Rifle Scopes US Optics v. S&B v. Others

[TexasGunTrustLawyer]

Thanks to Lazy21, I was able to look at an S&B and a US Optics and compare them to my primary arms 4-14 FFP

I wonder what I am missing when looking through the glass? What am I supposed to see?

We shot into the setting sun and into the night without illumination.

I noticed the Primary Arms, which is my favorite budget minded training scope. . . . .whited out due to the sun getting lower on the horizon and more in alignment with the path of light through the scope more than and before the S&B and the USO.

The USO and the S&B seemed about the same here re the sunlight whiting out the picture.

Resolution, both the USO and the S&B seemed comparable at 17X at 100yards.

As it got dark, the Primary Arms was the first to go. No illuminated reticle and you could not see the targets nearly as clearly as the USO and the S&B.

Both the USO and the S&B allowed me to ID and shoot the black steel pig without effort.

So, what am I not seeing?

 

[Dogtown]

Consider yourself lucky then as you won't have any need to spend lots of money on optics now

 

[DirtyDave]

So, what am I not seeing?

Not sure how to answer this.
You tried 2 High end optics and they outperformed the budget optic. End of story.

 

[CMH]

Not to be too much of a smartass, but if I have to explain it to you...you wouldn't understand. Put another way - the things high end optics bring to the table may not be noticeable or important to you, in which case Dogtown nailed it above.

 

[hk dave]

If you can't see a difference, stick with Primary Arms and be happy.

I on the other hand, can see the minor differences between two identical S&Bs because of the variance created from the fact that each was hand built and will slightly differ. Life can suck at times.

 

[TexasGunTrustLawyer]

Sorry, thought I was clear. There was a difference between the primary arms and the S&B and the UsO.

What I didn't see was the difference between the S&B and the USO.

 

[TexasGunTrustLawyer]

I also didn't bring my razor HD.

I was expecting to see a noticeable difference between the S&B and the USO as the light went away.

I re-read my post and I think it was clear the difference between the training optic and the high end optics.

I was expecting to see a difference in resolution. I didn't.

So, what I am asking is for the people who have more discriminating eyes and have developed the skills to differentiate between the high end optics to educate me in what to look for next time we are at the range.

 

[TexasGunTrustLawyer]

Not sure how to answer this.
You tried 2 High end optics and they outperformed the budget optic. End of story.

I am trying to differentiate between the high end optics. And I had trouble seeing the difference.

I'm going to bring my razor hd next time and put three high end optics up and see if I can see the difference in the resolution and low light performance.

 

[Dead Nutz]

I don't own either of those scopes but wanted to tell you I for one understood what you were trying to ask.

 

[sib1948]

I presently have S&B 3-20X and 5-25X, both with MSR reticle and a March F 3-24X with FML-1 reticle. They are all fantastic scopes for tacticle situations! The S&B 3-20X has the MTC LT, while the S&B 5-25X has the DT non-locking turrets. Both zero easily and I have no need for locking turrets, since I just shoot targets in the wild or at the range. All the scopes are easy to zero and have great tracking and turret clicks. Glass is exceptional. You do get what you pay for in scopes, but this level of precision is not necessary for everyone!

I suspect the "new kid on the block" will be a huge hit as it rolls out in the next few months. The Vortex Razor HD 4.5-27X looks pretty awesome. If it works as well as the present VR HD 5-20X, it will be the most bang for the buck available. In fact, have one on order, just to have an extra scope available, if one of mine needs to have some service.

I wasn't impressed with the new S&B offerings due out later this year, but I'm sure they'll be top quality, as usual, and do well, if the price is right. It's a nice problem to have too many great scopes from which to choose.

 

[TexasGunTrustLawyer]

Consider yourself lucky then as you won't have any need to spend lots of money on optics now

Just to be clear. I have a razor hd 5-20 and leupold cqbss 1-8 and a SN-4 and now a USO 3-17 courtesy of lazy21.

 

[Diablo]

The nice thing about USO was that you could order a scope with specific options you preferred.

Some have reported issues with USO tracking reliability, as compared with S&B.

Since USO quit building scopes with the type of parallax adjustment that I preferred awhile back, I've been buying S&B and Hensoldt (except for one NF ATACR -- just to try it out).

Glass (optics quality & coatings), features (knobs, adjustments, size, range of magnification, reticles, elevation adjustment, etc.), and tracking dependability all matter, but some things matter more to some folks than others.

It's subjective, I prefer S&B and Hensoldt scopes. But I also have some USOs and NF (even some older Leupys on rimfires and revolvers).

 

[lazy21]

With USO's new glass coatings, it's very hard to notice that difference between S&B. I've always said Hensoldt has the best glass but their reticles suck and I have one here that has been "Broken" for about 6 months now and still can't send it in for repair.


here's a few of mine

The rifle without a scope is awaiting a new USO too

 

[Sako man]

With USO's new glass coatings, it's very hard to notice that difference between S&B. I've always said Hensoldt has the best glass but their reticles suck and I have one here that has been "Broken" for about 6 months now and still can't send it in for repair.


here's a few of mine

The rifle without a scope is awaiting a new USO too

First off, that is one hell of a collection! looks like a GAP, Sako, AI, DTA… basically your a bastard. Yeah, Hensoldt glass is the best glass I have ever looked through, but your right the old thick ass mill dots don't do the glass justice. Not sure why they don't get with the modern world. It's not like anyone has never complained about their shitty reticles. I don't know anyone running an NH1.

To the OP I can't tell the difference between the USO and SnB, but my SnB will be one of the last optics I'd part with if I had too.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

A quality scope is more than a pretty picture. A quality scope will still be going when you've had to send back that Chinese primary arms 20 times.

 

[Sig Marine]

With USO's new glass coatings, it's very hard to notice that difference between S&B. I've always said Hensoldt has the best glass but their reticles suck and I have one here that has been "Broken" for about 6 months now and still can't send it in for repair.


here's a few of mine

The rifle without a scope is awaiting a new USO too

The next time my wife thinks I have too many rifles, I'm bustin' out this picture. Very, very nice collection indeed.

 

[TexasGunTrustLawyer]

A quality scope is more than a pretty picture. A quality scope will still be going when you've had to send back that Chinese primary arms 20 times.

LOL The scopes are for different purposes. I cannot justify a 3k optic on EVERY rifle that I own. I do not expect the Primary arms optic to perform at the level of the USO, the Schmidt or the Vortex Razoe HD.

 

[RetardedTiming]

With USO's new glass coatings

New coating? Slight difference or very noticeable?

 

[Nik H]

The next time my wife thinks I have too many rifles, I'm bustin' out this picture. Very, very nice collection indeed.

^^^^+1

beautiful group of rifles

 

[hk dave]

New coating? Slight difference or very noticeable?

I'd like to know about this myself.

 

[lazy21]

Comparing them to my 3+ year old scopes, it's very noticeable. HK, how far are you from USO? Stop by and check them out

 

[cro789]

Lazy21 I bow to you for you are truly the winner for who has the most toys. I got a USO st 10 and the also have a Nightforce ATARC and I can say I can see the difference between the two. I was amazed at the clarity of the USO over the Nightforce to the point of I wish I could sell a few things so that I could get and try the LR17 from USO. The top end and you will get some advantages over the lower scope and it comes down to each of us and of how much you are willing to spend and how much you can spend. So find the best scope you feel that works the best for you.

 

[CSTactical]

Good glass makes a big difference. I love having good glass but I will take reliability over better glass. As long as I can see the target well and the scope tracks I'm good to go. It is nice to be able to see the fine details of the target especially for shooting competitions.

Mike @ CSTACTICAL

 

[Jethatsme]

Consider yourself lucky then as you won't have any need to spend lots of money on optics now

Agreed. If YOU can't see the difference you are better off and the Primary will suit you just fine.