Re: What should I buy IOR or USO?
Joseph V.
I understand the desire to have a top end optic. There is no doubt that IOR and USO are fine pieces of glass. I have examples of each, as well as NF and more than a few Leupolds.
That being said, you stated that you have " a Leupold Vx3 LR 6.5-20 which has given me zero trouble after cranking the knobs many times."
Is there something that your VX3 is failing to do? If it is failing to track, not being repeatable, etc, I understand. If that was the case I would look at replacing it.
I have numerous MKIVs and VX3s. They were made prior to Leupold deciding to outsource many of their parts offshore. They all track well and perform as expected. If not, they would be down the road.
Today, I do not look at Leupold first. I generally look at the offerings from Nightforce or USO or someone else. That being said, I have no intention of replacing my reliable Leupolds until they fail to perform as expected.
It is not my intent to discourage you from buying a nice piece of glass, I would simply look at what your needs and expectations are.
If I had money burning a hole in my pocket, I would look at a top notch spotting scope or laser range finder or something along those lines, if I did not already have such gear.
A nice Swarovski spotter w/ a Bogen Manfrotto bipod is hard to beat:
Just a different perspective.
If you "just gotta have it, just because" there is nothing wrog with that either. I ended up with a 20 year old Land cruiser that way.