Rifle Scopes Next step up in optics

[aslrookie]

I have had a wide range of optics since getting into long range shooting. I started with a Bushnell HDMR, Gen 3 K624i, Burris XTRII 4-20, and I currently have a NF 4-14 F1. My NF has been a great optic. My only complaint is that it lacks the magnification on the top end. My K624i was rarely used on 24x. Most of the time I was on 16-18x. Where I used to live, matches were basically sub 700 yards more around 550 on average and thought I had a lot of money tied up in something that wasn't being fully used. I sold the K624i and bought the NF.

Now that I moved out west, distances can get out there. I have used my NF out to 1200 yards on cloudy winter days. For the price, it's one hell of an optic in my opinion. I just wish they made the SHV F1 in a higher mag range.

What optic or budget would I have to step up to for the same quality and or better of my NF but with more mag range? We can rule out the big dogs because I don't travel to every PRS match and compete on the national stage.

The Burris XTRII was a little disappointing. It looked great when it was nice out, but the same day I shot 1200 with the NF...the Burris seemed to lack optical clarity in comparison.

 

[LA260]

Trijicon 4.5-30x56 ffp. Mil or moa. Very nice glass and reticles. $1,770 from eurooptic. I have burris xtrii 5-25 and Minox zp5 5-25 and the trijicon is a lot closer to minox than burris in glass quality.

 

[supercorndogs]

They make the SHV in a 5-20 don't they? DMRII, TX5i, Athlon Cronus.

 

[aslrookie]

They make the SHV in a 5-20 don't they? DMRII, TX5i, Athlon Cronus.

They do make the SHV in higher magnification, but it's not FFP.

 

[aslrookie]

Trijicon 4.5-30x56 ffp. Mil or moa. Very nice glass and reticles. $1,770 from eurooptic. I have burris xtrii 5-25 and Minox zp5 5-25 and the trijicon is a lot closer to minox than burris in glass quality.

Yeah, I saw the trijicon but I wasn't sure if that would actually be a step up in quality or not. I wasn't sure where they were made and not much information on them.

 

[LA260]

Agreed not a lot of info available on Trijicons yet. They are made in Japan by LOW same as Gen 2 Vortex, Nightforce, XRSII etc..

 

[maxfly]

Check Trij. Warranty on their scopes. Just saying

 

[W54/XM-388]

How much are you willing to spend?

 

[aslrookie]

I took a trip to my local Cabela's to look at some optics. Fortunately for me, this Cabelas stocks everything from low end to S&B, Kahles, NF, and etc. They didn't have the Trijicon 4.5-30x in stock, but the Leupold Mark 5 3.6-18 and the 5-24x caught my eye.

They also had a SHV F1 in stock, so I was able to compare them side-by-side. I am really liking the 5-24 Mk5. They had it for $2k. It's a big scope, but it's not heavy either.

 

[W54/XM-388]

I would suggest that in the $2k range if you are willing to hunt around here on the forum, you can find a lot of higher tier used scopes in the 20 to 25 max power range depending on how picky you are about the reticles.

In the $2k range you would be looking at the S&B 5-25x56 or some of the Nightforce ones, or some of the Leupold Mark 8 ones as well as quite a few others.

 

[LA260]

Check Trij. Warranty on their scopes. Just saying

What's wrong with their warranty?

 

[maxfly]

What's wrong with their warranty?

My experience is if it’s not a manf. defect they will not repair it. Offered me a coupon of 40% off msrp.

 

[flyer]

You could take a look at the Tract Toric HD 4-20x50, made at LOW with Schott glass, FFP, MIL-MIL, zero stop, etc.

 

[Eoddave27]

You could take a look at the Tract Toric HD 4-20x50, made at LOW with Schott glass, FFP, MIL-MIL, zero stop, etc.

I’ll second the comment on the Tract Toric HD. I bought one and was so impressed with it I sold a Burris XTRII 5-20 and bought another one. The glass on the two scopes were not even close and the locking turrets are really nice too. I have a Sig Sauer Tango 6 and I think the glass on the Toric is just as good. As far as durability only time will tell but the scope seems to be built like a tank.

 

[scocoabeach]

Steiner T5Xi can be a good value if you buy a demo model. I got mine from Cameraland. Liberty Optics has good sales on the Vortex Razor IIs and AMGs.

 

[Gilly]

There are multiple 4.5-27 gen 2 razors under 2k turn key in for sale section and some deals on 5-25 atacr and Schmidt in the low 2’s depending on reticle preference. If that’s in your budget I don’t know why you’d ever roll the dice on a trijicon for a couple hundred difference. They are all 3 very good scopes with track record to back up what you’re spending on them.

 

[aslrookie]

I am not really a fan of the Gen 2 vortex. I often hike in the mountains for hunting and those scopes are ridiculously heavy. Ounces = pounds, pounds = pain.

 

[koshkin]

There are several version of the same basic LOW design out there: Athlon Cronus 4.5-29x56, Trijicon 4.5-30x56 and Delta Stryker HD 4.5-30x56. I have not seen the Trijicon live yet, but I assume it is built to the same basic quality. Trijicon warranty department has not earned any high marks from me over the years, but I will also freely admit that bad service rep has never prevented me from buying a scope. Between these three, you can pretty much choose the reticle you prefer. If you decide you like the Delta, I can probably get one for you. Just let me know which reticle you prefer.

ILya

 

[Dthomas3523]

Around 2k price range, look around in the PX here for a used Schmidt 5-25 or a Minox ZP5.

 

[Dthomas3523]

I am not really a fan of the Gen 2 vortex. I often hike in the mountains for hunting and those scopes are ridiculously heavy. Ounces = pounds, pounds = pain.

For weight, Vortex AMG or Leupold MK5. The Minox isn’t much heavier either, just looks bulky.

 

[deersniper]

There are several version of the same basic LOW design out there: Athlon Cronus 4.5-29x56, Trijicon 4.5-30x56 and Delta Stryker HD 4.5-30x56. I have not seen the Trijicon live yet, but I assume it is built to the same basic quality. Trijicon warranty department has not earned any high marks from me over the years, but I will also freely admit that bad service rep has never prevented me from buying a scope. Between these three, you can pretty much choose the reticle you prefer. If you decide you like the Delta, I can probably get one for you. Just let me know which reticle you prefer.

ILya

How would you rate these compared to Nightforce?

 

[koshkin]

How would you rate these compared to Nightforce?

Which Nightforce? Durability is difficult to determine from looking at just a couple of products, but I ahve talked to a lot of people who sell them and it looks like they are holding up really well.

In terms of optical quality, these are close to the ATACR. Maybe a touch worse, but close. Better than SHV.

My basic problem with Nightforce (similarly to a few other brands) is the lack of non-Horus tree reticles, so I end up looking elsewhere.

ILya