Rifle Scopes How Much Scope Do You Really Need?

[cageli]

Life is short, get the best, that you can afford without regret on the cost. This applies to everything in life not just scope.

 

[MilDot1960]

Life is too short to have regrets.

Yet, the most expensive scope I own lists for $259.99 (Mueller 8-32x44 Target Dot), and I have three of them. Having the other two can take the sting out of any reliability issues; I think of them as hot spares, one can be swapped over once I get home. After maybe 4-5 years, it hasn't happened yet.

Quite some time back the discussion turned to the incongruity of putting an expensive scope on a Savage. Well, I could never come up with either the money or justification to do that, so I bought a small supply of Tasco 6-24x42M and 2.5-10x42M Varmint/Target scopes , and they still haven't failed me in going on 15 years. And, yes, they don't do everything, but they will do everything I need them to do in a satisfying manner.

I just finally took the 6-24 Tasco off the 2001 Ghost Dancer 260 Rem which had served as my pretty well used 1000yd F-Open rifle, and replaced it with a Weaver T-24. I may reverse that, should mirage prove to be the downfall of the T-24; in which case it would go on something I reserve for 600yd and less (like my 11VT .223), and one of my hot spare 8-32x44's would be the replacement.

So, I have my reservations about whether or not my needs and talents can justify spending a thousand (or thousands) on a top of the line optic. Yes, I use less pricey optics, but not just any old cheap scope. I test one before I invest in more of them; and some perform quite favorably, like the Tasco Varmint/Target line, and the Mueller 8-32x42 Target scopes.

My Savage 11VT rifles, upgraded with Choate Tactical stocks, EGW 20MOA bases, Vortex 30mm medium 6-srew Tactical rings, and Mueller 8-32x44 Target scopes price out at just over $1K per rifle, ready for the range. There are two, identical except for chamberings, a .223 and a .308, intended for F T/R competition. They hit what I aim at using my handloads.

Greg

I like the Tasco Varmint Scopes to, I have the 2.5-10X42M, I bought it about 4 years back to go on a .22LR, I can't remember off hand but I think they have about 83 or 87 MOA of adjustment, It's been a while since I played with it but they are quite solid and the Clicks are firm enough and it returns to zero as good as any.

 

[ra2bach]

Normally most shooters would rate the glass like this - V PST2, Ares, SWFA, but everyone's eyes see differently, there is no right or wrong here, just what a persons eyes prefer. I have little doubt that the LRTSi has nicer glass and it seems Bushnell has improved it over the years.

Basically you pay for more refinement with higher end scopes, that includes better glass as part of the package, you pay a huge amount of money for a incrementally small nicety's. Do I like my S&B's the most, of course, are they $2000 better than my Cronus, not to me anymore. At the time I bought those S&B's we had fewer choices, so back then they were worth the money to me. I won't spend that kind of money anymore on a scope. Besides, there is no perfect scope, all can and do fail, and I can find fault with each.

yes, I actually meant I would rate them SWFA, Ares, PST2 - low to high. when I wrote that I thought it was clear. sorry for the confusion.

I admitted my testing was not scientific or particularly thorough. I isolated it to one comparison at 8x magnification on a cloudy day in dark timber at about 90yds. change the distance, different light or magnification, or use higher resolution targets and the order very well may change, but this was enough for me to rank the IQ of these three scopes.