Rifle Scopes I have narrowed it down to 3 scopes...for 600yds or less.

[gulada97]

So I am in the process of looking for a new scope, after selling two of them....and I am now scope less.

I have narrowed it down to the Steiner T5X or Nightforce NX8. Another option is the Leupold Mark 4 ER/T. The Steiner is the cheapest of the 3 online, BUT my wife can get me a military discount on the Nightforce

I really won't be doing anything crazier than shooting steel at 600 yards (max range at my local range) or punching paper at 100-300. So magnification wise, I'm OK with less than 20X.

Steiners get conflicting reviews. And unfortunately, I can't look through any of them. Any feedback would be appreciated! Thank you.

 

[TxWelder35]

I’d be getting a razor over an nx8 or lupy

 

[eddie102870]

4-16 mark5
razor hd1-10

 

[ma smith]

Budget?

 

[hereinaz]

She can likely get you a Leupold discount too.

The MK5 3.6-18 is a sweet little scope. Its on my long range hunting rifle.

NF is gonna be the most durable and robust. NX8 is a nice package too.

I would probably go NF for that. Don't need above 14x inside 600 on steel. But, shooting paper groups 20x or more is nice.

 

[longshot2000]

Everyone has an opinion. But, the scope needs to fit you like a glove.

I am a fan of Steiner and Nighforce. Not sure which Steiner you are looking at or which NX8. Leupold Mark 5 would be my choice over the Mark 4, but you can find used Mark 4's for reasonable prices. Vortex is good as well.

Steiner is a fine scope. There were some turret issues like 3+ years ago. Steiner does not get the respect that it "deserves." It is not a hot seller, but in Europe the M line outsells S&B PM-II, so that says a lot. With Steiner and with Leuopld you will never get a bad scope. You might not get World Class with the T5Xi series, but you get a solid scope the M6 - M7 series does give you World Class.

Now, for 100 to 300 yards with an occaisonaly 600 stell target, I would want 14-20x power on a gas gun. Maybe you could go higer with a bolt aciton. I don't prefer >20x on an AR or Scar platform, only due to the recoil makes the higher magnificaiton hard to get on target for second shot.

To avoid giving you a long list, based upon what you offered, and based upon my assumption that this is a gas gun, I would look at these and see what you think:

Nightforce NX8 2.5-20x
Leupold Mark 5 3.6-18x
Steiner T5Xi 3-15x
Vortex PST Gen2 3-15x SFP
Vortex Razor Gen2 HD 3-18x FFP

That gives you some variety and different price points. I am offering two Vortex options at vastly different price points. For the 100 to 300 yard shots, I think the PST Gen2 is very likeable. I think the next best value for the money is the NX8.

Then, look at the Steiner, the Mark 5 and the Razor and see what reticles you like.

 

[gulada97]

Everyone has an opinion. But, the scope needs to fit you like a glove.

I am a fan of Steiner and Nighforce. Not sure which Steiner you are looking at or which NX8. Leupold Mark 5 would be my choice over the Mark 4, but you can find used Mark 4's for reasonable prices. Vortex is good as well.

Steiner is a fine scope. There were some turret issues like 3+ years ago. Steiner does not get the respect that it "deserves." It is not a hot seller, but in Europe the M line outsells S&B PM-II, so that says a lot. With Steiner and with Leuopld you will never get a bad scope. You might not get World Class with the T5Xi series, but you get a solid scope the M6 - M7 series does give you World Class.

Now, for 100 to 300 yards with an occaisonaly 600 stell target, I would want 14-20x power on a gas gun. Maybe you could go higer with a bolt aciton. I don't prefer >20x on an AR or Scar platform, only due to the recoil makes the higher magnificaiton hard to get on target for second shot.

To avoid giving you a long list, based upon what you offered, and based upon my assumption that this is a gas gun, I would look at these and see what you think:

Nightforce NX8 2.5-20x
Leupold Mark 5 3.6-18x
Steiner T5Xi 3-15x
Vortex PST Gen2 3-15x SFP
Vortex Razor Gen2 HD 3-18x FFP

That gives you some variety and different price points. I am offering two Vortex options at vastly different price points. For the 100 to 300 yard shots, I think the PST Gen2 is very likeable. I think the next best value for the money is the NX8.

Then, look at the Steiner, the Mark 5 and the Razor and see what reticles you like.

That was great feedback, thank you. You nailed it, I am looking at the Steiner 3-15 and the 2.5-20 NX8. EuroOptic also has an Eotech Vudu 3.5-18 for $1400. Reviews on it are pretty promising, but I don't know much about Eotech.
Scope will be going on a BA .308

 

[eddie102870]

i got a NF 2.5-20 in a month ago and its by far my favorite. havent looked through a stiener yet

 

[steve123]

Get a new Athlon Cronus BTR 4.5-29x56 on sale at Cameraland for $1200-ish. It has daylight bright illume for use on 4.5x for hunting and seeing the reticle, and for paper punching 29x is a big plus!

It's not a long or an excessively heavy scope either. Well known for having great glass and being a well balanced scope.

 

[Quarter Horse]

If you're considering the VUDU 3.5-18 I would suggest you look at the 5-25X50 with MD3 reticle in the demo section at EuroOptic. The 5-25 weighs about a quarter of a pound less and is several inches shorter than the 3.5-18. It is a legitimate ultra-short. I don't know that @koshkin has done a full evaluation on the 5-25 but he has used it and said that it was quite good from a price-performance standpoint.

I bought one almost a year ago and put it on a Armalite M15T about six months ago. I am very impressed by it. So much so that I seriously considered buying another when I saw the Used/Demo price and I don't have anything right now to put it on.

 

[gulada97]

If you're considering the VUDU 3.5-18 I would suggest you look at the 5-25X50 with MD3 reticle in the demo section at EuroOptic. The 5-25 weighs about a quarter of a pound less and is several inches shorter than the 3.5-18. It is a legitimate ultra-short. I don't know that @koshkin has done a full evaluation on the 5-25 but he has used it and said that it was quite good from a price-performance standpoint.

I bought one almost a year ago and put it on a Armalite M15T about six months ago. I am very impressed by it. So much so that I seriously considered buying another when I saw the Used/Demo price and I don't have anything right now to put it on.

That was my thought as well. The reviews are generally pretty good. And I do like the reticle! They definitely aren't as popular as some of the bigger brands out there, but they have been around for more than 2 decades so I'd say they know what they're doing. Thanks!

 

[Quarter Horse]

That was my thought as well. The reviews are generally pretty good. And I do like the reticle! They definitely aren't as popular as some of the bigger brands out there, but they have been around for more than 2 decades so I'd say they know what they're doing. Thanks!

That may be changing. The prices are trending up in the Optics PX. Maybe the word is out.