Rifle Scopes Best Scope for Hunting, Long Range AND Rimfire!

[Philotimos]

Been looking around at a scope to do everything Hunt, LR and Rimfire. Narrowed it down to a March 2.5-25x56, 10 yards parallax, 24.5 oz for the MOA with a selection of 4 reticles. Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

There are a couple of quality scopes out there, but I cannot think of any that offer 10x zoom.

Meopta has their MeoStar R2 2.5-15x56 with an illuminated BDC

Athlon offers their Ares BTR 2.5-15x50 - APLR3 FFP IR in both MOA and MIL

Thank you for your continued support.
If there is anything else we can assist you with please let me know.
Doug
Camera Land
720 Old Bethpage Rd
Old Bethpage NY 11804
516-217-1000
Please visit our website @ www.cameralandny.com

 

[goosed]

Other scopes that will focus at 10y or less:
S&B 5-25
SWFA 3-15
Hawke Sidewinder 30 series
Leupold efr 6.5-20 (discontinued)

Not willing to consider scopes with parralax in the 25y range?

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[Covertnoob5]

Consider the NF 7-35 ATACR. Has 10y parallax, resolves excellently at 35x for spotting scenarios, and has great glass. I use it for hunting/comp shooting.


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[steve123]

I'm assuming he wants a SFP scope, otherwize the March 3-24x52 or FX 5-40 would work too.

The Athlon Cronus BTR 4.5-29x56 will focus on 29x at 25Y but will focus closer on lower power.

 

[Biggy]

Hard to beat at its price point : 4-16x44

 

[Philotimos]

Thank you all for your input. Definitely helpful. After looking at some of your options I am definitely considering the Athlon Ares 4.5-29. Everything falls within my tolerance levels. Also worth the risk at 2K less than my original option. I'll give you a call after the holidays Doug. Happy Holidays to everyone, stay safe.

 

[lancetkenyon]

Thank you all for your input. Definitely helpful. After looking at some of your options I am definitely considering the Athlon Ares 4.5-29. Everything falls within my tolerance levels. Also worth the risk at 2K less than my original option. I'll give you a call after the holidays Doug. Happy Holidays to everyone, stay safe.

The Athlon Ares 4.5-27x50 has a pretty thick reticle in my opinion. I own one and put it on a loaner rifle. Not bad for the price, and I didn't want to put a $2-3K+ scope on a loaner rifle.

 

[Philotimos]

Lance, thanks for the feedback on the reticle. That would have killed it for me.

 

[steve123]

The Athlon Ares 4.5-27x50 has a pretty thick reticle in my opinion. I own one and put it on a loaner rifle. Not bad for the price, and I didn't want to put a $2-3K+ scope on a loaner rifle.

IMO, at .04 mil thick, I wouldn't rate the reticle thickness of the Ares 4.5-27 as a thickish reticle. To put it into perspective it's literally .36" bigger at 1000Y than a .03 mil reticle. That's far less anyone can hold.

Reticle thickness is always a compromise in a FFP scope in order to see the reticle at low power. That .01 mil slightly thicker line width won't make any difference between hitting or missing and conditions will eventually arise when seeing the reticle better is advantageous. IOR used to have a .1 mil thick reticle, now that's "pretty thick".

And the hash's in this reticle crossing over from one side to the other gives the illusion of it looking like a thick reticle on low power even though it really isn't. Just a reminder for the public, a FFP reticle subtends the same amount no matter what the magnification is, that includes the line thickness.

OP, but reticle's themselves run into the personal preference category so there you go, more to ponder. Lance isn't any more wrong than I am right, like how I put that, LOL, or reverse that.

This particular APLR3 tree reticle absolutely destroys many modern reticles in different ways and it's in a relatively inexpensive scope as well! One of the cool things I like about it is that the hash's make their transition at the .5 mil mark but the .2's are plain to see as well. So it works for guys used to holding in .5's just as well as us who like .2's.

Plus no mil or moa numbers off the vertical crosshair obscuring where you want to aim. When holding over and off, Murphy is just waiting for the perfect wind to make sure that number is right in the way.

 

[Philotimos]

Thanks Steve. You're absolutely right! The thing is everyone has their own tolerances where some can tolerate a not so forgiving eyebox. That being said I definitely have to take a look for myself now to make sure, it definitely has all the right stuff for an affordable scope. Again, thanks for your comment.

 

[Philotimos]

Also, without starting a new thread does anyone know what happened to Killswitch, he used to have a sticky tracking different scopes and don't see it anymore. It has been a while since I've come here and not sure what's changed, if anything.

 

[Pointman308]

Also, without starting a new thread does anyone know what happened to Killswitch, he used to have a sticky tracking different scopes and don't see it anymore. It has been a while since I've come here and not sure what's changed, if anything.

This^-I’ve been looking for the same thread.

 

[goosed]

Also, without starting a new thread does anyone know what happened to Killswitch, he used to have a sticky tracking different scopes and don't see it anymore. It has been a while since I've come here and not sure what's changed, if anything.

Reportedly, thread got deleted by accident while cleaning up from a chinese hacking. Will be brought back at some point.

In the mean time I believe videos are still on YouTube.

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[koshkin]

I've been using the ARES 4.5-27x50 for a bit and it has held up admirably and will work fine for all of the applications you mention. Now, it is not a replacement for a $3k scope, so you kinda need to decide how much money you are willing to spend.

Also, how close of a parallax do you need? For rimfire, for me, anything that focuses down to 35-50 yards is good enough, but for airguns 10 yard parallax is a really nice thing to have.

I have been looking at a bunch of scope recently and if you want 20x or more magnification in a FFP scope, in the under $800 range, the Ares is pretty much your only good option.

If you are willing to go up to around $1k, I like the Vortex PST Gen 2 a little more in terms of optics and turret feel. Both held zero and adjusted well enough in my use. The Gen 2 does not focus as close, so if you need 10 yard parallax, Ares is still your best bet.

Mind you, I do not want to speculate on the prices you are going to get used, so I am going off of regular new prices.

To do better than these two in a 20x or higher scope, you really need to go up in price a fair bit. The next step up is SWFA SSHD 5-20x50 illuminated. It is not as sexy looking, and it does not have zero stop. However, it is a bit better optically and since it has been around for a bit, we know it is a very robust design.

Now, as you go further up in performance, high magnification scopes largely switch to a larger 56mm objective and start going even heavier, so at this stage you should be thinking about that March 3-24x52FFP. Most other options are getting progressively heavier. There is also the newly announced Leupold Mark 5 5-25x56 which is not too heavy, but I do not think anyone has seen it yet (or at least noone willing to talk about it).

With all that, I suggest you decide on how much money you are willing to spend first and then go off of that.

ILya

 

[Fret]

I've been using the ARES 4.5-27x50 for a bit and it has held up admirably and will work fine for all of the applications you mention. Now, it is not a replacement for a $3k scope, so you kinda need to decide how much money you are willing to spend.

Also, how close of a parallax do you need? For rimfire, for me, anything that focuses down to 35-50 yards is good enough, but for airguns 10 yard parallax is a really nice thing to have.

I have been looking at a bunch of scope recently and if you want 20x or more magnification in a FFP scope, in the under $800 range, the Ares is pretty much your only good option.

If you are willing to go up to around $1k, I like the Vortex PST Gen 2 a little more in terms of optics and turret feel. Both held zero and adjusted well enough in my use. The Gen 2 does not focus as close, so if you need 10 yard parallax, Ares is still your best bet.

Mind you, I do not want to speculate on the prices you are going to get used, so I am going off of regular new prices.

To do better than these two in a 20x or higher scope, you really need to go up in price a fair bit. The next step up is SWFA SSHD 5-20x50 illuminated. It is not as sexy looking, and it does not have zero stop. However, it is a bit better optically and since it has been around for a bit, we know it is a very robust design.

Now, as you go further up in performance, high magnification scopes largely switch to a larger 56mm objective and start going even heavier, so at this stage you should be thinking about that March 3-24x52FFP. Most other options are getting progressively heavier. There is also the newly announced Leupold Mark 5 5-25x56 which is not too heavy, but I do not think anyone has seen it yet (or at least noone willing to talk about it).

With all that, I suggest you decide on how much money you are willing to spend first and then go off of that.

ILya

Would this Sightron be a decent choice? I think it costs about the same as the PST and has a 40 yard parallax.

https://sightronusa.com/index.php/product/siiiss624x50lrffpmh/

 

[koshkin]

Would this Sightron be a decent choice? I think it costs about the same as the PST and has a 40 yard parallax.

https://sightronusa.com/index.php/product/siiiss624x50lrffpmh/

It is a nice scope, but I am not excited about the reticle. I think Sightron S3 is at its best with the SFP configuration.

ILya

 

[Fret]

It is a nice scope, but I am not excited about the reticle. I think Sightron S3 is at its best with the SFP configuration.

ILya

Thanks for your expert info. The OP mentioned the March 2.5-25x52 but how would the 2.5-25x42 work for mainly targets at 20-25X? Would the 52mm objective version be a significant improvement at those power levels over the smaller o

 

[AK49]

You will be better off getting a dedicated scope for each... Leupold makes several EFR rimfire scopes

 

[cwinston]

The Vortex Viper PST Gen2 in 3-15 x 44 SFP would also work well. Parallax down to 20 yds. Have one on my hunting rifle and it works well.

 

[SuckitTrebek]

Have a vortex 2.5-10x42 Probably the best combo.

Also I'd consider that there truly is NO one scope to do it all.

Sorry, just not going to find one to do dynamic entries and take 1000 yard shots.

Build your rifle for a specific purpose, because it won't fit every purpose.

 

[Deleted member 10043]

This^-I’ve been looking for the same thread.

That thread was sent into outer space.

 

[Philotimos]

I've been using the ARES 4.5-27x50 for a bit and it has held up admirably and will work fine for all of the applications you mention. Now, it is not a replacement for a $3k scope, so you kinda need to decide how much money you are willing to spend.

Also, how close of a parallax do you need? For rimfire, for me, anything that focuses down to 35-50 yards is good enough, but for airguns 10 yard parallax is a really nice thing to have.

I have been looking at a bunch of scope recently and if you want 20x or more magnification in a FFP scope, in the under $800 range, the Ares is pretty much your only good option.

If you are willing to go up to around $1k, I like the Vortex PST Gen 2 a little more in terms of optics and turret feel. Both held zero and adjusted well enough in my use. The Gen 2 does not focus as close, so if you need 10 yard parallax, Ares is still your best bet.

Mind you, I do not want to speculate on the prices you are going to get used, so I am going off of regular new prices.

To do better than these two in a 20x or higher scope, you really need to go up in price a fair bit. The next step up is SWFA SSHD 5-20x50 illuminated. It is not as sexy looking, and it does not have zero stop. However, it is a bit better optically and since it has been around for a bit, we know it is a very robust design.

Now, as you go further up in performance, high magnification scopes largely switch to a larger 56mm objective and start going even heavier, so at this stage you should be thinking about that March 3-24x52FFP. Most other options are getting progressively heavier. There is also the newly announced Leupold Mark 5 5-25x56 which is not too heavy, but I do not think anyone has seen it yet (or at least noone willing to talk about it).

With all that, I suggest you decide on how much money you are willing to spend first and then go off of that.

ILya

Ilya, I've been following you for years and very happy to have you chime in my thread. Leupold was one of my top choices from the VX-5HD 3-18 and VX -6HD 6-24 unfortunately I believe (but not 100% sure) the parallax won't help me much when shooting rimfire or air rifle, again I might be wrong and have tried tirelessly to find the exact info on that but have had no luck. Again, thank you for your feedback and look forward to your continued contributions. Merry Christmas!

Chris

 

[koshkin]

Chris, I have a VX-6HD sitting in my safe and I will check on the parallax adjustment range when I get home. I think it goes down to around 35 yards, but I do not recall for sure. I have not yet tested VX-5 HD, so I do not know how it stacks up. The little that I have seen looks pretty good. THe VX-6HD 3-18x44 that I have been testing is an excellent design.

Fundamentally, all of these would work fine on a rimfire for me, but on airguns I want closer focus. One of the things to keep in mind though is that most of the riflescopes that focus to very close ranges, are a little tricky to focus at longer distances. There is only so much travel you have in one revolution, so the side focus turret ends up geared pretty fast. At distance, a tiny touch on the parallax turret makes a noticeable difference (that is why people talk about March having touchy parallax). Some scopes get away with it by keeping fairly generous depth of field, but you can only do it up to a certain magnification. For example, SWFA 3-15x42 with moderate magnification and large depth of field is user friendly across the board, while higher magnification scopes get finicky.

That is the reason Sightron offers a special model for Field Target people that focuses from 7 to 300 yards.

I have only seen two ways to get around that: use a large side-focus wheel which gives you extra control or the a dual geared side focus like SIghtron uses on their SV scope (SV 10-50x60 is easily on of my favourite high magnification designs because of the side focus).

ILya

 

[flatland1]

I've also been using a couple of the Ares 4.5-27x50 mil version scopes for several months - one on a custom M70 6x47 Lapua, the other on a Howa Mini custom in 6RAT. No issues with either of these two, and I've sold three more to friends shooting custom rifles chambered in 308, 6.5 CM, & 22LR. These guys are both good shots, and I've yet to hear anything negative out of either of them. I've got three of Athlon's Cronus 4.5-29x56 mil scopes on my 40X/XB & Vudoo V22 22RF repeaters plus one more on a Bighorn TL2-SA in 223AI, and have had no issues with any of the four. The ones on the 22s get dialed a lot, as I usually dial elevation rather than hold over. Am considering building a lighter 22RF on another V22 action; if I do, it'll be more of a sporter, something that weighs in the 9-10lb range, as the others all weigh more than 13lbs. Will likely go with an Ares 4.5-27x50 for such a build, as it's considerably lighter & smaller than the 34mm Cronus, yet is still bright & clear enough to be used at its top end of 27x.

I've also owned quite a few Sightron SIII scopes, including one of the #25007 ffp 6-24x50 models. No question they've got decent glass, track well, and at least the ones I've had held up well. But the elev & wind knobs are too easy to spin off where you had them set - got lost on elevation a couple of times while pulling my 284 out of a drag bag & accidentally spinning the elev turret. If they were serious about competing in the practical/tactical market, at the very least, they'd have worked up a zero stop for their elevation turrets, as the ffp mil version has only 5 mil turrets. Combine this issue with how stiff the parallax knob moves, and I'll just keep using my 8-32x56 SIIIs on the BR rifles they're currently mounted on. At least these scopes have capped knobs, so you're not likely to be accidentally spinning them...

 

[stello1001]

Thanks for your expert info. The OP mentioned the March 2.5-25x52 but how would the 2.5-25x42 work for mainly targets at 20-25X? Would the 52mm objective version be a significant improvement at those power levels over the smaller o

These are some scopes I've really been wanting for hunting purposes. They are light and have a good magnification range. The one with a 42mm objective lens will obviously be smaller which makes it lighter in weight, so it was one I wanted to consider. I've never handled or looked through any of these two scopes, but I believe Frank has a review on YouTube claiming that the one with the 52mm lens has a much better and significantly more forgiving eye box. Again, I have not looked through them but I thought I'd share this in case you are wanting to consider them.

 

[Philotimos]

Chris, I have a VX-6HD sitting in my safe and I will check on the parallax adjustment range when I get home. I think it goes down to around 35 yards, but I do not recall for sure. I have not yet tested VX-5 HD, so I do not know how it stacks up. The little that I have seen looks pretty good. THe VX-6HD 3-18x44 that I have been testing is an excellent design.

Fundamentally, all of these would work fine on a rimfire for me, but on airguns I want closer focus. One of the things to keep in mind though is that most of the riflescopes that focus to very close ranges, are a little tricky to focus at longer distances. There is only so much travel you have in one revolution, so the side focus turret ends up geared pretty fast. At distance, a tiny touch on the parallax turret makes a noticeable difference (that is why people talk about March having touchy parallax). Some scopes get away with it by keeping fairly generous depth of field, but you can only do it up to a certain magnification. For example, SWFA 3-15x42 with moderate magnification and large depth of field is user friendly across the board, while higher magnification scopes get finicky.

That is the reason Sightron offers a special model for Field Target people that focuses from 7 to 300 yards.

I have only seen two ways to get around that: use a large side-focus wheel which gives you extra control or the a dual geared side focus like SIghtron uses on their SV scope (SV 10-50x60 is easily on of my favourite high magnification designs because of the side focus).

ILya

Ilya, After continued searching I have still not been able to find the minimum parallax yardage for the Leupold. I have found a great deal on a Leupold VX 6HD 4-24 with an Impact 23 reticle which I find very favorable at $1500 delivered and believe could be the scope I've been looking for if indeed it does go down to 35 yards as you think. Have you had a chance to look at yours? Until then, Happy New Year to you and everyone here at the Hide.

Thank you all again, Chris

 

[koshkin]

Ilya, After continued searching I have still not been able to find the minimum parallax yardage for the Leupold. I have found a great deal on a Leupold VX 6HD 4-24 with an Impact 23 reticle which I find very favorable at $1500 delivered and believe could be the scope I've been looking for if indeed it does go down to 35 yards as you think. Have you had a chance to look at yours? Until then, Happy New Year to you and everyone here at the Hide.

Thank you all again, Chris

I am still in Israel. It will be a couple more days until I get home.

ILya

 

[Philotimos]

Have a safe trip back. Happy New Year!