Rifle Scopes Best scope for around $1500
- Thread starter Jmccracken1214
- Start date
@stupkat if you're looking for a great deal on Vortex scopes I have found refurbished ones at aaoptics.com for sweet prices, but they don't always have everything obviously. I grabbed a couple for some varmint rifles at one time and had they not stated refurbished I would have thought brand new.
They offer one with zero stop now.
I have one of the very first ones to come into the country in 2018 before the zero stop.
It is a dandy scope and runs with any in its price range.
Is yours the 10-50 then?
If money was no object would you have any good reason (other than it's just fun to check out new toys) to step up in price to say a S&B, March, Steiner etc?
Like I say, I've read those who say the glass actually outperforms several in that next class. Even if it's the same performance that's pretty impressive in my view.
I shoot out to 1500 at 15x. More is not always better.
Took me a while to realize this, but it's a great point. I get why f class shooters need the magnification, but shooting at a 2moa piece of steel, i usually run 16x clear out to a mile and even beyond so I can spot misses easier. Rarely go as high as 24x. Although I will say the extra magnification is nice to have when doing 100 yard load development for spotting holes in the paper.
No. I have one of the very first shipment of the 4.5-24. It is an amazing scope.
It is not an S&B, but it is impressive. If I had the money I would love to have a TT or S&B.
Hell, I can't afford the sightron on all my rifles, and I find it hard to consider some of the ones that are just a bit more expensive.
I read some reviews on the Sightron S III once, which led me to buy one......at half the cost of my Vortex scopes. I liked it every single bit as much as the fine Vortex scopes I had one of then and another of later........The Sightron was on target and I liked the dot reticle. Just saying. Now I'm looking for something much more expensive.....and much more distancing. My rifles have become pricier. Now it's time for my optics to....... Arghhhhhh.
Correct on all points. I noticed when I was at a match, I never put my mag past 10 power because thats where everything "looked" good.
If you're shooting out to a mile, you're WAY WAY WAY out of my league........but not my aspirations......
Henry Bowman, my HERO in UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES by John Ross, says you've got to spend as much on magazines and at least as much for optics as you do the rifle........ he had a better budget than do I. And a lifetime behind the trigger.
I'm wanting to buy a scope I can use interchangeably between several rifles, and am looking at a Spuhr mount for it at the moment. Want to use the Spuhr for my Vortex and Sightron in the meantime, until I can find Excaliber.. The Optics Planet guy says he needs the scope specs and the rifles to tell me which Spuhr to use, makes sense, size of the bell and all. Pricey little devil. I'd like to be able to switch it between my RPR 6.5 CM and my RPR 338 Lapue Mag, and a bigger rifle I haven't even fired yet. Nothing but 500 yard ranges and less around me. Drat!
I qualified Expert in the Army (ha ha) and then did NADA until the Obamanation convinced me I should Arm Up. THEN I went CRAZY !!! For my budget, at least.
That's ALL about me. Here I am bucket listing the White Buffalo in Raton at the NRA center, at 1135 yards, and YOU'RE talking out to a mile and beyond.
How I envy you.......the skill......the equipment........the range......the sheer knowledge........
Nonetheless, I'm having THE FUN OF MY LIFE when I'm shooting or precision reloading........ and I'll be ready as I can be for SHTF, if ever...... Yesterday I hit the steel, including the 6", with almost all my 70 shots at 500......with my flat 6.5 CM. Felt good for THIS novice!!!
ONE QUESTION: What scope do you use for that kind of distance you shoot?
THANKS KINDLY!
ROLLIN
Army Vet
Walter Mitty Type
Henry Bowman, my HERO in UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES by John Ross, says you've got to spend as much on magazines and at least as much for optics as you do the rifle........ he had a better budget than do I. And a lifetime behind the trigger.
I'm wanting to buy a scope I can use interchangeably between several rifles, and am looking at a Spuhr mount for it at the moment. Want to use the Spuhr for my Vortex and Sightron in the meantime, until I can find Excaliber.. The Optics Planet guy says he needs the scope specs and the rifles to tell me which Spuhr to use, makes sense, size of the bell and all. Pricey little devil. I'd like to be able to switch it between my RPR 6.5 CM and my RPR 338 Lapue Mag, and a bigger rifle I haven't even fired yet. Nothing but 500 yard ranges and less around me. Drat!
I qualified Expert in the Army (ha ha) and then did NADA until the Obamanation convinced me I should Arm Up. THEN I went CRAZY !!! For my budget, at least.
That's ALL about me. Here I am bucket listing the White Buffalo in Raton at the NRA center, at 1135 yards, and YOU'RE talking out to a mile and beyond.
How I envy you.......the skill......the equipment........the range......the sheer knowledge........
Nonetheless, I'm having THE FUN OF MY LIFE when I'm shooting or precision reloading........ and I'll be ready as I can be for SHTF, if ever...... Yesterday I hit the steel, including the 6", with almost all my 70 shots at 500......with my flat 6.5 CM. Felt good for THIS novice!!!
ONE QUESTION: What scope do you use for that kind of distance you shoot?
THANKS KINDLY!
ROLLIN
Army Vet
Walter Mitty Type
Hey Archangel.......If you answer my question about what scope you use, pls also tell me your approx age and eyesight??? 16X and 24X max??? I'm always thinking more magnification to offset my aging eyesight. Valid, you think? Or not? TKS
haha, @rottenruger I think you were far more impressed by that statement then you should have been. It's true I shoot a mile on occasion, however the targets I'm hitting are quite large. If someone says "I can shoot a target at a mile" that's not really a statement of skill, throw in a target size and now we're getting somewhere, throw in how many impacts you get per 10 shots and now we really know what's going on.
So, the target size I generally engage at that distance is a rock somewhere around 3 feet in diameter, give or take 6" (2 ish MOA targets are what I look for to shoot at) and just estimating I hit 50% of the time at that range, maybe less. Without wind probably 80% but with wind probably 30%, just estimating off the top of my head, more wind, less impacts. You hitting a 6" plate at 500 with nearly 100% impacts is actually more impressive than what I'm talking about. There are additional factors at those longer ranges, but nothing a good ballistics solver won't help you overcome. The main point I and I believe @clcustom1911 were making on magnification is that if you zoom way in, sure you get better resolution, but you lose the ability to spot a miss if your recoil knocks you off target and you can't find your target again before the bullet strikes. If you zoom out a ways when you fire, your target will still be in sight and you can watch for your bullet strike then make appropriate corrections. One other huge advantage of a lower mag scope is you tend to get more elevation adjustment.
To answer your questions, I'm 35, have 20/20 vision and use a sightron SIII for this shooting ($800ish scope), Seekins rings on 20MOA scope base (6 creed or 6.5 creed usually). I, like you, have a fairly limited budget so try to find "high value" items, the SIII seems to fit that mold. It's the 8-32, but like I said before I hardly ever use the top half of it, even at long range. Ironically I use the higher magnification more at 100 yards then at long range. I think as far as aging eyes, or any eyes really, clarity always trumps magnification. You obviously need some magnification, but I wouldn't make that a primary concern, your Vortex and Sightron you already have will do the job I'd guess. There are guys who shoot fixed 10x scopes at very long ranges successfully. We're talking about hitting steel here, if you want to make a tiny group at 1000 yards, then you need the high magnification to have the resolution you need to make sure your aiming point is as close to the previous aiming point as possible. And in that case you're not concerned about spotting a miss (I don't think).
My guess is you'd be more successful shooting a mile than you think, and that buffalo. Don't talk yourself out of trying it simply because you don't think your equipment is expensive enough. It's easy to be intimidated by not having the best stuff, but someone will always have better gear than you, get out there and shoot anyways. Sounds like your biggest limitation is opportunity to shoot that far. See if you can find someone with land who has rocks you can shoot at, or varmint mounds or whatever.
Thank you for your service to our great nation sir.
Haha, I hear you. Well if you ever do decide you want to sell it for an upgrade, let me know.
Lots of good choices these days, I currently have Athlon, Bushnell, have had Vortex and Burris in the past. All will work fine as well as many of the other scopes out there. I generally use high mag up close, 100/200 yards and generally lower power at distance due to mirage. My best score at a long range match out to 1K was shooting most of it at 10x on a hot summer day. If you dialed up the magnification the mirage too bad to see the targets well. Set your price and figure out what you want at that price.
Hi, Archangel ~ I'm not at all "overimpressed" if you're hitting a 3 foot target at a mile! That White Buffalo I want to shoot is huge at far less than a mile, so I'll remind myself not to get too proud if and when I get there.haha, @rottenruger I think you were far more impressed by that statement then you should have been. It's true I shoot a mile on occasion, however the targets I'm hitting are quite large. If someone says "I can shoot a target at a mile" that's not really a statement of skill, throw in a target size and now we're getting somewhere, throw in how many impacts you get per 10 shots and now we really know what's going on.
The main point I and I believe @clcustom1911 were making on magnification is that if you zoom way in, sure you get better resolution, but you lose the ability to spot a miss if your recoil knocks you off target and you can't find your target again before the bullet strikes. If you zoom out a ways when you fire, your target will still be in sight and you can watch for your bullet strike then make appropriate corrections. One other huge advantage of a lower mag scope is you tend to get more elevation adjustment.
To answer your questions, I'm 35, have 20/20 vision and use a sightron SIII for this shooting ($800ish scope), Seekins rings on 20MOA scope base (6 creed or 6.5 creed usually). I, like you, have a fairly limited budget so try to find "high value" items, the SIII seems to fit that mold. It's the 8-32, but like I said before I hardly ever use the top half of it, even at long range. Ironically I use the higher magnification more at 100 yards then at long range. I think as far as aging eyes, or any eyes really, clarity always trumps magnification. You obviously need some magnification, but I wouldn't make that a primary concern, your Vortex and Sightron you already have will do the job I'd guess. There are guys who shoot fixed 10x scopes at very long ranges successfully. We're talking about hitting steel here, if you want to make a tiny group at 1000 yards, then you need the high magnification to have the resolution you need to make sure your aiming point is as close to the previous aiming point as possible. And in that case you're not concerned about spotting a miss (I don't think).
My guess is you'd be more successful shooting a mile than you think, and that buffalo. Don't talk yourself out of trying it simply because you don't think your equipment is expensive enough. It's easy to be intimidated by not having the best stuff, but someone will always have better gear than you, get out there and shoot anyways. Sounds like your biggest limitation is opportunity to shoot that far. See if you can find someone with land who has rocks you can shoot at, or varmint mounds or whatever.
Thank you for your service to our great nation sir.
Thanks for your insights on scope power and magnification with mirage in mind. That will be increasingly important as I work up the distance.
I'm not quick on the recapture of the shot in the scope, so I mostly rely on the ping to tell me if it's a hit or not. Maybe as I extend I'll have more time to get back on sight with the scope? When I'm shooting paper......so far......I mainly race back and forth down the range when I'm solo, to see how I'm doing. If it's busy, I go with the steel.
I'll keep that elevation advantage in mind as I search for the Excaliber Scope......whatever model and specs.
Your suggestion at finding someone with land lends itself to the idea I had been nurturing, advertise for it, Craigslist or whatever. The one place I've been to once a couple of hours away is nice, with 1K and in the biz, but awkward on hours and cost. Maybe if I became a regular I'd get better deals.
My Sightron is the S111 #25127 for about $325.......the actual nomenclature is an alphabet. It's so nice I'm thinking of just staying with Sightron yet as I upgrade, despite the allure of Nightforce and others whose better scopes are all out of my range.
Anyway, thanks kindly for your comments and your encouragement!!!
Happy Trails!
@rottenruger how did you get that scope for $325? It's typically much more, I'd say you got a great deal. And trust me, that scope is very capable of shooting a mile. I wish I had that model rather than the one I have actually.
Huh? Did they send me the wrong one? Mine is the SIIISS 6 24x50 with 1/4 MOA clicks. ??? It was sold as new and sure looked it......still does. Had it a couple of years, don't keep good enough records to easily find who I got it from online, I had seen in on one "Best for X$$$" list and bought it as well as another on the list. The Sightron was a hit, the other was not. And thanks for you affirmation about it's range capability!!! THAT is exciting indeed!!! Time to go shooting........as soon as I find time to do some serious reloading, I'm behind and work won't let go of me. I'm supposed to be retired, drinking mint-juleps from a rocking chair on my porch, while I plink at squirrels....... Drat!
Hi, Archangel........ You were right! My Sightron SIIISS624X50LRMOA looks like it prices at $700-900. I did NOT pay nearly that much. Holy Cow! I can only think they sent me the wrong one, or they were short and filled the order with an upgrade. Well, I'll count my lucky stars and shoot on........
Flip side is, however, realizing my $300 scope is actually a $800 scope, give or take........that upgrading to their $800 scope will not be an upgrade, rather I need to upgrade to their $1500-2000 scope for what I want.
It always comes back to Big Bucks!!!
But thanks for clueing me in, this will make me understand and appreciate the value I lucked into!!!
Flip side is, however, realizing my $300 scope is actually a $800 scope, give or take........that upgrading to their $800 scope will not be an upgrade, rather I need to upgrade to their $1500-2000 scope for what I want.
It always comes back to Big Bucks!!!
But thanks for clueing me in, this will make me understand and appreciate the value I lucked into!!!
After spending the last 4 days shooting in Alaska with mirage, I can say those higher end scopes do cut through the mirage a lot better. Much nicer clarity at 1000 yards through mirage. I got behind
Tract Toric $1700
Razor HD AMG $1900
S&B PM II
S&B Exos
Kahles 6-24 & 5-25
Tract Toric and the Razor HD AMG performed about the same with a slight edge to the AMG.
S&B's new Exos has the clearest picture through the mirage.
Kahles had more "pop" in the orange horizontal truing lines.
I didn't get much time behind the ZCO which I wish I put more time in but since it's the same guy who did the Kahles I assume the ZCO is nicer.
If I had more opportunity to shoot at 1000, I seriously think that investment to the $2700-3600 range of scope is worth it. You can't hit what you can't see...
This isn't related directly to the $1500 budget, but it's just some interesting things I learned after 4 days of shooting at 1000 yards in Alaska.
Tract Toric $1700
Razor HD AMG $1900
S&B PM II
S&B Exos
Kahles 6-24 & 5-25
Tract Toric and the Razor HD AMG performed about the same with a slight edge to the AMG.
S&B's new Exos has the clearest picture through the mirage.
Kahles had more "pop" in the orange horizontal truing lines.
I didn't get much time behind the ZCO which I wish I put more time in but since it's the same guy who did the Kahles I assume the ZCO is nicer.
If I had more opportunity to shoot at 1000, I seriously think that investment to the $2700-3600 range of scope is worth it. You can't hit what you can't see...
This isn't related directly to the $1500 budget, but it's just some interesting things I learned after 4 days of shooting at 1000 yards in Alaska.
Their last post about the Cronus a week ago was $1399 for an Open Box show model
Just checked, CameralandNY has open box Athlon Cronus BTR - MIL and MOA for $1299.99.
I was saving up and looking to get the razor gen 2 a couple of months ago. Liberty Optics ran a deal on the Burris XTR3 for substantially cheaper than anyone else, I scooped one up and honestly can’t see myself ever needing to upgrade from this scope. My review wouldn’t mean anything as I am a scope newb when it comes to glass over $500. But I smile every time I get behind this thing!
Thanks, already ordered a Nightforce I checked out at the range. Will keep the Cronus on my radar, like their MOA IR reticles.
I have posted this before, but I have a little to add. I typically run a razor AMG. My wife shoots an xtr3 5.5-30 and I just helped one of the guys that works for me set up an xtr3 5.5-30 on his tikka ctr. I have experience with razor g2, 5-25 atacr, kahles 6-24, bushnell dmr2, and athlon ares etr. I refuse to look through the good stuff like zco, schmidt, and TT because I am afraid I will buy one if I look through one. The only 2 scopes from that list that didn't have the initial reaction of "yuck" were the xtr3, and the dmr2. I will be trolled for that statement, but the AMG I am used to looking through has very good IQ and ca control. The xtr3 and dmr2 had a little ca but most of the time I did not notice it. The image in the atacr and the ares were so dark that I had to stop and focus hard to make out small details, they didn't just pop. The remainder had poor enough ca control that everything looked to have fuzzy edges because of slight ca.
I have been running the AMG for a season and a half and it has been back to vortex 5 or 6 times. Their CS is great, but I'm definitely doubting the robustness of the AMG for prs at this point. I am trying to decide if I should drop the coin on a zco or TT to gain reliability and glass quality or just get an xtr3 and be alright with the VERY SMALL step down in glass quality.
I have been running the AMG for a season and a half and it has been back to vortex 5 or 6 times. Their CS is great, but I'm definitely doubting the robustness of the AMG for prs at this point. I am trying to decide if I should drop the coin on a zco or TT to gain reliability and glass quality or just get an xtr3 and be alright with the VERY SMALL step down in glass quality.
Again, I'm the Burris fanboy, so salt my opinion liberally if you wish. But I've compared the XTR3 numerous times to the NX8, the Burris is a nicer scope.
Wmj308 also did a write up months ago picking the XTR3 over the NX8. The weaknesses of the NX8 line are fairly well documented here on the Hide. So you can save some money on the Burris and get the nicer scope, or you can pay a little more for the other one because it says Nightforce on the side.
appreciate it! Yeah, I understand but I ended up going for the NX8 because it has more features for my needs.. IR and a 11 yard parallax
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