Rifle Scopes starter scope options

jackh

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Dec 18, 2008
683
1
College Station, TX
it seems like the best 3 choices for starter scopes for me are the bushnell elite 4200 3-12x44, the SS 3-9x40 and the viper pst 4-16x50. all 3 can be had ffp mil/mil which is what i want. i have never read anything bad about the SS, i havent read all that much about the bushnell and ive read some iffy stuff about the new vipers. does anyone know if the bushnell and vortex perform and hold up as well as the SS do? they are all in about the same price range, although the pst give you more options for the same money. not sure if theyre as durable and will last as long though. no need to spend my money there if its not going to hold up. i will say i would much prefer the vipers reticle over a standard mil dot like whats on the other two.

the only experience ive had with vortex are some diamondback binos i bought last year, i have not been that impressed with them so far. the glass is good at shorter distances imo, but ive had lots of problems with the eye pieces fogging up during hunting. kind of turned me off of vortex for a while.
 
Re: starter scope options

There is plenty here on the bushnell and SS. Both have a pretty good reputation. I have personally had both and I dig em. Still have the bushy because it has a few more features the SS doesn't. I have no experience with the PST.
 
Re: starter scope options

I really like my Bushnell and I wanna try a Vortex as well but I want to wait and see how they review. For the money the Bushnells are awesome product. The SS have an awesome rep but you won't get as much mag out of them. The PST should be a great scope and it seems like Vortex has put good time and money into correcting their initial problems and also being active in listening to the shooters. I'm sure you'll be happy with any of the 3 you mentioned, you just need to decide what features you prefer most and what brand you feel most comfortable with.
 
Re: starter scope options

i think the pst might be the best option for a sub $1000 ffp mil/mil so far. anyone know how durable it is? ive heard nothing but good things about the durability of the other two, i guess the pst's havent been out long enough to get a good durability rating.
 
Re: starter scope options

I'll throw in a vote for the SS 3x9. It's been around for awhile and it's proven to be a solid preformer. No, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but it is built shit house tough where it counts. If you don't need illumination or more than 3x9 magnification, it's a hell of a scope for the money - especailly when you use the SSHIDE discount code. No, I won't give up mine, but you can get one at SWFA!