Rifle Scopes Importance of buying latest gen/release scope

[LostInTranslation]

Any guidance on how important is it to buy latest release/generation of scope? I read that there is a lot of competition in scope industry now and industry is moving fast - which may result in newer lower end scope being on par (or close to) last generation of higher end one. Or is sentiment that the way industry is moving - it will take long time for lower-end product line to catch up with earlier generations of higher end?

Thank you

 

[D̷e̷v̷i̷l̷D̷o̷c̷A̷Z̷]

I still shoot an SWFA fixed 16x on my rifle and it still makes me smile when I get a first round hit while everyone else is still reading their instruction manual.

I guess I’m saying, if you have gear that works who cares how old it is? A lot of guys spend good money on old scope technology.

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[supercorndogs]

It depends on what they mean by "better" and which old gen vs which new gen.

 

[LostInTranslation]

To give an example - there was sale on Burris XTRII (non-illum - so not quite apples to apples) for around $800 while XTRIII is going for $1600...

 

[supercorndogs]

XTRIII is not a new gen of the XTRII. It is a new scope built to compete at a higher price point.

For example, a list of scopes in a "class"

XTRII, DMRII, Athlon ETR, Athlon Ares, Vortex PSTII

XTRIII, Gen 2 Razor, Sig Tango 6, Leupold MK5, Athlon Cronus

 

[RTV]

Depends on what you are trying to do... the best hunting rifle I have ever held was my great grandfather's bolt action 30-06 with a fixed mag scope (I think 4x) that he saved every penny he could for and purchased it before my grandmother was even thought of.
He set it up to headshot deer @100 yards and under because it wasted less meat.
That gun was a deer headshotting laser beam back then and it's still a deer headshotting laser beam today. If I had to hunt to put dinner on the table I would count myself privileged to be able to do it with that rifle.


The point is that your equipment doesnt become less effective because something shinier comes out.
Just get the best you can afford that fits your needs "buy once cry once" is especially true for the firearms industry because unlike most things these days if you buy quality and take care of it it really can last a lifetime.

 

[762libertarian]

What do you mean by generation? I've seen that term used to describe the difference between two scopes with the exact same model designation but with some small fix or improvement. It could be that the first scopes had a poor button for the illumination, and that they fixed that for gen 2. I think that happened to swarovski with their z6i line.

 

[LostInTranslation]

What do you mean by generation? I've seen that term used to describe the difference between two scopes with the exact same model designation but with some small fix or improvement. It could be that the first scopes had a poor button for the illumination, and that they fixed that for gen 2. I think that happened to swarovski with their z6i line.

Right, I was not clear... I meant when there is clear improvement (e.g. major changes to technical specs - such as zoom, parallax, etc).

 

[LostInTranslation]

Any guidance on how important is it to buy latest release/generation of scope? I read that there is a lot of competition in scope industry now and industry is moving fast - which may result in newer lower end scope being on par (or close to) last generation of higher end one. Or is sentiment that the way industry is moving - it will take long time for lower-end product line to catch up with earlier generations of higher end?

Thank you

To clarify - I am looking into purchasing new scope not upgrading existing one.

 

[308pirate]

Any guidance on how important is it to buy latest release/generation of scope? I read that there is a lot of competition in scope industry now and industry is moving fast - which may result in newer lower end scope being on par (or close to) last generation of higher end one. Or is sentiment that the way industry is moving - it will take long time for lower-end product line to catch up with earlier generations of higher end?

Thank you

Buy the best you can afford within your means today. All this worrying and trying to guess the future is pointless.

 

[slothlacrosse]

Why buy the latest version of a vehicle?

Some people upgrade because it looks cool and other people upgrade because the improvements enhance their capabilities.

 

[E. Bryant]

Buy the best you can afford within your means today. All this worrying and trying to guess the future is pointless.

This. There will always be something "better" tomorrow. You'll be better having something in hand and putting in practice today. Buy a quality tool, use it, and don't worry about what the cool kids are talking about.

 

[hereinaz]

Scope manufacturing leveled up the last few years. Quality shot up in the lower tiers especially.

If you can find a used scope made in the last two or three years you will maximize your money

 

[SRPowah]

The only thing you lose out on is potentially worse resale value. Buy used if worried about that, but buy the best you can get.