex worth over a $1k more (at EV price)? Not sure I could argue for that. The Steiner actually fits into your budget parameters with the discount you mentioned. Another thing to add to the discussion is that Vortex customer service is absolutely awesome. Hope this helps add to the confusion.